Lurker > KamikazePotato

Here's FEH if evasion was added:

"Alright, I set up the winning strategy to clear this map. Now to execute it."
...
"Oh, I got critted. Well there's 15 Stamina down the drain."

Evasion works in normal Fire Emblem because the maps are big, and changing results due to misses/hits/crits causes a butterfly effect that can lead to big changes in strategy (and because you aren't limited by Stamina Potions when wanting to retry). FEH is too simple for that. Most maps last 3 turns and rely on specific movements and mechanics played out in relatively cramped areas. An extra hit or miss would invalidate your entire strategy without the added part of letting the player react to it in a meaningful way.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Kanji
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Raven is good, but I have no intentions of building him!
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Nelson_Mandela posted...

If it matters that much to not live in a society like this, you are better off leaving than trying to "fix" it.

for fuck's sake
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

I drew three Bartres in a row, followed by two Ravens in a row. Guys, I appreciate the attention, but I'm trying to get Hector and you aren't helping.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

LeonhartFour posted...

forgot to mention a great Yosuke moment earlier

I remember this! It's still perfect. Also reminds me of this:


---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

foolm0r0n posted...

Ah yes, the statist approach. "This causes a measured increase in death and destruction but hey, it's better than doing nothing right???"

From what I've personally researched, most of studies done that I've seen come to the conclusion that stricter gun regulations save lives. Considering the NRA's continuous anti-gun-regulation push, I find that pretty noteworthy.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Ocelot mentions the dominant/recessive genes thing in the MGS1 ending phone call as well. Either he's making fun of Liquid or everyone in the MGS universe is bad at biology.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Yeah, Big Boss is a good character but I never took to him or MGS3 like I took to Solid Snake. Doesn't help that it's pretty apparent that Kojima rushed to the ending of Snake's story so he could go make a bunch of BB games afterwards !

LeonhartFour posted...

also one of my favorite things ever is the fact that Kojima made Liquid Snake the scapegoat after everyone mocked his genetics plotline in MGS1 by just saying Liquid is stupid when it comes to science

Wait really? That's amazing, I didn't know that.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Oh yeah, forgot to post the final list in its entirety.

1. Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid series)
2. Francis York/Zach Morgan (Deadly Premonition)
3. Shulk (Xenoblade)
4. Vyse (Skies of Arcadia: Legends)
5. Velvet Crowe (Tales of Berseria)
6. Raiden (Metal Gear Solid series)
7. The Nameless One (Planescape: Torment)
8. Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney series)
9. Kaine (Nier)
10. James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
11. Ike (Fire Emblem series)
12. Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)
13. 9S (Nier Automata)
14. Dante (Devil May Cry series)
15. Hero (Dragon Quest V)
16. The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3)
18 & 17. Joel & Ellie (The Last of Us)
19. Alistair (Dragon Age: Origins)
20. Yosuke Hanamura (Persona 4)
21. Yuri Hyuga (Shadow Hearts series)
22. Roxas (Kingdom Hearts series)
23. Garcian Smith (Killer7)
24. Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)
25. Sans (Undertale)
26. Tidus (Final Fantasy X)
27. Ramza Beoulve (Final Fantasy Tactics)
28. Auron (Final Fantasy X)
29. Yuri Lowell (Tales of Vesperia)
30. Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)
31. Otacon (Metal Gear series)
32. Monika (Doki Doki Literature Club)
33. Laphicet (Tales of Berseria)
34. Delita Hyral (Final Fantasy Tactics)
35. Luca Blight (Suikoden II)
36. Eleanor Hume (Tales of Berseria)
37. Lee Everett (The Walking Dead)
38. Tali (Mass Effect series)
39. Morte (Planescape: Torment)
40. Wrex (Mass Effects series)
~Rhys (Tales From the Borderlands)
~Flowey (Undertale)
~Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney series)

HM:
Magilou (Tales of Berseria)
Eizen (Tales of Berseria)
Ness (Earthbound)
Nier (Nier)
Emil (Nier series)
2B (Nier Automata)
Zelos Wilder (Tales of Symphonia)
Maya Fay (Ace Attorney series)
Makoto Yuki (Persona 3)
Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
Lucina (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
Lyon (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
Elincia (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
Stocke (Radiant Historia)
Jowy Atreides (Suikoden II)
Mordin Solus (Mass Effect series)
Garrus (Mass Effect series)
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

And with that, the list is done! Many thanks to everyone who followed, read, and/or commented - I appreciate it all.

LeonhartFour posted...

oh I guess I picked the wrong Umineko character

Now that I can comment on this, while I like Umineko's cast, I think it works better as a group than any one character. The exceptions may have been Battler or Beatrice, but Chiru wasn't kind to their characters.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

I knew that would happen when I broke two posts !!
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

I have to give special mention to the ending of Snake's story, which I love. Some disliked that he hesitated in shooting himself to end the threat of a FOXDIE epidemic, but I think it served as a good reminder that Snake is human. Despite being created to be a soldier over all else, despite being near the end of his engineered lifespan...Snake still doesn't want to die. He wants to live and be able to cherish the life he has with the people he cares about. It's noted in some post-game dialogue that, after the game is over, Snake quits smoking and asks people to start calling him by his real name, and it was so incredibly satisfying to read that. He more than deserved a few years just to...live. Not fight, but live.

It's been 20 years since MGS1, and while the series now faces a lot of stiff competition in the storytelling department, I don't think there's ever been another protagonist like Snake. A badass, a weirdo, and a compelling story, all wrapped up in one guy. I wish we maybe could have gotten one more game detailing his adventures in between MGS2 and MGS4, but it's okay. His saga is complete, and it's one I'll never forget. Like virtually everyone but Snake himself, I think the guy is a hero, and he's my favorite character in all of gaming.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

And discussing all of that is important, because Snake is the only person in the world who strongly disagrees that he's a legend or a hero. Snake knows better than anyone else how terrible war is. He's fought through more battles than any other living human on the planet (with the exception of maybe Big Boss but he's AWOL for 99% of the Solid series anyway) and knows that it results only in death, pain, and destruction. And unfortunately for him, it seems that the life of a soldier is the only one available to him. Snake tried to get out of the game before and chose a life of isolation raising Huskies - which is adorable - but he gets sucked back in far too easily, simply because there's no one else who can do what Snake can do. Well, that and the uncomfortable fact that Snake enjoys the killing, a point that Psycho Mantis is eager to point out and that Snake is ashamed to be aware of.

It's inevitable that he would, on some level, enjoy what he does. Snake was created - not born, created - and raised to be a soldier, and he's damn good at it. It's what the world wants from him - to be able to use him, point him in any given direction, and then not be asked too many questions. What makes Snake's personal story over the Metal Gear Solid series so poignant is how it's all about Snake rebelling against the system that made him and is now trying to shackle him. The whole 'nurture vs nature' theme is a major one in the story and Snake is the one that proves that it's possible to become something more than what you were shaped by others to be. The most obvious examplle is when he defeats Liquid, who was literally engineered to be stronger than him, but it appears all the time in other places as well. He's constantly lied to and manipulated but always ends up discovering the truth. He was meant to be an unthinking soldier, less than human, but strikes up close friendships with several people and helps raise his adoptive daughter. He's meant to be a tool of the government, but ends up being a rebel/terrorist/whatever and fighting against any practice he believes is wrong. He was engineered to never have kids, but passes on his will to so many others regardless.

And possibly more than anything else, Snake's willingness to take on insane odds for the good of the world at large is ridiculous. There's many other people with backgrounds similar to Snake's, and all of them turned into villains (more or less). The one exception is The Boss, who is essentially Snake's progenitor despite Snake knowing almost nothing about her. Every other person who actually knew her failed to carry on her will, but Snake manages to despite the odds being stacked against him more than anyone else. The scene that most represents this part of Snake's scene is the microwave hallway, where he fries himself to get to the data center, eventually crawling on all fours due to the sheer amount of pain being inflicted on him, and he just keeps going. Not Big Boss, not Liquid, not Ocelot, not Zero, not anyone else did what Snake managed to. If you don't believe me, believe Big Boss, who spends most of the ending cutscene of MGS4 acknowledging that Snake fixed all of their fuckups.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

1. Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid series)

http://www.startlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/gamescom-2017-solid-snake-creeps-on-android-in-metal-gear-solid-2-hd-for-nvidia-shield.jpg

"I'm no hero. Never was. Never will be."

Is there any part of Snake that isn't amazing? His voice as performed by David Hayter is the most iconic voice in gaming outside of Charles Martinet as Mario. His character arc is engrossing and stretches over more than a decade, both in-game and out of game. He's gets a redesign every game and manages to look awesome every time - no one else would be able to make that mustache in MGS4 work, but Snake is Snake. I could write a literal essay on all the ways, both big and small, that combine to make Snake the incredibly popular character that he is, but I'll keep it...within 3 posts.

Snake got a pretty good headstart in the way of good timing. Back when Metal Gear Solid was released, games were in their awkward transitional period between 16 bit graphics and high-def 3D. Cinematic games with a huge story focus like Final Fantasy VII had already come out, but it still had lego graphics and no voice acting. Then Metal Gear Solid happened. I played MGS1 like 5 years after it actually came out and it still felt like it was miles ahead of everything else in terms of production values and storytelling. It helps that everyone was a lot younger back when MGS1 came out (wait was that really 20 years ago, jesus fucking christ) so the game's more mature/realistic tone was pretty memorable. In a time period where games had simple plots or were anime as all fuck, MGS1 was discussing nuclear proliferation. Not that Metal Gear Solid was lacking at all in the weirdness department, sporting wonders like the cyborg ninja and Kojima's ideas on how dominant/recessive genes work, but it definitely had a more mature edge to things. It created a new benchmark for cinematography and storytelling in gaming.

I'm talking a lot about Metal Gear Solid itself instead of Snake himself, but here's the thing - it's impossible to seperate the two. Much like MGS1, Snake was a protagonist unlike any other in gaming up until that point. You had your badass soldier dudes, some of them even wearing bandanas, but none were in 3D, none were fully voiced, and few of them had characterization or life stories that were delved into as much as Snake's were. And much like MGS1, he was both mature and weird enough to become memorable. Snake is a supersoldier capable of taking on a heavily-guarded base almost entirely on his own, but he also sneaks cigarettes onto missions and uses ketchup to escape a prison cell. By the end of the game he's discussing his views on life after learning he was infected with FOXDIE, but that's only after he fistfights Liquid on top of a Metal Gear and rides off into the sunset on a snowmobile. Snake is the perfect protagonist for a game like Metal Gear Solid. He elevates the game, and at the same time, the game elevates him.

Of course, Snake wouldn't be as iconic as he is without more than one game under his belt. Each MGS game that was released afterwards only solidified his status as being inseparable from the series. MGS2 is the only game where some version of a Snake isn't a protagonist, and despite Solid Snake being there in full badass mentor glory, people fucking rioted. MGS3 told the story of Big Boss but kept the exact same design and voice (because Solid Snake being a clone of BB made for a really easy excuse even despite Liquid looking/sounding nothing like him). And as Snake built himself up a mythos in the real world, the world of Metal Gear Solid did the same. Solid Snake, depending on who you ask, is a myth, a menace, a legend, a terrorist. Wherever he goes, changes follow. At one point his visage gets carved into Mount goddamn Rushmore - courtesy of Liquid Ocelot, but still.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/marco-rubio-now-not-the-time-to-talk-gun-control-because-people-dont-know-how-this-happened/

Oh nevermind guys, my bad. I'll stop talking.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Also



Not a new image but it's summed up the situation so far, far too long and will continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

https://twitter.com/bessbell/status/963892565215883264
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Then I'm not sure what you're asking. I don't really care if mass murder by other means would decrease if guns were more harshly regulated. Gun-related deaths would decrease, and considering that guns make up the vast majority of deaths, the total deaths would end up decreasing by a lot.

Unless you think that everyone who would have shot people with a gun would then immediately make a bomb or start driving a truck, in which case I point you to literally every other country in the world with strong gun control, where the number of mass murder incidents in general are way lower than ours.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Jakyl25 posted...

The Trump administration is proving to me that even in a worst case scenario, our checks and balances can bear the pressure. Barely.

We are not even close to the worst case scenario. That will probably start when Mueller eventually start making big moves.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

https://thinkprogress.org/a-new-study-on-mass-shootings-has-some-stunning-results-36be27565ee3/
https://phys.org/news/2015-08-percent-world-population-mass-shooters.html
Abstract: My study provides empirical evidence, based on my quantitative assessment of 171 countries, that a nations civilian firearm ownership rate is the strongest predictor of its number of public mass shooters, he concluded.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-u-s-gun-deaths-compare-to-other-countries/
Abstract: Americans are 10 times more likely to be killed by guns than people in other developed countries, a new study finds.

Compared to 22 other high-income nations, the United States' gun-related murder rate is 25 times higher. And, even though the United States' suicide rate is similar to other countries, the nation's gun-related suicide rate is eight times higher than other high-income countries, researchers said.

https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/indy100/bkAvfB5lwx/27549-1pykz2g.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimated_number_of_guns_per_capita_by_country
Countries with most guns:
1 United States
2 Serbia
3 Yemen
4 Cyprus
5 Saudi Arabia

http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/the-only-country-with-more-mass-shootings-per-capita-than-the-us/news-story/ba8e12b6db0c65ac18ca69c53d97c9c4
Abstract: Yemen, followed by the USA, have the most mass shootings in the world.
"31 per cent of the gunmen in mass shootings worldwide were American."
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

pjbasis posted...

People who desire to commit mass murder will do it either way. I get that killing people with 55 forks is a lot harder, but like bombs and trucks are used as murder devices all the time too.

Bombs and trucks are much harder to use/make/come by, or even to consider. Guns are extremely common and are embedded deep in American culture. If all guns in the US magically disappeared, it's extremely likely that mass murders would go down significantly.

The logic I'm seeing used is "well it's possible to kill people with other stuff than guns, so why target guns?" Maybe because revising gun laws would make things better? Progress should not be opposed just because it doesn't immediately solve all problems.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

LeonhartFour posted...

#1 is Battler

No fake cash prize for you
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

These are the guides I'm looking at with more reasonable build expectations. I'm actually extremely close to having these teams - the issue being, like I said before, I don't have a 5* Xander or 5* Caeda (or 5* Reinhardt, for that matter). I'm in constant need of feathers these days so I don't think those builds are happening anytime soon. But like I said, we have a literal year to do these.

Actually, did IS say anything about what's going to happen with the GHBs that aren't in this rotation like Camus and Lyon?
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

So far, through a lot of frantic teambuillding and Skill Inheritance, I've managed to clear every GHB quest with the except of Fliers/Cavalry on Xander and Robin. Still not sure how to deal with those super tight corridors. I've seen some guides but they usually utilize either a flier team chock full of seasonal units, a promoted Caeda with Wing Sword, or in the case of Cavalry, a supermerged/buffed Xander or Camus to act as Distant Counter bait. I'm in no rush since we literally have a year to do these, but...hmm. Really don't want to drop a bunch of resources into a better chance at getting two orbs.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

You've never played the MGS series? It seems like something you would like.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Xenoblade is one of those games that I really want to replay eventually, but will have to wait because of how long it is. Looking forward to trying out the HD Dolphin version though.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

up
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Go home Zelgius. You're drunk.


---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Nice. Getting seasonal armors is a good feeling, their abilities are so nuts.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Apologies for the slow updates - been tired recently and a single character post can take up to a half hour to write because I don't know how to keep things concise. Tomorrow is the grand unveiling of the #1, where correct guesses on the identity of the mystery character will result in cash prizes*!

*Disclaimer: Correct guesses will not actually result in cash prizes.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Oh yeah, did I forgot to mention that he has an seemingly imaginary friend named Zach that he talks to all the time? Because he does. York will even put his hand to the side of his head like he's talking into a headset despite there obviously being nothing there. The truth behind Zach is one of the craziest and memorable parts of the game, but even before then it's probably the most interesting/entertaining of York's many quirks. Speaking of York's quirks, I'm also quite fond of his many physical mannerisms. He often uses his hands as speaking implements and has a tendency to smile in a pretty unnerving way that doesn't match the context of the scene at all. The smile is undoubtedly a result of Deadly Premonition's low budget and incompetent dev team leading to poorly-animated expressions, but much like basically everything in Deadly Premonition, I'm going to chalk it up as a happy accident.

York's weirdness is well-balanced by how seriously takes his job. Many people in the game think that York is treating the case like a joke because of how he acts, but nothing could be further from the truth. York dishes out the occasional burn to people who totally had it coming, but overall he's very straightforward and honest. It's not his fault they can't understand him half the time! York is putting his best foot forward into solving the case, and after a while people become unable to argue with the mounting pile of evidence he gathers. There's also the conservations he sometimes has with Zach while driving around in his car, where York monologues about past cases that are just as extreme as the one he's currently investigating. They really add believability to York's character, reminding the player that this weirdo is an accomplished FBI agent who's seen some shit over the years.

I just love watching York. The man operates like he's on a different plane of existence (which really, really fits in with the supernatural stuff that Deadly Premonition throws your way) but never feels so alien that I can't relate to him. The quintessential York scene is definitely the Sinner's Sandwich scene - the way he acts with skepticism over the Sandwich, followed by his unbridled joy at finding it delicious, is so understandable but at the same time so not understandable, understand? It's amazing how completely he salvages his game. Even outside of how entertaining he is, I'm almost certain that the way he forces you to think laterally is part of the reason why it's way easier to forgive Deadly Premonition's major flaws than it is for other games. Much like his fellow officer in the scene where he explains Zach, you learn to roll with it and accept - no, embrace the things that are different. I've played the game twice and I still want more York, and if that's not the sign of a truly memorable character, I don't know what is.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

2. Francis York Morgan (Deadly Premonition)



"Did you see that, Zach?! Clear as a crisp spring morning! F.K... In the coffee!"

I think that for a character to become truly memorable, most of the time that character has to be charismatic. By that I don't mean they have to be cool or badass - charisma is simply the character's ability to hold a reader's interest while on screen. This can come in many forms. Delita is charismatic because every meeting with him is a surprise filled new developments concerning his increasingly unscrupulous plans. Dante is charismatic because he owns every scene like he's having the time of his life. Phoenix Wright is charismatic because his constant uphill struggle in the courtroom leads to some frantic, desperate thinking that sells his role as the ultimate underdog.

Francis York Morgan is the most charasmatic character I've ever seen. There is no scene with York in it that isn't a delight to watch. York's initial character setup is pretty standard when boiled down to its base elements; he's an FBI agent tasked with solving a murder case. That's about where York stops being standard. He has this off-kilter way of speaking that makes every comment ranging from the quality of his toast to a breakthrough discovery in the case sound like the most interesting thing in the world. He speaks a little more slowly than the average person, making you unconsciouslessly hang on every word he says. These factors are compounded by the things he says, which are as off-kilter as his speaking patterns. York can say things that make a sort of half sense but are just...weird. He always seems to be coming into conclusions in his head using trains of thought that no normal person would. Never too out-there to be written off as complete nonsense, but rarely so normal that you don't take at least a split second to wonder what the hell he's on about. That York is consistently proven to be competent and intelligent by his handling of the case and his interactions with the townsfolk only furthers the air of mystery he possesses. You spend all of Deadly Premonition trying to figure out what this guy's deal is.

You never do. No one in Deadly Premonition, from the townsfolk to the villains - and definitely not you - are able to completely 100% understand York. Some later events in the game shed a lot of light on some of his mannerisms and his character as a whole, but they don't fully explain why he can be so damn weird, and that's great. York is York and I wouldn't have him any other way. There's one scene midway through the game that I love where York explains to one of his fellow officers why he frequently speaks out loud to an an apprently invisible entity named Zach, who seems to be his close friend and confidant. And she just rolls with it, because even if it's totally out there, why bother fighting it? It's York.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

I bet it does. Man, the Tales series is pretty bad with how much it extorts its fanbase.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

There's some people in this topic who haven't played, it so better safe than sorry.

Graces has my favorite battle system in the series, but it really only gets to that level when you get a lot of CC to throw around, and that takes over half the game.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

LapisLazuli posted...

Them combo Ougis, mmmmmm~

Note: spoilers in this vid.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Mystic Artes are more or less required on high difficulties. On low difficulties (and even Normal) the game is pretty easy though.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

The final dungeon is pretty obnoxious if you want to get all the stuff in it, and considering they hid all of the Level 3 specials in there...yeah.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Started drawing on green because why not, can always use Distant Counter. Immediately got 'pity broke' by Lyn on a draw with no green orbs. She's -Atk but she will give me the maximum point bonus in Tempest Trials, why is all I care about!
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

The Mana Sword posted...

KamikazePotato posted...

Berseria's map and dungeon design is what holds the game back from being one of my all-time favorites.

are you telling me you didn't think Berseria's final dungeon was a masterpiece

I think you (and others) in my psuedo-playthrough topic told me to use a guide as soon as I set foot into that place. It was advice I ended up appreciating from the bottom of my heart.

It's a shame, because it's by far the most visually interesting place in the game. Good music too.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Symphonia tried to be interesting, and I did like some areas (Volt's dungeon in particular is cool) but I think I prefer bland cut-and-paste dungeons to whatever Ymir Forest was.

LeonhartFour posted...

I've only played Symphonia and Abyss myself, so I'm not sure how the series evolved from there

It didn't. Berseria's map and dungeon design is what holds the game back from being one of my all-time favorites. It's still up there but it could've been even better.

EDIT: The battle system has changed a lot though, and generally for the better.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Tales areas have always been about this quality. They just...never improved over time like everyone else did.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Slightly annoyed that his character was getting boiled down to a meme, but way too psyched about him actually getting in Smash 4 to care.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

A lot of this has to do with two things: the smart writing of Xenoblade Chronicles and Shulk's voice acting. Xenoblade's plot doesn't break the genre mold but it does execute everything to a tee while cutting out the stupid stuff. It's really easy to get invested in Shulk's story when you aren't rolling your eyes at some scenes. Additionally, Adam Howden's rendition of Shulk is one of my favorite VA performances of all time. It brings such a genuine feeling to what Shulk is saying, immersing you in the small scenes and putting you on the edge of your seat in the big ones. Xenoblade's laborious and baffling localization story ended up being a blessing in disguise, because if Nintendo of America had done the localization instead of Nintendo of Europe, we'd have heard the same guys we always do. I really like the core group of voice actors that get used in games but sometimes it gets old hearing everyone from the Persona series in everything else. New blood keeps things fresh and Xenoblade's voice acting did just that, with Shulk being the standout among an extremely charming cast of characters.

It's a bit hard or me to describe why I like Shulk so much. A big part of it is definitely because Xenoblade is my favorite game, but Shulk is also a big part of why Xenoblade is my favorite game. You could theoretically replace Shulk with a silent protagonist or even a similar protagonist from another game and the story wouldn't change much, but the overall experience would have been so much worse. He's not the spirit of adventure like Vyse, or a lifelong journey like the Dragon Quest V Hero, he's just...Shulk. And Shulk is awesome.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

3. Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)

http://i.neoseeker.com/n/2/super_smash_bros_shulk_wii_u_01.jpg

"...I won't do it."

"If you do not kill me now, my blade will annihalate every last one of your people. Even then?"

"I can't kill you, but I can stop your blade. And I'll do it. Over and over again. Until...we understand each other."

The JRPG genre struggles with its protagonists. While my list may have a decent number of them, for every Velvet and Vyse there's two Lloyds or Lightnings, or - god forbid - even a Marche. Due to the story-driven nature of the genre and the highly visible role of the protagonist (unlike say, an FPS, where you will literally never see Gordon Freeman) it's important that the player can invest themselves into the protagonist. That means either taking the cop-out answer by utilizing a self-insert silent protagonist, which is safe but almost never improves the overall experience, or creating a protagonist that is his/her own character. The result is usually a character with a weak personality, or a poorly-written story arc, or a questionably overdone character design, or a character whose decisions frustrate the player, or some combination of the above. They may not even be a bad character, just decidedly underwhelming.

Then there's Shulk, who I consider to be the perfect JRPG protagonist. Characters like Velvet or Tidus have more unique characterization, but if a developer wanted to make a more 'normal' JRPG protagonist who could act as a vehicle for the player to immerse themselves in the world while also being a good character at the same time, I would point them straight to Shulk. He avoids all of the pitfalls endemic to the genre. He has plenty of room to grow at the start of the game but doesn't start off as so weak or immature that it's frustrating. He's intelligent but not a genius to the point where it becomes unrelatable. His character motivations always makes sense, even when the actions he takes sometimes surprise you. He possesses a lot of inner strength but isn't perfect, showing emotional vulnerability when things get really bad. He accomplishes great things but it's by no means guaranteed that he succeeds in everything he does - and some of his failures have real, tangible consequences. He's very honest and generally optimistic but never comes across as naive. He's a special case and the only one who can wield the Monado without frying their nerves, but also never loses his status as a relatable everyman even when stuff starts getting wacky in the endgame.

What it all boils down to is that Shulk has the best possible personality and characterization for his archetype. There was never a moment in Xenoblade where I stopped wanting to be Shulk, and that's saying something as that game has a lot of playable characters with interesting gameplay mechanics. It just felt wrong to experience the world of Xenoblade through anything but his eyes.
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

DDLC
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

up
---

Black Turtle did a pretty good job.