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The digital root of today's date is 5.
Feb. 15th, 2013 10:10 amOkay, I take back one thing I've previously said about VLR -- the puzzles are harder than 999's! In fact, shameful as it is to admit it, there's even been a couple where I've had to check the answer on GameFAQs! ~.~; (To be fair, I always try as hard as I can to solve them on my own, and two out of the three puzzles I've had to look up were just a case of me having made one little mistake. The other one... could've stood to be a tiny bit clearer -- just a couple of brackets, I think -- but maybe it was just me being an idiot.)
Anyway! I've gone back to 999 and gotten the True ending, and now I've reached four proper endings in VLR. The last one I got was pretty tragic... evidently, undoing a lock doesn't necessarily mean the results are going to be happy. =/
It probably goes without saying, but I can't help comparing the two games. On one hand, I like the improvements in VLR's gameplay (yes! I can skip through scenes I'm sick of rewatching!) and I'm very much enjoying the story and characters; but on the other hand, I think 999 had better atmosphere. I've read that the creators deliberately toned down VLR's horror factor because the gruesomeness of 999 hurt its sales; that's not to say VLR isn't disturbing in its own right, and at least it's able to show dead bodies this time instead of us just seeing a load of blood splatter and disgustingly graphic text descriptions, but it doesn't have quite the same "bite" as its predecessor. I like 999's soundtrack better, too.
They're both excellent games, though! They both have intriguing storylines, interesting and likeable characters, and well-done puzzles, and I'd rate them about as highly as each other in the long run provided VLR's endgame doesn't pull anything totally obnoxious on me (not that I can really see it happening...).
Come to think of it, it says something about how much I enjoy 999 when, even though I now have the True ending and only have three bad ends left to get, I still want to do at least one more playthrough. I'll be aiming for the Submarine ending next, mainly because I'll get to see the last few puzzle rooms I still haven't done, but I could even see myself eventually getting the other two bad ends, pointless as they might be now... maybe I'm just a completionist in that sense. ^^;
Finally, on an unrelated note, Fire Emblem: Awakening now has a proper European release date! Come on, April 19th! I want that game so much I don't know what to do with myself! @.@
Anyway! I've gone back to 999 and gotten the True ending, and now I've reached four proper endings in VLR. The last one I got was pretty tragic... evidently, undoing a lock doesn't necessarily mean the results are going to be happy. =/
It probably goes without saying, but I can't help comparing the two games. On one hand, I like the improvements in VLR's gameplay (yes! I can skip through scenes I'm sick of rewatching!) and I'm very much enjoying the story and characters; but on the other hand, I think 999 had better atmosphere. I've read that the creators deliberately toned down VLR's horror factor because the gruesomeness of 999 hurt its sales; that's not to say VLR isn't disturbing in its own right, and at least it's able to show dead bodies this time instead of us just seeing a load of blood splatter and disgustingly graphic text descriptions, but it doesn't have quite the same "bite" as its predecessor. I like 999's soundtrack better, too.
They're both excellent games, though! They both have intriguing storylines, interesting and likeable characters, and well-done puzzles, and I'd rate them about as highly as each other in the long run provided VLR's endgame doesn't pull anything totally obnoxious on me (not that I can really see it happening...).
Come to think of it, it says something about how much I enjoy 999 when, even though I now have the True ending and only have three bad ends left to get, I still want to do at least one more playthrough. I'll be aiming for the Submarine ending next, mainly because I'll get to see the last few puzzle rooms I still haven't done, but I could even see myself eventually getting the other two bad ends, pointless as they might be now... maybe I'm just a completionist in that sense. ^^;
Finally, on an unrelated note, Fire Emblem: Awakening now has a proper European release date! Come on, April 19th! I want that game so much I don't know what to do with myself! @.@
