In search of a more eloquent solution to a second playthrough
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer. As soon as I finished Persona 4 Golden I thought hard about starting a new game. Saying goodbye to Persona 4’s delightful cast after 60 hours was bittersweet to be sure, but I was also thinking about the social links I hadn’t been able to complete. I felt like I could make a serious go at getting 100 percent, maybe even fuse a Persona like Thanatos. Of course, that would have required another 70 to 80 hours of my life; and sadly, I just didn’t have that kind of time to spare.
So I’m packing away Persona 4 Golden for a while, even though there’s plenty more to see and do. It makes me wonder: Is it a good idea to load up an RPG with a lot of content that can’t easily be accessed in one playthrough? Especially when that RPG is more than 50 hours long?
My gut reaction is to say, “No, it’s not necessarily a good idea.” Not that I don’t like extra content, or even replaying a really good RPG. It’s the time commitment involved. And there are better alternatives than, say, forcing someone to keep multiple save files just so they can see every possible branching point without starting over.Continue reading In search of a more eloquent solution to a second playthroughIn search of a more eloquent solution to a second playthrough originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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