[PS3/PSV/PC] Hyperdimension Neptunia series

[Klashikari]

I really didn't know Neptunia 1 was that rare in Europe, but it was so annoying that I had to raid several shops for second hand copies, considering factory sealed one are ridiculously rare and expensive (average of 50-60€ no less, yergh). Got one after what... 1-2 months of exacavation-like search? OTZ

Took me only 2 weeks for the plat trophy (although I guess it is fairly doable within just few days), but it was much more entertaining than I thought, factored the obviously bad reviews about the game.
That being said, I think the bad reviews themselves dampened the flaws in my case, so I wasn't exactly surprised of the few... "less than pleasant" points you can have (start being overly tedious due to how expensive materials were, with so little credit, and dire need of heal during the period prior lvl15-20).

I would lie if I wasn't sometimes bashing my head against the wall at times, but at least, the "L2 + triangle" routine became much easier to bear at some point (Neptune Break early abuse anyone?), to the extent the mere idea they didn't include the L2 skip option would have turned the game into a hardcore torture for real.
I wish however IF staff weren't that moronic in few points, such like the shares system, and the "monster specific" quest items sometimes forcing you to go in circle for 10 minutes straight...

Oh well, the cast and the antics were the selling point, but I frankly wonder what's up with NISA translators: I lost count about the number of fancy translations, turning things into a much more crude and... "crass" than what the game original is (Neptune sounds at times "mentally challenged" in the english script despite just being hyperactive, while they sort of aggravated Vert's game addiction. Hell, boobs mentions even were slipped through more, even out of context of the given antic).
I suppose MK2 will suffer the same regarding their beyond-liberal translation, right?

In a nutshell:
Pros:
+colorful and amusing characters
+bold premise, but done right
+excellent design (Tsunako became quickly one of my favorite artists for games/VN)
+excellent seiyuu cast (I never expected Tanaka's "hyper mode": Neptune's battle quotes are hilarious as heck)
+good scores at times (Leanbox and Planeptune map BGM are quite nice)
+lasting appeal is decent, although motonous at some point (recycled dungeons etc)

Cons:
-gameplay pacing is a wreck (way too slow, with unecessary slow motions from chars and camera)
-difficulty is hardly challenging, except the early part with bad heal skills RNG
-combat system is actually not so sophisticated, as sticking with 2 specific combo per character is enough (especially Nippon Ichi)
-some scores are equally sub-par or even mediocre (lastations tracks and Noire battle themes are... well not on par with the rest)
-VN portraits are hardly used to their full extent (some characters like If and ESPECIALLY Blanc rarely change their expressions, despite the script and voice acting suggest a transition or a reaction)
-EN translation is quite questionable the majority of the time


Anyway, a fairly amusing surprise, for a "otaku pandemic-looking" game, with so many jabs at the otaku and gamers cultures that definitely made me grin quite often. A shame the pacing, gameplay and the difficulty are so subpar that it hardly gets any actual momentum, in term of gameplay.
Going to start MK2 soon I guess, although I heard the antics and all were sort of watered down for the gameplay, correct? I just wish they didn't resort to 3D models for the VN parts, because they are just... well not really eye candy, compared to the original 2D portraits. Hopefully V might just be the compromise between Neptunia 1 and MK2 strong points.

[Ryonea]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

I just wish they didn't resort to 3D models for the VN parts, because they are just... well not really eye candy, compared to the original 2D portraits. Hopefully V might just be the compromise between Neptunia 1 and MK2 strong points.

Unfortunately, Mk2 did use 3D models for the dialogue scenes

[SaintessHeart]

Unless I am mistaken Klashkari to be female, there is no reason to be against the goddesses' nice racks unless one is jealous.

*runs*

[JohnNiles]

@Klashikari: Thank you for mentioning the things that other people don't. The L2 trigger was murder on my hands - would it have killed them to add a "Skip Animations" menu option instead? I suffered a gaming-related wrist injury last year so I don't appreciate this sort of sloppiness.

Under "Cons", I would add the share bug caused by continuing after dying (ran into this when the game came out in NA- some people did not even believe it existed).

I got about halfway through MK 2 and then set it aside in favor of other games. While the worst problems with combat were rectified, the game lacks personality and flair. The CPU candidates are pale imitations of the original characters.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by Ryonea

Unfortunately, Mk2 did use 3D models for the dialogue scenes

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Unless I am mistaken Klashkari to be female, there is no reason to be against the goddesses' nice racks unless one is jealous.

To be fair, the portrait animation in Neptunia 1 was alright, albeit a tad too distracting at times (well... I guess Vert's "assets" are even more obvious this way), especially when it comes to a lenghty discussion where the characters just don't change their expressions at all. Ironically, despite MK2 uses the 3D models, the chirper one between gear and compa actually uses 2D in a regular fashion, and like a VN, change the expressions accordingly (although the transition/animation of these are blunt as heck).

3D models are alright gameplay wise (although I sure hope the framerate won't be always as horrible as the intro/loss mandatory battle), but they are just not appealing compared to 2D ones.

Originally Posted by JohnNiles

@Klashikari: Thank you for mentioning the things that other people don't. The L2 trigger was murder on my hands - would it have killed them to add a "Skip Animations" menu option instead? I suffered a gaming-related wrist injury last year so I don't appreciate this sort of sloppiness.

I had to learn how I have to "press" L2 at some point, but yeah, when I started not caring at all with the animations, my left index finger was just numb at some point. Heck, the animation skip was so mandatory (for sanity and S rank sake) that I often don't even know what kind of attacks the enemies can dish out.

Under "Cons", I would add the share bug caused by continuing after dying (ran into this when the game came out in NA- some people did not even believe it existed).

A bug?What did it do? Decreasing your shares several times in a row?

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

To be fair, the portrait animation in Neptunia 1 was alright, albeit a tad too distracting at times (well... I guess Vert's "assets" are even more obvious this way), especially when it comes to a lenghty discussion where the characters just don't change their expressions at all. Ironically, despite MK2 uses the 3D models, the chirper one between gear and compa actually uses 2D in a regular fashion, and like a VN, change the expressions accordingly (although the transition/animation of these are blunt as heck).

Why aren't you looking at Compa's pantyshots....

They are slowly franchising this game.....PurpleHeart's figure is already up for PO. It might end up like the Atelier series (the Arland trilogy increased the number of lolicons in the world), and things will get better as they probe the market to see what JRPG fans really like.

I think it is the henshin sequence + girls with big swords/guns that attracted the main fanbase, and created hardcore fans due to its constant parodying of Japanese pop-culture. Though I wish they added VA jokes other than the Hirano Aya one (that was gold) - editing Blanc's transformation sequence to Kamen Rider ones and give her Lovecraftian attacks would be great.

Other than the game, you should read the manga. It is HILARIOUS.

[JohnNiles]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

I had to learn how I have to "press" L2 at some point, but yeah, when I started not caring at all with the animations, my left index finger was just numb at some point. Heck, the animation skip was so mandatory (for sanity and S rank sake) that I often don't even know what kind of attacks the enemies can dish out.

A bug?What did it do? Decreasing your shares several times in a row?

Oh, I actually liked the attack animations. I just needed to skip them to make use of the Break bar. Slow animation + rapidly depleting bar = bad combination... which you get around by slamming the L2 trigger. I don't know why anyone ever thought that was a good idea. I've even had fans tell me "You don't have to abuse the system." Really, maximizing the guard break system is abuse??

For what it's worth, guard break was modified in MK2 and the bar fills up slowly and not in real-time. Problem solved.


The bug is: if you die and continue immediately afterwards, you lose a tiny bit of your share bars. PERMANENTLY. The loss is very small and the share bars are just bars (no numeric indicators) so you need to die over and over to see the difference. The share quests only allow you to reallocate shares, they don't change the amount of shares. And if your total shares drop below a certain amount, you can't recruit the optional characters, period. (Because of this, I never got around to doing the True End).

The people who did not see this bug either never died and continued, died and continued infrequently, or went back to the last save after dying. Also, the "best" bosses for dying on are the ones that Compa can summon. A couple of them are very strong.

There's a slight chance this isn't even a true bug. I can imagine some sadistic programmer plotting to punish players for lack of ability...

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Why aren't you looking at Compa's pantyshots....

They are slowly franchising this game.....PurpleHeart's figure is already up for PO. It might end up like the Atelier series (the Arland trilogy increased the number of lolicons in the world), and things will get better as they probe the market to see what JRPG fans really like.

I think it is the henshin sequence + girls with big swords/guns that attracted the main fanbase, and created hardcore fans due to its constant parodying of Japanese pop-culture. Though I wish they added VA jokes other than the Hirano Aya one (that was gold) - editing Blanc's transformation sequence to Kamen Rider ones and give her Lovecraftian attacks would be great.

Other than the game, you should read the manga. It is HILARIOUS.

I liked the transition from Atelier Rorona to Atelier Totori a lot more. While they share one thing in common (exchanging an active main character for a milquetoast), the supporting cast is good, and the refinements to alchemy and the promotion system were much larger improvements.

I don't think Compile Heart/Idea Factory's rate of improvement is enough to justify continued purchases. Will probably sit out on V.

[xizro345]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

Oh well, the cast and the antics were the selling point, but I frankly wonder what's up with NISA translators: I lost count about the number of fancy translations, turning things into a much more crude and... "crass" than what the game original is (Neptune sounds at times "mentally challenged" in the english script despite just being hyperactive, while they sort of aggravated Vert's game addiction. Hell, boobs mentions even were slipped through more, even out of context of the given antic).
I suppose MK2 will suffer the same regarding their beyond-liberal translation, right?

Unfortunately that's their normal translation routine. "We make characters more unique" is their motto, but the results are kind of... horrible. In the Ar Tonelico series (aside the trainwreck that was AT2) they upped the innuendo quite a bit, and in Mk2 they went even worse with a certain character (and I'm pretty sure that's the reason the game got M as rating in the US), though I'm not going to spoil the details unless I'm asked to.
As for the original game, despite having enjoyed the story, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone: horrible interface, horrible mechanics, and sub-par (even for IF standards) graphics and sounds. Mk2 is light years better in comparison, and even a decent game on its own.
As for the portraits, the 3D models in Mk2 are simple but are used better. Sadly, they'll go back to 2D for Neptune V.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Why aren't you looking at Compa's pantyshots....

This is the biggest reason why I'm trying to bench Compa the most on the back line or even spare characters, because I grew tired of that animation.

They are slowly franchising this game.....PurpleHeart's figure is already up for PO. It might end up like the Atelier series (the Arland trilogy increased the number of lolicons in the world), and things will get better as they probe the market to see what JRPG fans really like.

Considering the few interviews on siliconera, it is quite clear they didn't expect the moderate popularity of the game in Japan and in the western market. Surely niche, but I assume they weren't amibitious enough to plan MK2 and V around the time Neptunia 1 was released.

I think it is the henshin sequence + girls with big swords/guns that attracted the main fanbase, and created hardcore fans due to its constant parodying of Japanese pop-culture. Though I wish they added VA jokes other than the Hirano Aya one (that was gold) - editing Blanc's transformation sequence to Kamen Rider ones and give her Lovecraftian attacks would be great.

I wouldn't mind if the franchise keep going mixing references from both gamers and otaku cultures: I sincerely wasn't expecting the likes like Tales of Vesperia having so many several reference in HDN1 (Black and White Heart "hi ougi", the skit with the young guy, looking for an item that serve for a town shield etc).

Other than the game, you should read the manga. It is HILARIOUS.

I was wondering where some trends about the chars came from considering the discussion here (honestly, even while trying to look hard for them, the "tsundere yuri vibes" from Noire towards Neptune in HDN1 are nearly inexistent).

Originally Posted by JohnNiles

Oh, I actually liked the attack animations.

I actually did as well first, especially some noteworthy one like Neptune Break and Infinity Slash. The huge problem is how atrocious it is in term of pacing, especially every characters, party and enemies alike, seem to be creepled to the point they take 2 whole seconds to perform a mere basic attack. Combo are generally unbearing past 1-2 in a row.
And of course, when you involve Guard Break and time trial for S rank, well... (S rank time limit is generally quite lenient, but you are pushing your luck if you don't skip even once).

The bug is: if you die and continue immediately afterwards, you lose a tiny bit of your share bars. PERMANENTLY.

I expected worse, but it doesnt' look like a bug to me, hence why I was puzzled by your mention (I did plat it, so no need for explanation for the share system). I just wish they could at least give a tutorial for it (hell, having Nisa ability to reveal in the main menu doesn't do shit if you don't look in the internet to begin with), and add either numerical value to the bar, or arrows showing whenever your share would increase or decrease when doing a specific quest (even now the Gold "Other" share bar is still a mystery to me).

Originally Posted by xizro345

Unfortunately that's their normal translation routine. "We make characters more unique" is their motto, but the results are kind of... horrible. In the Ar Tonelico series (aside the trainwreck that was AT2) they upped the innuendo quite a bit, and in Mk2 they went even worse with a certain character (and I'm pretty sure that's the reason the game got M as rating in the US), though I'm not going to spoil the details unless I'm asked to.

To be honest, I was wondering how come MK2 could reach M/-16 rating, considering they were "safe" with the circus they made with HND1, so I was wondering if they didn't go on the literal trash course to raise the bar (but given that the original jp game did raise from B to C, that might have been justified regardless of the translation).

As for the original game, despite having enjoyed the story, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone: horrible interface, horrible mechanics, and sub-par (even for IF standards) graphics and sounds. Mk2 is light years better in comparison, and even a decent game on its own.

I wouldn't suggest it to anyone aside of people who indulge themselves with otaku stuff -and- don't expect anything special with the gameplay. Failing to have any of these 2 conditions is a certain failure. That and the fact this game shouldn't be bought with its full retail price, unless if they have lots of money to spend (I did get it on second hand for a moderately cheap price, in contrast to its rarity so it is okay).

As for the portraits, the 3D models in Mk2 are simple but are used better. Sadly, they'll go back to 2D for Neptune V.

If they do use the 2D portraits the same way they did in MK2, I certainly thing it would be for the best: frankly, Idea Factory efforts for 3D models are...quite mediocre, to the point I was sometimes wondering if it isn't closer to PS2 level (hyperbol you may say, but the absolute lack of texture, actual faithful modelization and crappy framerate hardly flatter the PS3 specs). Meanwhile, if they really go to what VN/galge makers do with 2Dportraits, they can portray dynamic antics, without sacrificing tsunako's design in the lot. Well, YMMV I guess.

[xizro345]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

To be honest, I was wondering how come MK2 could reach M/-16 rating, considering they were "safe" with the circus they made with HND1, so I was wondering if they didn't go on the literal trash course to raise the bar (but given that the original jp game did raise from B to C, that might have been justified regardless of the translation).

I found the B/C transition odd as well since I didn't really find anything that was actually worse than the original in that regard (though a certain ending may have been another reason). The D rating to Mugen Souls was quite justified instead, for example. But what bugged me was the flavor NISA added to the text of that certain character that really made things worse.

That and the fact this game shouldn't be bought with its full retail price, unless if they have lots of money to spend (I did get it on second hand for a moderately cheap price, in contrast to its rarity so it is okay).

I go both LE at launch and honestly I didn't regret it (especially with Mk2).

If they do use the 2D portraits the same way they did in MK2, I certainly thing it would be for the best: frankly, Idea Factory efforts for 3D models are...quite mediocre, to the point I was sometimes wondering if it isn't closer to PS2 level (hyperbol you may say, but the absolute lack of texture, actual faithful modelization and crappy framerate hardly flatter the PS3 specs).

They use Sony's middleware but they have a history since the Spectral Souls games to keep the budget in check, hence a lot of compromise (MK2 was the first game that used motion capture and was, according to IF president, the game with the highest budget). Gust, which is another one that uses said middleware, has a broader public with the Atelier series, so they can modify it more (see Ayesha). Though V seems another step in the right direction, although I'll believe it when I'll see it. The PR on the Dengeki issue that announced it talked about models "faithful" to Tsunako's artwork, but I'm taking that with a grain of salt...

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by xizro345

I go both LE at launch and honestly I didn't regret it (especially with Mk2).

Well, I didn't imply the games do not worth their price, but rather for those who barely have the 2 conditions or aren't really dedicated to it. I personally regret that I couldn't get the artbooks, but since there is a N+MK2 one, I guess it would be the better compromise (gorgeous cover to boot), unless they will release yet another book due to V.

Though V seems another step in the right direction, although I'll believe it when I'll see it. The PR on the Dengeki issue that announced it talked about models "faithful" to Tsunako's artwork, but I'm taking that with a grain of salt...

True enough, IIRCS, HDN1 and MK2 initial teaser screenshots are actually not bad at all, so I'm as skeptical. That being said, the simple fact they are using a 3D engine focused on Cel shading rendering is definitely the good choice there, so hopefully, they won't make any step backwards.

[xizro345]

Well MK2 is a vast improvement over the original, graphics wise. It's not blockbuster-level but it's night and day different. I was honestly surprised when I played it.

[JohnNiles]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

Well, I didn't imply the games do not worth their price, but rather for those who barely have the 2 conditions or aren't really dedicated to it. I personally regret that I couldn't get the artbooks, but since there is a N+MK2 one, I guess it would be the better compromise (gorgeous cover to boot), unless they will release yet another book due to V.
True enough, IIRCS, HDN1 and MK2 initial teaser screenshots are actually not bad at all, so I'm as skeptical. That being said, the simple fact they are using a 3D engine focused on Cel shading rendering is definitely the good choice there, so hopefully, they won't make any step backwards.

For what it's worth, the artbook in the LE edition of MK2 is physically smaller than the first and contains very few pages. It's actually pretty hard to crack open because of its stiff cover and low page count. (On a less relevant note, mine came with sticky patches on the back, like what happens when a surface is exposed to food and not cleaned up. Anyone got any tips for cleaning covers?)

[asaqe]

I managed to notice an artbook at the fancon at Vancouver. The only disappointment is there is only two new artworks of note which is the cut Vert introduction scene (which involves her changing, nothing ecchi but still a cut scene)

[Scarletknive]

Scenario 4: Lowee... In a world not known in Gameindustri.

Me: Have a break, have a kit-kat.
asage:*watching Gundam series*
Me:... Can't we watch Mahjong? Its really boring to see Gundams everyday...
asage:Sure...
LoweGear: Don't let me in is it? I want to join.
Saintess:Guess i should join in too.
Me:Sheesh...
Ryonea:Me 4...
Me: Just nice 5 person good lets watch some mahjong anime.
*plays Saki Achiga-hen episode 5...reach till the part where Toki riichi*
Me:Uh oh... If i remember correctly, she is Flit Asuno's Great-Granddaughter.
The other 4:dafuq.
Me:Wait there is more...
*Picture below happens.*

Spoiler for off-topic pic:

All of us:BLANC FROM LOWEE??!! HOW SHE GET IN THERE??!
asage:But isn't the voice too cute for Blanc?
Lowegear:Hmm...True, see who voices her...
Me: (That cute voice is familiar...)
Lowegear: She is voiced by Yui Ogura...
Ryonea:And the other girl Ryuuka is voiced by Kaori Ishihara.
Me:*shivers* Mind if I can ask... Did Yui and Kaori voice in a game called Neptune mk2?
LoweGear: Wait let me check.................................... Yes they are...
Me:Who are they?
LoweGear: Lowee's Next Generation Goddess, Rom and Ram respectively.
The other 3 and I: WHAT THE HECK??!
asage: I misunderstood them... they are Gundam pilots.
Ryonea: Me too... It is worst to learn the truth... Did not know that Rom has the other side of her...
Saintess: My Lastation lolis.... My Lastation lolis.... My Lastation lolis.... My Lastation lolis....
Me: Its... impossible...
LoweGear: Yeah... Shall we continue?
All of us: Yeah. Lets continue...
Me:After this we go play a mission called Lowee's Goddess... Make sure Rom is not in front of Ram and Blanc
*After watches the show, plays Neptune mk2 with caution*
asage: Damn Rom is in front of them...
*Fake Rom uses Northern Cross, deals asage's Nepgear 12409 damage total. Nepgear faints.*
asage: Don't worry there is still Neptune and the rest.
*Uses Neptune to hit Fake Rom, but all miss*
asage: She is like an X-Rounder...
*All his characters surround Fake Rom, Fake Rom uses Northern Cross on the Neptune and the others, dealing 42908 damage on the 3 of them in total. All faints, GAME OVER. Lost points.*
asage:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[Ryonea]

http://andriasang.com/con0yc/inafune_neptune/

Keiji Inafune still in the game~

and the official website's been updated with the screenshots and also character profiles. The in-game 3D models look better and sharper IMO



and Iris Heart is truly an S

[SilverSyko]

I really hope she ends up being a villain. I don't think the dominatrix personality really suits a lawful character.

From the looks of it, I guess some of her attacks cause a charm status ailment? Ugh, sadomasochism.

I like that hat though. That hat is boss.~

[asaqe]

Originally Posted by Ryonea

http://andriasang.com/con0yc/inafune_neptune/

Keiji Inafune still in the game~

and the official website's been updated with the screenshots and also character profiles. The in-game 3D models look better and sharper IMO



and Iris Heart is truly an S

Hope Tieria is ready for shock therapy.

"I am going to enjoy breaking you Tieria...fufufu"
"I AM IN DESPAIR! THE FACT MY BONDMATE IS AN DOMINMATRIX HAS LEFT ME IN COMPLETE DESPAIR!"

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Ryonea

http://andriasang.com/con0yc/inafune_neptune/

Keiji Inafune still in the game~

and the official website's been updated with the screenshots and also character profiles. The in-game 3D models look better and sharper IMO

<snip>

and Iris Heart is truly an S

My guess is that she is Arfoire's pre-corruption form.

[Ryonea]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

I really hope she ends up being a villain. I don't think the dominatrix personality really suits a lawful character.

From the looks of it, I guess some of her attacks cause a charm status ailment? Ugh, sadomasochism.

I like that hat though. That hat is boss.~

Dunno about her attack, but after seeing that hat, now I realized that her goddess costume looked like a typical S&M costume, coupled with that hat and that (probably) whip-like weapon

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

My guess is that she is Arfoire's pre-corruption form.

Never thought about it, but now that you mention it, we haven't seen any info about the antagonist

meanwhile, enjoy this white heart screenshot



the graphic really improves IMO.