#Nier fans probably know but I got to - past - the forest king

[ryouverua]

Nier bravely answered the question ‘what if everyone had white hair’ with a very confident, unapologetic ‘yes’.

[aurimeanswind]

DESTINY!!!—Sunday Chats (9-10-17)

Yeah, Destiny 2 is out. There is a lot I want to say and talk about. But luckily, you can just LISTEN to me talk about a great many of those feelings on a brand-spanking new Destiny podcast I help host called Farm to Tower, and you should give it a watch!!

In short: we’re really excited about this new project and show, and I’m really excited for its future!!

Normally here I’d have a big editorial to kick things off, and I have a few things mulling around in my head to talk about. I’ll be honest, I’ve just had a couple of really long days and finally have some time to relax now that the above recording is done, so I am just going to skip past many of the normal segments of Sunday Chats in favor of questions, because I did get a ton of really great questions from all you lovely readers and I’m excited to answer them.

So. To summarize. It’s been 7 years since a Metroid game came out and it was Other M and it wasn’t that great. I finished Nier Automata and was disappointed by it. Destiny 2 is really excellent in all of the right ways. Uncharted The Lost Legacy seems super fantastic for reasons I did not expect at all. And I had Chipotle for lunch today.

...

That last one was more just, ya know, for me.

Anyway.

Questions

If you want to have your questions answered here on Sunday Chats, find my tweet on Sunday afternoons (Eastern time) with the hashtag #SundayChats in it, send a reply to it, and you did it. Good job!

So you had joked about this to me Ben but I wasn’t really aware of it really until just looking it up. It seems pretty interesting. It doesn’t seem like there is a cast for it yet (I could be wrong) and it’ll be an Americanized version of the show, which i know, tons of eye rolls coming from folks, especially after the recent Death Note movie, but I dunno. I like to see new interpretations of things. The trouble with them is they will often focus in on something different than what the viewers, like myself, latched onto.

For example, having not watched it, it seems like Death Note may have lost sight of the intellectual battle between Light and L, and how that really defined the tone of that show. I hope that SAO’s live action show holds on to what made the game itself SAO super interesting and even tantalizing. To the psychological damage that happened there. And to the love that Kirito and Asuna found in it. Like, it’s a whole story about the good that comes from the bad.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see though! Either way, I don’t mind. I’m not a complainer or anything. Make your thing and try it out! If it ends up being good, great! If not, it doesn’t change how important the original is to me.

I don’t know what the anime is nor do I care to know what it is or what it’s about. I can confidently endorse this 100% and ideally all of Jaden Smith’s characters’ lines will be formatted the same way as his tweets were.

Anytime! Well, I say anytime, but I don’t actually game with other folks very often, haha. I like to play my games alone mostly because it’s just my preferred way to play them, but also because I like listening to podcasts when I play games, so it makes it tricky to do that and talk to folks. 

Destiny 2 would be a great time to do so though!

And it is Carly Rae Jepsen, queen of pop and all things music.

Going to assume it was meant to be “aside from this year”.

For me, it’d probably be 2008. It’s the year Fallout 3 came out, but also the year Rock Band 2 came out, Dead Space, Bioshock on PS3 (where I first played it), Little Big Planet, Gears of War 2, marking the moment I got an Xbox 360 for that and Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, and Left 4 Dead. 

It’s worth also shouting out 2013 for the likes of The Last of Us, and of course to 2015 for Ori and the Blind Forest, Life is Strange, The Witcher 3, and Metal Gear Solid V. Woooo, what a year.

This is definitely the best in my lifetime though. Because whoa damn.

I think the biggest take away from Destiny’s lineage is redemption. That making a single video game and putting it out, especially a multiplayer game, doesn’t mean it’s over. The ripples of that across the industry have been massive, for sure, especially to a publisher like Ubisoft. Looking at the legacy of something like Rainbow Six the Siege is really reflective of what happened to Destiny.

The ultimate story is that Destiny went through hell and came out half-baked. They spent a long time course correcting, but it worked out. The Taken King was fantastic. Rise of Iron was excellent. And Destiny 2 is really the culmination of those lessons, and the fact of the matter is, Destiny 2 would not be as successful if Bungie didn’t double down and commit to making Destiny 1 a better product. They didn’t just abandon it and go right on to making Destiny 2, they changed it, almost from the ground up, and it paid off. They made the original Destiny a much bigger and longer-lasting product then I think they initially planned, and they’ve not released Destiny 2 to what seems like a roaring success.

With stuff like The Siege and The Division, we’ve seen other multiplayer games commit and thrive. Games like Player Unknowns Battlegrounds will thrive in a similar way for years to come I think. Overwatch continues to grow, and Blizzard has always stuck to this model to amazing success. And now we’re starting to see that be profitable for other game developers too! And look at games like No Man’s Sky and Final Fantasy XV, single player games that had varying degrees of mixed reaction, still updating and changing and evolving to this day. It’s just a really exciting implication for the industry, because it evolves on that sequel-driven industry concept, and it also holds developers far more accountable for their products. Plus, even if No Man’s Sky launched at a 6.0, it’d be amazing if by the end of it we can say it’s an 8.0 or a 9.

YES! Finally a new Metroid game, it’s 2D, and on 3DS! There was no Metroid game on the DS and has still not been one on 2DS, and it’s about damn time! I’m really excited, because I actually went back and played Metroid 2 once waaaay back when on my old Game Boy growing up, and really dug it even though it certainly has a ton of issues. Seeing it redone and touched up is gonna be super exciting.

I do! Hearing Ben talk about it is definitely a big thing, but I’ve played a bit of Ys Origins, a random entry I picked up years ago on a Steam sale and really dug it. I’m always out to look for a new action RPG, and while Ys is a bit grindy and drawn out, I think those games have a really awesome style to them.

See above, but Destiny 2 is fantastic. I think it’s just truly a great video game, on it’s own merits. In a lot of ways, it really is an open world RPG with more massively multiplayer aspects to it, but it does being one of those exceptionally well, on top of also having all the things that made the original Destiny quirky and unique and fun in the first place. It’s a really best-of-all-worlds situation, and I am endlessly impressed with how immediately different and familiar it feels, absolutely nailing the line.

I put well over 100 hours into the original Destiny, coming in at The Taken King, and I am blown away, honestly.

This. Is. Such. A. Great. Question.

Oh my god. Fuck....

Uh...

Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Day ‘n Night by Kid Cudi, and I think that’d be a good fit. Very much the feeling of routine and solemness and self-disgust and solitude, but I think it would slowly progress into Katy Perry’s ROAR after a bit, because like I’ve done so much in the last three days oh my god.

This is a great question Jon, and thank you for asking it.

About four days. I actually sleep with a fan blowing in my face, and can’t sleep without it, and so I went up to my dad’s house and stayed with him for a few days since I couldn’t sleep without a fan. It was a little bit torture because the bed was a little uncomfortable and he lived on the water and the sunrise into my bedroom was sooooo bright it woke me up every day.

This is a veeeery excellent question. My one is almost always Joel from The Last of Us, because I think I’d just love to see him interact with someone else. Maybe discuss fatherhood with another character, possibly a Booker Dewitt (ignoring the fact that both characters are portrayed by Troy Baker) or a Lee Everett. 

Also like wouldn’t Crash Bandicoot and Bowser in the same room just shooting the shit be the greatest thing ever?

Nathan Drake talking to Spyro the Dragon because what the fuck is this new mythological creature in front of me who can speak english and was played by Elijah Wood in one of the games??

Link and Alundra in a room not talking because they’re both silent protagonists?

So many good choices.

Please god stop with these jokes Nate.

I really like Hawthorn, who is a cool different look at the outside of The Last City right off the bat in Destiny 2. But, I’m not terribly deep into the story at the moment, so I don’t know for sure. Having just met Failsafe, and hearing good things about her, I think it’s safe to say she will be Number One.

I mean the Tomba games being remade on new consoles is pretty much begging to happen. Oh, and I really want the original Spyro trilogy back too. Most of the big ones I would say are already there. The Darksiders games, the Batman games, the Kingdom Hearts remasters, even at 60fps on that one too. I’d say here are some big ones:

The Metal Gear Solid series

The Resistance Trilogy, especially 3, which is by far the best one.

Dead Space. PLEASE!

Bring Persona 3 (remastered, preferably) and Persona 4 Golden to them. Xbox One as well so those folks can play too! (and Switch, yuh doyyy)

The Tales games, including Tales of Vesperia PS3 with all the new content, to the west, for the first time.

And the absolute biggest one: DARK SOULS ONE. REMASTER IT. PLEASE!!!!

I really did not like the hand canon I used, but there were a few choice ones from Destiny 1 that were good so I haven’t ruled them out yet.

For me, it’s aaaaalways the Scout Rifle. Weirdly enough, in most first person shooters it’s not reflect for me to aim for the head. I just dont, and usually aim for the body very poorly. I always get half way through shooting them before I realize “oh I should be aiming at the head” and change fire to they really slowly, and I always forget. It’s just not instinct for whatever reason. But in Destiny. It’s just there. Most of my hits are “critical” or headshots, but just in Destiny. It just feeeeeels soooooo goooooood. Easily up there with a Mario or like, a DmC Devil May Cry as far as just nailing what it’s going for. 

To me, it just feels like you have soooo much more control in Destiny. Shooting, running, turning, everything about the feel seems controlled and metered. While it’s no Overwatch or Call of Duty, it’s certainly a twitchy game, and so it balancing that speed and the control the player has is incredible. Thus, the heavier weapons that shoot single shots, which I typically do not like, just feel that much better to me. That much more controlled. The Scout Rifle is boss.

*Edit: I put this question aside to come back to write the answer to at the end, and then I totally forgot. So I am coming back later and doing it justice!

As someone who suffers from clinical depression, and gosh I know that sentence sounds like I am using it like a crutch or a casual conversation point, trivializing it, which I am not, I am someone who deals with that overwhelming negativity a great deal. Whether it manifests as “morbid thoughts”, straight up suicidal thoughts, feelings of insignificance, low self-esteem, low self-worth, feeling like wanting to isolate yourself, closing yourself off, frustration, a short temper, or otherwise (even though I pretty much covered the gambit there), I’ve dealt with it. And it’s hard. But really, the big thing, I say coming out of a pretty bad depression, is knowing it’ll change. It’ll evolve. 

My lows in negativity only ever last so long. Sometimes it has been six months, and it has been really, really hard. But I come back to full swing at some point. Holding onto that does help me.

Video games are obviously a really good escape, but honestly coming into music was a big part of that evolution for me. Ever since I played Journey the first time, not only have I begun to notice video game music that much more, but music in general, empathizing with lyrics, artists, pleas, and more. Leaning into sound that really just epitomizes your feeling too, like sound that feels like a color, or an emotion, stuff like that. Run With The Hunted was a really fantastic album for me in a really stressful period of my life, because it evoked that stress, and frustration, and fear, and also sadness and hope. Like, it hits so many notes, thus it being my favorite album of all time.

Exercise has also been a good thing for me. Exercising releases endorphins which are an actual chemical in your brain that just makes you feel happy or satisfied. It’s an actual way to force yourself into feeling just a little bit better, and walking around Lake Elkhorn, a fantasy-esque lake near the outskirts of my house has been so meditative, because the place is just soooo beautiful, that it’s helped me think of ideas when I find myself in a rut.

Here is a shot from Saturday morning that I took:

So those are things I’ve used. Trying to not sleep to much, eating a bit better, drinking less soda, generally doing healthy things also starts to just help those good vibes creep back into your life. It’s hard, it’s soooo so hard, but those may be some ways to help.

Kaylie hush! I’ll always come back to Overwatch, and we can play anytime!

I am certainly still open to the Overwatch circuit, and if folks want to get into that Halloween event with me when it starts, I will happily oblige!

Long live Overwatch! Yaaaaay!

...

But like probably.

I have only seen the Dawn Blade class so far, as a primary Warlock player. Everything just generally is the same but evolved and updated right? The only other class I had before was Titan, and I know the flaming hammers are still in Destiny 2, so I am pretty happy considering that was my favorite class. 

Also, I primarily played sun singer when I played original Destiny, so Dawn Blade being the replacement subclass in Destiny 2 has me a bit bummed. For folks who don’t know, the big thing you could evolve the Sun SInger’s super into is a self-revive, which could save entire teams from horrifying team-sweeping events. Also, it could get the remaining team mates out of a pinch. Dawn Blade just gives you a cool flame sword, but still, is really rad.

I’d probably bring the self-revive feature back into Dawn Blade somehow, or at least alter things so you could change the full effect of your super like you could in the original.

Uh... Why is my picture in this...?

Well, anyway, I don’t have a lot! Is it fair to say the Persona 4 Arena games? Haha, I mean they’re kind of an anime based on a video game, but they’ve very much anime video games, and they’ve very good!

I played a Full Metal Alchemist game on PS2 once and was very bad at it, so I don’t think that counts. 

It’s probably corny to say, but Dragon Ball Z Boudikai 3 is just the best DBZ game there is. I love Boudikai 2 though, I’m not gonna lie. Flying around in B3 is awesome and fun and feels like you are a part of the world. Secrets like using the Dragon Radar to find all seven dragon balls in each story arc is also super cool because it unlocks tons of new things and secrets. It’s just a really rad game.

Good god Roger. What have you done?! I say this in concern because I know this means you’ve purchased more fidget spinners, and this needs to stop please god.

The Checklist

https://www.okbeast.com/2017/09/08/sword-art-online-episode-17/ - A+ Anime Podcast - Ian Preschel and Nato Johnston

God knows I love to pimp my own stuff here, so this was a podcast I was on! A+ anime is cool and they’re doing a thing where they talk about the first episode of big anime and rate it and talk about it in reflection of the series. I was on with just Nato, and we had a great chat! Longtime A Blog’s Story readers will remember I wrote 4000+ words on Sword Art Online, so go dig those up from the archives!!

https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/qk779d/giant-bombs-alex-navarro-joins-us-to-spoil-nier-automata - Nier Automata Spoilercast - Waypoint

Patrick, Austin, and Alex Navarro from GiantBomb all got together and did a great and succinct NA spoilercast earlier this year, and having just finished it this week, It was great to get their perspective. While I’ll save the Nier thoughts and frustrations for another day, this cast really did help put things in perspective for me, and deepen those ideas a bit. Worth a listen if you’ve played!

Whoa man. It’s been a crazy weekend for me, stepping back up my life, and launching a cool new show! Stay tuned for more Farm to Tower, and thank you all so much for participating and reading. Honestly, you all are the best.

Do me a solid in return:

keep it real.