Month: January 2021

The third season of Cobra Kai has arrived on Netflix and if you haven’t watched it yet, you’re wasting time. After all, viewers were left on that high school karate riot of a cliffhanger after Season 2. How could you not want to know what happens next?

If, somehow, you have yet to watch the new episodes, stop reading now. The rest of this story is going to be dealing with some pretty heavy spoilers for Season 3. Consider this your final warning.

The third season of the series includes quite a few bombshells, from the deep dive into Sensei Kreese’s (Martin Kove) origin story to the reappearance of Ali (Elisabeth Shue), the high school love interest of both Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio). Still, even with those moments–and so many more–there is likely no more satisfying plot development than Johnny and Daniel uniting for a common cause by the end of the season.

For over three decades, we’ve seen these two characters at odds. Even when it looked like they might be remotely friendly in the first couple of seasons of Cobra Kai, the two karate rivals always wound up at each other’s throats. Now, though, they have a common enemy in Kreese. The maniacal sensei has ousted Johnny and his students from Cobra Kai and seemingly declared war on anyone that isn’t in his karate gang.

To combat this, Daniel and Johnny–and their respective dojos–must band together to save the valley in a citywide brawl. Or, honestly, it’ll probably just mean a cool karate tournament next season. Either way, seeing Daniel and Johnny, two lifelong foes, fighting together for the greater good is a long time coming. And thankfully, it will be an easy chemistry for Macchio and Zabka to slip into.

“When it comes to Ralph and Billy, the thing that’s so great is that they’ve been in touch all this time,” executive producer Jon Hurwitz told GameSpot. “They’re very different in some ways that are not dissimilar in real life to Johnny and Daniel today. Not that either of them are exactly those characters, but there’s shades of each of them in themselves. And in their personal lives, they’ve developed a really fun dynamic.”

That dynamic is on full display throughout the series, whether they’re accidentally going on a double date in Season 2, or pretending to be cops and chasing down bad guys in Season 3. It has all led to some very funny moments. “There’s a comedic energy that the two of them have together that we love,” Hurwitz said.

As entertaining as it will be to see the two attempt to blend their individual karate styles into something resembling a lesson plan for their students in Season 4, that doesn’t necessarily mean Daniel and Johnny are going to be able to put their past entirely behind them.

“It’s not one of these things where they’re suddenly just going to be like best friends where every single moment they’re just like pumping each other up,” Hurwitz explained. “They are an odd couple, they’ve always been an odd couple, and they’ll continue to be an odd couple. But some odd couples are enemies and some couples are best friends and maybe we’ll find out which path they end up going on.”

Here’s hoping that after all these years they wind up an odd couple that doesn’t want to roundhouse kick each other to death.

Cobra Kai Season 3 is streaming on Netflix now.

There’s just nothing like a Persona soundtrack. Lead composer Shoji Meguro and others such as Atsushi Kitajoh from Atlus’ sound team have churned out so many hits that stand out as fantastic songs, but are also able to perfectly communicate the emotions that you feel in the moments they’re played. And with each entry, Atlus finds new ways to incorporate different music genres into their soundtracks, making each game carry a distinct vibe and sound. Now, a good chunk of that work is available on Spotify.

While many fans are familiar with the bangers and jams from the more popular mainline games (let’s say, Persona 5, Persona 4, and Persona 3), there is more to dig into beyond the big hits. For this particular article, I want to highlight a few standouts from other Persona entries that may not have the same spotlight, but absolutely deserve that level of recognition.

Keep in mind, there’s nothing wrong with not being familiar with every entry in the series. It’s okay! There’s no shame in that! I just want to spread the good word, and maybe let folks know about other songs that might become their new favorite Persona tracks. It’s also worth noting that music from Persona 5 Royal, Persona 3 and 5 Dancing, and the original Persona are not on Spotify at the moment. You can find a playlist at the bottom of this article that includes the songs mentioned here (and a few more).

Since this is a celebration of the series’ music, feel free to share your favorites that you want more people to hear in the comments section. I’d love to know, too, because I may have overlooked them myself.

Road Less Taken

This is the opening theme for Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, and since it was a 3DS game released in 2019, it unfortunately didn’t make it on many folks’ radars (fans or otherwise). But for those who still had a 3DS handy and a fondness for Persona 3, 4, and 5, it was an incredible treat to see all these characters bond and fight together. “Road Less Taken” is emblematic of the joy of having this ensemble cast and their collective strength to do what’s right with style.

In this uptempo swing-jazz-rock hybrid track, each vocalist from Persona 3, 4, and 5 jump in to sing and harmonize with each other, and play off of one another. We all know Lyn Inaizumi as the voice for the Phantom Thieves, Shihoko Hirata making Inaba feel like home, and Yumi Kawamura with Lotus Juice providing vibes for SEES’s somber journey. But Persona Q2, and this song in particular, also invites Mayumi Fujita, who sang the Persona 3 Portable-exclusive tracks for when you played as the alternate female protagonist. Where Persona Q2 is a celebration of the past three games, “Road Less Taken” is a celebration of their music.

Pull The Trigger

Continuing on the Persona Q2 appreciation train, it cleverly gives each cast their own distinct battle theme (which you can ultimately just choose). These songs carry the attitude and themes from each of those games, but the Atlus Sound Team snapped with “Pull The Trigger.” This is the song for the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable, and I humbly nominate it as the best battle theme in all of Persona.

The entire track imparts a confident energy that fits perfectly as a song to fight to, but is also an expression of P3P FeMC’s personality. It’s sung by Mayumi Fujita (who, as mentioned above, did the P3P-specific songs), reminding us of the distinct feeling this character gave. And it wouldn’t be a Persona 3 track without Lotus Juice’s bars.

Maze Of Life

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth sold much better than Q2 did, given it launched in the prime of the 3DS’ lifespan. But the game still deserves its recognition among the great Atlus soundtracks–it fused the styles of Persona 3 and 4 while still providing its own unique sound. The opening theme, “Maze Of Life,” is a tremendous showcase of that.

Singers Yumi Kawamura and Shihoko Hirata collaborate on this track with lyrics that reflect on the trials and tribulations of both casts of characters, and sort of honors their legacy. Its instrumentals also carry a bittersweet sound that reminds you that these journeys weren’t always sunshine and rainbows, but that they were always hopeful in their own ways.

Light The Fire Up In The Night

If you played Persona Q, you may be a bit exhausted by this song. But if you haven’t, “Light The Fire Up In The Night” is sure to light a fire inside you. It’s a super energetic song that immediately hits you with strong brass/horns leading into a guitar riff that carries the momentum, which then leads into Lotus Juice’s frenetic bars. And then it brings things back by having the respective vocalists (whether you hear the Persona 3 or 4 version) sing the hook. It’s a hell of a battle theme that stands among the best, and I claimed it for a future buddy cop film starring me and fellow GameSpot colleague Ben Janca.

Soul Phrase

Persona 3 Portable’s exclusive songs for the female protagonist deserve love and respect, and while they’re not entirely included in the Spotify collection (yet!), we at least have the P3P theme song. “Soul Phrase” has a sort of nu-metal sound with somber lyrics sung by Shuhei Kita, and it’s actually a perfect tone-setter for Persona 3 as a whole. It reminds me of where this story goes and how it ends, I cry every time. ;_;

Deep Breath, Deep Breath

“Deep Breath, Deep Breath” is a really special song, but here’s the thing: it actually doesn’t play in Persona 3–at least not in the form that I’m suggesting here. This was originally a dark, creepy background track, but got a major remix for the Persona 3 Reincarnation album, and it’s basically a complete 180-degree turn. This remix is heartwarming, uplifting, and catchy. Lotus Juice brings some cheesy bars that you kind of just vibe with and Yumi Kawamura belts out a vocalized rendition of the song’s beautiful horn melody.

Live performances of this particular song can be found on the Persona Super Live 2015 and Persona Music FES 2013 albums that are included in the Spotify collection.

Invitation To Freedom

Okay, back to Persona Q2. We all know about “Last Surprise” and P5R players are now familiar with “Take Over” as the Persona 5 battle themes, but “Invitation To Freedom” might just be the best of them. This is the Phantom Thieves’ battle theme in Persona Q2, and of course, it’s sung by Lyn Inaizumi. Like many songs on this game’s soundtrack, it’s all about a frenetic jazz-rock momentum.

Lyn brings just heart and soul into the hook and verses with her emphatic vocal performance, and it’s backed by a groovy piano and a collection of strings and horns that play off the acid jazz styles heard in Persona 5. It’s also a statement for what the Phantom Thieves are all about.

Laser Beam

The original Persona Q doesn’t let up in its boss fight theme song. “Laser Beam” is a bit dark and crunchy–metal-style guitars back up distorted synths and an intimidating melody, which is pretty fitting for the game’s difficult boss battles. Lotus Juice hits you with rapid-fire bars while Yumi Kawamura hits you with wailing vocals in the background. And the song’s hook is just a pretty sweet guitar solo.

Cinematic Tale

What makes “Cinematic Tale” special is how Persona Q2 uses it throughout the game. It’s the theme that plays when everyone is hanging out in the theater hub area where you get the party ready before jumping into a dungeon. But the way Persona Q2 plays out, you gradually gain the members of each game’s cast.

When it’s just the Phantom Thieves at the start, the song features Lyn Inaizumi’s vocals alone. Once you get the Investigation Team from Persona 4, it turns into a duet that includes Shihoko Hirata. And once you pick up the SEES squad from Persona 3, the song features Yumi Kawamura and Mayumi Fujita, and turns into an incredible vocal mix between all four talented singers. It truly drives the sentiment that all these characters have come together to support each other and fight together.

Unbreakable Tie

Admittedly, Persona 2 often gets lost in the conversation about the series. The franchise really took off and established its current formula when Persona 3 launched, so it’s easy to understand why, but Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment are special games in their own right. They also vibe much closer to the original Shin Megami Tensei games in terms of tone.

Persona 2’s soundtracks have their own distinct sound as well–it has the pop sounds indicative of its era and some hard rock tracks that the series still carries in a way. As for Persona 2 Innocent Sin’s PSP opening theme, “Unbreakable Tie,” it sort of bridges the gap in styles between itself and Persona 3.

Maya’s Theme

I’m cheating a bit when it comes to abiding by the rule of songs that can be found on Spotify. A version of Maya’s theme is technically available on the Persona 2 collection, but while it might not be the best version, this song conveys a lot of the emotional weight that Persona 2 carries, especially for the titular character. It can be an upbeat and cheery tune, like the version available on Spotify, but it was remixed to communicate the sadness and pain in Persona 2’s story. Also, Maya Amano is just one of the best characters in the series.

You can hear what I think is the best version of this song, from the Persona 2 Special Soundtrack album, in the video above.

Heartful Cry

Ahh, “Heartful Cry” really is an apt name for this one. While this song is part of Persona 3 FES, you only hear it towards the end of the optional bonus story content called The Answer, which centers around Aigis and Metis, and man, this one hurts.

It’s a catchy electronic rock song, but even though there are no lyrics, it’s instrumentals precisely communicate the feeling of the moment. It’s angry, wistful, bittersweet, and tense all at the same time. While the necessity of The Answer is debatable, there’s no doubt that “Heartful Cry” embodies Persona 3’s best qualities.

The Live Albums, my lord, THE LIVE ALBUMS

First off, Persona Super Live is straight up just an incredible thing that happens every two years where a full band and/or orchestra perform with the singers of each game for a huge concert in Japan. Second, it reminds you that Persona soundtracks are stunning pieces of work outside their games while conveying the feelings you had whenever you’d hear them while playing.

And believe me, the seamless transitions between the three opening songs for Persona Super Live 2015 is probably one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard in live music: from “Dance!” To “Break Out Of” to “Maze Of Life.” It really shows off how fantastic and sonically diverse the music from the spin-off games are.

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Fight Night, a new limited-time event, is now live in Apex Legends, adding a new town takeover and making welcome quality-of-life changes to the game. As a collection event, Fight Night also introduces a ton of new epic and legendary cosmetics to purchase from Apex Legends’ in-game store. We’ve compiled images of them below.

It’s a pretty excellent roundup of cosmetics this time around. In terms of legendary skins, the collection includes seven new character skins and five new weapon skins. In keeping in line with the theme of the event, everything is getting a shiny, Olympus-looking makeover.

Gallery

For the most part, everyone looks fly as hell…again, for the most part. Respawn still can’t quite nail down a good legendary look for Bangalore–it’s honestly the hair, we don’t know why the team keeps trying to straighten Bangalore’s awesome curls. Those looks don’t work for her.

The collection also includes epic skins. There are two character skins and four weapon skins. The remaining epic items are a collection of weapon charms, skydive emotes, and banner poses. Both of the banner poses are really dope–Loba’s new Charming pose sees the burglar elegantly leap onto a loot crate and then menacingly smile right before she prepares to teleport away, while Revenant’s new Stalker pose sees the simulacrum crawl along the wall and ceiling like a spider before leaping down and pulling off a nightmarish glare.

Gallery

Buy all 24 items in the collection and you’ll unlock Gibraltar’s heirloom, War Club. If you don’t want to spend the cash (it’s a lot to buy all 24 items–a little over $140 USD), then just wait. After Fight Night ends, War Club will be rotated into the general heirloom pool. With heirloom shards (which are randomly earned from opening Apex Packs), you can unlock War Club or any of the other available heirlooms.

Admittedly, you’ll have to rely on luck with that method so it will likely take a great deal longer, but it will be cheaper seeing as you just unlock Apex Packs by playing the game, both by leveling up and finding treasure packs during matches.

Though it’s not a part of the collection, Fight Night adds a new legendary Pathfinder skin too. Called Memoir Noir, this skin is similar to Wraith’s Voidwalker (and Phasewalker recolor) and Bloodhound’s Young Blood in that equipping it gives Pathfinder a unique intro animation. When Memoir Noir is equipped–instead of swinging into battle on his grapple–Pathfinder enters the fray on a raining night, stoically turning to Mastiff shotgun blast a reaper like a hardened noir detective. It’s pretty cool. You can find Memoir Noir in the Apex Legends store under “Special Offers.” The skin will be available for purchase until Fight Night ends on January 19.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

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