Idle Forums Game Club - Killer 7 edition

[syntheticgerbil]

I'm on for this definitely! I should read the manual right now!

Also - Further random trivia, just because i'm feeling rambly, and maybe it's interesting to have some of the context around Killer 7, if it's not already common knowledge.

YES! This is exactly what I want this thread lined with! Thanks man!

Also as far as spoilers I would think a playthrough thread would definitely have some on default, but those nonplayers, let us know how you want it.

Edited July 8, 2011 by syntheticgerbil

[miffy495]

Man, I get linked in the OP and don't reply until the second page. Way to go me. I should be able to get a block in every two weeks. I have the GCN version still (bought it on fucking LAUNCH DAY, suckas) but when I tried to play it originally only got to the start of what you have scheduled as the third block. Maybe this will get me to actually see the end of this game. In short, I'm in, and will be playing the GCN version of the game on my Wii.

[Sno]

(bought it on fucking LAUNCH DAY, suckas)

Heh, same here. I was a big GameCube fanboy and took whatever i could get, but i've subsequently played every Goichi Suda game released in North America. (I think Killer 7 is still my favorite of his games.)

Anyways, who do we have on board right now?

Myself, Jon Cole, A Purple Future, Squid Division, Synthetic Gerbil, Miffy, and... Possibly Raff, Toblix, and Hermie? (Rodi?)

Barring any further suggestions or requests, i'll organize all the details for how we go about this tomorrow and set the start date for this sunday.

Edited July 8, 2011 by Sno

[Squid Division]

As far as scheduling, I think weekly discussion would be far more conducive to actually finishing the thing than bi-weekly. Maybe a week and a half per session?

[toblix]

I'm going away for the next two weeks, so I probably won't be able to join this thing, but it sounds like great fun to read about.

[Sno]

As far as scheduling, I think weekly discussion would be far more conducive to actually finishing the thing than bi-weekly. Maybe a week and a half per session?

Well how about something more along the lines of what i had originally suggested? How about -

Week 1 - Target 00: Angel

Week 2 - Target 01: Sunset, Part I

Week 3 - Target 01: Sunset, Part II

Week 4 - Target 02: Cloudman

Week 5 - Target 03: Encounter, Part I

Week 6 - Target 03: Encounter, Part II

Week 7 - Target 04: Alter Ego, Part I/II

Week 8 - Target 05: Smile, Part I

Week 9 - Target 05: Smile, Part II/III & Target 06: Lion

Each of those should be able to be finished in about an hour, but give yourself two or three if you want to take your time. (That last one might need more time, but the last few shouldn't be divided up any more than this already calls for.)

Edited July 9, 2011 by Sno

[Sno]

Anyways, i just dug out my discs, my old memory cards, and my wavebird. Loaded up the game to make sure it works, and it does.

Remember the game was designed for a 4:3 aspect ratio, so if you're playing on a widescreen TV and don't want everybody to look squat, keep in mind you'll have to change some settings on your TV.

MORE RANDOM TRIVIA.

The

ghosts

are speaking in marginally coherent synthesized english for the japanese version of the game. It was scrambled up for the worldwide releases, but you can still make out a lot of the words. There's a lot of possible reasons for why it was changed, but i couldn't tell you which one it comes down to. I can tell you that the unscrambled dialogue is equal parts goofy engrish and incredibly unsettling.

[syntheticgerbil]

I'm going away for the next two weeks, so I probably won't be able to join this thing, but it sounds like great fun to read about.

TOBLIX! WHY CAN'T YOU BUY THIS GAME FROM THE INTERNET EXACTLY?

I mean there's copies on Amazon UK for like 10 pounds, since you probably need a PAL copy.

Also stop going away.

[Sno]

Alright, so if nobody has anything else to add, lets start this rolling.

The schedule is -

Week 1 - Target 00: Angel

Week 2 - Target 01: Sunset, Part I

Week 3 - Target 01: Sunset, Part II

Week 4 - Target 02: Cloudman

Week 5 - Target 03: Encounter, Part I

Week 6 - Target 03: Encounter, Part II

Week 7 - Target 04: Alter Ego, Part I/II

Week 8 - Target 05: Smile, Part I

Week 9 - Target 05: Smile, Part II/III & Target 06: Lion

So current goal is to finish Target 00: Angel by July 16th.

It is possible to finish this level within an hour, but you're probably going to want to give yourself two or three so as not to rush through it, the same will hold true for the rest.

Regarding the deadlines, do we need to be more specific than that? I mean, beyond just saying to finish by saturday, starting the next level on the following sunday? Should we set some really specific GMT deadlines?

Regarding spoilers, gameplay discussion i'm sure will be fine, but for now at least, spoiler tag your story discussion. I don't know how strict we want to be about that, but it would probably be good to at least tag story spoilers for whatever the current level might be. Continuing feedback on this would be appreciated.

Also, it goes without saying that you shouldn't be discussing spoilers relating to anything later in the game. Rule to follow: Don't jump ahead, and don't be a dick.

[Squid Division]

Looks good. I don't think we need anything more specific than 'Sunday' because it's the weekend and people will be in and out doing other stuff anyway.

[Sno]

I finished the first level,

I love that exchange between Harman and Kun Lan in the last cutscene

. I've also realized that i'm definitely going to have to be really careful about what i say regarding the story. I'll probably have to abstain from some of the story discussion. (Though, honestly, the narrative is so convoluted and open to interpretation it might not even matter. Even so, i'm going to hold my tongue in a lot of cases.)

Anyways, just generally, had actually forgotten just how incredibly weird and gorgeous this game really is. I am disappointed that there really haven't ever been any other games that tried to emulate this art style, it's so striking and bold.

Gameplay things -

One suggestion i'm going to make, something i had completely forgotten about until i started playing again, is that each level has a hard limit on how much blood you can farm for progression. It doesn't take much to hit those limits, it'll only take a few visits to the blood room in the TV to reach the ceiling, and this is something you should be doing if you don't want to end up underpowered in later levels.

Hitting the gold particles to make the Smiles explode is the most effective way of farming blood, but shooting off their limbs will also do it. If your enemies are exploding into rainbow colored particles, you're not earning any blood. Vials are earned at the same time in the same way, but tracked separately, so don't be afraid to use those for your special abilities or healing.

It would also be worth checking in with Iwazaru in Harman's room, there's a lot of tutorials explaining nearly every aspect of the game. (I believe more show up as the game progresses.)

Also -

"You've got BLOOD!"

"All you need is BLOOD!"

"Got BLOOD?"

"Where's the BLOOD?"

Silly game, heh.

[syntheticgerbil]

I played this for too long last night and I'm really confused as to what I'm achieving.

My completionist type senses won't let me move past the parking garage and I've just been farming kills and trying to level up my characters because it gives me new moves.

But Sno, you just said there was a limit per level and I've read this elsewhere. There does not seem to be a limit however, as this started with me trying to see how much blood I could get at once, and it doesn't end. I think I may at least try to get everyone at Level 1 abilities before I stop killing the same guys over and over.

Is there going to be plenty of opportunities later to max out all six characters? If so, are there any reasons why I really should?

And what do I do with that grey guy above the door?

[Sno]

I played this for too long last night and I'm really confused as to what I'm achieving.

My completionist type senses won't let me move past the parking garage and I've just been farming kills and trying to level up my characters because it gives me new moves.

But Sno, you just said there was a limit per level and I've read this elsewhere. There does not seem to be a limit however, as this started with me trying to see how much blood I could get at once, and it doesn't end. I think I may at least try to get everyone at Level 1 abilities before I stop killing the same guys over and over.

Well don't do that, dude. The levels are large and open-ended, enemies will respawn, and you'll be given lots of warning before the boss fight at the end of the level. You will have plenty of opportunity to get all the blood you need by just playing the game normally, backtracking around solving puzzles. (Additionally, those red/white smiles, if you can get an instant kill shot on them before they run away, they're worth a lot of blood. They don't respawn though, there's a few other one-chance bonus enemies like that.)

You'll have everybody up to level one and slightly into level two before the blood shop stops working on that first level. (With the escalating prices on upgrades, that won't happen again.) I know that probably sounds like you'll need to grind to earn that much blood, but you don't. If you're scoring those instant kills and just taking your time, you should naturally end up hitting that limit without any effort. (I did, i wasn't grinding at all.)

Also note that while Mask De Smith is your most powerful persona, his explosives will earn you almost no blood.

Is there going to be plenty of opportunities later to max out all six characters? If so, are there any reasons why I really should?

Earning blood from your kills, at that set amount per stage, that's all there is. (Mostly.) As for why, it's simply a matter of difficulty, the game can get pretty tough in spots, particularly a few of the boss fights. You won't get a special ending from maxing out progression as much as you can, or anything like that.

And what do I do with that grey guy above the door?

That guy, he just shows up as kind of waypoint marker, guiding you along the proper path. He doesn't really do anything, nor do you do anything to him.

That's just the kind of game Killer 7 is, Fable has a dog, this has a dead gimp in bondage gear.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Sno

[syntheticgerbil]

Well don't do that, dude. The levels are large and open-ended, enemies will respawn, and you'll be given lots of warning before the boss fight at the end of the level. You will have plenty of opportunity to get all the blood you need by just playing the game normally, backtracking around solving puzzles. (Additionally, those red/white smiles, if you can get an instant kill shot on them before they run away, they're worth a lot of blood. They don't respawn though, there's a few other one-chance bonus enemies like that.

Ah good, that's kind of exactly what I was looking for and it helps to know! I kind of paused after doing that so I will probably go back Saturday and finish up the chapter.

[miffy495]

I finished chapter one. Took me more like 2 hours, but part of that was because I forgot Coyote could pick locks and I kept looking for other ways around stuff. Y'know what I'd really love? A manual reload. I got blasted quite a few times mid-forced reload. Bummer. Oh well. I'll wait until Sunday to get into any real discussion.

[syntheticgerbil]

Wait, you can manual reload by pressing the C stick in some sort of direction (at least if you are playing on Gamecube).

[Sno]

Yup, c-stick reloads, just flick it in any direction.

Iwazaru also tells you about Coyote literally right before you get to that door with the lock, albeit in a very roundabout and unclear way.

In fact, just in general, pay close attention to the dialogue, the game is aggressively vague about a lot of things. (In addition to just not really making a lot of sense anyways.)

Much more than other games i've played, Killer 7 really seems to encourage people to draw their own conclusions about what the hell was going on, and i think that might end up being one of the more interesting aspects of this whole exercise.

[miffy495]

Ooh! Good to know about the C stick. As for the Iwazaru thing, yeah, he talked about the "Thief" being a jerk who gets off on picking locks a bit, but after trying Con and Kevin, I gave up and started wandering around other ways. Whups.

[Sno]

So did we already lose a bunch of people? What was the issue? I thought we had at least six on board. Depressing.

Do we just keep going?

Eh, moving on to week two, new goal is to finish Part I of Target 01: Sunset by July 23rd.

Stick with the same rules, i guess. Limit discussion to whatever the group is playing or has played, don't skip ahead. Spoiler tag your story discussion, gameplay discussion doesn't need to be treated in the same fashion.

[Squid Division]

Sorry, I've had a very busy week and will have to play catchup but I'm still in.

[syntheticgerbil]

Alright, I finished the first section last night. I think it may have took longer than I needed to. I did end up maxing out the blood anyway, so I feel stupid, especially because it didn't carry about to the next section.

I do like how adventure game this is, but I really don't understand what is going on half the time. Why was the boss an anime girl? Why was there a head in a dryer telling me to leave him be? What's with that masked man giving me the finger?

Kind of wish the map screen didn't spell out everything so obviously either.

Anyway, I'm enjoying it. I think I suck at shooting things quickly an accurately, so I'm going to hate when I do the hard mode I unlock after finishing it this first time. I want to play more now that I've got into it, so I might do it sooner next week.

[miffy495]

The masked man will only flip you the double bird if you shoot his mask, indicating that you want a more detailed hint. It's the game mocking you for not figuring it out on your own.

EDIT: And it's getting to type things like that that makes me glad I'm doing this.

[syntheticgerbil]

Haha, to me the hints were just kind of gibberish. It seemed like the guy was just jabbering more about the toilet for comedic effect after shooting his mask, but it appears he was a hint giver all along. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Sno]

Just started on Sunset Part 1 and was reminded about a small detail concerning this game, namely that the game is supposed to be a near-future setting, in the far off year of two thousand and ten. Killer 7 began development in 2001, was released in 2005, and is set in 2010 with all kinds of weird divergent elements. Time marches on, hey?

[Sno]

So that one level was two hours of game time for me, but i got stuck at one point because i was looking for a complicated solution in something very simple, heh.

Something to keep in mind - There isn't a forced save point at the end of this level like there was in the first one, so be sure to save in Harman's room during the brief interlude, leaving the hideout will start the second half of Sunset.

I feel like all of the political "WHAT ABOUT JAPAN?" aspects of the story don't play to a non-Japanese audience with the kind of gravity they're probably meant to have.

I don't think i ever realized before that Iwazaru's eyes are sewn shut. Advantage of playing on a much, much nicer TV than i had when i played the game last, i guess?

Also, once again, it's worth looking through Iwazaru's tutorials, which are available whenever you find him in Harman's room. (With more periodically appearing as the game progresses.) Most of it is very self-evident stuff, but the things about the unlockable combat abilities and character-specific abilities can easily fly unnoticed.

What personae are people favoring?