Anyone keen to summarise EP4's storyline for a return player?

[Altiea]

I was going to open the thread with an actual summary, but I forgot most of the details of the story, and I realized I suck at summaries...

[Zipzo]

I haven't yet really made my way through the Ep4 story just the first few blocks and cutscenes and missions, and I think that my dislike for the pso2 story came probably a bit before Ep4, but the concept of Ep4 sort of...didn't help.

One of the things I loved about PSO (original) was that the story was full of mystique. Sure, you can call it lazy, and that they made it mysterious simply so they didn't have to bother elaborating on the concepts they used, but there was so much there to unpack. Following the message boxes to read rico's recordings, or the terminals to read the flower experiments, were just so interesting in the context. I'd dare say it was the perfect strategy for telling a narrative in an online game, because it sort of gives you the freedom to decide how much you care about the story. You decide if you want to know more, and you aren't worse off for not knowing, and to learn more, you have to seek out those message boxes, read them with an open mind, try to make your own conclusions.

It created a hotbed for theories, and that's really when a story is most fun, when you can sit and theorize about all the gritty details. That's what draws people in to shows like Game of Thrones, or LOST, or any other long over-arching twisty story show. People love the conversation, to make educated guesses, and be surprised when they're wrong, or proud of being right on their predictions.

Old PSO kinda felt that way. Dark Falz was much more mysterious, the narrative was very passive and thus gave the game a more immersive feeling of "I'm here on this mystery place and I can just figure out what I want to figure out". I dunno. Finding out that (SPOILER ALERT) Ruins was Pioneer 1(SPOILER END) was pretty cool, for example, near the point where you're finishing up the place and reaching the last boss. It just kind worked.

Anyway this high school anime trope stuff falls WAY off that apple tree, so naturally I sort of repulse at it given what I liked about the original PSO's story.

[Altiea]

I haven't yet really made my way through the Ep4 story just the first few blocks and cutscenes and missions, and I think that my dislike for the pso2 story came probably a bit before Ep4, but the concept of Ep4 sort of...didn't help.

One of the things I loved about PSO (original) was that the story was full of mystique. Sure, you can call it lazy, and that they made it mysterious simply so they didn't have to bother elaborating on the concepts they used, but there was so much there to unpack. Following the message boxes to read rico's recordings, or the terminals to read the flower experiments, were just so interesting in the context. I'd dare say it was the perfect strategy for telling a narrative in an online game, because it sort of gives you the freedom to decide how much you care about the story. You decide if you want to know more, and you aren't worse off for not knowing, and to learn more, you have to seek out those message boxes, read them with an open mind, try to make your own conclusions.

It created a hotbed for theories, and that's really when a story is most fun, when you can sit and theorize about all the gritty details. That's what draws people in to shows like Game of Thrones, or LOST, or any other long over-arching twisty story show. People love the conversation, to make educated guesses, and be surprised when they're wrong, or proud of being right on their predictions.

Old PSO kinda felt that way. Dark Falz was much more mysterious, the narrative was very passive and thus gave the game a more immersive feeling of "I'm here on this mystery place and I can just figure out what I want to figure out". I dunno. Finding out that (SPOILER ALERT) Ruins was Pioneer 1(SPOILER END) was pretty cool, for example, near the point where you're finishing up the place and reaching the last boss. It just kind worked.

Anyway this high school anime trope stuff falls WAY off that apple tree, so naturally I sort of repulse at it given what I liked about the original PSO's story.

Nostalgia goggles, perhaps? Still, it's not like he story in PSO2 is anything to behold or anything like that. It's competent at times, but it's very anime.

[Great Pan]

Yup, nostalgia is always a good thing.

[loafhero]

It's competent at times, but it's very anime.

And not even the good kind of anime.

[Meteor Weapon]

The mystery part in PSO2 doesn't even feel mystery, it's just vague in the wrong way. They never bothered explaining why the goddamn photon tree in ruins is till there even after Elder broke out, and they never really bothered putting any clues about it in game.

[loafhero]

Last I checked, I'm sure its now Profound Darkness that's being sealed in the tree.

[Zipzo]

Nostalgia goggles, perhaps? Still, it's not like he story in PSO2 is anything to behold or anything like that. It's competent at times, but it's very anime.

I wouldnt say that my opinion is tainted by nostalgia, no. I recently did a play through of Forest > Ruins starting from scratch (just on normal mode, but still it's always a thrill) and the atmosphere in that game is great. It vibes the same way it did back then, albeit clunky combat mechanics aside.