Part 6: Wait You Mean I Have To Help People?
We're opening up Chapter 2 of the game today with Geo staring at the sky. This is the usual starting point for... a lot of the early game.
: Hey, Geo!
: What? I hear you!: You've been nice to let me watch how you live, but there's 1 thing I've noticed and wanna ask about. Do you really like the sky that much?I can't imagine how boring this must be for Mega. After all, he's stuck in this dork kid's Transer and doesn't get to do anything interesting at all.
Sounds like me between updates.
: ...Yeah, I like it. I like the stars twinkling at night, and the shooting stars... And I hope... Just maybe... I can see my dad.........By this point I'm torn between feeling sorry for Geo and getting a little irritated with him. Yes, loss sucks, and he's a 5th grader so he can't really be expected to cope with it all that well - but even still this seems a little much.
Anime loves to exaggerate emotional states, Yeti. Subtlety is lost in this medium.
Mega, on the other hand, is still a blunt asshole when it comes to these things.
: What happened to telling me about my dad? When are you going to "feel like it"?: Meh, who knows?Raise your hand if you're surprised that Mega is putting it off again.
Does it count if I raise your hand, Yeti?
: Look, what's important now is that you're more prepared when you leave your house. You never know when an FM-ian is gonna show. One could drop from the sky onto us now!To just pick an example at totally random. I'm sure this means nothing.
...This is also probably unrelated. I'm sure there won't be a flying FM-ian at all.
Complete and utter nonsense. Too unlikely.
It was a man with wings, Geo. You stare at the sky so much, how can't you tell?
: Why? What's wrong?: I know an FM-ian with wings just like that. That may well have been... : You think that was an FM-ian?Definitely won't be flying FM-ians. (This game is less than subtle with who the next villain in the chapters is going to be, sometimes.)
He's groaning, so he's alive, but wow does that look like it hurt.
It's kinda difficult to tell who can and can't see people in this game. Right now, this tired-looking guy is talking out loud to himself.
There's probably a joke in here about flying too close to the sun. Alternatively, "It's a bird, It's a plane, no it's some dude with chronic insomnia."
Fuck you, Icarus.
: Ack! Y-You saw!?For once, staring at the sun paid off.
: R-Really?: Yeah, really...A pair of master conversationalists, right here.
: Careless?: N-Nothing. I-I thought no one came to Vista Point except at night...Wtf? Night?
The game is always so inconsistent about what time things happen. I think right now it's supposed to be roughly 5 in the evening? But I could be wrong because they never say.
: A-Anyway, sorry to have disturbed you. I-I guess my experiment was a failure...Whoever he is, he really loves ellipses. If they're at the start of a text box, there's a good chance (for those reading along) that it takes a few seconds to add the dots, one at a time.
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TEXT
: ("Experiment"? That wing-thingy, right?): (Yeah. I guess he's not an FM-ian.)I told you! No flying FM-ian! Why don't you believe me!
: (That "thingy" looks awfully interesting. Let's go take a look!)
Blinky putting in some overtime. Good job, buddy.
: Y-Yes? What is it?: Um, well... I was wondering about your wing-thi...: ...!!Bit of a strong reaction to someone saying "Oh hey what's that weird thing next to you" but okay.
: It's, um... I call it my FlapPack.: ...FlapPack?: !!
As soon as Geo walks up, this guy rushes over and shoves him away. Definitely, this guy is friendly and not strange in the slightest.
This guy looks like Yeti in real life.
: Ah, please don't stare at it, OK? I-I don't like it when people do that. I don't like to show people my inventions...: O-Oh...Then again, it is his invention, after all. I guess he has the right to tell people to fuck off.
: (We should let it go, Mega.): (What a bizarre guy...): (If we stay here any longer, we'll get in his way. Let's go home, OK?)
And like that we have control. It's worth noting that this is the first time we've had control since beating Taurus Fire. The cutscenes in this game tend to stretch on a long while, especially in the beginning.
We also get this email. Interesting. Those of you who have played any game in this series already know what this is, but we'll check that out in a bit.
First, maybe now he'll let us look at the FlapPack!
: I-It's not nice to spy on other people's inventions...Nuts.
We haven't even seen his name, but he has a Transer... Maybe we can find out that way -
Damn, the devs thought of this! Oh well. It's weird he's heading home before dark, but sure, whatever.
No sequence breaking Yeti. Be a good Let's Player.
Oh what now?!
: What's that?: The help signal is basically an SOS signal... It means someone around here needs help.So it's the loud, annoying signal you use when you want attention but it's not actually important, got it.
Oh, so it's Twitter ranting.
: That's such a foreign concept.: Well, you're really supposed to go and help, but I don't want to get involved with others. I'm sure someone else will take care of it...I love these lines here just for how great they are. "You guys ask people for help? Weird." "Yeah but I usually ignore them because fuck people."
Man, I just empathize with this pair more and more as these updates get posted.
: We're going to go take a look! I want to see the source of this signal.: Hey! Wait a sec! How come you're the one who gets to decide this!? You pushy freeloader!!Well, I guess we've been given a quest. At the very least, despite flashing at the corner of the screen, the help signal doesn't actually make any noise.
: You wake up, read a book about space, mess with some gadgets, study, and when it gets dark, go stare at some stars up in the sky. You need some variety to spice up your life!In this case, Mega is right. Geo really isn't doing anything to help himself cope with the loss, he's just moving in circles.
: I won't let you run my life anymore!!: Stuff it! When I say go, we go!!Of course, it's filtered through Mega being an asshole. Which, again, refreshing for this series.
: Geez! You keep this up, and my left arm's gonna be longer than my right!After getting tugged away (Seriously, how sturdy is the Transer so that it won't be ripped off? That seems like a minor hazard.) Geo gives up and we're going to help out some nerd, I guess.
Yes, I just watched the cutscene, thank you very much game. Before we take care of the help signal, let's explore a little bit. New chapter means new incidental dialogue!
: Because of the truck incident, I'm afraid to cross the street. Nngh...Breaking news, old man can't get home because he's a big coward.
I had the biggest smile on my face reading this. Damn I'm a jerk.
Look I'm not saying it was aliens, because you won't believe me, but it was aliens.
Fuck you, History Channel.
When you get close to the source of the Help signal, it starts flashing faster and the text turns red. Which is a sign that we need to go the other way, clearly.
: Huh? What am I going to fly? That's a secret!A secret?
How do you fly a secret?
It's a secret to everyone.
The truck from the first chapter is parked here, by the way; in case you want to revisit the comps from earlier. Not that I really see why you'd want to, the chips are useless and the money is equal to what's lying around here in GMD.
Wouldn't say useless. Especially if you missed a data or a virus chip.
Anyway, that aside, let's head up to the Wave Roads. (The Help signal didn't disappear; it just stops having the circle around it if you're on the wrong screen, and the text blinks) Now, let's just look at this totally random area...
I wonder why Geo is standing like that?
Oh that's why.
Sweeeeet.
That's right, boss rematches are back! (I don't think anyone is surprised.) After beating a boss in each chapter, its EW ghost appears in set locations where you can fight the EX version. In this case, it's TaurusFire EX, which mostly just ups his HP and damage. He didn't get any new moves.
Once you've killed the EX form, the SP starts wandering around in that area and becomes a random (rare) encounter. Yes, the SP is tough to fight. Yes, that's why I unlock them as soon as possible.
Speaking of TaurusFire EX, though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7eGC6sar8E
Eyyyyy, Yeti is actually improving his game. I spy counters! Co-commentating my BN LPs must have helped.
I ate a single hit to get the counter, which meant I got an extra card for damage. Either way, I just don't have good enough chips to pull off an S rank; TaurusFire EX (and SP) just has too much health.
Gonna agree with that. We'll probably need to finish the next scenario and have a high level of play to get 30 seconds, and the next two scenarios to get him in under 10- well, I'll let Yeti explain that mechanic.
The chip here is pretty good. TaurusFire comes down a and does his fire breath attack for 100 damage burst; if you're standing on either column, it's a 1-2-3 triangle. Standing in the center is a 1-3-3 blast. And, if the square in front of you doesn't exist, the chip is wasted.
Regardless, it's our first Mega chip and pretty powerful for now (as in, it one-hit kills everything in the first areas except SalamanderGs) so it goes in the folder.
: It's another perfect day!! *vrooooooom*I noticed this guy while I was in the wave road. He's friend-shaped!
Unfortunately, we can't just leave. Shame.
Fiiiiine, I'll help them.
...How do you manage that? It's a ball. How is it in the tree.
Kicked it too high? Jerk threw it in a tree? The tree has thick branches? Could be anything.
: Oh... Are you here about my help signal?Geo I think it's very clear what's wrong.
: Yeah, I'd say it's stuck. ......I want to think that this long wait is Geo thinking "Do I really need to help them?"
: Maybe the flying guy at Vista Point can...: Do you know how to get it down?: Well, um...: Please! I'll give you something in return. Please!!Geo, Geo no. You can just climb up the tree, it has branches.
He can't CLIMB YETI
Oh, whatever.
Yo.
: ...Huh? You want me to help you get a ball?: If I used your invention, then maybe I can...: ......No.What a shame. Well, guess that kid just has to live without his soccer ball.
: Th-This FlapPack hasn't been publicly announced yet. So I can't let you use it. Plus...: ......Plus...?
Is there an echo in here?
Is there an echo in here?
: Anyway, my answer is no.: ......: Don't look at me like that! No means no!Apparently "..." translates to a really judgmental stare.
Apparently "..." translates to a really judgmental stare.
: (I guess we don't have a choice... I've gotta find something else to use. And why am I doing this for someone else?)I really, really don't know. Maybe because the alien that lives in your arm is using information about your father to blackmail you into doing whatever he wants...?
I really, really don't know. Maybe because the alien that lives in your arm is using information about your father to blackmail you into doing whatever he wants...?
: I saw something flying over there just now. Was that an RC?Well, at least the game is kind enough to move an NPC around to tell us what to do next. It's a little bit nicer in that sense than the original Battle Network games, where you had to kinda run around and then stumble into the next flag.
The power of the...DS?
: Um, I was just wondering what that thing was.: Oh, this is an RC chopper.: It's remote-controlled? (I can probably use this.)Anyway, we have to talk to Chase Winde. This RC chopper will definitely help us get the ball down.
: Hmm? What? You want to use this to get a ball down?: Please?: Hmm... Well..."Why don't you just go climb up and get it yourself?"
: So I guess I can give this old one to you.: Really?Oh that was easy -
Spoke too soon. Giver could fight a bunch of viruses for hours and still not have that much!
Time to go get some Untraps and farm greens.
: Ha ha, just kidding. It is an old RC, so I'll let you have it for a can of juice. So how about it? There's a vending machine that sells juice just behind the card shop, alright?I feel like this guy is extorting this 5th grader, but sure, whatever.
Fine, fine.
: ...I wonder if it's broken.: Probably the work of a virus.Of course. It couldn't be a Starforce game without having us kill a virus because it ate our money.
: Let's have a look inside this machine's comp. It might work if we delete the virus.
No, that wasn't a mistimed screenshot. The game just forgot to have punctuation here. Whoops!
We found a fuckup! Hooray!
It's not a tough fight. Three CannonBases are easy to take out, especially since they only attack when you step into their row.
This is a baby fight, man.
: Us: one, EM viruses: zero.
: You think this fixed it? Hmm, guess we should pulse out and check the vending machine...
Success! Item retrieved.
: Here's the RC, just like I promised. This type needs a card to work. Use it well.
It's a bit of a roundabout way to get the ball down, but sure, whatever works.
Boooo, boooo. Your puns are worse than Giver's sense of humor!
Now, now, let's just give their jokes a test flight.
It's an RC chopper. You just watched us get it, Mega. (While the chopper is out, the top screen shows the controls. It's convenient, maybe?)
: Geo! Put on your Visualizer for a sec.
It's a nice little touch, but if you're wearing your Visualizer you can see the Navi helping out.
Navis have been fucking downgraded.
: He looks just like the guy on the Navi Card! Is that PropellerMan?
: He's being projected from your Transer. He's probably here to help control the RC.: Hmm, that's neat.While it is neat, I don't think they really needed to tell us about this. The player would have figured it out themselves, and it would have been a neat little discovery moment; instead, it's just more dialogue I have to sit through until the cutscene is over.
Finally, we can control the chopper. You do so by tapping the arrow buttons to give it acceleration in that direction. And yes, it's acceleration, not velocity - this thing handles like it's covered in grease.
Eventually I managed to get this stupid thing to the ball and knock it down.
I know! Why couldn't it have been an HPMem20?!
Ahahahahaha, get fucking wrecked.
: We'd better hurry home.
But before we can go home, there's a familiar NPC here. I guess we have to talk to him, huh?
: Very, very interesting...: It's that guy...(Aaron Boreal, for those who don't remember the first update. He worked with Geo's dad at NAZA before leaving to start his own company)
: I wonder where Tom went off to? He's taking an awfully long bathroom break.
I wonder who's taking the piss break? Either way, after looking left and right Boreal finally turns around.
: If it isn't little Geo! How are you doing?: Hi, Mr. Boreal...Geo sounds like he's saying hello to the weird old uncle that he doesn't really like but has to say hello to anyway.
: You know, where red things were being broken? I was curious, so I stopped to see the truck that was involved in the whole affair.And Geo knows nothing about the handsome man that saved the day, right?
No Yeti, it was a boy. Not a man. Oh no, rumors are already spreading.
Ah! The piss break guy was Mr. Insomnia all along.
: Hmm? Well, um...: Hey... It's the guy from before...Awkward.
: Um, actually...: ...What!? You performed an experiment all by yourself!?I really don't know why this is such a big deal. I mean, in the sense that he could have injured himself, yes, but it reads like Boreal is more upset that he did the experiment by himself than the fact that it was dangerous.
: Hmm, I see. You always do experiments by yourself. It seems kind of reclusive, don't you think?The game tries to hammer home here that you need to work with other people, but in this case it comes off more as an extrovert telling an introvert that they just need to go have fun at parties and stop staying home so much.
That's...pretty much how this game will handle the issue. Best way to get people to be less introverted (not that there aren't advantages) is to just expose yourself to social situations and risk a bit at a time. The approach isn't wrong, but it's anime, so everything is dialed up to 11, as I've said before.
: ...Um, don't worry about me. Let's just hurry and check out the truck.
"Yep... That's a truck..."
: This is my assistant, Mr. Tom Dubius. He used to work at NAZA. Just like me."Tom Dubius"
: Used to?: Hmm? Oh, there was a small problem, and...Tom probably got caught stealing office pillows or something.
The game really doesn't need to say anything at all, it evokes the image of "sullen kid not wanting to answer" perfectly here.
But because this is a SF game, it needs to have words instead.
: Alright! How about this? Why don't you come down to my lab tomorrow?: Eh!? But why?: I think it'd be a good change of pace for you. So? What do you say?I guess this is a pretty neat invitation for him.
: Tomorrow's a holiday, so it's perfect! Glad we settled that!
Seriously though, I don't like Boreal all that much. He comes off as super pushy about everything.
I guess that's a compliment towards the game's framing. A kid like this would find Boreal super exhausting and tiresome. So if you're aligned with Geo to a degree, you can kinda feel the same.
: (I'm... I'm...): (Doesn't it sound like a ton of fun, kid? We can test how much he knows about space!)At least Mega seems like he's on board.
That's it for the day, though. Pretty quick, all things considered.
Next time: A field trip that definitely won't go wrong.