Wednesday, November 3, 2021

PrinceWatercress plays Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves - Part 5 of 42


We spend our time sneaking into coffee houses to find blueprints for Octavio's tar vacuum and also take out his sea-based forces on the canals on Venice in this entry.


We are now playing as Bentley in-game for the first time.

The Alarm Clock is now one of Bentley's gadgets and not Sly's this time around. Much like in the second game, you press the assigned button to rear back, use the D-Pad or left analog stick to aim, then press the assigned button button to throw it and hopefully distract some nearby guards.

The Trigger Bomb is a throwable bomb with remote detonation. It works just like the Alarm Clock we just bought, but instead of distracting enemies, it kills them via an explosion when you press the assigned button again after throwing it. Both gadgets use special energy, so mind the brown meter.

Canal Chase

You'll need to play as Bentley to get this job underway.

Octavio has hired the Blue Viper Gondola Gang to take out Carmelita as she is on her daily patrol. Sly and Bentley spring into action to make sure she doesn't get blasted into the water, and Bentley hotwires a motorboat with a gun mounted on it.

From here, left and right on the left stick and/or D-Pad moves the boat while R1 shoots the machine gun. You'll have your own health meter, as will the three members of the Gondola Gang, but you'll also have a meter for the gun in the lower-right corner. If that gauge fills up, the gun will be overheated, and you'll have to wait for the gauge to deplete to fire again. All the while, you'll need to use the X button to jump over the boats, docks, crates and other things in your path. Make sure not to jump into the bridges.

Keep an eye on the three gang members to get an idea of where to go and to line yourself up with them to shoot the gun at them in short bursts. Once you shoot down all three gang members, you'll save Carmelita and you'll stash the boat for later.

It's now time for Day Two. It appears that Octavio is pumping oil into the water so that he can destroy the foundations of the city's buildings and rebuild with his own. He plans to do this during the opera recital, and to stop him, we'll have to get rid of the advertisements for the opera recital that are placed around town. We also have to find the blueprints for the main tar vacuum, which are split into three houses and hidden in local coffee houses under constant guards. Also, Octavio has some air support that will also need to be taken down, and the best way to get rid of them is to fool Carmelita and her mercenaries run into them and take them out. Finally, Murray and his new Aboriginal Ball Form will be needed to destroy the tar reservoirs around town to ensure that the tar does not flow freely.

Push Attack Level 1 is a shove attack for Sly. Press Triangle once to charge up to Level 1, then press Circle to perform a shove attack while the cane is still charged. This attack will shove an enemy quite a ways back.

Guard Duty

You'll need to play as Sly to start this job. Octavio keeps the blueprints to his main tar pumping station in three local coffee houses that are under constant guard. You'll have to approach each one in disguise in order to get in and sneak Bentley into the place so he can look for the blueprints.

You'll now have a new gadget: the Venice Disguise. Assign this to a shoulder button, then use L3 to find the coffee houses and approach them while in disguise. While in disguise, you cannot jump, run or attack.

If you approach an enemy while in disguise, you'll have to do a quick-time event where you have to quickly press a certain sequence of four buttons to give a password or else you'll be found out as a fake. By getting the passwords right, you'll relieve the guards so that Bentley can sneak in.

Watch out for lasers on the ground as you make your way to the painting in the coffee house. When you reach the painting, press Circle to look at it. While looking at the painting, you can press X to zoom in and you can press Triangle to move away from the painting. When you press Triangle, you'll find the save, and you'll need to put in the combination to get the blueprints. The safe controls are the same as in "Beginning of the End."

The combination for the safe is found in the paintings. For the first painting, you'll find the number "479" at the top of three on the right side of the painting. Enter 479 in the safe, and the first part of the blueprints is yours.

For the second painting (following a conversation with a guard who wants to drown in his mother's pasta sauce, which become a running gag for this job), you'll find the number "968" in the water in the bottom center. This will net you the second set of blueprints.

For the third painting, you'll have to do something extra to even look at it. The guard - whose name is Tony B. - will ask you what his nickname is. You'll have to stay in disguise and talk to enough enemies - and complete enough passwords - to find out he is practically in love with himself and that his nickname is 'Tony "The Killer" B.' Go back to Tony B., and you'll be able to get in.

Now for the third painting. The number "113" will be in the black buildings in the background on the right side of the paining. Once you get the last of the blueprints, however, you'll set off an alarm. Get out of there and quickly get back to the safe house. Sly will follow you as you make your way to the safe house. Once you make it to the safe house, the job is done.

Controls:

D-Pad/left analog stick: Move
X: jump/double jump
Square: attack
Circle: use to interact with sparkles, steal from enemies (from behind; with Sly)
Triangle:
  • charge up cane, knock enemies into the air (from behind; with Sly, use Square afterwards to slam enemy down)
  • drop bombs (Bentley)
Select: access Gadget Grid
  • D-Pad/Left analog stick: select gadget/ability
  • L1, L2, and R2 buttons: assign gadget to button pressed; gadget can then be used with that button
Start: Pause/unpause
  • D-Pad/left analog stick: choose options
  • X: confirm choice
  • Triangle: back out of choice
L3: bring up waypoint

R3: use Binocucom
  • Left analog stick/D-Pad: look around
  • Right analog stick: move in and out
  • R1: take picture
R1: run (hold down)

Right analog stick: move camera

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy II AGAIN - Part 37 of 65


In this entry, we take back Fynn!




Altair


Head to Altair, and you'll hear news from the people that the rebel army has finally decided to take Fynn back. The Princess and Gordon are holding camp there...what are you waiting for?!?

Camp


The camp will be just west of Gatrea.

You'll find out that the enemy is in disarray, making it easier to take the castle. 

Castle Fynn


Well, it's just a short canoe trip ahead to the north to Castle Fynn.

Go north and you'll find Layla. Talk to her and she'll rejoin your party.

Keep going north. You could take the treasure now, but when you retake the castle, the monsters will disappear.

The Spectres are Rank 4 and show up in the Coliseum, but they also show up here and can be pretty dangerous. They are undead- and Magic Beast-type enemies. They can cast Ice 8 and Sleep 6 on your party, and they can Petrify with Break 6.

Gottos is sitting on one of the thrones. Talk to him to start a boss battle.

Gottos is Rank 6 and has 2000 HP, but he isn't very difficult, and you'll be fighting him (and some of his clones) later on. Put your magic users in the back row, and Curse him if you can. From there, just keep on smacking him around.

His Drink attack is basically like Berserk. He can drop the Baccus Wine (Bchs'Wine), which works just like Berserk, He can also cast Haste on himself and give himself more opportunities to hit you. but he can also drop the Ripper Knife, although there is a 10% chance of that. If he does, keep it. It's really powerful.

Talk to Hilda, and she'll tell you that she's worried about Minwu, as he hasn't returned since he made a trip to Mysidia. You'll be able to Learn the Mysidia phrase from her. Ask her about Mysidia. Apparently, this tower contains the ultimate magic that may turn the tide in the war against the Empire. You'll need to obtain two masks in order to dispel the magic barrier that blocks it. Learn the Mask phrase and asks Hilda about it. You'll learn that the White Mask is hidden in the basement of this castle, and you'll be able to Learn yet another phrase - Ekmet Teloess. This is the chant that opens the basement door. If you ask her about the phrase, though, she won't know where the door is.

Talk to Gordon again while you're at it. He'll tell you about Minwu, and he'll also tell you that the Ultima Tome is hidden in Mysidia Tower. Learn the Ultima phrase, then ask him about it. If you ask Gordon about Ekmet Teloess, he'll tell you that Paul the Ninja might know more about this castle than Hilda does.

Ask Hilda about the Ultima Tome. She will tell you a passage to Hell opened long ago and that monsters poured through the portal into our world, and that Ultima was what ultimately drove them back.

Now that the castle has been regained by the rebel army, the monsters will be gone and you'll be free to get all the treasure in Castle Fynn. Some of the chests will still contain forced encounters if you open them, though. 

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy II AGAIN - Part 36 of 65


In this entry, we have to fight a whole bunch of monsters to get Hilda back. Not surprisingly, the Empire have their own underhanded tactics.



Now that Gordon is back, you can equip the Mage Staff and use it as an item in battle to cast Thunder 5 on all enemies when necessary.

Anyway, head to the Chocobo Grove south of Kashuon again. Catch a Chocobo so you can go south to Kashuon without being caught off guard by a bunch of monsters. From there, head east to find the Arena.

You can also go through the desert on foot and fight new enemies. The Antlion can Paralyze you with its physical attacks, as can the Land Ray. They are also weak to Ice as well as Poison.

Coliseum


When you approach the Emperor, your path will be blocked and you'll have to fight a monster in order to get Hilda back.

You definitely want to Curse the Behemoth as quickly as possible if you can. If you have Bsrk powered up enough, you'll be able to do some major damage to it. Otherwise, hit the Behemoth with the best that you have.

When you beat the Behemoth, the Emperor will have you come forward to claim your prize. When you do, you'll be surrounded by the Dark Knight and three Captains. They'll lock you in a jail cell.

Press A on the steel bars only to find out you won't be able to break the bars. Paul the Ninja will show up. He'll distract the guard and kill him as soon as he turns his back, then he'll let you free.

The Stalagmites (Stlgmite) are Rank 4 and have no elemental weakness, only have physical attacks and have strong physical defense, but Mind-elemental spells have no effect on them.

There is an invisible wall just west of the chest with the Antidote, which lets you reach the treasure room with ease.

The Death Flower (DthFlower) can Confuse you with physical attacks and are immune to Mind elemental attacks, although they are weak to Fire and Ice spells.

Agility gains are partly based on the current character's evasion percentage divided by 4 and rounded down. The higher the number the higher the chance.

When your reach the other jail cells, you'll find the real Princess Hilda. Firion will tell Gordon to take Hilda and run. Leave the Arena and head back to Altair.

PrinceWatercress plays Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves - Part 4 of 42


It's now Day One of the Venice Operation, and our campaign against Octavio begins...


From here, you'll be in Day 1 of the Venice Operation. When you get a slideshow cutscene of what to do next, you'll be able to access a whole new list of gadgets once you buy all of the previous day's. Time will elapse, and the sky will also be a different color.

Now that we have been introduced to the flashlight enemies via the Hazard Room, they'll start showing up. Compared to the second game, they take a lot more punishment and are impervious to normal strikes, and your best bet is to attack them from behind with the slam move if you absolutely have to take them out. Make sure there is not a low ceiling above you; it will keep you from doing the slam move. Never face them head-on, as they don't miss with their guns and their attacks can pack a punch. Also, be sure to steal from the guards carrying from the flashlight, as they carry more coins and better stuff than the ones who don't. 

Octavio Snap

You'll have to start this one as Sly. Octavio is out and about, and that gives the Cooper Gang a chance to take pictures of Octavio to give to help Carmelita and her mercenaries prosecute him.

From here, you'll have to follow Octavio around (use the L3 button!) and take incriminating videos of him at the oil pump valves. The better of a vantage point you have, the easier it will be to zoom in on him with the Binocucom and take a picture of Octavio in the act. When Octavio is running around, you'll want to stay close behind him but also without running into him or any enemies or being spotted by any enemies.

The third snapshot is pretty hard, as you'll have to be on a gondola in order to see him and take the picture from there. If you do that, however, you'll want to stay in the gondola and not stand on top of it to keep from getting caught. Thankfully, if Octavio does see you, you start at where you took your last photograph. Thankfully, the fourth and last - which also uses the gondolas - is the last, and you don't have to worry about getting caught after taking it.

Once you finish this job, you'll find out that he is dumping the oil into the town's rivers as well as the town's water supply.

After the fourth picture, Octavio will take a ride on the Ferris wheel in the city. Latch onto the car that Octavio is riding in, and you'll be able to eavesdrop on a call that he makes to one of his henchmen. It turns out that the Ferris wheel is doubling as a tar pump and that nobody is suspecting a thing before telling him to ensure that people come to his opera recital. From there, Sly and Bentley will automatically break into the Ferris wheel's control box to do some rewiring and take it out of commission.

Into The Depths

You'll need to be Sly to trigger this one.

The opera house that is in town is Octavio's base of operations, and you'll need to get Bentley in there in order to hack into his computer and see what Octavio is up to. Thankfully, there is a wooden hatch in the back of the house that makes for an ideal entry point.

Use the L3 button to get to the wooden hatch (which isn't far from where you start), and you'll automatically meet up with Bentley. From here, you can choose whether or not to play this job with the 3D glasses packaged with the game, then it's on to the job. Thankfully, playing the 3D sections in 3D is not required.

From here, you'll need to follow Bentley through the basement of the opera house. At times, there will be doors that require Sly and Bentley to press a button at the same time. Pay attention to Bentley's count, then press Circle as soon as you hear him say "three."

Eventually, you'll have to go it alone to make a path for Bentley to get to the other side of a room filled with water and laden with traps, and you'll have to climb, sneak, jump and even avoid lasers to reach the door on the other end. At the spinning coil, wait for the flames to subside before continuing across. Once you reach the door at the end, knock the nearby guard into the water, then press the button to send Bentley your way.

Bentley will blow up the door, then you'll have to avoid more lasers as you walk between them. You'll then have to go through a crawlspace leading into the air vent. You'll find a valve room where Octavio talks to one of his minions as you head to the other side of the glass door (you can get two conversations out of this area if you enter the empty room with the crates instead of the button room), where you'll have to fight a guard in order to help Bentley to the other side and blow up another door.

After more lasers, you'll have two more enemies. Thee guys can also throw knives at you from mid-air, so be careful. After another double-switch door, you'll be at the computer. When Bentley tries to hack into it, however, you'll find out that Octavio has secured the computer, and this trips an alarm that sends enemies into the room one at a time.

For this part, you'll have to beat up enemies and keep them from walking up to Bentley and smacking him. Thankfully, you only have to fight one enemy at a time, making this part pretty simple. If you can, smack the enemies into the fires next to the computer keyboard where Bentley is. After enough time, Bentley will hack into Octavio's computer and find out exactly what he is up to.

Controls:

D-Pad/left analog stick: Move
X: jump/double jump
Square: attack
Circle: use to interact with sparkles, steal from enemies (from behind; with Sly)
Triangle:
  • charge up cane, knock enemies into the air (from behind; with Sly, use Square afterwards to slam enemy down)
  • drop bombs (Bentley)

Select: access Gadget Grid
  • D-Pad/Left analog stick: select gadget/ability
  • L1, L2, and R2 buttons: assign gadget to button pressed; gadget can then be used with that button

Start: Pause/unpause
  • D-Pad/left analog stick: choose options
  • X: confirm choice
  • Triangle: back out of choice

L3: bring up waypoint

R3: use Binocucom
  • Left analog stick/D-Pad: look around
  • Right analog stick: move in and out
  • R1: take picture

R1: run (hold down)

Right analog stick: move camera

Monday, November 1, 2021

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy II AGAIN - Part 35 of 65


In this entry, we find out that a monster has been posing as Princess Hilda and that the real Hilda is still kidnapped.



Altair


Head back to Altair. You'll find out that the Princess has been acting strange and that she's locked herself in her room. This room is south of the King's room. Go inside and talk to Hilda. She'll want to speak to Firion. Your party leaves, but Firion finds out that this isn't Hilda. At all. It's a monster, and your party comes back to help Firion fight it.

The Queen Lamia (Q.Lamia) can be pretty tough. She can put you to Sleep with her physical attacks, and she can also Confuse and Blind you. The Blind attack is pretty evil: it's Blind 16. Use the MthMirror on Firion to protect the entire party from that and the Charm 9 spell that the Queen Lamia also has. If she lands it early in the battle, you're in for one hell of a fight. Don't even try to Curse her, because it won't work. Just keep your party's HP high and use Bsrk to power up your party. From there, hit the Queen Lamia hard.

There is a 10% chance you can get the Protect Ring from her. You can also get a Ribbon from her, but you have even less of a chance of getting it than the Protect Ring. Both items are good for magic resistance, and while the Ribbon protects you from all elements, it is a piece of head gear instead of an accessory, and the Protect Ring adds to your physical defense.

When you beat her, one of the rebels will find out and let you know there's a tournament in Paramekia where Hilda is the prize. Apparently, she got kidnapped and we have to save her again!

Gordon asks for your help, and Leila leaves to organize the rebellion. Leila leaves your party and is replaced by Gordon.

Talk around, and you'll find out that the Emperor himself will be at the tournament. You'll also find out that Palamecia is south of Kashuon, and that the desert surrounded it is full of monsters. There is an arena underneath Palamecia, and a jail underneath the arena. You'll also find out Minwu has disappeared..

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy II AGAIN - Part 34 of 65


In this entry, we do what we set out to do in the Cave of Deist, but now we have an even greater problem.




The Ogre Chieftan (OgrChief) is Rank 4 and is just tougher than an Ogre. Nothing special, really.

The AcidPhial casts Level 16 Poison Cloud on all enemies.

When you reach the four doors, take the third one. You'll then find a monster guarding the Spring of Life. Talk to it to start the battle against the Chimera.

To beat the Chimera (or Chimeras, as you might get more than one), Curse it first, then wail on it. If you're fighting multiple Chimeras, Curse them all individually before you do anything, and keep your party's HP high. They are Rank 5 Magic Beasts and have 750 HP, so taking one down is possible in a few turns, especially with the Wing Sword and the Demon Spear.

The Chimeras can cast Blaze 7, which can be pretty powerful and hellaciously life-ending if you haven't Cursed them prior.

When you beat the Chimera(s), go up to the Spring of Life and use the Egg. 


If you go back to Deist Castle, you'll find out that the Wyvern is dead.

PrinceWatercress plays Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves - Part 3 of 42


In this episode, we meet Carmelita again, bail Dimitri out of jail, meet Murray again and learn how to play as Bentley again.


At long last, we take on our first missions/jobs in the game.

Police HQ

You'll have to play as Sly to start this job, and it will be at the docks near the safe house. The massive dome that is not far off is the local police department. Sly soon finds a way inside at the top of the building, but he will have to climb on a rope leading to the roof to get there.

You can bounce on the canopies at the front of the gondolas to make your way to another dock, and this leads to the rope in question. Once you reach the roof, Sly will crawl through.

Once inside the police station, Sly immediately meets Dimitri for the first time since the second game. Dimitri is not happy that Sly Cooper got him hauled off to jail in the second game, and when Dimitri calls for the guards, this leads to a dialogue choice - a new thing for the third game. Thankfully, messing up on the dialogue options does not lead to an instant failure; you'll choose the right option eventually.

Out of the three options, your best bet is to cut a deal with Dimitri. Sly asks Dimitri who will bust him out of jail if he gets caught, and Dimitri says that busting him out of jail will not be easy. You'll then have to come up with a plan. Of the three choices, you'll have to distract the cops so he can get away. Dimitri likes the plan, since he is free while Sly Cooper gets shot at, and tells Sly that the key to the cell is the head cop's office. He also tells Sly that he will help find Murray.

From here, you'll need to crawl through the police department and underneath the tables while Inspector Carmelita Fox (yes, she's back, and with a voice actor similar to the first one) mention her plans to bust Octavio for the local pollution to some mercenaries that she has hired.

By using L3, you can find some blue sparkles leading to another room where the Cell Door Key will be held. Grab it, then head back to the cell. Unfortunately, this won't be easy as getting the key, as the lights will go in and out. If you're not underneath something when the lights are on, you're going to be caught and you'll have to start this whole section of the job over.

Once you get back to the cell, you're going to have to open the combination lock by hand. Rotate the left analog stick to the right until you feel the controller vibrate, then rotate it to the left until the controller vibrates again. You'll then have to rotate the left analog stick to the right one more time until you get the controller vibrate one more time, then let go to open the cell. If you've turned vibration off, there will be a blue light around Sly's hand that you can also use as a signal to switch direction. If you go too far, you'll have to start the combination over, so go slow with the rotation.

You'll free Dimitri, who tells Sly to look for him near the Rialto bridge, then Sly distracts the cops so that Dimitri can make his getaway. From here, you'll need to stay on the move and move from boat to boat without getting hit by Carmelita. You'll eventually run into Murray, and the two of you will flee from Carmelita in the sewers before popping up elsewhere in town. Sly catches up on things with Murray, then you'll get another cutscene.

In order to get Murray to join the gang, he will have to fulfill the mission from his guru first. In the meantime, we have to stop Octavio from polluting Venice by photographing him in the act. Meanwhile, Bentley will try to pick up some intel through local radio frequencies.

After this mission, you'll get the option to head back to the Hazard Room. Let's do this.

Hazard Room

There will be three new blue switches, as well as a green one.

The middle switch teaches you how to climb on pipes and use hooks. It's pretty self-explanatory: just latch on with Circle when you're near it and use your double jump to jump to the other side. You can also use Up and Down on the left stick or D-Pad to swing back and forth. As for the pipe, just latch on with Circle when you're near it and climb up and down with the left stick or D-Pad. You can then jump off with X when you need to.

For wall hooks, jump towards one and latch on with Circle once you're near it, then hold back on the left stick or D-Pad and jump to launch yourself forward. Be ready to press Circel if you're going from one wall hook to the next. Once you get to the top of the wall, drop down on the other side. You'll complete the middle switch tutorial.

The switch to the right of that one teaches you how to interact with guards. This will show you the flashlight guards for the first time in the game. You can go up to these - or any - guards from behind and press Circle to steal from them, and if their pocket is glowing, they have a treasure that is worth a little bit. Not surprisingly, I've already established this earlier in the Let's Play. You'll also learn how to run away from enemies with the R1 button and the left stick or D-Pad. Then, you'll learn how to sneak up on enemies, knock them into the air with Triangle and then slam them down to the ground with Square, as established earlier in the Let's Play. Just remember that the slam is loud enough to attract other guards.

Finally, you'll learn how to drop heavy, unsafe machinery on unsuspecting guards. Just find the machinery, find the button for it - which isn't far off - then hit the button with Circle when the enemy is under the machinery to drop it on their head.

The blue switch to the far left teaches you how to use the Binocucom. Pressing R3 - in other words, pressing the right analog stick - takes you into the Binocucom. From here, you can look around with the left stick or D-Pad and zoom in and out with the right stick. Just like in the second game, you'll have to take pictures with it from time to time; to do that, zoom in and out on what you're trying to take a picture of until the target turns green, then press R1 to snap the picture. Sometimes the things you'll snap pics of will be stationary; other times, they will be moving. Just get a good vantage point and a place where you know the target will turn green, then get your picture when the target is where you want them.

The green switch that is available to the far left teaches you how to play as Bentley. Bentley will play differently, since he is basically not Sly Cooper. Square lets you attack by spinning his wheelchair, while Triangle lets you drop bombs just like in the second game. Be careful not to be near the bombs; they will hurt you if they blow up near you.

Dropping bombs with Triangle can be useful, as you can use it to not only destroy objects, but also flashlight guards who are knocked out or put to sleep.

To put enemies to sleep, press R3 to enter the Binocucom's first-person view, then aim at the enemy and press R1 to fire the dart. If you need to zoom in on the enemy, do it. If it misses, you will get the enemy's attention, but if it connects, they're going to sleep for a while. 

Finally, Bentley now has a Fishing Pole that allows him to steal from enemies just like Sly, and it is assigned to L1 by default (although you can move it to L2 or R2 and even un-equip it entirely). Just sneak behind an enemy and press L1 to whip out the Fishing Pole and its magnet. From here, you have to move backwards whole holding L1 to steal from the enemy. If they're moving, however, you can use their movement to do the work for you if the enemy just walks away.

Now that you've completed all of these four tutorials, it's back to the main menu, where you can return to Episode 1. From the episode menu, you can now re-watch the opening cutscene for the episode and replay jobs you've already completed. There will be more to this menu when the time comes.

Controls:

D-Pad/left analog stick: Move
X: jump/double jump
Square: attack
Circle: use to interact with sparkles, steal from enemies (from behind; with Sly)
Triangle:
  • charge up cane, knock enemies into the air (from behind; with Sly, use Square afterwards to slam enemy down)
  • drop bombs (Bentley)

Select: access Gadget Grid
  • D-Pad/Left analog stick: select gadget/ability
  • L1, L2, and R2 buttons: assign gadget to button pressed; gadget can then be used with that button

Start: Pause/unpause
  • D-Pad/left analog stick: choose options
  • X: confirm choice
  • Triangle: back out of choice

L3: bring up waypoint

R3: use Binocucom
  • Left analog stick/D-Pad: look around
  • Right analog stick: move in and out
  • R1: take picture

R1: run (hold down)

Right analog stick: move camera