Puyo Puyo

[puyokid]

Yes, but the PS2 can play PS1 games. Figured a Japanese PS2 was the best way to go; two worlds for the price of one, after all, plus, I gotta get around to snagging some PS2 Puyo Puyo games as well. And a few other Japan-only games I've been wanting to play for years.

Oh, of course. (Seriously, how could I POSSIBLY forget THAT feature??)

And that art is actually really nice.

I know, right? It's really interesting to see a character as recent as Risukuma modeled in one of Compile's art-styles. Specifically, their Pocket Puyo games.

I just picked up Puyo Puyo Tetris on my Switch recently and I also patched myself together a 3ds copy as well!
I'm in love with these characters already! Sig is best boy, hands down. He has that whole "I guess I'll die" thing going for him so he's super relatable!

...I'm not very good at Puyo Puyo Tetris.

I hope to get a Switch soon. I REALLY want to play as Arle and Carbuncle in PPT. Sig is also one of my favorite characters, too! There's something about his monotone personality that just makes him one the most fun characters in the series to me.

No need to feel so down. Heck, I want to get PPT for the Switch, and I'm nothing short of a novice in terms of Puyo Puyo. The best I've ever gotten is 3-4 chain. 5, if I'm REALLY lucky.

But admittedly, a love for the characters and a little bit of insanity did help a little. You get better as it goes on, I'm sure.

Insanity aside, part of the reason I got SO into Puyo Puyo was the characters and lore. Moreso the characters.....

As for the remaster idea, I'd welcome it, as long as it meant that the games got a visual overhaul to make the presentation especially for the SEGA games, less limited.

You know what I'd want from a remaster of the 7 "mainline" titles? Two things.

1) All 7 games having the artstyle of Puyo Puyo~n. I'd give ANYTHING to see the SEGA-era characters (Amitie, Ringo, Raffine, Sig, Risukuma, Maguro, etc.) in that light. I'm sure it'd be nothing short of a pipe dream, but I'd LOVE to see that one day.

2) All 7 games having anime cutscenes. I know, another pipe dream, but it has been implied that Puyo Puyo~n WAS intended to have them, but it didn't happen due to Compile's bankruptcy at the time.

What would make it even better would be if the hypothetical group art was a homage to the group art of Yo~n as seen below:

 

[warelander]

1) All 7 games having the artstyle of Puyo Puyo~n. I'd give ANYTHING to see the SEGA-era characters (Amitie, Ringo, Raffine, Sig, Risukuma, Maguro, etc.) in that light. I'm sure it'd be nothing short of a pipe dream, but I'd LOVE to see that one day.

Oh dude, you wouldn't believe how much I'd love that myself, just to see the SEGA era characters that way.

Generally speaking I love the current artstyle and I give SEGA major credit for consistency, but at the same time I'd like to see them try a new artstyle (Chronicle is still heavily based off the current artstyle) at least for one game, which feels like an odd thing to say, but I guess with Puyo it's just that once you start to look into Compile's output more deeply you'll end up so accustomed to the constantly changing art that actual visual consistency ends up feeling ''off'' instead.

 

[SurrealBrain]

I love the current art style too...but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wonder what Amitie would look like in some of Compile's old art styles.

The art styles would vary not just in visual style but in quality as well, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't help to have a little variety.

The modern styles do have some differences, but it's more "art evolution" than any intentional change.

It would be neat as a "what-if" sorta thing. That said, I'd rather seem them use it for a new game; I don't think it'd be feasible to do anything more than visual clean-ups for the older ones.

 

[puyokid]

Oh dude, you wouldn't believe how much I'd love that myself, just to see the SEGA era characters that way.

Generally speaking I love the current artstyle and I give SEGA major credit for consistency, but at the same time I'd like to see them try a new artstyle (Chronicle is still heavily based off the current artstyle) at least for one game, which feels like an odd thing to say, but I guess with Puyo it's just that once you start to look into Compile's output more deeply you'll end up so accustomed to the constantly changing art that actual visual consistency ends up feeling ''off'' instead.

I love the current art style too...but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wonder what Amitie would look like in some of Compile's old art styles.

The art styles would vary not just in visual style but in quality as well, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't help to have a little variety.

The modern styles do have some differences, but it's more "art evolution" than any intentional change.

It would be neat as a "what-if" sorta thing. That said, I'd rather seem them use it for a new game; I don't think it'd be feasible to do anything more than visual clean-ups for the older ones.

All this being said, I'd give anything to see a new Puyo game (or the aforementioned remasters of the 7 mainline games) with anime cutscenes in the style of Yo~n's intro movie as well. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a few shots from said FMV:

I mean, just LOOK at this. Honestly, what I wouldn't give to find out which animation studio that worked on this gem. If SEGA could only get the studio that worked on this for a future Puyo game (This time with the Compile-era AND SEGA-era cast together), I'd be beyond overjoyed.

 

[warelander]

I know that this is coming out of left field, but can I just say that I don't get SEGA's sudden obsession of characterizing Draco as a complete and utter loser (she is weaker then Skeleton-T in 7)?

Like, I really don't get what part of pre PP7 Draco that's supposed to be based off, I mean she was only a low level opponent in OPP, SUN and Yon, Tsu and (at least in Rally mode) BOX had her as a high level opponent, the former even has her only a bit below Schezo, Rulue and Satan, while Minna has her at a modest middle tier level, The Madou games never made it a point to show her as weak or lame either, so...yeah, what gives? Either way I'm not a fan.

 

[BooDestroyer]

;A;

 

[puyokid]

I know that this is coming out of left field, but can I just say that I don't get SEGA's sudden obsession of characterizing Draco as a complete and utter loser (she is weaker then Skeleton-T in 7)?

Like, I really don't get what part of pre-PP7 Draco that's supposed to be based off, I mean she was only a low level opponent in OPP, SUN and Yon, Tsu and (at least in Rally mode) BOX had her as a high level opponent, the former even has her only a bit below Schezo, Rulue and Satan, while Minna has her at a modest middle tier level, The Madou games never made it a point to show her as weak or lame either, so...yeah, what gives? Either way I'm not a fan.

It IS a bit...disconcerting how she was SO terrible in terms of Core AI in PP7. What's more, I feel like what little screen-time she even managed to get in PP7 was wasted on her acting a bit TOO dimwitted just to reflect her her terrible Core AI as well.

Granted, I know Dark Arle DID trick her, Witch, Harpy, and Seriri(?) (Sorry, it's been a while since I've seen that cutscene, so if someone can remind me whether or not Seriri WAS in PP7 via cameo, I'd appreciate it.) into going to Scotland, but this felt like an insult to her. Also, if you think she was bad in PP7, take a look at THIS:



Seriously, SEGA...WTF? Like @warelander said, she was actually more of a hassle in Tsu, Yo~n and BOX. So for SEGA to make a complete 180 on that is just...jarring.

;A;

Oh, yeah! I've seen this before. Honestly, this really reminds how (surprisingly) the likes of Ms. Accord, Lidelle, and Tarutaru were NOT playable in PP7, when they would have been perfect for this game.

 

[warelander]

What's more, I feel like what little screen-time she even managed to get in PP7 was wasted on her acting a bit TOO dimwitted just to reflect her her terrible Core AI as well.

That's something I generally hate about 7's story, it straight up doesn't care about most of the cast and only has them appear out of obligation and in really one-note and generic ways, Schezo is the biggest offender in that regard, he literally only shows up only to tick off the tired ''Ah wunt yuh!'' ''Yah purvurt!'' ''Ahm nut a purvurt!'' running gag off the list and then disappears from the plot.

Even characters that recieve more screentime just get tossed away, Sig for instance has a big role in the first chapter and then just leaves with no explaination, which is especially jarring because he disappears right as it's revealed that Amitie is in town, considering the lenghts he usually goes for her you'd think that he would tag along with Ringo to find her, but nope, he is literally shoved away because the game simply doesn't want him to stay around, regardless of how much sense it would make for him to do so.

And then there is the finale against Ecolo, which does the thing I despise the most about the 7 onwards Puyo games, glorifying the A Trio while everyone else are reduced to worthless bystanders, despite the whole game's cast being supposedly there, doesn't help that the story exclusive trio ''gimmick'' doesn't actually change anything apart from you now using Zoh Daimoh's Dropset from 15th, not to mention the underwhelming music and Ecolo being easy as piss to take down, really, 20th took a lot of the concepts from 7's finale, removed the things I hated and actually did something cool and memorable with it.

And no, Seriri isn't in 7, Harpy and Witch are the only cameos.

Also, if you think she was bad in PP7, take a look at THIS:

As bad as this looks it's still a million times better then in 7, this Draco actually get's to do something, while the one in 7 never manually drops her Puyo, not even with Core AI, meaning that she always ends up getting her ass kicked fifty times over before she can even pop a single Puyo, this one at least tries to put up any kind of fight, even if that attempt is still ''how do you even exist?'' levels of horrendous.

 

[BooDestroyer]

That Puyo~n intro does look very beautiful.

Here's the video of it in all its majesticness:

 

[puyokid]

That's something I generally hate about 7's story, it straight up doesn't care about most of the cast and only has them appear out of obligation and in really one-note and generic ways, Schezo is the biggest offender in that regard, he literally only shows up only to tick off the tired ''Ah wunt yuh!'' ''Yah purvurt!'' ''Ahm nut a purvurt!'' running gag off the list and then disappears from the plot.

Oh, God...I just remembered...Schezo didn't even appear for the final battle, right? Man, he didn't even have much reason to be in this game, (which is something I REALLY don't like saying, as he's one of my favorite Puyo characters) did he? For real SEGA, you guys SO dropped the ball with virtually EVERY character in the game except for Ringo, and even THAT'S debatable...

Even characters that receive more screen-time just get tossed away, Sig for instance has a big role in the first chapter and then just leaves with no explanation, which is especially jarring because he disappears right as it's revealed that Amitie is in town, considering the lengths he usually goes for her you'd think that he would tag along with Ringo to find her, but nope, he is literally shoved away because the game simply doesn't want him to stay around, regardless of how much sense it would make for him to do so.

Honestly, that was bugging me too. Sig looked like he was about travel with Ringo and Amitie, but what happens instead? He gets shafted from the remainder of the story, with virtually NO fanfare, alongside the rest of the Fever-era cast, bar Amitie. Heck, among many other details which I won't go into right now, it STILL annoys me how Risukuma and Maguro were UNBELIEVABLY underused for the story of PP7. As I've said, I would liked it if the story still went the same, but with Risukuma and Maguro accompanying Ringo instead of Amitie and Suketoudara.

And then there is the finale against Ecolo, which does the thing I despise the most about the post-PP7 Puyo games, glorifying the A Trio while everyone else are reduced to worthless bystanders, despite the game's entire cast being supposedly there, doesn't help that the story exclusive trio ''gimmick'' doesn't actually change anything apart from you now using Zoh Daimoh's Dropset from 15th, not to mention the underwhelming music and Ecolo being easy as piss to take down, really, 20th took a lot of the concepts from 7's finale, removed the things I hated and actually did something cool and memorable with it.

Man, the true final really WAS anticlimactic as ****...BTW, would you mind going into detail as to just what 20th Anniversary did right compared to PP7?

And no, Seriri isn't in 7, Harpy and Witch are the only cameos.

Oh, really? Thanks. So, I take this to mean Seriri really didn't return for a console Puyo game until Chronicles, right?

As bad as this looks, it's still a million times better than in 7. This Draco actually gets to do something, while the one in 7 never manually drops her Puyo, not even with Core AI, meaning that she always ends up getting her ass kicked fifty times over before she can even pop a single Puyo, this one at least tries to put up any kind of fight, even if that attempt is still ''how do you even exist?'' levels of horrendous.

Dear God, really...? Again, SEGA...the ****??

That Puyo~n intro does look very beautiful.

Here's the video of it in all its majesty:

Just as glorious as ever. Seriously, if a Puyo anime uses this kind of art, I'll be beyond hyped to see it.

 

[SurrealBrain]

I have decided to draw a picture of Amitie for her birthday.

I admit, it could have been better, but I wanted to do something for her birthday, especially after missing it since being truly introduced to her. Well, not this year, I'm not!

What I did was make Amitie kinda stand in her pose from Puyo Pop Fever, while putting her in her attire from Puyo Puyo Tetris...mainly because I can never decide which design for Amitie is my definitive favorite; I love all of her designs!

Happy Birthday, Amitie!

 

[warelander]

Man, he didn't even have much reason to be in this game, (which is something I REALLY don't like saying, as he's one of my favorite Puyo characters) did he?

I wouldn't so much say that, rather the game simply had no interest to do anything of substance with him, he's there because he's a mainstay, but that's it.

Honestly, that was bugging me too. Sig looked like he was about travel with Ringo and Amitie, but what happens instead? He gets shafted from the remainder of the story, with virtually NO fanfare, alongside the rest of the Fever-era cast, bar Amitie. Heck, among many other details which I won't go into right now, it STILL annoys me how Risukuma and Maguro were UNBELIEVABLY underused for the story of PP7. As I've said, I would liked it if the story still went the same, but with Risukuma and Maguro accompanying Ringo instead of Amitie and Suketoudara.

Fun fact: Maguro actually does join Ringo on her quest.

For one level.

Hey, it's a start.

And honestly Sig's treatment in 7 is one of the biggest examples of why I find the Anniversary games' approach of having the series be an ensemble thing, where nobody is more inherently important then the others to be the far better approach for the series nowadays, because there are so many characters nowadays that really don't have a reason to not tag along on the adventure, due to how many more clear and visible fiendships there are, PPT had to make most of the cast unaware that there is even a plot going on to work the way it did.

Man, the true final really WAS anticlimactic as ****...BTW, would you mind going into detail as to just what 20th Anniversary did right compared to PP7?

1) Instead of everyone besides the A girls being reduced to worthless dunces who can only watch, 20th makes it a point that everyone is needed to win against Ecolo and the brainwashed Satan, it also means that you can freely choose who to play as and who to have as your partner for the final battle.

So Maguro and Risukuma can take the spotlight during the climax, Suketoudara and Onion Pixy have just as much of a chance to be the hero duo, Sig and Arle team up? Count me the hell in! And it goes on and on, with dozens of possible combinations, all up to your own choice.

2) Instead of the Trio thing fom 7 that changes little to nothing 20th actually introduces a brand new and really fun playmode, in the form of Pair Battle, that you never see or unlock before the final battle, so it's a surprise too.

3) 7 just has you fight against regular Ecolo twice in a row, with Dark Arle being done away with before the climax, while 20th does have a match with Satan before the final battle it at least adds some spice by teaming him up with Ecolo, plus, having Satan in the Final Boss role again for the first time since Minna is a very fitting finale for a 20th Anniversary game.

On top of all that I just find 20th's story far more enjoyable then 7's, which I consider mostly a bust, but that's a general thing and not just part of the finale.

Oh, really? Thanks. So, I take this to mean Seriri really didn't return for a console Puyo game until Chronicles, right?

Apart from Quest it was her return in anything period, unless she was in previously released drama track that I'm not aware of.

 

[puyokid]

I have decided to draw a picture of Amitie for her birthday.

I admit, it could have been better, but I wanted to do something for her birthday, especially after missing it since being truly introduced to her. Well, not this year, I'm not!

What I did was make Amitie kinda stand in her pose from Puyo Pop Fever, while putting her in her attire from Puyo Puyo Tetris...mainly because I can never decide which design for Amitie is my definitive favorite; I love all of her designs!

Happy Birthday, Amitie!

Aww...that's so cute! Happy B-day, Amitie! You adorable little heart-melting sweetheart, you!

I wouldn't so much say that, rather the game simply had no interest to do anything of substance with him, he's there because he's a mainstay, but that's it.

Actually, that does seem more likely. Looking back on it now, I feel like my last post about Schezo being in PP7 was a little...harsh(?) on him.

Fun fact: Maguro actually does join Ringo on her quest.

For one level.

Hey, it's a start.

Oh, right...I remember that. Well...vaguely, at best...and that kinds of proves my point on how Risukuma and Maguro were really underused considering how together with Ringo herself, they make up PP7's A.R.S. trio.

Heck, once you deal with Risukuma, both he AND Maguro disappear from the remainder of PP7's story until the epilogue. I mean, I'm aware of Suzuran's cast being (hands-down) the smallest of the series' ensemble, but I would think that'd just be more of an incentive to give them bigger roles in that game, you know?

And honestly Sig's treatment in 7 is one of the biggest examples of why I find the Anniversary games' approach of having the series be an ensemble thing, where nobody is more inherently important then the others to be the far better approach for the series nowadays, because there are so many characters nowadays that really don't have a reason to not tag along on the adventure, due to how many more clear and visible friendships there are, PPT had to make most of the cast unaware that there is even a plot going on to work the way it did.

Honestly, I feel like this was BEST exemplified by 20th Anniversary, where virtually EVERY character had enough material for a story all to themselves, and (if you remove the overall implications of Arle, Carbuncle, and Ally being the main characters for the most part) Chronicles technically contains your example of "because there are so many characters nowadays that really don't have a reason to not tag along for the adventure".

Still, if you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by, "Due to how many more clear and visible friendships there are, PPT had to make most of the cast unaware that there is even a plot going on to work the way it did." I'm not sure what exactly you're getting at. I mean, didn't we agree that the majority of the Puyo Puyo side of PPT's cast was SEVERELY wasted in terms of potential?

1) Instead of everyone besides the A girls being reduced to worthless dunces who can only watch, 20th makes it a point that everyone is needed to win against Ecolo and the brainwashed Satan, it also means that you can freely choose who to play as and who to have as your partner for the final battle.

So Risukuma and Maguro can take the spotlight during the climax, Suketoudara and Onion Pixy have just as much of a chance to be the hero duo, Sig and Arle team up? Count me the hell in! And it goes on and on, with dozens of possible combinations, all up to your own choice.

1) So, two things:

A) Remind me, EVERY playable character in 20th Anniversary was seen the cutscene before that final battle, am I right?
B) I don't suppose in terms of dropsets, there's any catches, is there?

2) Instead of the Trio thing from 7 that changes little to nothing, 20th actually introduces a brand new and really fun mode, in the form of Pair Battle, that you never see or unlock before the final battle, so it's a surprise too.

Again, could you answer two things for me?

A) The 'A' Trio's dropset in PP7 was essentially you playing as Zoh Daimaoh, right? Don't suppose the screen shakes on occasion?
B) How exactly DID Team Battle work in 20th Anniversary?

3) 7 just has you fight against regular Ecolo twice in a row, with Dark Arle being done away with before the climax, while 20th does have a match with Satan before the final battle it at least adds some spice by teaming him up with Ecolo, plus, having Satan in the Final Boss role again for the first time since Minna is a very fitting finale for a 20th Anniversary game.

Yeah, I HAVE to agree with you on the final bosses front. Ecolo actually proving to be a REAL challenge this time AND Satan being the final boss of a Puyo game for the first time since Minna was definitely a welcoming feature to 20th Anniversary.

On top of all that I just find 20th's story far more enjoyable then 7's, which I consider mostly a bust, but that's a general thing and not just part of the finale.

I really hope someone could translate 20th Anniversary's story soon as I've REALLY wanted to understand what goes on in that game. I do agree with you on how PP7's story had a lot of potential to be something much, MUCH more, but it didn't live up to its expectations.

BTW, I heard there WAS progress being made on a fan translation of 20th Anniversary at first, but VERY important files were corrupted rendering the project null and void. Also, the fan translation would have been done by the same group who translated 15th Anniversary and PP7.

There IS a literal translation of Sig's story in 20th Anniversary I came across which I'll post here: https://robinsegg.dreamwidth.org/2623.html

Apart from Quest, it was her return in anything period, unless she was in previously released drama track that I'm not aware of.

Oh, I see. Also, I think you're right on how Chronicles was her return to the series proper after Minna. Outside of PPQ obviously. If my memory serves me right, she appears in the 6th Drama CD as a cameo appearance and even then, that was released AFTER Chronicles.

 

[warelander]

Chronicles technically contains your example of "because there are so many characters nowadays that really don't have a reason to not tag along for the adventure".

Well yeah it has them tag along, but I'm more talking about not really having a main trio or even singular main character anymore, just like the Anniversary games did, it has everyone as part of the adventure, but the A girls are still put on a pedestal, considering that they get some screentime in every cutscene while others can go an entire world without saying a thing, which is understandable enough for Arle and especially Ally, but not so much for Amitie or Ringo, who are no more important to the plot then everyone else.

Still, if you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by, "Due to how many more clear and visible friendships there are, PPT had to make most of the cast unaware that there is even a plot going on to work the way it did." I'm not sure what exactly you're getting at. I mean, didn't we agree that the majority of the Puyo Puyo side of PPT's cast was SEVERELY wasted in terms of potential?

Well yes, I said that due to the more consistend relationships between characters nowadays PPT had to make them unaware of the plot to keep them as minor as they were in the game, because it wouldn't make sense otherwise for them to not stick around.

Like it makes sense that Sukeoudara wouldn't be part of the group, since he has no strong ties to anyone else who appears in PPT and Schezo isn't on good terms with Arle anyway, so her happily ditching him the way she did makes sense, but there is really no reason why Amitie wouldn't take Sig with her, especially considering THAT scene later on.

A) Remind me, EVERY playable character in 20th Anniversary was seen the cutscene before that final battle, am I right?
B) I don't suppose in terms of dropsets, there's any catches, is there?

A) Not everyone, but trying to cram in 24 characters into a single scene would have been messy, they (apart from Satan and Ecolo) are all available for the final match though.

B) Nope, everyone just uses their normal Dropsets.

A) The 'A' Trio's dropset in PP7 was essentially you playing as Zoh Daimaoh, right? Don't suppose the screen shakes on occasion?
B) How exactly DID Team Battle work in 20th Anniversary?

1) Nope, though his win quotes from 15th are still stuck in 7's files, make of that what you will, likely just a placeholder though.

2)

You see the hearts there? Those are your lifes, when one player loses then he isn't out yet and he get's a clear field, along with some pre build chains, but one life will be lost, once one team loses all their hearts it's game over.

One thing that's very important to the mode is that the chains of you and your partner are counted together and there are two ways to play:

1) Both players build their chains, one starts to initiate theirs at an earlier point and as soon as their chain is close to be popped the other player starts to pop theirs, so the other player can build another chain and rack things up even higher, there is also always a small window of time when there is no active chain popping and you can still do something before the attack launches, which can be used to stall a bit for time. If done well you can reasonably get a 60+ chain combo and counting, however you need to time it with your partner and can't play the same way as you would in other modes.

2) The other method involves both players building chains of the same lenght and starting to pop them at the same time, it's much harder to do and can easily backfire, but the damage output is very high.

BTW, I heard there WAS progress being made on a fan translation of 20th Anniversary at first, but VERY important files were corrupted rendering the project null and void. Also, the fan translation would have been done by the same group who translated 15th Anniversary and PP7.

Oh, that's been dead in the water for a long time, there are now some plans to just do subs for the cutscenes, which sounds like a neat Plan B, but whether or not anything comes out of it is a different story.

 

[warelander]

Also can I just say that the delivery of englisch Klug ranting against the book (12:35) absolutely fucks me up :


I dunno, I actually think that he doesn't sound that bad at all in cutscenes and that cracking over the top thing he has, isn't that bad of a substitute for his really wimpy sounding tendencies in the japanese original, in fact, I actually find it pretty damn hillarious.

Schezo's voice is growing on me too, it's still not quite what I would have liked it to be, but it is a pleasent voice and the delivery is spot on, ESPECIALLY when he meets Ocean Prince.

 

[puyokid]

Well yeah, it has them tag along, but I'm more talking about not really having a main trio or even singular main character anymore, just like the Anniversary games did, it has everyone as part of the adventure, but the A girls are still put on a pedestal, considering that they get some screentime in every cutscene while others can go an entire world without saying a thing, which is understandable enough for Arle and especially Ally, but not so much for Amitie or Ringo, who are no more important to the plot then everyone else.

Oh, OK. That actually makes a lot more sense. Also, I guess I never really noticed how the 'A' girls are no longer focused on singularly anymore compared to earlier games until you pointed it out. Huh...

Well yes, I said that due to the more consistent relationships between characters nowadays PPT had to make them unaware of the plot to keep them as minor as they were in the game, because it wouldn't make sense otherwise for them to not stick around.

Like it makes sense that Sukeoudara wouldn't be part of the group, since he has no strong ties to anyone else who appears in PPT and Schezo isn't on good terms with Arle anyway, so her happily ditching him the way she did makes sense, but there is really no reason why Amitie wouldn't take Sig with her, especially considering THAT scene later on.

Oh, all right. Now I see what you mean. It DOES make sense now, but I still feel like the Puyo cast outside of the 'A' Trio, Risukuma, and Maguro should have been a bit more..."aware" of the Tetris cast's existence. It's just me feeling that way, though I DO understand what you mean by how their minor roles actually served them well in the context of PPT's story.

Still, while I do agree with you on Arle and Schezo not being on the best of terms, I feel more like it's on Schezo's side than Arle's side. Then again, the majority of Arle's relationships (Rulue, Schezo, Satan, Suketoudara, Draco, Witch, etc.) can be compared to the likes of Bugs Bunny and HIS adversaries, so you know...

A) Not everyone, but trying to cram in 24 characters into a single scene would have been messy, they (apart from Satan and Ecolo) are all available for the final match though.

Yeah, good point. Heck, I can't exactly imagine Dongurigaeru, and Onion Pixy (and Onionette) suddenly showing up in that cutscene anyways.

B) Nope, everyone just uses their normal Dropsets.

I see.

1) Nope, though his win quotes from 15th are still stuck in 7's files, make of that what you will, likely just a placeholder though.

As much as I would like to see Zoh Daimaoh in future Puyo games, considering how PP7 was released on ALL the same consoles as 15th Anniversary, along with the fact it was the very next Puyo game immediately following 15th Anniversary, I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that SEGA just imported data from 15th to PP7, unused characters included.

2)

You see the hearts there? Those are your lifes, when one player loses then he isn't out yet and he get's a clear field, along with some pre-build chains, but one life will be lost, once one team loses all their hearts it's game over.

One thing that's very important to the mode is that the chains of you and your partner are counted together and there are two ways to play:

1) Both players build their chains, one starts to initiate theirs at an earlier point and as soon as their chain is close to be popped the other player starts to pop theirs, so the other player can build another chain and rack things up even higher, there is also always a small window of time when there is no active chain popping and you can still do something before the attack launches, which can be used to stall a bit for time. If done well, you can reasonably get a 60+ chain combo and counting, however you need to time it with your partner and can't play the same way as you would in other modes.

2) The other method involves both players building chains of the same length and starting to pop them at the same time, it's much harder to do and can easily backfire, but the damage output is very high.

Also, you really could build up some pretty big chains with this mode, huh? Still, it seems pretty complicated to get the hang of, if your partner isn't all that good at Puyo.

Remind me, didn't Team Battle return for future Puyo games? Specifically, I'm pretty sure it returned for PPT, right?

Oh, that's been dead in the water for a long time, there are now some plans to just do subs for the cutscenes, which sounds like a neat Plan B, but whether or not anything comes out of it is a different story.

Don't get me wrong, I'm more than fine with just subtitles. I've even heard that the team is deciding whether or not to go the route of their work on 15th Anniversary and PP7, where they'd go for a more "localized approach" and take liberties like what SEGA of America would most likely do, or translate the while thing as literally as they could.

Also can I just say that the delivery of English Klug ranting against the book (12:35) absolutely fucks me up :


I dunno, I actually think that he doesn't sound that bad at all in cutscenes and that cracking over the top thing he has, isn't that bad of a substitute for his really wimpy sounding tendencies in the Japanese original, in fact, I actually find it pretty damn hilarious.

Schezo's voice is growing on me too, it's still not quite what I would have liked it to be, but it is a pleasant voice and the delivery is spot on, ESPECIALLY when he meets Ocean Prince.

I feel the same way! In cutscenes, Klug (along with a majority of characters, IMO) sound so much more fitting to me now. Especially the 'A' Trio. That being said, there ARE a few characters that I feel could use SOME work in the future.

Specifically, Schezo (should sound a tad less baritone, though he IS growing on me as well)

Witch (REALLY needs to lose about 40%-45% of the "adult" in her voice. Even her Alt. voice doesn't do all that well in trying to make her sound young, unlike Draco, who got it right for the most part.)

Feli (Needs to lose quite a bit of the bored "I don't want to be here" monotone in her voice. Also, she needs to talk a little faster. Sig's about as monotone as one can get, and even HE sounds better in that regard.

 

[warelander]

I DO understand what you mean by how their minor roles actually served them well in the context of PPT's story.

You are missunderstanding, I'm just talking from a general perspective that unawareness of the plot is the only way they could justify most of the cast being so minor and that in some cases it might make a degree of sense for certain characters to not be part of the main group, but that doesn't mean I like it or think it's good, the complete opposite in fact, I can't stand it and consider it a massive waste to have so much of such a diverse and colorful cast just be tossed to the sitelines.

Still, while I do agree with you on Arle and Schezo not being on the best of terms, I feel more like it's on Schezo's side than Arle's side. Then again, the majority of Arle's relationships (Rulue, Schezo, Satan, Suketoudara, Draco, Witch, etc.) can be compared to the likes of Bugs Bunny and HIS adversaries, so you know...

Look, I know how you feel about Arle and Schezo, so I apologize if I come off as very negative now, but I can't disagree hard enough, I think Arle is far worse in that regard then Schezo, she might get annoyed at Satan and is often suspicious of him and she might butt heads with Rulue & Co. on occasion, but she doesn't go out of her way to show distaste for them like she does with Schezo at times (well okay, there is PSX/Saturn Tsu, but Arle was a very OOC asshole in that game in general), even when he does nothing to derserve it, like in SUN when Arle spends the entire game being nice and reasonable except with Schezo, who she is incredibly quick to insult or the second Light Novel where Schezo is perfectly cooperative and even quite civil and yet Arle still snaps at him every chance she get's, often out of nowhere, to a point where it's actually really great to see Schezo get a bit of revenge in the end.

That's really the big thing, the biggest reason why I don't like even seeing them together is simply because I think their interactions can bring out the worst in Arle's traits, it doesn't always happen, in fact I appreciate the 15th onwards games for making such instances rarer, but you know, I get that Schezo is a butt monkey, but there is a line when it becomes too mean spirited.

Also, you really could build up some pretty big chains with this mode, huh? Still, it seems pretty complicated to get the hang of, if your partner isn't all that good at Puyo.

Remind me, didn't Team Battle return for future Puyo games? Specifically, I'm pretty sure it returned for PPT, right?

Actually as of now it hasn't returned at all, which is understandable for PPT since that game doesn't even have Fever and instead focuses more on completely new modes that can include both Puyo and Tetris, but Chronicle not having Pair Battle really did shock me a bit.

I feel the same way! In cutscenes, Klug (along with a majority of characters, IMO) sound so much more fitting to me now. Especially the 'A' Trio. That being said, there ARE a few characters that I feel could use SOME work in the future.

Specifically, Schezo (should sound a tad less baritone, though he IS growing on me as well)

Witch (REALLY needs to lose about 40%-45% of the "adult" in her voice. Even her Alt. voice doesn't do all that well in trying to make her sound young, unlike Draco, who got it right for the most part.)

Feli (Needs to lose quite a bit of the bored "I don't want to be here" monotone in her voice. Also, she needs to talk a little faster. Sig's about as monotone as one can get, and even HE sounds better in that regard.

Witch and Feli are really the only ones I still have issues with, Witch isn't terrible, but just sounds way too old and Feli just straight up doesn't work for me, it's still the only voice that I consider a bust from top to bottom.

 

[puyokid]

You are misunderstanding, I'm just talking from a general perspective that unawareness of the plot is the only way they could justify most of the cast being so minor and that in some cases it might make a degree of sense for certain characters to not be part of the main group, but that doesn't mean I like it or think it's good, the complete opposite in fact, I can't stand it and consider it a massive waste to have so much of such a diverse and colorful cast just be tossed to the sidelines.

Oh. Well, I remember us talking about how the Puyo Puyo cast felt wasted in PPT, but...well, never mind. You pretty much made the point all the more clear. Obviously, the fact that Puyo side of the cast was wasted was SO not the best thing to happen, but that's what SEGA ended up doing.

Look, I know how you feel about Arle and Schezo, so I apologize if I come off as very negative now, but I can't disagree hard enough, I think Arle is far worse in that regard then Schezo, she might get annoyed at Satan and is often suspicious of him and she might butt heads with Rulue & Co. on occasion, but she doesn't go out of her way to show distaste for them like she does with Schezo at times (well okay, there is PSX/Saturn Tsu, but Arle was a very OOC asshole in that game in general), even when he does nothing to deserve it, like in SUN when Arle spends the entire game being nice and reasonable except with Schezo, who she is incredibly quick to insult or the second Light Novel where Schezo is perfectly cooperative and even quite civil and yet Arle still snaps at him every chance she gets, often out of nowhere, to a point where it's actually really great to see Schezo get a bit of revenge in the end.

Hmm...I see what you mean. If I'm being honest, I do find it a little sad how their relationship IS somewhat (if not, GREATLY) strained. Still, I can't say she's all THAT better off when it comes to Rulue and Satan. Don't get me wrong, I certainly have noticed what you mean about how things are surprisingly less tense around THEM (Well, around Satan compared to Rulue) than Schezo. Kind of shocking when you consider Satan's occasionally irritating habits to woo her and Rulue's tendencies to lash out at (and on rare occasions, straight-up ASSAULT) Arle. As for the second Light Novel, I have to admit Schezo was a bit intimidating at times, but otherwise, he was quite civil compared to most other occasions. Still, I don't remember Schezo ever getting anything close to a last laugh on Arle. Could you tell me what you're talking about?

That's really the big thing, the biggest reason why I don't like even seeing them together is simply because I think their interactions can bring out the worst in Arle's traits, it doesn't always happen, in fact I appreciate the 15th onwards games for making such instances rarer, but you know, I get that Schezo is a butt monkey, but there is a line when it becomes too mean spirited.

Honestly, I understand what you mean. I know Schezo's a Butt Monkey more often than not and Arle's known to be VERY snarky to the majority o the cast, but it DID kind of leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth how their interactions in Tsu, SUN, and Minna had gone.

Actually as of now it hasn't returned at all, which is understandable for PPT since that game doesn't even have Fever and instead focuses more on completely new modes that can include both Puyo and Tetris, but Chronicle not having Pair Battle really did shock me a bit.

Wait, Chronicles DIDN'T have Pair Battle? Wow, that's...kind of surprising. PPT I guess I can understand, but Chronicles? Especially considering that game was essentially 'Puyo Puyo!!! 25th Anniversary'.

Witch and Feli are really the only ones I still have issues with, Witch isn't terrible, but just sounds way too old and Feli just straight up doesn't work for me, it's still the only voice that I consider a bust from top to bottom.

Honestly, Witch...kind of caught me off-guard if I'm being honest. Like, it's almost hilarious to me how she sounds like she's in her late 20s/early 30s, and she's canonically 13-15.

As for Feli, the thing is I actually expected her to sound the way she does, but this is overdoing the whole goth angle a bit. Or is it not enough...? The point is, I sort of expected Feli to sound like, say, Raven from Teen Titans, but WAY less monotone. That's honestly the best comparison I can come up with.

BTW, I have a question for you. If you don't mind, it realtes to Succubus and Incubus. Basically, I just wanted to ask do you think either of them have a chance at returning for a console Puyo game, and if so, do you think their running gags of hitting on Arle and Schezo would finally be extended to other characters, Fever-era and PP7 characters included?

 

[warelander]

Kind of shocking when you consider Satan's occasionally irritating habits to woo her and Rulue's tendencies to lash out at (and on rare occasions, straight-up ASSAULT) Arle.

Depends, I mean Arle and Schezo's relationship started off with him knocking her unconscious, throwing her into a dungeon cell and then try to take her power and kill her, no matter what version of Madou 2 you play, killing Arle was always a part of the plan.

Even if you don't count that (Schezo was a very different character at that pont after all) he can still be as bad as Satan at times when it comes to creeping onto Arle, like 15th where he travels to a whole different world, just to continue the ''ah wunt yuh powahs!'' stick, with that said there are more instances where he's just minding his own business and just happens to run into Arle.

Still, I don't remember Schezo ever gettting anything close to a last laugh on Arle. Could you tell me what you're talking about?

In order to seal the Dream Chest from the second Light Novel (or whatever it was called) the girls need to perform a rather embarassing ritual with Schezo simply being assigned to put a final spell on it, Arle of course quickly comes to the conclusion that Schezo is just trying to hummiliate them, because god forbid he can't just be doing his part, only to find out that the girls weren't even done wiith their previous task. This also means that they have to repeat the ritual, which according to Amitie's narration took hours to get done, so if nothing else Schezo get's to watch them having to look like utter imbeciles for hours on end, after having to take Arle's insults the entire time beforehand.

And again I'm sorry if I come off as very negative here, I know how I fell about them and I don't want to discourage you from that, I just get too many bad vibes from their relationship to look at it as anywhere positive.

BTW, I have a question for you. If you don't mind, it realtes to Succubus and Incubus. Basically, I just wanted to ask do you think either of them have a chance at returning for a console Puyo game, and if so, do you think their running gags of hitting on Arle and Schezo would finally be extended to other characters, Fever-era and PP7 characters included?

Maybe, it really depends, if they continue to bring back Compile era characters after Chronicle then I can at least see Incubus pop up again at some point.

 

[puyokid]

Depends, I mean Arle and Schezo's relationship started off with him knocking her unconscious, throwing her into a dungeon cell and then try to take her power and kill her, no matter what version of Madou 2 you play, killing Arle was always a part of the plan.

Even if you don't count that (Schezo was a very different character at that point after all) he can still be as bad as Satan at times when it comes to creeping onto Arle, like 15th where he travels to a whole different world, just to continue the ''ah wunt yuh powahs!'' stick, with that said there are more instances where he's just minding his own business and just happens to run into Arle.

I guess you have a good point there. This being said, thank goodness that Schezo's come a long way from kidnapping innocent people, stealing their powers, and killing them off like it's nothing.

And trust me, I'm very aware that Schezo's as bad as Satan in terms of the whole "creeper" angle. Honestly, it WAS pretty bothersome to see him almost INSTANTLY start up his whole gag again. Didn't even greet her properly too.

In order to seal the Dream Chest from the second Light Novel (or whatever it was called) the girls need to perform a rather embarrassing ritual with Schezo simply being assigned to put a final spell on it, Arle of course quickly comes to the conclusion that Schezo is just trying to humiliate them, because god forbid he can't just be doing his part, only to find out that the girls weren't even done with their previous task. This also means that they have to repeat the ritual, which according to Amitie's narration took hours to get done, so if nothing else Schezo get's to watch them having to look like utter imbeciles for hours on end, after having to take Arle's insults the entire time beforehand.

Wow, for a Butt Monkey like Schezo, this is...LOOONG overdue. Seriously, I'm actually pretty happy for him here. If only Rulue and Satan were there to perform the ritual as well...

And again I'm sorry if I come off as very negative here, I know how I feel about them and I don't want to discourage you from that, I just get too many bad vibes from their relationship to look at it as anywhere positive.

*sigh*, Well, again. I'm not going to make you like it. As I always say, each to their own. If you don't mind though, I'd like to stop talking about for a while. If I'm being honest...I'm actually starting to feel a little bit negative on it.

Maybe, it really depends, if they continue to bring back Compile era characters after Chronicles then I can at least see Incubus pop up again at some point.

Yeah, you have a point. Still, considering Succubus' supposed redesign, I can see her being added to a console Puyo game one day. Maybe MUCH later than Incubus, but one day.

Also, I have this cute set of pics I wanted to post.

From here: http://ivoirewhitefang.tumblr.com/post/160413005614/puyopuyo-abridged