#The AI with a heart (Persona 5 Strikers)

[hypogryffin]

Erina and Sophie....

erina and sophie..... perhaps even sophie and erina....

[crocrubies]

my favorite weird crossover trio where the thing they have in common is something that is extremely particular to Me specifically aka "of course you have green eyes and poor emotional processing abilities"

[0heartangel0]

Guys, we were ROBBED!!!!!

And yeah, I know @Trifargo beat me to the punch, but I'm slow, and get distracted easily, so cut me some slack...

[myuzucompendium]

Continued from here

Sophia was taking in everything that Akira was saying and processing it. So there was many other ways of affection than just hugging and or kissing, huh? That made sense now that she thought about it, because gifts and other things were often seen as nice according to studies that she was currently researching in the background. One nice thing of being an AI was that she was able to multi task like this.

Man though, the fact that it was dependent on the individual made this all the more confusing, just because that meant that she was going to have to remember the idiosyncrasies of each and every individual that she would help. This conversation was certainly getting a lot deeper than expected for what was originally something formed from international kiss day.

"I can get people stuff if they need it, or help of course, being humanity's companion. I will always help anyone that I can! I never knew that could be seen as a means of affection. Thanks! I feel like I'm learning so much." Sophia had her ice melting smile on her face now. She loved learning stuff and she was learning so much through this.

@akirathief

[mattapparentlystumbltourneys]

Virtual Character Tourney - Round 2 - Bracket B - 5

Propaganda below (May contain spoilers!)

Sophia propaganda:

She's one of the two characters who are exclusive to the Strikers spinoff, and I think they have an interesting take on how she plays into the worldbuilding (although admittedly I haven't finished the game, I know small bits and pieces of how it ends.) Seeing as the series is very heavily based around psychology and how humans interact with their surroundings, having a character whose entirely artificial is a different take on how they interact. She's not the only artificial game of the series, but she is the only one for Persona 5, and that's important because of how much P5 focuses on the psychology aspect even more then the others already did. Also, she's really silly and I love her. She has hearts for hair because she has so much love to give!!

Sophia is an AI character that can fight in battle and wield a Persona. As humanity's companion, she is duty bound to help people any way she could.

Her hair is made of hearts, she hums when she's happy, you find her in a giant box in a trash heap and she immediately decides to come with you. She lives in your phone when you're not on a mission and asks you about the human heart because that's her mission but really because she wants to be as human as you are. She's wonderful and amazing and is one of the best AI characters in gaming.

Ultraman X propaganda:

X canonically lost his physical form and lives in Daiichi's phone. His presence caused Daiichi's phone to turn gold, instead of the standard-issue silver the rest of XIO's employees have. It's possible for XIO's scientists to send powerups to X because he lives on Daiichi's phone. There's also a couple episodes where X gets trapped in cyberspace and Dr. Gourman and friends have to design something for Daiichi to help him escape. (Dr. Gourman is the first to notice Daiichi is secretly Ultraman X. Also in the crossover movie, Daiichi and X got separated and X couldn't live on Daiichi's phone so he jumped to the nearest computer (which belonged to Naomi from Ultraman Orb, air date 2016) and began pulling up photos of Daiichi in a "Have You Seen This Nerd?" sort of way. The enemy goons saw Naomi and her cryptid hunting gang putting up missing posters for Daiichi and tore them down bc they had him captured at their crystal witch's base, a creepy haunted house. Eventually when Daiichi and X reunited as man and lil alien on his phone, they were so happy they ignored everyone else in the room. They were grateful enough to fight alongside Naomi's sad space cowboy, Kurenai Gai, in battle.

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Not that you're taking submissions for new characters or anything, but I just want to talk about another autistic anime (technically video game) girl. Spoilers for Persona 5 Strikers ahead.

Meet Kuon Ichinose! One of the first things she tells you about herself is that she's particularly good at noticing cats. If that's not an autistic hello I don't know what is. Anyway, she gets to know the Phantom Thieves and that they operate in a sorta alternate dimension formed from people's cognitions. She immediately basically goes, "okay, neat, can you give me computer stuff from there to study?" You know, rather than being surprised at the existence of such a thing.

Her special interest is programming, particularly AI. Turns out she's created two fully sentient living programs. The first of which she created essentially as a disability aid. She appears bright and cheerful all the time. Even when inappropriate. The reason for this is that she's actually masking. She has no idea how emotions or the human heart work, and believes she lacks these. She says that she's less like a human and more like a heartless doll. Still, her first sentient AI she created to learn about the human heart, hoping secretly that she might through this learn that she really does have a heart.

That AI she made (Sophia) comes to see her as a mother, and ends up helping her. At the end of the game the two of them set off together to learn more about people.

Basically she's an autistic tragic villain turned redeemed mom with a robot daughter (who's also autistic, btw) who helps save the world. I love her and her character arc so much.

You had me at 'good at noticing cats' but that last paragraph just sealed the deal. She sounds incredible,,, I love her 🥰🥰🥰

[yippeetournament]

ROUND 1 MATCH 8: SOPHIA vs BRIDGET

Sophia (Persona 5 Strikers) is an AI made by Kuon Ichinose who decides to aid the Phantom Thieves in order to find out the truth about the mysterious Change of Hearts situation involving the app EMMA happening all over Japan. She is very helpful and loyal, although she's also a bit reckless and doesn't seem to understand jokes.

The free form tricky spinner Bridget (Guilty Gear Strive) is a renown bounty hunter known by her hometown for getting rid of the notion that having two sons/daughters is a curse. Having fulfilled this task, she partakes on a journey of self discovery, and with the help of Goldlewis Dickson and Ky Kiske, accepts who she is and finds the strength to be herself no matter what.

[myuzucompendium]

"Are you sure that you don't want a recommendation? A candy bar with sugar will make you go zooooooooom, but that is not a healthy thing to eat, especially if you're really hungry. As a small snack it would be fine, but it's not a substitute for a meal with all the nutrients that you need."

"Don't apologize, Sophie. You're doing your best. Sometimes my jokes can be a little off the wall."

"Ah, and don't worry about meal suggestions. I'll probably just find a nearby vending machine and get a candy bar. No big deal."

[ultimate-blorbo-bracket]

Here will be all of the returning characters from the previous tournaments!

Here's the link to the character submissions if you'd like to add more!

The First Tournament

Vash the Stampede - Trigun

Miles “Tails” Prower - Sonic the Hedgehog

Percy Jackson - Percy Jackson series

Oz - Monster Prom

Max - Sam and Max

Happy Chaos - Guilty Gear

Wheatly - Portal 2

Amity Blight - The Owl House

Agent 3 - Splatoon

Riku - Kingdom Hearts

Will Graham - Hannibal

Jigglypuff - Pokemon

Rosencrantz - Rosencrantz And Gildenstern Are Dead

Terra - Kingdom Hearts

Diamond - Pokemon Diamond & Pearl

Kairi - Kingdom Hearts

Wise Elder Vex - Yonderland

MK - Lego Monkie Kid

Vector the Crocodile - Sonic the Hedgehog

Link - Legend of Zelda

Nicelander Gene - Wreck-It Ralph

Gretchen Wieners - Mean Girls

Wes - One Last Stop

N - Pokemon Black & White

Big Man - Splatoon

(the rest are under the cut!)

Aziraphale - Good Omens

Spock - Star Trek

Hawkeye Pierce - MASH

Isabelle - Animal Crossing

Plagg - Miraculous Ladybug

Glory - Wings of Fire

Darcy - Pride and Prejudice

Snatch - A Hat In Time

Virgil - Sanders Sides

Makoto Yuki - Persona 3

Aled Last - Radio Silence

Sho Minamimoto - The World Ends With You

Rose Quartz - Steven Universe

Pico - Pico’s School

Bandana Waddle Dee - Kirby series

Sora - Kingdom Hearts

Alfred - Fire Emblem Engage

Kagami Tsurugi - Miraculous Ladybug

Morpheus - The Sandman

Odo - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Alfur Aldric - Hilda

Tintin - Adventures of Tintin

Humphrey Bone - Ghosts

Unikitty - The Lego Movie

Wu Zetian - Iron Widow

Adrien Agreste - Miraculous Ladybug

Razputin Aquato - Psychonauts

Callie - Splatoon

Volo - Pokemon: Legends Arceus

Shadow the Hedgehog- Sonic the Hedgehog

Riolu - Pokemon

Data - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Albedo - Genshin Impact

Celeste - Animal Crossing

Gyro Gearloose - Ducktales

Elfilin - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Raichu - Pokemon

Carden Greenbrier - The Cruel Prince

Yu Narukami - Persona 4

Van Fanel - Escaflowne

Fenton Cabrera - Ducktales

Horatio - Hamlet

Meta Knight - Kirby series

Pit - Kid Icarus

Peridot - Steven Universe

Anne - Anne With An E

Yusuke Kitagawa - Persona 5

Edric Blight - The Owl House

Zenitsu Agatsuma - Demon Slayer

Josuke Higashikata - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Graystripe - Warrior Cats

Cheng Xiaoshi - Link Click

Hilda - Hilda

Roxas - Kingdom Hearts

Luz Noceda - The Owl House

Koraidon - Pokemon

Leiland - Dimension 20

The Second Tournament

Arven - Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Revali - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Tinkaton - Pokemon

Ravio - Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds

K_K - Deltarune

Bambi - Disney’s Bambi 

Luxu - Kingdom Hearts

Umbreon - Pokemon 

Aqua - Kingdom Hearts

Asriel Dreemur - Undertale

Launchpad McQuack - Ducktales

Midna - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Nikol - Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Sprig Plantar - Amphibia 

Blaze the Cat - Sonic the Hedgehog

Ballister Boldhearts - Nimona

Peppermint Vandelay - Hi-Fi RUSH

Oshawott - Pokemon 

Luke Sullivan - Street Fighter 5

Killua Zoldyck - Hunter X Hunter

Axel - Kingdom Hearts

Bede - Pokemon Sword & Shield 

Chandelure - Pokemon

Scaramouche - Genshin Impact

Simon Snow - Carry On 

Canti - FLCL

Anya Forger - Spy X Family 

Cloud Strife - Final Fantasy 7

Azymondias - The Dragon Prince

Swellow - Pokemon

Jibanyan - Yo-kai Watch

Marluxia - Kingdom Hearts

Iruma Suzuki - Welcome To Demon School Iruma-kun

Basil - Omori

Sypha Belnades - Castlevania

Surge the Tenrec - IDW Sonic

Ai - Puyo Puyo

Dillon - Dillon’s Rolling Western

Mew - Pokemon

Yoshi - Super Mario Bros

Rasmus - Omega Strikers

Daroach - Kirby series

Silvally - Pokemon

Silver - Pokemon Gold & Silver

Undyne - Undertale

Aerith Gainsborough - Final Fantasy 7

Bowser Jr - Super Mario Bros

The Professor - Puppet History

[satoshi-mochida]

Some games on the PSN Black Friday sale. Full list here, ends November 27th.

AI: The Somnium Files

Alternate Jake Hunter: Daedalus The Awakening of Golden Jazz

A Way Out

Azure Striker Gunvolt 3

Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack

Back 4 Blood

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Return to Arkham

Blaster Master Zero

Blaster Master Zero 2

Blaster Master Zero 3

Blazblue Cross Tag Battle

Bloodborne

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Chaos Code

Crash Bandicoot 4

Crash + Spyro Triple Play Bundle

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reuinion

Cuphead

Danganronpa 1-2 Reload

Danganronpa V3

Dark Souls Remastered

Dark Souls 3

Devil May Cry HD Collection + 4 Special Edition Bundle

Disgaea 6 Complete

Disgaea 7

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Dragon Marked for Death

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Earth Defense Force 4.1

Earth Defense Force 5

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force

Fallout 4

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Fire Pro Wrestlng World

Forspoken

Ghostrunner

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Gleamlight

God of War(PS4)

God of War: Ragnarok

GrimGrimoire OnceMore

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2

Hades

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Horizon Forbidden West

Immortals Fenyx Rising

Jak and Daxter Bundle

KATANA KAMI: A Way of the Samurai Story

Kowloon Highschool Chronicles

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society

Lies of P

Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness

Mafia: Definitive Edition

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel's Midnight Suns

Marvel's Spider-Man

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Megadimension Neptunia VII

Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

Melty Blood: Type Lumina

Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug Anthology

Metal Slug XX

Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy Vol. 1

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker

Nier Rplicant

Nier Autimata

Nitroplus Blasterz

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight

Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5: Dancingin Starlight

Puyo Puyo Tetris

Rayman Legends

Resident Evil 4 remake

Resident Evil 7

Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles

River City Girls 2

River City Melee Mach

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms

RWBY: Arrowfell

Sifu

Sol Cresta

Sonic Origins

Spyro: Reignited Trilogy

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Steins; Gate Elite

STEINS;GATE: My Darling's Embrace

Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse

Super Bomberman 2

SUPERHOT

Super Neptunia RPG

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection

The Evil Within

The Evil Within 2

The Last Campfire

The Legend Nayuta: Boundless Trails

The Outer Worlds

The Quarry

The Wonderful 101: Remastered

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition

Voice of Cards 1-3

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Warm Snow

Wild Hearts

World End Syndrome

Yakuza: Kiwami

Yakuza: Kiwami 2

Zanki Zero

[doomboogie]

Uh 2021 Games List A Whole Year+ Late

Whoops, forgot about this since time hasn't been real for the last couple of years. I rank based on enjoyment of a game, not if the story or gameplay are particularly great, and to me a 3=pretty good. But it's a vague and nebulous system, it's all fake anyway. In order from March to December 2021:

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - ?/5

Obsidian Entertainment, 2018

A more quippy and light-hearted tone than its predecessor, it feels like a tabletop game with every character trying to outwit each other and make the snarkiest comment. Some people like that, I don't so much. The true interesting story of colonialism is kneecapped by the generic main plot involving gods that already had their time to shine in the first game. Combat is more polished and fun and the AI improved and the environments are gorgeous. Companions are interesting but have underdeveloped sidequests and awkwardly implemented romances, and some companions just drive me so crazy I couldn't stand to even hear them. The PC's background and opinions never felt relevant, even in places that they really should have been. I never finished this game, as the main plot simply could not grab me enough once it was all that was left. I loved PoE 1, but despite my disappointment with Deadfire I admit it's not a bad game, just not my jam. I didn't rank it because I want to revisit later, I think I can enjoy this game just not right now.

Persona 5 Royal - 1.5/5

Atlus, 2020

Much needed gameplay improvements and social additions are undermined by a thematically inconsistent final act and questionable character writing. The new characters are clunkily forced in resulting in a love 'em or hate 'em feeling, and a lingering thought that perhaps they should've been saved for a spin-off rather than tacked onto an already complete game.

Persona 5 Strikers - 3/5

Atlus, 2020

The Persona series' strongest sequel (Eternal Punishment doesn't count) focusing on the friendship between characters and slight rehashing of original game themes with a twist. The new characters introduced far exceed Royal's new additions, and meld into the exhisting cast with more ease. Overdone tropes and a particularly bad moral lesson regarding child abuse give a mixed-postive takeaway.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - 5/5

Capcom, 2010

Oh, to live in a world where Ghost Trick got a million sequels instead of Ace Attorney. A fun puzzler with a cute gimmick and fascinating characters with stellar music and the best animation on the DS. A few eyeroll moments in the last hour may harsh my vibe a bit, but not much. Like most wacky detective games, it's more fun playing with other people instead of alone.

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines - 4.5/5

Troika Games, 2004

Considered a classic for a reason, with a myriad of roleplay opportunity, tons of interesting characters, and some of the best voice acting I've ever heard in a game. The latter half of the game is much less polished and a combat slog, but the first half more than makes up for it. I didn't appreciate the very aged early 00's humor, complete with some edginess and off-colour "jokes" - Chinatown is a bit of a Yikes. Still great fun, jank and all, and deserves a modern installment. Pour one out for the almost surely dead sequel; this franchise is truly cursed. On my biannual replay list.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - 4/5

Eidos-Montréal, 2011

Adam Jensen is by far the most interesting protagonist in the Deus Ex series, and you can feel that this game's world is on the precipice of massive upheaval and change. It's the calm before the storm, and then when the storm hits it hits so hard. I love how there's no good ending in this game, I love how much it leans into media personalities influencing the minds of a populace, and I love the gold filter! Maybe I like this one more than the original Deus Ex because it takes place during the growing period between a modern world and the cyberpunk dystopia it's destined to become.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - 3/5

Eidos-Montréal, 2016

Opposite of the original Deus Ex, I expected this game to be bad due to its reputation. Perhaps that lowered expectation allowed me to be pleasantly surprised by it instead. The story isn't the best, and it desperately needs another game due to the abrupt ending, but the gameplay is a blast. Felt nice unleashing on the police once night fell. Prague is so so so fun to explore, probably one of my favorite game hubs I've ever played in. Still hoping for that third game to close out Adam's story.

Deus Ex - 2/5

Ion Storm, 2000

Maybe I'm just too much of an radical but nothing this game said felt very mindblowing or earth shattering. The gameplay was passable, stealth was fun, but I think I was just too late to the party on this one. The fandom needs to chill out on reccommending this to everyone as "the best game ever made", because it just creates expecations that won't be met. I obviously chose the "Dark Age" ending; I was surpsied, it assumes the worst of humanity and thinks we'll go back to the dark ages from losing technology that didn't exist prior to the 1910s. But again, maybe I'm just too much of an radical and can tell when the leftist ending is written to appear worse than it really would be. Honestly this feels like a game that a lot of libertarians built their entire personalities off of.

Crusader Kings II - 3.5/5

Paradox Entertainment, 2012-2018

A fun rpg hidden in a grand strategy game, and this wonderful combination has spoiled me for every other grand strategy. Base game is servicable but restrictive; DLC and mods are what make the game shine. Massive timesink game, never truly ends. The total for the many packs of DLC is quite expensive; I'm not a fan of Paradox's business model. Score lowered due to the DLC prices as well as bizarre mechanics with some inter-religious stuff. Does anybody actually take part in the Crusades in this game? I sure don't. Too busy plotting against my liege.

Bloodborne - 5/5

FromSoftware, 2015

I loved this game so much that I started a second character while still in the middle of my first playthrough. This game was the gateway to FromSoft titles for me, after years of being on the outside looking in. It's no longer my favorite Fromsoft title, but it will always have a place in my heart. Fighting the Bloody Crow is in my top 10 game moments, easily the most fun duel I've ever had. Also, the singing eyeball creatures are singing the Hunter's Dream melody! Marvelous.

A Plague Tale: Innocence - 1.5/5

Asobo Studio, 2019

If this were a tech demo that ended at the battlefield level I would have been far more entranced and liked it more. This game goes off the rails so hard in a way I can only roll my eyes at, and that's not accounting for the poor pacing and bizarre story choices. What could have been a simple story of survival and family turned into a circus of rats and murder. I don't understand how this is a darling for so many people.

Life Is Strange: True Colors - 1/5

Deck Nine, 2021

Goddammit. I wanted to like this game so much. Alex's powers are the most interesting of the LiS bunch, even if they're not explained all too well and often change the rules. Alex herself is fine enough - she's a bit of a dick, and has a personality that I enjoy seeing. But the game falls apart when it comes to story - the most interesting parts (Alex's past, her relationship with her brother and parents, the core mystery) are pushed aside in favor of larp sessions, aimless wandering, and a forced musical interlude at a festival. When the plot finally wakes back up it dives into a non-twist that was so predictable I was hoping it was a fakeout and then goes straight for completely ridiculous acts of human survivability. Alex should have died multiple times over in the last few hours of the game but miraculously walks off fatal injuries with nothing more than some aspirin and self-righteous spirit. This would be fine on its own, but the series has established what is and isn't survivable - characters in the first two games died from something that Alex shrugs off. The individual characters are some of the most interesting in the LiS series, but the story is easily the worst. I keep thinking of how good this could've been. Maybe next time Deck Nine will get it, but I'll miss Dontnod being at the helm. Also maybe I'm petty but I fucking *wish* there were small towns in the Colorado that were this diverse and inclusive where someone could get by on a meager wage. Ugh.

The Sims 4 - 2?/5

EA Games, 2015

Really only playable with mods and all the DLC. Can't believe it's still on live service in 2023.

Darkest Dungeon - 3.5/5

Red Hook Studios, 2015

Darkest Dungeon is probably my most "pick up, get bored, put down" game I've ever played. I like the conceit, I like the setting, I like the classes. I hate the grind. Even on Radiant Mode it becomes a slog after a while, but I was determined to see it through to the end. Which, as it turns out, wasn't to far off from my last "put down" spot years ago. I still think the grind is to the game's detriment, and overall I'm not a fan of vaguely Lovecraftian horror - Bloodborne is toeing that line for me - and the final four part dungeon has a brutally harsh gimmick that can blindside a player. However the final boss of this game was delightful. I kept Reynauld and Dismas in my rotation the whole game, and sent them both to the final boss. Only one returned. It was a heartbreaking moment, but a fitting one. I think the series should have ended here, to be honest.

Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye (DLC) - 3/5

Mobius Digital, 2021

As I write this I'm replaying the DLC, in hopes to enjoy it more than in 2021. Unfortunately I don't. The delightful puzzles and poignant moments are undercut by the unforgiving traversal of the new major area, a long return time, and a tedious stealth mechanic. The DLC itself is the length of a full game, and I commend Mobius for their creativity in an entirely new area in an already jam packed game. All that said, less fun Outer Wilds is still Outer Wilds, and that comes with a good time regardless. I just hope next time they leave the inky black stealth sections on the cutting room floor. Bummer we can't really tell any other hearthians about our discoveries :( I know Riebeck would like to learn about it.

Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition - 3/5

Bioware (1998), Beamdog (2012)

Baldur's Gate is an odd game to me. I played through once, and found it aged and not that great; I used to have this rated as 2 stars. But I couldn't stop thinking about the game and ended up replaying a few months later and enjoying it a lot. So, I guess I like it? I don't know, maybe it's kind of like a sugary candy where you don't like it much but you keep eating because the sugar is addicting. Perhaps I merely craved a late 90s rpg. I'm fond of all the companions I took in those two save files, and that's one of the problems: too many companions, likely because the devs didn't expect players would care for them. But I do! I would die for Ajantis, nobody knows me like Khalid and Jaheira know me, and sure I guess Imoen can come along too. So long as she understands I like Xan and Coran more than her. Probably the second biggest untwist, after True Colors. Not a big fan of the chosen one narrative in any game, but it was the late 90s so I can forgive it.

Return of the Obra Dinn - 5/5

3909 LLC, 2018

This was the last game I played in 2021, on New Year's Eve. A single shot, 11 hours straight. I loved this game so much. I honestly don't have words other than I love it. I love the gimmick, I love the music, I love the various color palettes you can choose from, I love the investigation and detective work required from the player, I love learning the story in nonchronological pieces, I love how it's a tragedy and I love how there is truly nothing else like it on the market. I hope beyond hope that something will come close to the gameplay again, but I'm more than content with just this. Very thankful to have such a stellar game to end an otherwise bad year on.

[myuzucompendium]

“Who wants to learn an interesting fact about Japan? The World’s shortest escalator is located in Kawasaki, a city located directly between the major metropolitan areas of Tokyo and Yokohama, in a department store. It is only 4 steps and is used quite frequently.”

[snakesnifter]

to play games list

disco elysium

off

witchs heart

ai the somnium files

ace attorney trials and tribulations

persona 5 strikers

xenoblade chronicles

hades

fire emblem fates and birthright

smt iv

[h-worksrambles]

Overdue thoughts on Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

I’ve been meaning to talk about my reaction to the latest Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes trailer, and now I’m finally gonna do it. This isn’t some super in depth theory crafting. Much like my Kingdom Hearts IV post this is just some early reflections.

I’ll start with what I’ve noticed in terms of gameplay because this’ll be the shorter part. Also, I’ll just quickly point out that most of my Musou knowledge comes from the two Hyrule Warriors games. So if I sound ignorant about specifics of Dynasty Warriors gameplay, it’s because I am. Just a heads up. 

One thing I’ve been consistently impressed by in Koei Tecmo’s latest Musou spin-offs is how committed they are to trying to make them feel like part of the series that spawned them. Persona 5 Strikers and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity both perfectly match the graphical style of the games they’re based off. They also both pull a ton of aspects from the gameplay of their source material and blend them with Warriors gameplay. Sure enough, we have already seen Combat Arts, Gambits, Adjutants and the class system in these trailers. Combat Arts are particularly neat, since OP special moves are a Warriors tradition, but letting you choose from multiple ones is a neat bit of customisation (or maybe it’s already been done idk). Teaming up with allies on the battle field for group attacks is also cool as is more control over AI allies, but I hope this doesn’t replace actually swapping characters which I think is a great mechanic for these games both to keep variety, and bolster their light strategy elements. Three Houses’ training is also back, and hopefully will be used to cut down on the typical Musou grind rather than increase it.

Ok, that’s all I can observe from the gameplay as far as I can make out and it all looks great. Here’s hoping there’s not any egregious performance issues.

Anyway, onto the story. So far I’m getting major vibes of Age of Calamity. This very much appears to be an alternate timeline, much of which revolves around our new protagonist, Shez. The idea seems to be that Shez’s absence was the main reason Three Houses played out the way it did, and now that they’re here, things may go differently. 

Incidentally I’m glad Shez isn’t a silent protagonist. Byleth had more characterisation than your average silent protag, but they really couldn’t carry a story without the three lords (see Silver Snow for proof). I’ve already praised the new redesigns, and yes they are all chef’s kiss. But I wanna talk chronology. Anime ages are hazy at the best of times, but from what I see, there is definitely a timeskip here and they do look older, but the changes are way less pronounced than they were in Three Houses. The war has not been going on for five whole years it seems.

The game also seems to be going out of its way to tap into some unexplored ideas from the original. For instance, we see a pink haired warrior in the trailer who could very possibly be Holst, Hilda’s previously unseen brother, as well as a new character who resembles Claude (another member of the Almryan nobility?). Even Monica seems to be here, though the jury’s still out on whether this the real or Monica or simply a disguised Kronya. 

Shez also has a companion figure much like Sothis named Arval, but this guy’s whole colour scheme resembles the Agarthans. I know that, as such, some people are expecting a twist villain but I actually hope not. The Agarthans were probably the weakest part of Three Houses’ story as they hindered the game’s gray morality by being obvious villains who masterminded many of Fódlan’s worst aspects. Giving them a sympathetic god figure similar to Sothis, or at least having one Agarthan who isn’t cartoonishly evil could provide them depth, much like the Nabateans.

And of course, we gotta talk about Byleth. 

I think posing Byleth as an antagonist is a great reversal. It takes their silent, borderline Gary-Stu/Mary-Sue nature and turns it into something threatening by turning it against us. Nice to see them living up to the Ashen Demon name. And supposedly, they nearly killed Shez at some point in the past and the story is hyping up a rematch of sorts. However, I highly doubt they are a true villain. We see that their name and gender is still decided by the player, which implies they’re playable. So I’m expecting a dual perspective story simillar to Gaiden and its remake Shadows of Valentia. This would mean switching between Byleth and Shez at story intervals much like Alm and Celica, leading up to their second confrontation. Then again, this game apparently has three routes, so I don’t know how this could logistically work in that context. Interestingly, Sothis’ narration in the first trailer makes some comment about revenge and given how, normally, only Byleth can hear her, that implies to me that maybe Jeralt’s death plays out differently in this timeline. Could Shez themselves be involved? We’ll see I guess...

Lastly, there’s the question of whether this game will have any kind of ‘everyone lives’ golden ending. On the one hand, Three Houses is supposed to be a tragedy. It has no completely happy ending and I think it’s a better game for it. That being said, the Warriors crossovers have often been kind of fanfic-y. They’re bombastic fan-pleasing spectacles that run on hype, and Age of Calamity specifically set itself apart as an AU so it could run wild without contradicting Breath of the Wild. I see no reason Three Hopes couldn’t do the same. Though the fact that it still has multiple routes means that unless there’s some Fates/Sonic Adventure 2 ‘last story’, it probably won’t have a fully happy ending. So maybe bring tissues to be safe.

There’s still a lot we don’t know, but I’m still really excited. I loved Age of Calamity (though I suspect some people would shoot me for saying that because something, something ‘false advertising’) and this looks to bring a lot of the same buckwild AU energy to one of my favourite Switch titles. Plus I’m just looking forward to seeing these characters again, AND using them to curbstomp entire armies. I just hope the playable roster is up to par, considering how much I love Three Houses cast. 

But yeah, long story short, I’m incredibly excited. 

[myuzucompendium]

“Because, according to Futaba and the internet, holding hands is considered a “lewd” act, and if you do a “lewd” act, you are a degenerate.”

@myuzucompendium

"I saw you hold hands with someone. According to the internet that makes you a degenerate" - Sophia.

"How does being a good brother fall under that-"

Nozomu can be a rascal sometimes...

[mattapparentlystumbltourneys]

BRACKET REVEAL

Alright. At long last, I present to you the bracket...or should I say...*BRACKETS* for the Virtual Character Tournament!

Given the scale, the first round is going to be one bracket per week, 4 a day, with each lasting 24 hours. I know that this is still tight, but given how many contestants there are, along with the necessary inclusions of images and propaganda (oh and I guess also my job), it's what I can do to keep this semi-manageable. There's also no redemption round this time. It's gonna be a single elimination tournament. Be kind to your peers. This is not but a drop in the infinite ocean of the internet.

...oh yeah the brackets themselves. We'll be going in order over the course of 4 weeks. I'll make proper announcements for them as they commence. Given how many there are and what I want to get done beforehand, Bracket 1 will likely begin some time this week. But for the matchups...

Bracket 1:

Hatsune Miku (Vocaloid) vs. Elohim (The Talos Principle)

Flame (Yu-Gi-Oh! VRains) vs. The Supervisor/Mouthless (Tenkuu Shinpan)

XANA (Code Lyoko) vs. MetalMan.EXE (Mega Man Battle Network)

9-Jack-9 (Zot!) vs Poppy Pipopapo (Kamen Rider Ex Aid)

Sage (Sonic Frontiers) vs Mektryllis (Fate/Extra CCC)

Dot Matrix (Reboot) vs V Flower (Vocaloid)

Wizardmon (Digimon) vs Delta (Red Vs. Blue)

Sora (Ever17) vs Kasane Teto (UTAU)

The Doctor/EMH (Star Trek Voyager) vs Crash (Awful Hospital)

Burroughs (Shin Megami Tensei IV) vs Quorra (Tron Legacy)

The Machine (Person of Interest) vs The Rocket Dex (Pokemon)

P03 (Inscription) vs. M.X.E.S (FNAF Security Breach: Ruins)

Hakuno Kishinami (Fate/EXTRA) vs Data Riku (Kingdom Hearts)

Samaritan (Person of Interest) vs ART (The Murderbot Diaries)

Cortana (Halo) vs M-Bot (Skyward)

Mitsuko Miyazumi (Archer) vs Ritsu (Assassination Classroom)

Bracket B:

Ene (Kagerou Project) vs The Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe)

Amadeus (Steins; Gate 0) vs D.O.M (The Adventure Zone)

AM (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream) vs Theo (Meta Runner)

Colonel.EXE (Mega Man Battle Network) vs Daia (Kiratto PriChan)

Agumon (Digimon) vs The Bobbiedots (FNAF Fazbear Frights)

Felix the Desktop Cat (Real Life) vs SHODAN (System Shock)

MegaMan.EXE (Mega Man Battle Network) vs Church (Red vs. Blue)

Shepherd (ENA) vs Dr. Coomer (Half Life VR But the AI is Self-Aware)

Sophie/Sophia (Persona 5 Strikers) vs Dizzy (Beyblade)

Miss J/SCP 5094 (SCP) vs Ultraman X (Ultraman X)

SAYU (No Straight Roads) vs Falulu (Pripara)

Incarceron (Incarceron) vs Benry (Half Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware)

Lea (Crosscode) vs Kiracchu (Kiratto PriChan)

Dragon (Prahumans) vs Murder-Bot 2.0 (The Murderbot Diaries)

Ai (Yu-Gi-Oh! VRains) vs Glitch Slime (Slime Rancher)

Eris (Wolf 359) vs Monika (Doki Doki Literature Club)

Bracket III:

Hera (Wolf 359) vs Shin AI (Your Turn to Die)

Alba (Star Twinkle Pretty Cure) vs The Denpa Men (The Denpa Men)

Guy (Free Guy) vs EDI (Mass Effect)

Aetna (Lore Olympus) vs Yui (Sword Art Online)

Nicole the Holo-Lynx (Archie Sonic) vs Gabumon (Digimon)

Jacqueline Box (Pripara) vs Mamechi (Tamagotchi)

Vanellope von Shweetz (Wreck-It Ralph) vs Cleverbot (Real Life)

The Phantom Virus (Scooby-Doo) vs Chiaki Nanami (Danganronpa)

Alter Ego (Danganronpa) vs Digit (Cyberchase)

Simulcast (Reflection TTRPG) vs SARA (Toonami)

Lumina Ichihoshi (Dig Delight Direct Drive DJ) vs The World Machine (OneShot)

Rumble McSkirmish (Gravity Falls) vs Holly (Red Dwarf)

HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey) vs Samantha (Her)

PAMA (Minecraft Story Mode) vs Noah Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Agent Smith (The Matrix) vs O.R.C.A (Splatoon)

Spunc (Alpha Betas) vs Porygon (Pokemon)

Bracket Delta:

GIFanny (Gravity Falls) vs Coco (Aikatsu Friends)

Vic Fontaine (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) vs Red One (The Last Angel)

Glitchtrap (FNAF Help Wanted) vs Holo (My Holo Love)

Avina (Mass Effect) vs Light Hope (She-Ra)

Motherboard (Cyberchase) vs Aya (Green Lantern: The Animated Series)

Bonzi Buddy (Real Life) vs Tama (AI The Somnium Files)

Dragon (Worm) vs Bip (Runway to the Stars)

Failsafe (Destiny) vs J.A.R.V.I.S (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Aiba (AI: The Somnium Files) vs CanHaz (DC Comics)

SAYER (SAYER) vs Fey (Welcome to Night Vale)

Buddy (Buddy Simulator 1984) vs Ziggy (Quantum Leap)

Maggy (Hellspark) vs The Squip (Be More Chill)

Lyla (Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse) vs Durandal (Marathon)

Beta Jay 137 (Ninjago) vs Zero III (Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward)

Sergey Ushanka (The Magnus Archines) vs Demetra (Spy Kids 3: GAME OVER)

Alie (The 100) vs Lil' Hal (Homestuck)

As always, thank you for bearing with me during this long and arduous process. Sorry for the hassle, and be prepared, as it is almost upon us.