#Can I be nostalgic for murder drones yet?

[lolkitkatbar]

Thinking about the old murder drones trailers and merch ads that got unlisted. Ah the memories...

[bluginkgo]

On today's Ginkgo rambles we have: the teaser, yet again. What? I really liked it.

Spoilers, duh

Instead of dissecting it again, which many smarter people have already done, I kinda wanna ramble about how well the teaser was well... a tease. It's titled The Beginning of the End. A bit cliche, but it works here both in the context of the end of this season, and hopefully the beginning of the second.

The beginning of the end that is called Season 1. And the beginning of the true end, that is the universe of Murder Drones- be it Copper 9 or the actual story.

Not to mention, this beginning of the end theme keeps up in the entire teaser. I guess you can say I'm a sucker for being nostalgic and seeing how far the show has come.

It starts with Uzi's Booting up// Exposition: "We are worker drones." Closely followed by what is happening to her as of Dead End. So much for the innocent worker drones, am I right? "It's not like we revolted and killed all humans or anything, mostly because they handled that just fine all by themselves." At this point, and especially in the teaser, it's heavily implied that maybe the humans didn't actually do that. Sure, they were probably the ones that caused it. But seeing as we get a shot of Tessa closing Nori's room/locker and then the core collapse from the pilot... eh, I don't know about you, but I think she's got something to do with it.

Then, we have N. His cute little introduction and his killings in the pilot, followed by Dead End's scenes. A disassembly drone- a demon that has been depicted so many times by other worker drones, one of THE murder drones of the series, reduced to nothing but a scrap of metal by sentinels. Not to mention the only person from his past, V, also in grave danger. We hear him call out to her just like in Dead End throughout the entire teaser. I also wouldn't be surprised if his last desperate call for V that we hear right before we get the actual scenes for eps 7 and 8, to be used as the trio fall down in the elevator at the beginning of ep 7.

Closely followed by V's first words. "And yet, I still feel nothing." Then we see her sacrifice at Dead End. From a simple and mindless murder machine to a friend and an ally who was willing to give herself up so the rest of the group would be safe. (D*mmit, V, come back queen😭)

Now as for something I don't quite understand/see. So please, feel free to point it out.

BUT WHERE DO PEOLE SEE THAT HER VISOR IS CRACKED? All I see is that her visor must be turned off, because the floor is reflecting in it.

Another thing I kinda wanna touch on briefly, is Uzi's hand.

As many people have already mentioned this, Uzi's hand lights are yellow. Of course, so far, this teaser has been for both episodes 7 and 8. So we can't confidently say what scene is from where. But this constant switching in Uzi's lights might lose its meaning. Of course, these might be the only times that Uzi's lights actually change. But if it isn't... the anxiety and fear that ought to come with seeing Uzi's purple lights turn yellow, might be less severe. Unlike in Dead End, it was both anxiety inducing and cool to see Uzi be posessed by Absolute Solver. Eh, it might be just me, though. Of course, teaser is just that. A tease. So there isn't much to go off of.

You crazy for making it through that entire useless rant. Have a cookie. ^_^

[alexluvsskittlez]

intro post!! ( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ )

HIII EVERYPONY!!! welcome 2 the digital diary of an unemployed band obsessed freak!! ( ≧ᗜ≦)

my name is Alex, you can also call me Zoe, Sam, or Binoo!! (Alex is mostly preferred though)

i am 4teen and my birthday is April 23rd :P

i use he/they pronouns, I don't mind if people just use he/him or they/them on me though ^_^ please don't use she/her on me though.

i am audhd + dyscalculic

i am an artist, animator, voice actor, youtuber, and I'm currently learning how to sing!

i am asexual, demiromantic, pan, genderfluid, and poly :3

my special interests are Paramore and my ocs!! >_<

my current hyperfixations are Emily Armstrong, fall out boy, and madoka magica :D

i saw Paramore on November 7th 2022!! and I am also seeing ptv on May 28th and Linkin park on August 8th!!

BYF:

i am incredibly annoying over my interests

i have a very weird and unhinged sense of humor

i am an Emily Armstrong defender TILL THE DAY I DIE. if I catch you interacting with my blog and I see a post of you talking shit about my glorious queen you WILL be blocked

i am an rpf enjoyer (including the ships) I am respectful about it though so please don't get mad at me for drawing Hayley and Emily kissing 🙁

i don't care about most online discourse so please leave me out of it

i may come off as parasocial or weird about my favorite bands

and finally, I don't think before I say or do shit so if I post something wrong please let me know!!

music I listen to:

Paramore, pierce the veil, linkin park, fall out boy, sws, mcr, Hayley Williams, pinkshift, meet me @ the altar, silverstien, green day, bring me the horizon, p!atd, la dispute, lemon demon, sunny day real estate, Will Wood and the tapeworms, Will Wood, asking Alexandria, not enough space, get scared, the used, Owl city, mitski, Florence + the machine, stomach book, she wants revenge, Weezer, picture me broken, rites of spring, hot milk, stand atlantic, halfnoise, dead sara, isles & glaciers, dead by sunrise, black veil brides, system of a down, limp Bizkit, silly goose, scary kids scaring kids, alesana, evanescence, mom jeans, Imogen Heap, blink-182, chappel roan, fem&m, femtanyl, the cure, modern baseball, foxszn, 3drinkz, newgrounds death rugby, yellow card, vylet pony, american football, C418, boygenius, Avril Lavigne, nickasuar, millionaires, Kesha, s3rl, 3oh!3, attack attack, brokencyde, and waterparks.

i also like a few musicals such as the mean girls musical, be more chill, hamilton, and wicked (I've only seen the Broadway version of wicked though, I haven't seen the movie yet)

favorite shows and movies:

shows: smiling friends, madoka magica, Steven universe, gravity falls, murder drones, arcane, eddsworld, inside job, spooky month, the owl house, amphibia, invader zim, toopy and binoo, pelswick, the amazing digital circus, and mlp

movies: the final riot, Steven universe the movie, across the spiderverse, into the spiderverse, mean girls, Juno, the tamagotchi movie, the toopy and binoo movie, and mlp the movie

favorite games:

minecraft, splatoon 2, fnaf, animal crossing, roblox, regretavetor, mario kart, castle cats, pjsekai, kingdom hearts re:coded, nintendogs, baldi's basics, ddlc, and class of 09 (ONLY THE FIRST 2 GAMES THOUGH.)

favorite youtubers:

Kurtis Conner, Danny Gonzalez, Drew Gooden, funkyfrogbait, Markiplier, stariaat, sinjin drowning, DanTDM, bredrawz, lovleylor, and cybernoop. (there's definitely a lot more)

other stuff I like:

(fandom related) the tamagotchi franchise, warrior cats, laikas comet, Homestuck, and spaced out.

(non fandom related) alternative subcultures/fashion, nostalgic stuff (mostly 2010s since that's what I grew up with), old animation memes (which would probably be categorized with nostalgic stuff), space/astronomy, and animals.

dni:

bigots (idk why you would be here in the first place though), darkshippers and people who harass them, tcc, most things ending with "phile", people under 12, Paramore haters, Emily Armstrong haters, and jamie Bennington supporters.

also, if you are over the age of 18 you are allowed to interact with my posts. but please keep in mind that I am a minor, and please do not try to get too personal with me.

other info:

youtube: alexluvsskittlez

instagram: paramorenumber1fan

art Instagram: alexluvsskittlez

doodle Instagram (why so many Instagrams): allweknowisalex

tiktok: alexluvsskittlez

spotify: Emily Armstrong's discord kitten

i usually tag my posts with "shut up alex", "alex suffers", or "freaky alex". I will also start tagging my art posts with "alex draws"

THATS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! >w<

also heres the link to my playlist :3

[artyloreviews]

Film Review - Polar (2019)

A thrilling and ultraviolent neo-noir film, that is guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping, whilst also giving you a good laugh with it’s sheer ridiculousness .

As a fan of Mads Mikkelsen’s work, I was instantly drawn to this gritty neo-noir film, which cover depicted a drenched and snow-soaked Mads with gray hair and an eye-patch, looking suspiciously a lot like Big Boss from the Metal Gear series, which by now you should know is near and dear to my heart. Upon watching the trailer out of curiosity, I found that this was going to by one of those films over which the word ultraviolence was pasted in big bold and blood-red letters. I was instantly hooked and I anticipated the release with glee.

Upon viewing it however, I can’t help but wonder whether I think Jonas Åkerlund’s Polar is simply a lower budget attempt to emulate the success of the John Wick franchise, by melding it stylistically with the Dark Horse graphic novel Polar: Came from the Cold, or a great, straight to the point action film, that is enveloped in Tarantino-esque storytelling, gratuitous violence and beautiful cinematography. In the end, I believe it is a bit of both. The parallels that can be drawn between Polar and John Wick are clear as day, as both their plots revolve around a retired assassin being forced back into action; however, the difference is that in John Wick’s universe, there was some semblance of cleanliness and professionalism to assassination, a sort of class act per se. In Polar’s world, however, assassination is this act of gratuitous bloodshed, where everyone but the main character seems to believe killing the target to be secondary to killing each and every innocent bystander on the way to the target itself.

Mads Mikkelsen plays Duncan Vizla, referred to as The Black Kaiser throughout the film; a renowned and ruthless assassin, who I couldn’t help but see is a somewhat different manifestation of Mikkelsen’s other role as Hannibal Lecter, sharing the same sensibilities of professionalism and showmanship in murder. His persona is built as this scarred, yet carefree veteran in his field, who seems to inspire awe in all of his peers. The only somewhat sane character in the film – Vivian, repeatedly warns that people ought to “not fuck with him” (which, ironically, every second woman featured in the film seems to do or has done previously), shining a light on his dangerous nature, much like the stories about John Wick and his infamous pencil, that are constantly retold throughout that film’s dialogue. And yet he is this kooky old man, who inflates balloons and hangs cardboard “Happy Birthday!” letters above his fireplace, chops and sorts his neighbor Camilla’s firewood, has difficulty picking what brand of sweets to buy at the shop and accidentally shoots the dog after being woken from his PTSD-infested dreams, only to replace it with a goldfish, as well as going to a local school to show kids knife tricks and pictures of sun-dried corpses, and presents Camilla with a goddamn gun as a heartwarming gift. I’d go as far to say that he is bloody lovable in a twisted and endearing way.

On a side note, after he shot his dog after the first shown occurrence of said dreams, I had this expectation that as a man who always sleeps with a gun in his pocket, he’d continue to perform the same accidental ballistics after every subsequent dream. To my immediate shock, the next time he decided to doze off was in a bloody passenger plane. I was just bracing for that inevitable moment where some innocent bystander was about to bite the bullet, but for better or worse it never happened.

The overall visual presentation of the film is probably its strongest asset. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the recreation of scenes from the graphic novel, but there is a distinguishable picturesque quality to every frame in the film. Even throughout the marketing material, one can see the clear comic-book-esque symmetry. The color grading is a whole topic on its own. Scenes with Duncan are show in this very high-contrast low saturated gray, while most scenes featuring the supporting cast feature this very vivid neon saturation where the colors pop and sometimes bleed into each other, showing this clear contrast between the old and grizzled Kaiser and the newer younger blood out to get him. The only thing that has any color to it in Duncan’s life is perhaps those dreams he keeps having, which are bathed in saturated dark reds and a lot of glitchy, distorted visuals. Even the typography used throughout the film shared that iconic VHS displacement. The addition of Gothic lettering among the brief flashes of titling is very stylistic in referencing the Germanic origins of Duncan’s nickname – him being The Black Kaiser. The layers of effects however made it almost impossible to read the text in the split second it is shown on screen, which left me waiting for character’s names to appear in dialogue, so that I can confirm that what I read was right. The cinematography is usually amazing, each shot being framed and lighted in a way that only a graphic novel could entail. However, the film features a lot of fish-eyed lensed drone photography which clearly differs in quality to the cinema-grade cameras used for the rest of the film, leaving it looking amateurish at some of the key points in the plot.

Another aspect of the visuals, which some may find refreshing in the current politically safe age of cinema, while others can find it to be incredibly jarring and distracting, is the generous displays of gratuitous sex and/or T&A featured liberally throughout the run-time of the film. It seems that each and every character in Polar’s universe has slept with each other, or is yet to do so. The difference with other graphic novel adaptation, Sin City, which by any other mean can be cited as a direct influence on this film’s style, can be drawn in a sense that even in a city filled with vices, there was this tasteful approach to the sexual, often being purely implied. Polar on the other hand has no such restraint and appears to flaunt it at every opportune moment, which I found to be garish and unnecessary, as it provided nothing to the film’s substance.

One of the best aspects of Polar is dedmau5’s amazing soundtrack. With heavy lingering synth melodies and energetic electronic beats, it creates an amazing atmosphere of tension and serenity, especially in scenes of intense drama. The tracks that stood out the most on my first viewing were “somb”, which was used in the serene and calm opening to the film, followed by “cabin”; with its very nostalgically charged synth, rhythmic drums and haunting baseline, introducing us to Duncan. “chill” features a very tense and unnerving piano tune, signaling that not all is right as a sign of what is to come. On the more action-packed side however, the heavy hitters are “midas heel”, “main” and “nosedive”, each used in some of the most visually intense bloodbaths you will ever see, pumping with adrenaline and keeping you on edge with heavy electronic beats and whining synths. And none of that youth dub-step shit, that one could expect – dedmau5 provides an honest to god EDM soundtrack with his staple melodic progressions and no-nonsense sound, mixed to perfection.

The last point of contention I could think of is probably the ending. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I would describe it as initially surprising, but well hinted at throughout the film on second inspection. One could see it as an attempt to generate a sequel, though I am not familiar enough with the original graphic novel to say what that could entail.

Overall, I believe that Polar is a fantastic film, that wears its inspirations on its sleeve and creates an ultraviolent romp of revenge and drama, filled with all the staples of a gritty Neo-noir setting, featuring larger than life humans, able to withstand a lot of punishment, but dish out a lot as well. Even though that some aspects of its plot seem unnecessary, along with the purely visual bloating, I’d say it is worth it to sit down and watch through, but probably not with your parents, especially if you are a fan of Mads Mikkelsen or films like Kill Bill, Sin City and John Wick. I’d go as far as to say that if you enjoy video games like Hotline Miami, this can definitely be a nice intro into that type of cinema.

8/10

[yodepalma]

ignoct week? :D

Title: Blood Will Remember (ao3 link)

Summary:  When the invitation to Insomnia comes, Noctis knows the gods mean for him to try again. But this time he knows what to expect, and he’s not inclined to play along.

Rating: ...i forgot to rate it. Teen+/PG-13?

Warnings: genderswap, role swap, eventual canonical violence & death (this is only chapter one)

@ignoctweek Day 3 prompt: Reincarnation AU 

These will remain, these will go searching Your veins for life when the flame of life smolders; The night that you two saw the mountains marching Up against dawn with the stars on their shoulders;

The jetting poplars’ arrested fountains As you drew her under them, easing her pain; The notes, not the words, of a half-finished sentence; The music, the silence. . . . These will remain.

-”The Chamber” by Louis Untermeyer

“Of course, the biggest story of today is the Oracle’s visit. The last time Insomnia saw an Oracle inside of her walls was five hundred years ago, and we all know how that turned out—”

“Turn it off.”

The perky reporter’s voice disappears with a soft click, and Noctis sighs as he leans back in his seat. He should’ve known better than to hope for something pleasant to listen to on his drive through the city. There are hundreds of people lining the streets, and there will be more people outside the castle hoping to get a glimpse of him. His skin itches just thinking about all of those eyes on him. Sure, people in the countryside are generally excited to see him, but this is completely over the top.

Well, it’s probably what he should have expected from Insomnians anyway. The gods know his people had never exactly been chill.

“Try to relax, Noct.” Ignis’ hand on his knee drags him back to the present. Noctis takes a deep breath and covers it with his own, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze. “We’ll be there in a moment. You must appear unaffected.”

Noctis wants to ask how he knows where they are, but he won’t get an answer. He’s pretty sure Ignis remembers—the evidence is all there, if he looks—but he never talks about any of it. Not even late at night, when he wakes from nightmares and clings to Noctis like he’s scared he’ll disappear.

The car glides to a halt. Noctis looks up and makes a face at the crowd through his tinted windows, because they can’t see him yet.

“Behave.” Ignis squeezes his knee just hard enough to hurt, and gets out of the car before Noctis can respond. Seriously, how does he know?

Waiting for Ignis to open his door gives Noctis a chance to focus on now, so when he reaches out to take Ignis’ hand, he’s prepared for the wall of cheers that assaults him. He puts on his public smile and waves to the spectators, and it isn’t long before Ignis puts a gentle hand on his back and guides him into the building.

“Kinda makes you nostalgic for the Citadel, huh?” Noctis mutters under his breath. Ignis’ fingers twitch against his back.

“Perhaps we can request a tour of the museum before we leave the city.” There’s a bitter note to Ignis’ smile. “You were named after the last true king of Lucis.”

Noctis forces himself not to make a face. He doesn’t want a tour of the Citadel. Who knows what’s been done to it? “Don’t remind me.”

The inside of the castle is blessedly dark in comparison to the sunlight, and their footsteps echo in the cavernous hall. Noctis frowns at the gaudy decorations surrounding them. Absolutely nothing in this place looks functional, all of it golden and useless. It’s hard to believe people actually live here.

“My Lord?” It sounds like a question, but Noctis knows when Ignis is reprimanding him.

“Sorry.” He looks toward the door on the opposite side of the room, where a guard has been waiting for his acknowledgement, and a genuine smile crosses his face. It’s Cor. It’s impossible not to recognize that grumpy face, even with all the hair hanging in his eyes.

“Oracle.” Cor bows at the waist, low enough that Noctis can see that Cor has a ponytail. Noctis bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing hysterically. He can’t believe this version of Cor willingly grew out his hair. “I’m to guide you and your guard to the throne room for the negotiations.”

“Thank you.”

It’s somewhat disconcerting to be following Cor by keeping an eye on his hair, but Noctis tries to ignore it so he can memorize the way to the throne room. He doesn’t want to get lost if he has to get out in a hurry.

Not that he thinks he’ll need to. It’s just better to be on the safe side, historically speaking.

They stop outside of a pair of ornate double doors, and Cor briefly speaks to the guard. Something about him sparks a brief, vague memory, but he doesn’t quite catch hold of it before the doors are swinging open and he’s stepping inside. Oh well. He can’t expect himself to remember everything.

Cor announces Noctis and Ignis to the king and princess, then walks off to the side of the room. Not where the guards are standing, or even to sit with the nobility, but to stand in the little boxed off area for the press. With Prompto, who’s wearing a very fancy camera and his biggest smile. And—is that Dino? Reaching out to take Cor’s hand? Noctis is so not prepared for this.

Ignis gives Noctis a sharp poke, and Noctis moves forward on autopilot. “Cor is holding hands with Dino fucking Ghiranze.” Noctis whispers to him, because someone in this room should be as uncomfortable as he is right now. Ignis’ lips twitch into a brief frown.

“Try to focus, please,” Ignis says, because he wants Noctis to suffer.

Noctis can’t pout in public, but he doesn’t want to look up either. He focuses on the stairs in front of him instead, watches them get closer and closer until he knows he can’t go any further. He and Ignis stop at the base of the stairs, but Ignis doesn’t kneel until Noctis taps his thigh to let him know it’s safe.

Noctis looks up. Follows the golden threads of the black carpet lining the stairs, takes in the sight of Ravus decked out in black with the glow of the crystal behind him, and his heart aches for a power he’s never touched. He tries to keep his eyes on Ravus, because that’s who he’s here to speak with, but they inevitably slide to the left. To a smaller throne, and the woman who sits like a statue in her elegant black dress. The woman who winks at him.

Luna remembers.

The faintest sound of something tapping against metal brings Noctis’ attention back to Ravus. The king takes his hand off his hip and raises his arms to gesture to the room at large.

“It is my honor to welcome the Oracle of Shiva to our kingdom.” Ravus sounds much less annoyed with life than Noctis remembers, but that may be because he doesn’t hate him this time around. It’s probably weird that Noctis finds that so unsettling. “He comes as a symbol of peace in this uncertain time. We look forward to uniting with Accordo not only to ensure peace for this generation, but also for the generations that will come after us.”

Huh, Ravus is actually good at this king business. Noctis never would have guessed.

The speech drones on for some time, and Noctis just can’t bring himself to tune back into it. Ignis will tell him anything important he needs to know later. Instead he looks over the rest of the nobles, picking out the people who are familiar to him. There’s General Big Nose, looking as full of himself as ever. A few different politicians he never could remember the name of. Helen, who’s definitely noticed he isn’t paying attention and is giving him her Mom Face about it.

Clarus and his wife Ianthe, alive and both healthy by the looks of it. Iris is on Ianthe’s right, barely holding in her excitement, and on Clarus’ left—is Gladio a girl? Same scar, same hair, looks like she could pick Noctis up with one hand and toss him across the room. This life just keeps getting weirder.

Ravus’ voice trails off and cameras start flashing, which means Noctis has to pay attention now. Thankfully he only sees Ravus walking down the stairs, and when he gets to the bottom he holds out a hand for Noctis to shake.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?” Ravus cocks an unimpressed eyebrow at him, and it’s all Noctis can do to keep his own smile from turning sheepish. He hadn’t thought he was being that obvious.

“I got at least the first thirty seconds.” Noctis shrugs and tilts his head toward the Amicitia family. “I was distracted.”

“I see.” Ravus actually does look like he understands. Noctis’ gaze flicks down to his flesh-and-blood left hand and he wonders. “You must be tired from traveling here. Perhaps a few moments in our garden would rejuvenate you?”

“Yes, I think it would.” Noctis looks over Ravus’ shoulder to see that Luna has already left her throne. Has she always moved so quietly? “We appreciate your hospitality, King Ravus.”

Ravus nods and gestures for Clarus to join them. His older daughter follows him, hips swaying as her heels click loudly on the tile floor. Noctis knows he’s staring, but he can’t stop himself. Gladio is a girl, sure, he can deal with that. But she’s also wearing a dress.

He wonders if it’s designed so she can fight in it. No, that’s a stupid question. Of course it is. Gladio would accept no less.

Gladio catches Noctis’ eye and winks. Flirtatiously. Noctis swears if Gladio starts sincerely flirting with him, his soul will just shrivel up and die. For now he assumes it was a hint to stop staring like a creep.

“If you would follow me, Oracle?” Clarus makes a gesture towards a small, dark door in a corner of the room. His smile is polite but genuine, which means he either didn’t notice Noctis staring at Gladio or he’s quietly planning how he’s going to murder Noctis later. It’s always hard to tell with him.

The door takes them to a cramped, curving hallway. The walk feels like it takes forever. Noctis is acutely aware of the low ceiling and the sound of Ignis’ gloved fingers trailing along the wall as they walk. Ignis is probably furious about his gloves getting ruined.

Going back out into the sunlight makes his eyes water, but the view of the courtyard is worth it. It’s awash with flowers everywhere, a sight Noctis isn’t used to seeing in the city.

“Gladiola will stay with you while you walk.” Clarus settles in next to the door they walked out of, standing at attention and smiling again. “I’ll ensure nobody else comes in to ruin your peace. Including a certain photographer.”

“You can’t blame him for trying, dad.” Gladiola’s grin is sharp. “Or for wanting to see me.”

Noctis rolls his eyes and walks away. Gladio hasn’t change at all.

The courtyard is bigger than Noctis expected it to be. Ignis falls behind him to speak quietly with Gladiola, talking about political things that Noctis has no interest in. He makes a face at the sky and wonders absently if they have a fishing pond.

There’s no pond, but the cobblestone path winds around the flowers and bushes to lead them to the tall willow in the center. The ground beneath it is coated in sylleblossoms, but Noctis barely notices them before his eyes are drawn instead to the bench sitting at its roots.

He has no idea what to say. He’s been waiting for literal centuries to see Luna, and now that he’s here all he can do is stare at her. What if he was wrong about her remembering? What if she was winking because he was staring, the way Gladio had? He can’t afford to look insane in front of the princess, not now.

The man standing at Luna’s side notices his stare and reaches for the weapon at his side. Shit.

“At ease, Nyx.” Luna puts a gentle hand on Nyx’s hand, but it takes a moment of the two staring at each other before he backs down. “I am certain the Oracle will do me no harm.”

Luna gets up from the bench and glides toward Noctis. His memories don’t do her justice, but that may be because she does look subtly different. Her face is a little thinner, but she looks stronger. In body, but not in spirit. He doesn’t think she could have gotten any stronger than she was that day.

“Luna…” Noctis can hardly believe she’s real.

Luna’s eyes fill with tears. “Oh, Noctis. It is you.” She takes the last step toward him and throws her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck as she cries. Noctis awkwardly hugs her back and closes his eyes. Maybe if he pretends hard enough, he won’t be crying too.

It’s about damn time the gods let them see each other again.

[thomasroach]

Judgment Review

Fronting as the Yagami Detective Agency, Tak and Kaito battle through a story of love, deceit, and betrayal in SEGA’s Judgment. Is this Yakuza spin-off worthy of the games’ spiritual predecessor, or was Kiryu the driving force behind the franchises’ success?

Judgment Review

In a world where even the kids know kung-fu, everyone can crack their neck, matching tracksuits are cool, and floral shirts are worn by hard men, our protagonist, Takayuki Yagami, and his hard-headed sidekick Kaito stand alone in a struggle to find Kamurochos most notorious and feared serial killer, the Mole.

Fans of the Yakuza franchise will relish in the opportunity of returning to Kamurocho, the iconic town that has featured throughout the series of games. Judgment’s Kamurocho delivers a more vibrant, more immersive, and more realistic city than previous games, but still with plenty of nostalgic opportunities with the visiting of past haunts and a few Easter eggs relating to past characters and events.

Judgment enters as a spin-off of the Yakuza franchise, leaning on the series’ thrilling combat, intriguing story, and huge cast of supporting characters to introduce an exciting new narrative in the form of investigative techniques and detective gameplay. While Takayuki Yagami does have ties to Yakuza and the seedy underbelly that comes with it, he’s a law-abiding detective – for the most part, and much of the game plays into that new direction.

During missions, you’ll be interrogating suspects, searching crime scenes for clues, and deciphering evidence to find the correct conclusion. Much of it is great fun and really rewarding – but not all of it. The majority of the investigative scenes are too simplistic, requiring you to move a magnifying glass around the screen to find a single point of interaction – not all too different from hidden object games. There’s also the missions that have you tailing a suspect – arguably one of the strangest design choices in the franchises’ history.

They are far too common, happening throughout the main story and huge variety of side content. It’s a simple premise; you follow a suspect until they reveal the information you require. While believable and realistic in regards to the detective narrative, they become incredibly frustrating, drawn out, and in a word, boring – a word I rarely use to describe the work of developers Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Some of these missions can last nearly 10 minutes. 10 minutes of walking behind a suspect that often walks in circles, seemingly lacking any purpose other than to waste the players’ time. You cannot avoid them, you cannot skip them, but if you can endure them, there’s plenty of exciting opportunities in between.

When you’re not tailing suspects or searching for clues, you’re whooping ass. Judgment places its combat at the very forefront of the experience with nearly every mission or event resulting in the distribution of justice – with fists and feet the chosen vessels of delivery. Judgment’s combat is much faster, more responsive, and offers more fluidity and the traditionally clunky combat of past games. While still retaining a similar feel, Takayuki Yagami’s combat style is much quicker, with more complex combos and more varieties of attacks. It’s still very much a Yakuza game at heart, but with all the right improvements in all the right places.

The story itself lasts approximately 20 hours, and it’s worth every minute. What begins as a dark but seemingly simple investigation into a series of murders quickly descends into a far more sinister and intricate plot that involves politics, real estate, the Yakuza, the medical industry, and a cure for Alzheimer’s, with plot twists and turns at every available opportunity. In true Yakuza fashion, the story is supported by a wealth of side content that can easily wrack up the hours to the 30-40 region.

Kamurocho’s iconic sub-stories return in the form of Side Cases, familiar detective-like work that includes everything from investigating potential infidelity to the capturing of a group of infamous perverts renowned for exposing themselves to anyone in their path. The Side Cases offer a lot of depth to the game world, providing insight into the lives of Kamurocho’s citizens, which often results in yet further opportunities to understand the lives of those involved. A new system has also been introduced that gives Tak the opportunity to make friends with many of Kamurocho’s residents, a feature that is both rewarding and engaging throughout.

While making friends and exploring Side Cases is a thrilling part of Judgment’s adventure, it appears to come at the expense of the series’ fabled mini-games. Those familiar with the Yakuza games have come to expect a level of quality and creativity unprecedented in much of the industry today. Clan Creator, Majima Construction, the Cabaret Clubs, and Yakuza’s past mini-games have been one of the franchises most impressive elements, but Judgment is lacking in comparison.

The traditional arcade games are there, alongside darts, offering brief moments of respite from the often exhausting detective work but as the game progresses, the more integrated mini-games become unlocked. The primary opportunity of investing time into a mini-game comes in the form of Dice & Cube, a virtual-reality mini-game where you throw a dice, move spaces, and complete basic tasks. It’s incredibly rewarding in value, offering the best method of earning money and rare items, but the entire experience itself is bland and repetitive. Judgment’s mini-games and activities are far from bad but they fail to meet the high expectations put in place by previous games in the Yakuza franchise.

If there’s one aspect of the Yakuza franchise that is still very much alive and kicking in Judgment, it’s the masterfully crafted combination of relatable characters and a thoroughly intriguing story alongside some of the wackiest and entirely insane moments you’ll experience in a video game. In one breath I’m examining the latest victim in a series of murders, attempting to understand why the killer gouges out the eyes, and the next I’m shooting a Spider-man-like pervert with a camera off the side of a building using a drone, dressing up as a vampire to distract paparazzi, and being approached by a huge, muscly naked man with the phrase “Have you come to bask in the shadow of my scrotum totem?”.

Humor in games with a mostly serious tone seldom sell me on the combination. One is typically contradictory of the other, and usually results in the serious aspects of the game losing tone and impact through comedic flavor. However, much like they did with the Yakuza franchise, the development team at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio once again proves that they have the art to near perfection in a game that shocked me as much as it did make me laugh.

Judgment is a must-play for fans of the Yakuza franchise and a fantastic entry level title for those a little put off by the time required to catch up with the Yakuza series. It offers a fun and challenging dive into a wonderfully crafted game world, whose only disappointment is the result of the quality of past works.

This Judgment Review was done on the PlayStation 4 Pro. A digital copy was provided.

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