I've been deceived...

[tsubasahome]

I beat Kuzunoha Raidou today. Took me 51 hours, which is a new record for me--the shortest time that I ever took to finish a Megaten game. Innocent Sin used to be the old record-holder at 83 hours....yes, I really do take my time with these games! I quite enjoyed it--wasn't quite up to Nocturne's level, but it certainly was better than the 8 7 8 7 score it got from Famitsu. I liked Soul Hackers and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment more, but I would place it above Innocent Sin. I haven't gotten around to playing Avatar Tuner 2, but having watched Lauren play the first Avatar Tuner, my observation is that Raidou is better. Better pacing, better aesthetic sense, more fun(well, it's not as dark)--you really shouldn't have to power level in a 40-50 hour game. That's what Lauren said turned her off about Avatar Tuner--from what I see, Raidou does a much better job handling its relatively short length--you can progress through the game and do all the extra events and sidequests at a fairly brisk place without feeling like you're wasting your time bogged down doing impossible sidequests in a game that's only half the length of a "normal" Megaten game. It does have its problems, though--the encounter rate is through the roof, money is scarce all the way through the end of the game, and there are only about 2/3 the amount of demons as there are in Nocturne Also, you have to watch Raidou's HP like a hawk. Granted, there are things to compensate for these problems, since the dungeons are very short, there are plenty of items that you find just to sell, and the controls are responsive enough for you be able to heal yourself split seconds before an enemy finishes you off.

Now, with all that aside, here's my dilemma with the ending of the game...

It's not like I went out of my way to find spoilers before I got the game, but I stumbled upon some on a Japanese message board that gave away crucial information about a certain character. Well, two out of three were right--but I would really like to know who started the rumor that said character dies! Because I beat the game, and...well...he ain't dead! Either this game has multiple endings, or I'm the victim of a cruel joke. Well...it's not like I really wanted him to die...but...