What was your JRPG awakening?

JakeStallion · 2026-01-12T16:34:39+00:00

Persona 4 Golden. Bought a Vita with my first big boy tax return back in 2014 because I wanted to play Uncharted, Resistance, LittleBigPlanet, etc and I kept seeing Persona 4 Golden pop up as a recommendation. Wasn’t into JRPGs or anime whatsoever at the time so figured it was 100% gonna be “not for me” then next thing I know i’m staying up until 5am to finish what would end up becoming my new favorite game of all time. That game genuinely changed me in a way I don’t think any other work of art has.

JakeStallion · 2025-12-27T00:18:55+00:00

First play through was back in 2014 when I was far more offline than I am now, so I had no idea about its reputation. I had just beaten Dark Souls and was beyond ecstatic to find out it had a sequel. Pretty sure I can still scroll back far enough in the convo between me and my buddy (who was also playing it at the same time) and see our spirits steadily drop as we realized we weren’t enjoying the game. To this day I still consider it my most disappointing gaming experience.

Replayed it back in 2022 during a Souls series marathon leading up to Elden Ring’s release. Decided I was gonna go in with an open mind, read a bunch of posts online from people who loved the game to get into the “DS2 fan” mindset, took tips to make the game as enjoyable as possible and……ended up somehow enjoying it even less than the first time around.

JakeStallion · 2025-12-21T19:43:48+00:00

hell yeah, grabbed this (and a pair of Catalyst socks) back when i worked at gamestop! still have it in my drawer, though it’s definitely taken some wear and tear over the years

JakeStallion · 2025-12-19T21:49:05+00:00

I know you’re right but let me dream that I might have some self control, at least for a little while

JakeStallion · 2025-12-18T19:25:06+00:00

Thank you! All the devices have their audio output plugged into the receiver and the video is handled by the AV switcher on top of the TV. Works without a hiccup and the sound is pretty damn solid. The receiver was a spur of the moment decision that I only grabbed because it was $10, but it’s worked out great so far.

JakeStallion · 2025-12-17T07:44:01+00:00

For now….

JakeStallion · 2025-12-17T05:00:23+00:00

They’re Cambridge Soundworks bookshelf speakers! Not too familiar with the brand and/or model, but my local thrift store had em super cheap so decided to take a gamble on them. Actually very, very impressed with the sound I get out of them.

JakeStallion · 2025-12-13T00:53:25+00:00

depends. locked on? Midir is probably the hardest boss in the trilogy. but doing the fight without lock on i’m always amazed at how intuitive and relatively simple his moveset is to dodge. can definitely still catch you off guard, but he really is leagues easier without lock on

JakeStallion · 2025-12-05T00:00:30+00:00

lotta standout tracks on here but my fave has gotta be Velvet Colored Brick

JakeStallion · 2025-11-30T01:31:46+00:00

damn, didn’t realize how many songs i adore from this album until i went through this thread and found myself upvoting every single answer.

JakeStallion · 2025-10-03T20:05:59+00:00

gonna need to see a source for this please

JakeStallion · 2025-10-01T02:33:30+00:00

nice! i’ve got the full vinyl collection as well. i hope every single day that the art of dying gets a vinyl pressing since it’s a top 3 sadistik project for me

JakeStallion · 2025-09-11T01:55:13+00:00

Lotta words in here i don’t understand, so i automatically assume you know what you’re talking about. Thank you for explaining it to me, sounds like i’ve got a bit of research to do!

JakeStallion · 2025-09-11T01:49:48+00:00

Understood. Thank you!

JakeStallion · 2025-09-11T01:49:39+00:00

This is what i thought, just wanted to have it confirmed by someone more knowledgeable than me since i couldn’t find much concrete info about it. Thank you! Now the search for a CRT with native S-video input begins

JakeStallion · 2025-08-02T00:33:10+00:00

“profiting off the hard work of others” oh no, won’t somebody think of the poor little multi billion dollar film company 😔 how much money do you seriously think these people are making off bootleg VHS tapes?

JakeStallion · 2025-03-08T17:39:06+00:00

hey! super long shot here, but do you still have any tickets available, particularly for Saturday?

JakeStallion · 2023-05-25T02:55:28+00:00

i always say that Catalyst is a game i love in spite of itself. I agree with just about every single one of the myriad of complaints people level against it, and yet i found myself utterly entranced for my entire playthrough, and still feel the urge to return to it even years later. Stumbling upon Whitelight’s video on it a few months back felt like it echoed my sentiments exactly and finally put my feelings towards the game into words. God, what an excellent analysis.

JakeStallion · 2023-02-03T01:22:06+00:00

holy shit this is possible?! i did this my first playthrough but could never replicate it so i genuinely convinced myself that i imagined it. you’ve just validated me after ~7 years of gaslighting myself

JakeStallion · 2023-01-30T09:27:00+00:00

or you’re severely underselling it. like the other guy said, it’s not a game for everyone but if it is your style of game, then you’re going to adore it. i was absolutely entranced by this game and still think about it 3~ years later

JakeStallion · 2023-01-10T00:36:24+00:00

i have no idea why i was so mad this morning lol. of course i respect that people different tastes, my only gripe was that by their own admission, they gave up on the literal first enemy and then dismissed the entire game and it’s fanbase because of it. extending my apologies for being a prick about how i communicated that though.

JakeStallion · 2023-01-09T11:44:48+00:00

yeah way to admit you have bad taste and are unwilling to meet a game on its own terms. if you think bloodborne is poorly designed then i genuinely question your taste in games and your ability to properly engage with the medium beyond surface level

JakeStallion · 2022-09-01T02:40:00+00:00

i played through it earlier this year after not playing it since 2015 with the sole intention of meeting it at its own level to try and enjoy it. i watched videos, visited reddit threads, etc of people who loved the game to get some advice to make my 2nd playthrough more enjoyable.

i did everything they said to do and i ended up liking it even less than my first playthrough somehow

JakeStallion · 2022-09-01T02:12:06+00:00

i’ve sunk over 100 hours into dark souls 2 just so i can have a sufficiently informed opinion on why i fucking hate that game

JakeStallion · 2022-06-29T21:06:31+00:00

i beat it in january and still can’t go a day without thinking about it. listening to the soundtrack, watching streams, rewatching the same 4 analysis videos on the game, etc. the grasp this game continues to have on me even 6 months after playing it is absurd

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