Board 8 > Trdl's Top 50 Gaming Moments: The Rankings! (Unmarked Spoilers) (Writeups)

(+) Yeah! (+)

azuarc posted...

I experienced that when I started a playthrough 2. Had no idea this would happen if you tried to restart.

And yeah, fight with Goatmom is totally unintuitive.

I think it's on purpose. It's really cruel but it very elegantly educates you on the fact you have the power to SAVE and what it means. It's like a tutorial into Undertale's primary philosophical conundrum, instead of a game mechanic, and I love it for that. So perfectly orchestrated from Toby Fox.
---

TOBYYYYYYYYYYYYcaps
---

Tag
---

#31: Persona 3 -- First "Date" with Elizabeth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM6y5R7rdY

Elizabeth is just so awesome. She looks... mostly human, but her otherworldly nature is simultaneously uncomfortable and adorable because she is so curious about the "normal" world around her. This leads to severe and hilarious misunderstandings of human culture. Like "fountain spirits."

Elizabeth is perhaps the greatest accidental troll in gaming. She does things that would be rage-inducing if she weren't so naive and innocent. (Don't mistake that for weakness, of course, but that's another story.) But as she opened that purse and the coins started flowing from what had to be extradimensional space, all I could think was, "Wait, THIS is what's happening to all the Yen I spent on fusions?! Son of a..."

As she tours the mall, she speaks with the wonder of an intelligent woman who has learned of the strange land around her in books, but never experienced anything like them. It solidifies her as one of my favorite characters in fiction.

This writeup sucked, I know. It's really tough for me to describe what makes Elizabeth so compelling. I guess she seems like a whimsical version of Data from Star Trek. She's not human, but she wants to know everything she can about us. She wants to like us, and she wants to be like us. And I'm happy to do what I can for her.
---

Of all the Persona 3 moments you pick this one ;_;

Not that I have a problem with the Elizabeth scenes or anything, but the game has so much better stuff to offer imo.

Then again I suppose there are 30 spots left. Most of my favorite moments probably aren't all that popular with everyone else, but I can hold out hope for 1 or 2 of them at least.
---

pyresword posted...

Of all the Persona 3 moments you pick this one ;_;

this bears repeating
---

I can see why it was picked, and I'm not worried

If this was the ONLY P3 moment then we can riot, but let's give trdl some credit
---

List recap:
50. Portal 2: The Turret Aria
49. Bioshock: First Big Daddy fight
48. Metal Gear Solid 3: "It's a blank!"
47. Final Fantasy IX: Beatrix fights
46. Transistor: "Who gets to go first?"
45. Metal Gear Solid 4: The Microwave Hall
44. Guild Wars 2: Tybalt's Sacrifice
43. Life is Strange: Nightmare Sequence
42. Call of Duty 4: Aftermath
41. Dark Souls: Ornstein and Smough
40. Final Fantasy 7: Cloud's Memories
39. Half-Life 2: We Don't Go to Ravenholm
38. Shadowrun Dragonfall: The Raid on Feuerstelle
37. No More Heroes: Sir Henry Fight
36. Bastion: The Last Voyage of Weeping Nellie
35. Metal Gear Solid 3: The Salute
34. Dark Corners of the Earth: Attack of the Fishmen
33. Valkyria Chronicles: The Megatank
32. Undertale: "I know what you did."
31. Persona 3: First "Date" with Elizabeth
30.-1. ???

Leaderboard after 20!

Robazoid:
Starting total (1)
Ravenholm (1)
Feuerstelle (1)
The Salute (2)
=5

xp1337:
Starting total (2)
Cloud's Memories (1)
Ravenholm (2)
The Salute (1)
=6

KanzarisKelshin:
Starting total (4)
Ravenholm (3)
Sir Henry (1)
Weeping Nellie (1)
The Salute (1)
"I know what you did." (1)
=11

ProfDEADPOOL:
Starting total (1)
=1

Snake5555555555:
Starting total (2)
Attack of the Fishmen (1) -- Like I said, you knew the right moment but I flubbed the name in your previous topic, so it's all yours.
=3

NFUN
Starting total (1)
=1

_______________

Quite a few more points in this batch as we started getting into more famous moments. I'm not surprised the Megatank was left off most lists -- I might be the only person who would put it on one of these. I think Roba's the only person on the board who has played Dragonfall, so great call there. I'm shocked Snake didn't get Ravenholm since horror is his thing, but he also knew the Cthulhu one, so all is forgiven.

Kanz is pulling ahead with the lead, which isn't too surprising since we were bros throughout Mercs 4. I am surprised he managed to get Weeping Nellie since it's not that memorable to most people. There's still plenty of points left to grab though, so it could be anyone's game still!

I'm starting to agree with Ulti that the Microwave Hall was too low, but alas, what's done is done.
---

Comments time!

Megatank? Maybe if this was a top 50 worst video game moments list! But we've argued about VC enough I think

Contrasting that disagreement, I seem to be the only one here who thinks the Elizabeth date is a good choice! I didn't pick it on my list but that's only because I didn't remember it at the time. Elizabeth was a highlight of the game for sure
---

KanzarisKelshen posted...

I can see why it was picked, and I'm not worried

If this was the ONLY P3 moment then we can riot, but let's give trdl some credit

I assure you it's not!
---

#30: MadWorld -- Look Pimpin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ov04Ut9BNA

MadWorld is a fantastic gem that had the misfortune of being hyper-violent but on the Wii back when Platinum wasn't the juggernaut it is today. Its commentary over the reality-show bloodbath known as Deathwatch is constantly hilarious, and it also taught me a gangly white boy from suburbia can like hip-hop. An absolute refuge in audacity, MadWorld asked, "How many ways can we make murdering people fun?"

Turns out the answer is "plenty," and when it's minigame time, who better to teach you the rules than the bishop of blood and carnage, the Black Baron (stop starin'!). I laughed my ass off every time this dude came on the screen and was inevitably slaughtered by his "ho" Mathilda. But he somehow kept coming back to be killed in another new, exciting way.

As I made it to the end, though, I caught glimpses of the final boss. No. There's no way. No way in hell.

The final boss of Deathwatch... is the Black Baron.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS1cB0nZh_A

And what a boss fight it is. "Look Pimpin'" and "So Cold" are top 20 VGM for me, the commentators are in peak form, and this all-out brawl is perfectly framed by them. Before the first power struggle, he's tough, but I could tell he was keeping it playful (if "shotgun dash punches" are considered playful). The power struggle itself is amazing as I went blow-for-blow ORAORAORA with the pimp master, and the one time I slipped, I found myself on a flash-step beatdown from the bastard.

Once I cleared that part, though, the Baron was done playin'. The music changed, and now I was in a wrestling ring fighting a pimp with superpowers. An electric dash-kick that hits hard enough to make someone explode. A savage punch to throw me out of the ring where Mathilda was ready to beat me into a pulp. A whirlwind that drew me in and launched me out into the stands so hard as to make me a bloody smear.

I was almost sad when the fight ended. He wasn't the hardest boss I've taken down, but the Black Baron (stop starin) might have been the most entertaining.
---

MadWorld so good

MadWorld's OST so good
---

I'm in Tennessee and only on mobile, so I might not get to this for a bit.

Fun fact: the Baron isn't even really a baron. Or black.
---

But he does tell you to stop starin'.
---

I really need to figure out the respect he'll get in mercs in order to know how strong I should make that ability.
---

#29: Touhou 8 Imperishable Night -- Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl17uhqSuqc

(Sorry for the annotations, it's the best video I found though)

To the surprise of nobody who remembers the last VGMC, I'm a full-fledged Touhead. We're not just talking "1CCs the game" level. We're talking "has male friends who cosplay Patchouli and Alice" level. "Seeks out and listens to Touhou remixes of obscure PC-98 themes" level. "Is helping develop and test enough Touhou-themed MtG sets to create our own Standard" level. That is how Touhou I am.

But it all started somewhere, and for me it was an old college roommate who subjected me to the mindvirus. The games are good fun for those with the patience to master them, and the music is excellent before you get into all the meme-y stuff. My favorite game is probably 7 (which is also on the list somewhere), but the first EX boss I ever fought was a woman called Fujiwara no Mokou.

I think Mokou has the best set-up of any Touhou EX boss. In the main game, you end up uncovering that the fake moon shining on Gensokyo was the work of a Lunarian princess Kaguya (not Mokou), her right-hand alchemist (also not Mokou), and a bunch of moonrabbits trying to evade detection from forces on the moon seeking her extradition after the Apollo 11 "invasion." (none of whom are Mokou) I swear it makes some kind of sense in context. In true Touhou fashion, you respond by beating the tar out of them until they quit, and the rest of Gensokyo just has to accept that they have a new faction living in their midst. Oh, and it turns out Kaguya's immortal. That's important for later.

Trying to become "friends" after vicious beatings is Gensokyo tradition, so in the EX stage, Kaguya sends your PCs out on a "trial of guts" -- brave the Bamboo Forest of the Lost on a full moon. The youkai, fairies, and midboss are absolutely insane compared to the main game, so much that your crew even comments on it. Eventually you reach a decidedly human woman very confused about your presence. (This is actually Mokou) She's pretty friendly until you mention you're supposed to be out doing some favor for...

"Did you just say 'Kaguya'?"
"I heard a 'ka,' a 'gu,' and a 'ya.'"
Paraphrased: "That little bitch. Here she goes, knowing I'm immortal just like her, then sending more assassins at me anyway! She wanted you to do a 'trial of guts'? I'll give you your 'trial of guts' all right."

Mokou begins to play some of my favorite VGM in history as she unleashed her barrages. The music really reflects her and her situation, especially the snare drum you hear in the background after a few phrases, steadily ticking away the clock of eternity she has to work with. Further cementing that is her phoenix motif, even flavoring her spells in the flame. The difficulty is through the roof too. For reference, Kaguya has 6 "spell card" attacks and a few filler, bringing the total attacks to 10-11. It's been a while for me. In comparison, Mokou has 10 spell cards and 7 fillers, for a whopping 17 attacks to endure in a level I couldn't farm for extra lives, including a "survival" attack that can only be won by defense.

And when I finally took down the phoenix and its wrath... she gets pissed off, tells me that hurt a bit, and commands me to GTFO. She really is immortal after all. There's some cool indirect lore about her beef with Kaguya and the two immortals killing each other regularly, but I just like the visual of her reviving from death and yelling at you like an old man on his lawn until you leave.

Everything is perfect. Music is great, battle is challenging and fun, flavor is top-notch, and "cool factor" is there. Well done, ZUN. Lay off the beer a bit.
---

To the surprise of nobody who remembers the last VGMC, I'm a full-fledged Touhead. We're not just talking "1CCs the game" level. We're talking "has male friends who cosplay Patchouli and Alice" level. "Seeks out and listens to Touhou remixes of obscure PC-98 themes" level. "Is helping develop and test enough Touhou-themed MtG sets to create our own Standard" level. That is how Touhou I am.

Psht. I know someone who owns 2000$ touhou figurines and is admittedly a casual touhou fan only. What a pleb!
---

KanzarisKelshen posted...

To the surprise of nobody who remembers the last VGMC, I'm a full-fledged Touhead. We're not just talking "1CCs the game" level. We're talking "has male friends who cosplay Patchouli and Alice" level. "Seeks out and listens to Touhou remixes of obscure PC-98 themes" level. "Is helping develop and test enough Touhou-themed MtG sets to create our own Standard" level. That is how Touhou I am.

Psht. I know someone who owns 2000$ touhou figurines and is admittedly a casual touhou fan only. What a pleb!

That's not a "casual touhou fan," that's someone who needs an intervention about their discretionary income choices.
---

Up for now. Back home but dead tired from travel.
---

I'm not happy with this writeup. Gonna edit it tomorrow.
---

Well according to my guesses (which I naturally assume will be 100% accurate from here on out) #28 will be an Eiko moment. So, yeah, take your time editing to make it good! She deserves it.
---

I can guarantee you that Eiko does not take a large role in any entry on this list.
---

Would you all like for me to post which games will still be in the list once we hit 25, or should it remain a mystery?
---

Mystery IMO
---

Eiko is really underrated but still outshined by many other things about the game I feel like.

That being said she does have 1 or 2 great moments, one of which is the one Roba predicted so now I'm sad. Honestly that's at worst my 2nd or 3rd favorite part of the game, but moreso because of Zidane/Dagger/Kuja than because of Eiko admittedly. (I'm also probably combining a few "moments" into one "part" of the game here but whatever.)
---

I'll try to knock a few out tomorrow night.
---

#28: Metal Gear Rising Revengeance -- Make America Great Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rep9nVnYPSE

Dear God, this is so hammy, even by Metal Gear standards. "The memes" indeed. Yeah, the production value is high, and the writing is... okay, I guess. But I want to focus on the man behind the memes. I want to focus on Senator Armstrong.

I'll be direct: Senator Armstrong is not well written. But he is one of the best characters in the last decade of gaming.

Yes, I'm serious.

Underneath all the tired cliches that pepper his speech, there's an incredible character there, and most of it lies in what he isn't saying. Thank the animators from Platinum. His body language during his scenes belies exactly who he is. He's driven. He's sincere. On many fronts, he has good points. He really believes he's going to making America great again. But more than that -- he wants Raiden by his side. He wants a friend he can share his vision with. Not because Armstrong needs Raiden, but because on some level he wants confirmation from a man who lives that vision greater than anyone else.

Just look at his face and mannerisms when it looks like Raiden is going to join him. He's surprised and elated. He wants Jack to live in his new world. His fury when Raiden throws him isn't just that Jack's still an enemy; it's a personal betrayal.

This is all the more poignant when you realize that Armstrong is such a complete hypocrite. He's still sincere -- he's genuinely oblivious to his own hypocrisy. Blade Wolf tosses Raiden the red sword because, on some level, the AI now subscribes to the exact philosophy Armstrong champions: Thinking for oneself. Determining one's own ideals and fighting for them. But when that philosophy results in action counter to what Armstrong wants, he doesn't even recognize it as his own.

On some strange level, I feel bad for him, much like I do for many Trump supporters (hi Ulti). I don't think Armstrong or they are "evil." They're just myopic, and in the case of the latter, easy marks for an excellent conman. And it's something any of us could do, though maybe not with access to nanomachines or metal gears or orange spray tans. In today's environment, Armstrong's speech is both haunting and tragic.

If we can try to figure out how to see past what we personally think the world needs... if we can learn to brush away fear and outrage that clouds our vision and actually listen to other people... I really think we could make America greater than it ever has been. Both for individuals, and for us all.

So yeah, Armstrong has a great boss fight, the music is cool, and the memes are outstanding. But there's something genuine behind the "spew of trivia and celebrity bullshit." And we need to recognize how to see the genuine beliefs in people, even if we disagree with them. Even if they are, to our perspective, complete hypocrites. The best way to counter the circumstances that made Armstrong is the opposite of what he understands, yet what he desperately craves: empathy.

I hope this made sense. I'm not sure it did. But if you can understand this at all, you'll see why it matters.
---

this write-up didn't have enough quotes and memes

or it has to be this way lyrics

disappointed
---

#27: Persona 4 -- "Then let's get equal!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHWskInGUw

Yosuke Hanamura is kind of a cad. He's rash, impulsive, reckless, somewhat chauvinistic and homophobic, and generally a bit of a dick pretty often. Throughout the game, I had my disagreements with Yosuke often since he just had bad ideas. We clashed a bit and, if the PS2 had good enough engines, would have rolled our eyes at each other.

But who's the first person to fight alongside you? Yosuke.

Who's the first person to take a lethal blow for you against Izanami? Yosuke.

Who's the first person to reach out to you when all seems lost? Yosuke.

There's something that speaks to me from this guy. He's ambitious but feels powerless. He seems frustrated with the world, but he's really frustrated with himself. He knows he needs to get better, but throughout the game, he can't figure out why or how, and his inadequacies torment him.

Real talk here: I know both sides of the Yosuke coin. Depression isn't always sulking in your room all day, especially for an extrovert of the Magician arcana. Sometimes, it's being a petulant little shit. That frustration boils over, and I found myself lashing out. I felt worthless for more years of my life than not, though unlike Yosuke, I found myself winning awards for long enough to artificially suppress it. It didn't last forever though. After I got sick and lost my scholarship, I was just like him, wanting to prove myself but having no confidence to carry through.

But as cheesy as it is, I had my friends and family to (in my case metaphorically) brawl with as I wrestled those demons. Thank God for that. And I'm a better person for it. Same as Yosuke.

Similarly, I have a few Yosukes in my life. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we bicker. Sometimes we clash. But we all know that at the first sign of trouble, we stand together. We'd take a bullet for each other.

I wouldn't trade my Yosukes for the world.
---

Man, my write-up quality is taking a nose-dive.
---

trdl23 posted...

But who's the first person to fight alongside you?

Teddie.
---

xp1337 posted...

trdl23 posted...

But who's the first person to fight alongside you?

Teddie.

Teddie doesn't fight, he just yells things at you like a bitch.

I do love Teddie though. I know that's unusual.
---

Teddie best Persona 4 character tbh.

And yes that is still an unusual opinion either way
---

Standing here
I realize
You are just like me, trying to make history
But who's to judge
The right from wrong?
With our guard down I think we'll both agree
That violence breeds violence
But in the end It Has to Be This Way
---

NFUN posted...

Standing here
I realize
You are just like me, trying to make history
But who's to judge
The right from wrong?
With our guard down I think we'll both agree
That violence breeds violence
But in the end It Has to Be This Way

You've made xp very happy, I'm sure.

What makes Armstrong such a great antagonist is that he isn't a villain, really. He does terrible things but if his ends were better he'd be the hero of the story. The only reason he isn't on Raiden's side is that he never met someone who could change his course. I actually find he's amazingly well written because Platinum never shows him to be aware of the things he's doing wrong. He's legitimately trying his best to be a good man who makes the world a better place. There's no cartoonish villainy even though he's all 'NANOMACHINES SON'. It's an extremely manly bossfight because if things were just a little bit different, Armstrong would probably be fighting beside you against some other final boss. In a lot of ways, Rising isn't an MGS game, but it absolutely nailed the part where it had to be moving and make haunting predictions about the future.
---

When I say "well written" I mean the quality of the dialogue, not the character concept. He's definitely great in characterization otherwise.
---

Bad news: No writeup tonight.

Good news: I probably own a house.
---

Mediterranean Avenue or Park Place?

#26: Portal -- The Companion Cube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWkUoCCB0H0

The cake is a lie, but the Cube is forever.

Of course, this moment is really about GLaDOS because the entire game is about her. Everyone's favorite homicidal, cake-hoarding AI is at full snark and hilarity when it comes to this Cube, and that biting wit and touch of absurdism had me chuckling the whole time. Still, that little Cube's hearts protected my life over and over. Despite her insistence that the Cube was not animate, it was one of those things where my parent telling me not to do something inspired me to do it more, and I grew attached to the little thing. I might have even personified it a little bit.

Throughout the test chamber, it wasn't me going through; it was "us." If you're familiar with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you know the saying, "Always know where your towel is"? That was how I thought through the process. Always know where your Cube is and bring it with you.

So when it came time to "euthanize" the poor thing, I paused. I knew how stupid it was that I was hesitating. The Cube cannot, in fact, speak. Yet I still tried to find a third option for something like 7 minutes, longer than the test itself had taken. There had to be some way to save it, right? Well, those with far more dedication have figured out a way to VAC it up and save it, but with a bit of a clenched throat, I threw my Cube to its fiery doom and proceeded through.

When GLaDOS taunted me about how I murdered the Cube, I flinched. That's how you know a moment is good, and while it's all memed out now, the Companion Cube will continue to be one of the most brilliant (and spoofable) props in gaming.
---

#25: Bastion -- Saving Zulf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JvNhc13oKI

Zulf nearly ruined everything. He led the Ura to try and destroy the Bastion and our hope to fix the Calamity in the process.

And yet...

He inevitably led to the downfall of his own people, too. The Kid is a one-man army. Zulf knew that. He'd seen what I could do to the windbags and the beasts in the Wilds. He knew I'd be back for the shards. And that was before I got the Battering Ram. What was he expecting? Did he think the Ura could really stop me?

And yet...

Not that I can't sympathize with him. I don't think I could bear the weight of discovering that the few survivors I had wanted to help were among the group that tried to commit genocide against my own nation. That this Calamity, which ripped the world apart was a direct consequence of their country. And they'd wanted ME to help fix it? But he still had to see it was better than languishing in ruin, right?

And yet...

There he is. Bruised and broken. Assaulted by his raging peers as retribution for the white-haired slaughter Zulf had brought upon them. I have the Battering Ram. I have the Shard. I can kill them all. But I can't carry him and still defend myself when I approach the Skyway and finish my mission.

And yet... wouldn't I be just like him if our circumstances had switched?

Without even realizing it, I threw away my weapon and replaced it with his pallid body. Slowly, I approached what should be my doom. The haunting song from when I first found him lingered in my head. Arrow after arrow struck me. I couldn't blame them, any of them. I don't know what kept me going, but I pressed on, finding some strange fortitude in doing what I knew was right. I didn't need to kill anymore. Just return to the Bastion with the shard and the survivor.

And then it stopped.

The hail of death just... stopped.

The chill down my spine lingered... then stopped.

With reverence, the Ura, the people I had massacred by the hundreds, stopped and watched as I saved the man who tried to destroy everything I stood for.
---

#24: Final Fantasy IX -- "Why...? Why would you do such a thing?!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-TbadEdsxQ

Vivi is my homeboy. This sweet, adorable little black mage is clumsy. He's nervous. He's easily spooked. Sure, he could easily destroy everything around him, but he's too innocent for that. At least until the Black Waltz shows up. Vivi's fellow Black Mages, who at this point have seemed like automatons, suddenly gather around him as the Waltz -- also kin to them -- threatens the little man. On some level they have to know the peril they're in. But without hesitation, they charge up their spells. And without hesitation, they're blown away.

Vivi watches in horror as the mages' husks flail through the air, and I watch with him. Vivi rages, and I rage with him. He charges forward, and I charge with him. Still retaining his innocence, he can't fathom the senselessness of what he just witnessed, and neither could I when I was little. Why would someone do such a thing?

And that's when Vivi achieves Trance.

It took me a while to realize how insane that is. Trance is caused by heightened emotional states. It takes a complete spike in passion for a living creature to enter it, such that Steiner, a seasoned veteran of Alexandria's knights, had never witnessed one until Zidane went beast mode in the Evil Forest. The big bad, Kuja, is living but so distant that he has to hijack someone else's soul in order to achieve Trance himself.

But Vivi isn't a creature. He isn't "living." FF9 black mages are basically golems made of Mist -- processed souls of the dead. They aren't supposed to feel much, if anything. Other black mages do show some humanity as the game goes on, but never passion. Their glowing eyes never have that same spark that Vivi's have.

When the fight is over, we see Vivi channel his magic with the fury of his Trance, and that same Waltz that seemed so scary is blown aside like leaves in the wind.

You go, little dude. You go.
---

That was a good FFIX moment. I can see why a Vivi fan would love it especially even if it didn't make my list of favorites!
---

#23: Persona 3 -- Ikutsuki's Betrayal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCBHVt8opoc

And this, my friends, is called "raising the stakes."

Hoooly shit. I should have seen it coming, but man, I didn't. I was too distracted by the dangers of Strega and the Shadows themselves. Everything I thought I knew was turned askew.

The imagery is really what sells it. The crucifixions to herald a grim messiah fit perfectly into the oppressive atmosphere of the game. The expression in Aigis's camera-eyes as she tries to resist her programming. The gritty Mr. Kirijo getting his parting shot against the mad prophet, buying time for his daughter to live as Aigis fights her own code. The absolute dread that hangs over the scene even after the madman's fall as Mitsuru grieves for her father, resolve still in her voice.

Simply magnificent. Seymour Guado, eat your dead heart out. You ain't got nothing on Shuji Ikutsuki.
---

I knew I should've looked up how to spell his name for my guess list! That is a great moment, and a large part of what cemented my love for Aigis and Mitsuru
---

Mobilezoid posted...

I knew I should've looked up how to spell his name for my guess list! That is a great moment, and a large part of what cemented my love for Aigis and Mitsuru

Finally, female characters we can agree on!
---

#22: Touhou 7 Perfect Cherry Blossom -- Saigyou Ayakashi / Resurrection Butterfly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZx3OFU67i8

(Forward to 7:05 unless you want to see the whole stage, which is pretty cool too)

Touhou endbosses are, as you might expect, pretty damn tough, and ghost-girl Yuyuko Saigyouji was my first one. More than that, the plot actually hypes the fight a bit -- Yuyuko's trying to draw all the natural energy of springtime in Gensokyo to revive a monstrous cherry tree known as Saigyou Ayakashi. If a tree doesn't sound frightening, A) you're not a dwarf, and B) this tree has psychic and hypnotic powers to draw people to it and harvest their life energy. It's bad enough juju that in ages past, a woman sacrificed herself to mystically seal its power to prevent it from consuming more and more.

The woman's name was Yuyuko Saigyouji. Too bad she doesn't remember it.

Anyway, the fight's pretty intense, and it took me a few tries to 1CC it (because fuck continues and double-fuck EZ MODO). As I cleared the Perfect Blossom spellcard and the boss disappeared, I pumped my arms in victory. We did it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CfNarCjSHM

My roommate cackles. "Survival card time!" And a new version of the music kicks in.

"The hell is a survival card-- OH SH--"

The tree is pissed. It was controlling Yuyuko subtly before, but now it sees its plan going to ruin, and it's taking direct control. And it wants me fucking dead.

CONTINUE? Yes / No

God DAMN it.
---

KanzarisKelshen posted...

To the surprise of nobody who remembers the last VGMC, I'm a full-fledged Touhead. We're not just talking "1CCs the game" level. We're talking "has male friends who cosplay Patchouli and Alice" level. "Seeks out and listens to Touhou remixes of obscure PC-98 themes" level. "Is helping develop and test enough Touhou-themed MtG sets to create our own Standard" level. That is how Touhou I am.

Psht. I know someone who owns 2000$ touhou figurines and is admittedly a casual touhou fan only. What a pleb!

Speaking of Touhou, was this a joke about Soul? I don't remember that, but I do remember him hosting a convoluted forum RPG with Touhou characters and a story that was like 90% PC-98 characters. But casual fan.

I beat Mountain of Faith once and ragequit Imperishable Night. I remember the names of the protagonists and the popular/meme characters. That's an actual casual fan for you. Incidentally, you lose casual fan status when you can discuss the plot of a game in detail also. I couldn't tell you anything about what Imperishable Night was supposed to be about.
---

Yes it was

I think the figurines weren't that costly but it was definitely at least a couple hundred!
---