#a truly lovely game that is entirely environmental storytelling

[tsuchinokoroyale]

me: I think I will play this cute game about unpacking boxes :)

me, 2 hours later: *cry-typing unpacking (2021) ending explained*

[wendynerdwrites]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard review

Disclaimers and warnings: 1) there will be some minor spoiler-y things here. I try to keep it as vague as possible though. 2) I don't go in for the culture war bullshit. I want to make it clear: this is a trans/nb-friendly blog. I will have some criticisms for how certain things are handled, but keep in mind this is from writing craft perspective as well as my own personal opinion from a White, Cisgender, Jewish, Bisexual, Autistic, ADHD, Bipolar American woman. If you are from the groups these characters represent and disagree with some of the arguments I make about the handling of certain subjects, you are probably right. Or we're both right. Or something. Please don't let any of my commentary here override your own experiences because I am just an idiot with a blog. Please correct me. I want to be a good ally, not just a loud one. 3) This is my PERSONAL OPINION.

I will start with the positives - the environmental work and the combat are off the charts good. I genuinely have not had this much fun with combat in a game since Arkham City. That game was 13 years ago. I love how much more varied the fights and bosses are. I love how much your combat style has to take the environments into account almost as much as the enemies. I like how nothing is stationary or just element based. If your someone who loves watching people play Souls-alike games but hates the frustrations that come with playing that style yourself, good news! All the truly fun stuff is there. And how many frustrations you have depends entirely on your difficulty level. And by "frustrations", I don't mean the "challenge." The challenge is there, even on easier difficulties. When I got knocked on my ass, I didn't just get pissed or angry. I just wanted to get right back up and do it again! Which I love. I love the movement. The health and mana aspects. The look and feel of the attacks. And the combos! If you liked the combos in the Mass Effect games, then these take all of the virtues of that and amplifies them. It makes me SO EXCITED for the next Mass Effect even though I didn't like Andromeda.

Like, for instance, the High dragons. It's more than just "pick the right element." The Dragon fights take the great improvements they made in Inquisition (like how some bring in more enemies, others employ the flying more, and the importance of the elements you attack with) and enhance them. For instance, you're tempted to bring Taash on every dragon fight. Don't. Especially the Necropolis one of you're with Emmrich (bring Emmrich to that one). You should bring a healer with you on that one. There's way more interplay with the environment, your fighting has to employ so much more movement and strategizing. You have to be aware not just of the dragon, but your surroundings.

In fact, I can tout the virtues of pretty much any boss fight in this game so far.

Like, it almost feels weird talking the virtues of combat in a Bioware game to the moon like this, but it's genuinely that good.

I also like the construction of a lot of the missions. While I don't like how important story conversations are treated like missions, that's pretty much my only complaint. It was fine when there were one or two of them, like with Josephine's conversation with the "comte" in Inquisition, but there's too much of it here.

But that's literally my only complaint. Bioware took notes on the complaints about the missions in prior games. And they did SO FUCKING GOOD!

I adore the puzzles, the way your companions interact with the environment, the distinctiveness of the environments. Not only does it increase the utility of the characters, it adds distinctions to the environments, challenge to the missions, and even enhances both plot and setting. The Blight puzzles in particular add a lot of subtle storytelling and create a true sense of how pervasive and serious this is, while also helping to communicate both the powers Ghilain'nain has introduced and how it affects the world as well as how it is literally choking Thedas and disrupting as well as threatening the lives of its people.

I like the faction interplay and how your choices do seem to affect your gameplay experience. I like how depending on which choice you make at a crucial point in the game, it can cut off one of your avenues to gain support. I like how your relationships with both companions and the factions impact the gameplay itself.

I love the voice acting and the music.

As for the writing, I will start with some of the positives. First and foremost, the Big Bads are actually pretty good. Unlike Corypheus, who becomes Team Rocket after his amazing appearance in Haven, they have victories. They are genuinely intimidating enemies because even when you "win", you lose something. They outwit you at various points. This is not just a string of victories while Elgar'nan and Ghilain'nain are just blasting off again. Furthermore, I like how the companions do seem to have a genuine effect on the operations rather than "defend the protagonist." Their contributions are not just lip service.

In fact, I just want to say, I love almost everything about Elgar'nan and Ghilain'nain. I only wish that we had more of the Gods? I literally just wanted more. Which, you know, is a good thing.

I find Lucanis's writing to be good overall, though there should be more. Please give us more fleshed out stuff and have it compare and contrast more to the experiences of Wynn and Anders.

This might be controversial: but I really do like Bellara's plotlines, especially the explorations of cultural/historical guilt in regards to the Evanuris and their worship among the Dalish. Similarly, Harding's exploration of her feelings about the history between the Evanuris and the Titans is really good. I just wish there was more.

I also like the CONCEPTS of the characters a lot

An enbycharacter who is not only struggling with their gender identity but a cultural tug of war between heritage and the place they've immigrated to, along with a mom who puts stress on both of those aspects? And they are lovers of animals they also have to fight when they're perverted? Perfect groundwork for a character.

A gentleman necromancer who is actually terrified of dying facing down a perversion of his own ambitions? A+.

A noir-esque private eye who works as an underground freedom fighter who struggles between their obligations to the macro conflict and the city they've always sworn to protect. GREAT!

A sunny-faced woman grappling with her newfound powers, grand revelations about the fate of their ancestors while also trying to reconcile their simmering rage towards the injustice done to their people? Yay! (especially when you consider the parallels between what happened to the Titans and Dwarves and the Elven history)

A Warden grappling with his old Disney-princess-esque wishes for something more than this provincial life while also trying to find a bond with a creature representing the order he's committing to while also struggling to embrace? Hooray!

These concepts are great! Great concepts. A+ concepts. Good concepts. Beautiful concepts.

But even a brilliant concept, rich with material to mine, means little when the execution is poor. This is why writing is a craft and not just a grab bag of good ideas.

The dialogue is bad and so many of the details seem disjointed and full of missed opportunity.

Let's get the touchy one out of the way. I have a lot of thoughts on Taash and how disappointed I am with their writing.

Why is Taash getting gender identity advice in Tevinter, where even being gay is considered an abomination, instead of from people in Rivain, the COUNTRY AND CULTURE THEY ARE MORE ATTUNED TO IN A STRUGGLE AGAINST THE QUNARI HERITAGE THEIR MOTHER INSTILLS IN THEM IN AN OBVIOUS PARALLEL TO THEIR STRUGGLES WITH GENDER IDENTITY? (Before anyone says, "But Maevis" Maevis is an acceptable outlier because it's Maevis. The end.) Like, there's an obvious parallel here and it should be so perfect.

But they made the parallel to being Non-Binary, (the cultural struggles Taash goes through) a BINARY CHOICE first of all. Second, it's a Binary choice made FOR THEM.

And also:

Imagine if Rivain had an active Enby culture and their own word for nonbinary/genderqueer identity. Over history, various cultures have had traditions/groups/cultures that are similar or equivalent to what we call Nonbinary in the Western world. Various cultures have had aspects/traditions/communities that oppose to the traditional male/female gender binary. Give Rivain one (or more) of their own. Have them give it their own name where it's clear that its/they're the equivalent of various Nonbinary identities and own traditions surrounding it. Make it feel like part of Thedas, not something simply to address about our world. You know, like they did with Krem and the Qunari?

You could do that and even have direct parallels with various gender traditions in our world. But with their own terms/words, their own language surrounding it.

It would not maintain the immersion.

This is where I might make some people mad. If you disagree, then you're probably right.

Sorry, guys, but Taash just saying "I'm nonbinary"... That is a wonderful and powerful statement on Earth, in American/Western culture. But it doesn't sound like something someone outside of our Western Earth would say. It sounds like they wanted a Nonbinary character and wanted it in the simplest terms possible. And make it a one size fits all concept of gender. Nonbinary/genderqueer etc identities and indeed most gender identities are multifaceted, can differ wildly. There are different types of nonbinary, and they can differ psychologically, culturally, etc. Being of a nonbinary identity means really different things to different Enby people everywhere.

So, why isn't there an exploration of that more. Maybe Rivain has multiple NB communities/identities. Some are genderfluid, or agender, or genderqueer, etc. And there's different words and communities for each. Maybe there are other ones in Antiva and parts of the Anderfells, etc. All with their own terms. Maybe have Taash explore that/encounter some of these groups in actual scenes and have them explore that more. Flesh it out and immerse it in THIS world instead of just using the language of part of ours.

Like, you know how the Southern Chantry and the Tevinter Chantry are clearly modeled on Catholic and Orthodox churches? How Orlais is France but not quite? How there is totally racism but not in a total one to one parallel in our world? How the Qunari clearly have cultural parallels to real world cultures in their approach to gender identity? How the Qun are totalitarian but it isn't called that?

Give Thedas its own varied approach to defying the gender binary that amounts to more than just "I'm nonbinary." Make us feel like Taash's acceptance of themselves is about finding their place in THEDAS and not the American Midwest. Have Taash explore all these gender-defying practices.

All while their Mom looks on in horror because to her, yes, you can be trans, but only binary trans.

It disappoints the perfectly set up parallel between gender identity and the cultural tug of war Taash goes through. It feels more referenced than explored.

That's clearly part of the clash with Taash and their mom. Their mom, who wants so much for Taash to preserve as much Qunari culture as possible. Why don't they explore the contrast between their identity and the binary trans identities welcomed by the Qunari? Why are they talking like 21st century people from the West on Earth? Instead of, you know? People from Rivain and the Qun?

Sorry it just disappointed me. Bioware has done this sort of exploration well before. I feel like it's just... Lip service.

Basically, there wasn't enough here. This was potentially so fascinating, and they just sort of said, "Taash is nonbinary and their mom has an issue with it but both of them eventually come to accept their identity."

Taash isn't where this begins and ends though.

Emmrich says he is afraid of death. He tells us this often. Tells us. Tells us. Tells us again. But that doesn't even seem to affect him as a character other than what he declares about himself.

They touch on the parallels of the griffon-Warden and the Hallah-elf bonds in a two second "quest", when, like, there was so much missed opportunity there. No, go into this. Why doesn't Davrin apply his difficulties with his Dalish upbringing and how his efforts to bond with Assan parallel maybe a lack of bond with a hallah. I am cool with him Wanting More Than This Provincial Life. Love it. But it's surface level.

"I wanted more but now I'm not happy with how things turned out because the order proved disappointing and I feel like a failure too." It's so good. But we should have gotten more than just saying it.

For instance, the quest with the Halla and the obvious parallels between the elf-Halla and Warden-Griffon relationships? Great set up. Perfect. And then it was over in about fifteen seconds and barely explored.

Davrin's initial wish to make his fortune? Maybe put some of that in context of the poverty so many elves experience? In depth?

Neve's own struggles between her grounded street level work vs her big-picture work with the Veilguard is all lip service. Which it shouldn't be, because THAT'S A GREAT CONCEPT TO WORK WITH.

There's also an issue with the saminess of some of the character quest aspects. The fact that almost all of them have to deal with some sort of Black Mirror of themselves isn't a problem necessarily, but with a number of them, such as with Davrin and Lucanis, it doesn't seem to have the depth to it to not make it seem like more of the same.

Etc etc.

And as for Rook...

First of all, I think we all need to go and apologize to our Inquisitors for saying they were bland. It's amazing to me that we can have so many of these detailed backgrounds but there's ultimately nothing to them. I LIKE playing nice, compassionate characters. I almost always play altruistic. But this? There are no "purple" or "red" options. They're more like lavender and pink AT BEST. I ask people how they feel in every conversation. It genuinely baffled me how many times you ask a variation of "...And how did that make you feel?"

The backgrounds offer some dialogue options that are ultimately surface level and all amount to the same thing. And it's always that you'll always do what's right and keep fighting for it, no matter what! You determined altruist. Determination works. But it would have been so much better if that determination also had some moral variation in it like, you know, a role playing game.

I don't need Rook to sell people into slavery for a single point of constitution. But for instance, if there was a backstory option where that "never quit" spirit was employed in less than savory pursuits, that would also work so well with the story! Like it or not, Rook will do what needs to be done. And in a conflict this desperate, maybe you need to be ruthless sometimes. You know, like in other Bioware games?

I am sick of every conversation being a TikTok therapy session. I am sick of these companions almost never doing anything morally questionable. Like, what are the big moral struggles they have? Harding, Lucanis, and Emmrich seem to have the only potential for being ambiguous and even then it feels lackluster. I'd argue that it's probably the Harding subplot that really seems to have the potential darkness that might reflect both on her and Rook.

But compare that to how things work with characters like Morrigan, Vivienne, Leliana, Bull, Isabela, etc.

Actually, I think in addition to the Inquisitor, we also owe Vivienne a huge apology as well.

Remember how Sera was a genuine ass about the elves, especially to a Lavellan Inquisitor?

Remember how Isabela totally abandons you and her motivations are super selfish? Remember how Vivienne had the worst fucking politics and yet had some great defenses for her beliefs on a logical level? Remember how Alistair becoming more self-centered actually yields rewards? Remember how Morrigan was genuinely kind of a dick who thought every act of kindness was foolish? Remember how Cullen was a total bigot throughout 2 and enabled so much abuse? Remember SOLAS, WHO THIS GAME WAS SUPPOSED TO CENTER AROUND?

I know sometimes that shit could be too much. Oghren is the best example (yes, I know he gets better in Awakenings). And yes, Sera and Vivienne could veer into it sometimes. But this is the opposite problem. Arguably, Harding is the only one whose shades of grey go beyond lip service.

Honestly, the script with its lax therapy dialogue and bland, nigh-indistinguishable dialogue contrasted with concepts just... It makes me feel like there was some fantastic writing done by veteran authors, then Bioware/EA decided those authors were too expensive, then scrapped their actual script and had "fresh and new" (cheaper) writers hang a rushed script on the skeleton writers like Mary Kirby left behind. So much of it seems so rushed and first-draft. It would also explained why the conversations are so limited and constrained.

Also, this is a kind of nitpick, but it really fucking annoyed me: why the fuck can't Rook fucking SWIM?! This person is supposed to be one of the following:

1) Pirate

2) underground freedom fighter in a port city

3) badass international assassin

4) Seasoned necromantic scholar

5) scout for an organization that investigates magic in a forest with a number of lakes and rivers

6) A monster fighter who is part of an international paramilitaty organization

...And this bitch can't SWIM?! The only background where that could possibly be kind of believable is the Mourn Watch faction. And even then that's stretching it.

I just feel like the backgrounds miss so many opportunities, especially given how in every single one you did something controversial but oh-so-heroic. Like, what is even the point of having these connections via faction with the companions otherwise? There is little depth to the dialogue options with a companion from the same faction. "Oh, we have friends in common", "I've heard of you." "What you did back in [backstory] ruffled feathers but I understand."

Imagine if you had the option of doing something truly screwed up, that might make your faction companion truly dislike you and part of your arc with them is getting them to trust you?

This is what I am talking about when it comes to missed opportunities.

There were so many disappointments with the characters and if I went with every single one.... Well, this is long enough.

And do I even need to go into the lack of carried over decisions from previous games? Yes, sometimes the impact of prior choices could be a little shallow, but it still felt like part of the story. And even the choices you do get here seem deep as a puddle. Unless you romanced Solas, your romance doesn't matter. Disbanding or continuing the Inquisition seems to have little impact, especially given how little the freaking Chantry matters. And by little, I mean "not at all", just like the Circles.

Remember the Circles? And the Chantry? You know, two MAJOR DISTINGUISHING AND IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THIS WORLD?

Being in the North, we had the opportunity to see how the Tevinter Chantry and Circles worked in contrast.

But, nah.

There were some bright spots. I liked the twist with Bellara's brother. I liked some of the interplay with Lucanis and Spite. I didn't even mind some of the "oh, this happened" banter here and there. ("Okay I think we can take on the first wave" "First wave? You think there will be a second" "when has there NOT been a second wave?" That was cute. It got me.) The Mythal stuff (I am trying to be vague here) was also super interesting.

I just wish they hadn't potentially retconned one of your choices in Inquisition to enable it. It wasn't even necessary. I would have loved to see more of the Inquisitor and had the option of including them there. And Morrigan not contributing to That Scene is also a huge lost opportunity.

The lack of actual interactions with Solas also frustrates me. You talk to him like every ten hours or so. And the dialogue suggests that you are developing this deep bond or understanding with each other, but that's only commentary. We don't see it happening.

Also, the fact that we can't talk to him more in depth about his memories, as well as talk to him directly afterward makes no sense. Then there's the romance. I actually really do like the ending. But before that? You make romancing Solas one of the only choices and his commentary on his romance with Lavellan is just "She was a good woman. I was selfish to get so close to her"? Why are we hearing more about what happened between them from the Inquisitor, who is more or less put on a bus, than Solas, our literal guide who lives inside our egad whom we're supposed to be developing this intense relationship with???

Also, holy shit, not enough Varric.

I really, really wanted this to be a situation like Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves or Jennifer's Body where the marketing was bungled and didn't represent the product. Instead, this is more like a Netflix ATLA situation.

While it's certainly not as bad as some of the promo and DEFINITELY not the failure CHUD dudebros would have you believe, it's just frustrating in terms of how much missed opportunity is there. This game could, and should have been perfect. It has EVERYTHING it needed.

Writing wise, it feels like someone got to inherit a Stradivarius violin, then only ever played about five different songs on it. Despite being first chair in a high level orchestra.

But I just want to skip the dialogue now and just go fight. Which is... Not what I want for Dragon Age.

Another issue I had beyond the writing has to do with character design. Basically: I don't like most of the color combinations, especially in the outfits. The outfits range from pretty unremarkable to way too loud and busy and there is little in-between. I understand wanting bright hues to make it easier to spot your companions during combat, but a) if you're not going to do it with every companion, that's kind of a moot point and b) you could just give your companions decent outfits and give them a slight glow during combat.

Some of the color stuff is great. I love the innovations with skin tones for the most part, but I have some issues. 1) there's a limit on how dark the skin for Rook can get I don't like. And 2) ...I hate to join the crowd but with the Qunari designs... Ugh. I don't like the heavy blue undertones of the skin. It creates a gun-metal blue grey that makes Taash look like an alien Captain Kirk would bone every time they're in direct sunlight.

Also I wish there were more Afro options? I really, really wanted to make my Rook into Cleopatra Jones. But the way the Afro covered up so much of the forehead and how unmovable it was (especially in comparison to all the other options) was so disorienting.

I do absolutely love the character creator overall, despite some complaints. I love all of the options. I love how there are concrete options for Rook's gender identity, including in the dialogue.

Given how much I complained about the writing, I worry that people think I hate this game. No. For much of it, I was glued to my desk. There was so much that was great on the mechanics, environments, level and quest design, combat (God, I love the combat), and dynamics of the story progression that were so good.

This is such a fun game to play. I just wish it was a more interesting story to experience. But it is an absurd level of fun and I can't wait to replay.

I don't like overall rankings for stuff like this. The critic culture online these days is too rankings focused. But I do recommend buying it and enjoying it and exploring as much of the world as possible. I think it has potential to be truly great with some patches and DLC. These days, so many games (including Dragon Age games) have had so much story improved with DLC and I hope they end up creating some after all.

[carp3tpasta]

I did the thing!!

Here's the template

Reasons under the cut

Favorite campaign: This was really difficult, as I enjoy most of them pretty equally. I couldn't narrow it down to one and had to go with top three. I love Hunter's campaign because of the challenge and story, and because it was the first to be different than the first two [no hate, I love the first two]. Ofc, because Hunter is my favorite slugcat too. I really love Artificer's campaign. Being able to explode is super fun [I love arson >:) /j]. Though the Karma mechanic can be annoying, I think it adds to the tragedy of Artificer in a way. I think the campaign would've been way too short without it too. Rivulet is top three cuz. Speed. And the storyline of that campaign...I will never stop crying.

Honorable mentions: Survivor, Spear Master and Saint

Favorite Slugcat: Hunter is my favorite slugcat because of the tragedy of their story and their character. Hunter did not deserve their fate, and even though the ascension ending is a far more peaceful end for them, they still never got the chance to live a full life.

Hardest Campaign: This was kinda difficult to decide as well because some campaigns have things that are both difficult for me and easy for me. But I ended up choosing Saint because it is a lot more difficult to defend yourself and how it is more difficult to find food before you freeze.

Honorable mentions: Spear Master, Artificer

Favorite Lizard: Yellow/Orange lizards because their antennae are cute, and I like that they live in packs and communicate with each other. They are just really silly, and I like them.

Honorable mentions: Cyan: So jump :), but they've caused me much pain. White: They remind me of cats because they're so sleepy, and I like their camouflage ability. They also have caused me much pain.

Favorite Iterator: Five Pebbles is my favorite character in the entire game. His story is a tragedy through and through. He shuts everyone out because he is desperate, angry, and jaded. He hurts everyone who cares about him in one way or another and, worst of all, kills his sister. The Rot he develops, in my interpretation, is a representation of his guilt, that slowly consumes him literally and figuratively. Before he succumbs to it though, he gives the only thing prolonging his life to the person he hurt the most. A representation of the heart. In his own blind rage, he failed to see the value in what he had, and like Hunter, never truly got to live. By the time he does realize, it is too late, and all he can do is give all he has left to Moon in a final attempt to make things right.

Favorite Passage: I like combat. It is fun

Honorable Mentions: The Scholar, The Mother

Favorite Species: King Vultures [and Vultures in general] are just super cool to me. They're terrifying but cool. Like, what is that thing!!?? It's horrible but so neat at the same time!!

Favorite Region: This was also difficult. I decided on Five Pebbles because of how mind-blowing it is the first time you traverse it. Especially with the lead up to it. Traveling through Memory Crypts and Exterior, getting closer to this mysterious destination that isn't just abandoned structures anymore. I think it really highlights how excellent the environmental storytelling is in Rain World. Also, Random Gods is so good. This isn't my favorite region in terms of being there for fun, however. But I couldn't choose one favorite for those either.

They are: Chimney Canopy, Industrial Complex, Outskirts and Shoreline

[vulpixelates]

replaying ac valhalla w the wife immediately after finishing the main quest because she wanted to try a different build and i'm noticing so many things that i didn't pick up on before for various reasons

the beginning is. so sad now that i'm emotionally attached to eivor. i literally sobbed? tbf i'm also a hormonal mess rn but i SOBBED

being able to go back to eivor's old home in-game was such a good example of environmental storytelling. the overgrown vines, the sword still in the windowsill, eivor's voice lines talking about her childhood and the night her parents were killed... so good.

we hadn't ever listened to the crew telling stories on the longship until the very end of our last playthrough bc we had never figured out how to add the acquired crew (birna, vili, etc.) so we were just listening to the same bragi stories over and over and turned it off. but this leads into:

DAG IS SO FUCKING ANNOYING LMAO. he literally just. lies all the time?? calls eivor the "glory hound" but is so clearly that himself to the point where he has to make up lies to keep up. i hadn't even noticed before bc he wasn't telling stories on the longship. but i truly love how the entire crew just laughs at him

[sepublic]

Finished Metroid Dread... Spoiler thoughts ahead;

I must say that I LOVE and admire how Mercury Steam didn’t go for nostalgia bait here. With how Metroid hasn’t had a new mainline entry (not counting remakes) in over a decade, it’d have been easy to do a soft reboot with Dread, ignoring the continuity and status quo changes from Fusion!

They could’ve easily appealed to the mainstream understanding of Metroid, with Samus and her Varia Suit, Ridley, the Metroids, etc.! They could’ve brushed aside continuity to make the game more accessible to a mainstream audience for cash... But no!

Mercury Steam chose to reward long-time fans! They didn’t abandon the X-Parasites, and brought them back in full, modern, 3-D glory! They had Samus take cues from the Fusion suit, and kept the idea of her having Metroid DNA, with basically the entire plot hinging around this detail!

A retcon, sure- But it’s a retcon that literally everyone in the fandom has preferred, since day one! It’s a lot cooler, plus it’s very meta- Samus is mistaken as ‘Metroid’, but now she is! And in a way, this allows the series to still continue with that iconic title... Because Samus is officially a Metroid herself, the writers don’t need to pull up some complicated excuse to rehash and resurrect the Metroids!

That’s really fun and clever writing... Again, I appreciate that Mercury Steam went right to resuming business with Dread. You could argue Samus Returns was the reintroduction meant to settle newer fans into the franchise, fair... But nevertheless, they set out to make a new installment for the Metroid series, a new story with its own identity and unique setting, bosses, etc.! While STILL playing homage and even modernizing the classics in a way that feels fun and inventful, instead of just nostalgia bait and brand recognition as a crutch!

Lemme tell you, Samus in her Metroid Suit... A dream come true for literally everyone in this fandom, we ALL wanted to see monster Samus and we got her! Down to the arm cannon having fangs around the nozzle! When her claws appeared, I freaked... And that twist with ‘Adam’ having been Raven Beak all along, guiding the player in a truly brutal and threatening gauntlet he’d prepared for Samus, just to unlock the power of her DNA!

I’m honestly proud of myself for guessing that Raven Beak wanted to clone Samus, as a superior Metroid to the Omega or Queen- Thats good storytelling when the clues are laid out and you can guess things! Likewise, the way the developers make full use of the backgrounds to flesh out the worlds...

I truly found myself stopping and staring to enjoy the gorgeous ambiance! Ferenia was particularly beautiful, and I love how Mercury Steam put in the effort to add stairs and other logistical details, so that when you looked at the levels from a 3-D perspective, the architecture made some sense!

Plus, this is everything I wanted to see in terms of worlds- Environmental storytelling to the max, making fun usage of wreckage in the background, telling a past! Incorporating the environment and background into the gameplay, letting you interact with and change it... That moment when you see what looks like a Corpius being operated upon, it legit made my jaw drop as I hung around to stare and process...

Plus, the fun ways they diversify the modes of travel, between shuttles, elevators, teleportals (love that pun)! And I love how the foreshadowing helped me pick up that Elun was where the X were quarantined, right before I actually saw them!

The combat in this game is fast and snappy and responsive, and against the Mawkin, it truly does feel almost like a dance of death- Harsh yet fair, so that when you do succeed, you feel truly precise and skilled! The Flash-Shift is one of the best additions to this franchise, without a doubt!

Overall, just... A phenomenal game! It truly blew my expectations out of the water, and the ending still leaves plenty room for more adventures! Metroid Dread is truly a worthy next entry for the franchise, and I would say makes up for the incredible hiatus fans had to go through since Fusion!

Samus speaking Chozo... My beloved...

[destiny-smasher]

Life is Strange: True Colors

Leading up to the release of Episode 1 of TellTale's The Walking Dead game, I was working freelance for GameRevolution at the time, lived in the area, and had the chance to play a build of the game to write a preview on it. I remember comparing it to Mass Effect because, at the time, there just...weren't games of that subgenre. Of course, by now we've seen an explosion of this type of game - the 'narrative/choice-driven game,' spearheaded and even oversaturated by Telltale to their own demise.

Out of all of the games that have come from that initial boom, Life is Strange by DontNod was and still is the most influential on my life, but I also have always harbored really conflicted feelings about it - especially with how it resolved its narrative. Hell, if you're reading this, you're probably aware that I spent a few years of my life creating a sequel fanstory which I even adapted a chunk of into visual novel format. Hundreds of thousands of words, days and days of life spent essentially trying to process and reconcile my conflicted feelings about this game's conclusion(s). Since then, I've been experimenting with interactive fiction and am currently developing my own original visual novel using everything I've learned from both creating and playing games in this genre. It's a subgenre of game I have a lot of interest and passion for because, when handled well, it can allow a player to sort of co-direct a guided narrative experience in a way that's unique compared to strictly linear cinematic experiences but still have a curated, focused sense of story.

Up until this point, I've regarded Night in the Woods as probably the singular best game of this style, with others like Oxenfree and The Wolf Among Us as other high marks. I've never actually put any Life is Strange game quite up there - none of them have reached that benchmark for me, personally. Until now, anyway.

But now, I can finally add a new game to that top tier, cream of the crop list. Life is Strange: True Colors is just damn good. I'm an incredibly critical person as it is - and that critique usually comes from a place of love - so you can imagine this series has been really hard to for me given that I love it, and yet have never truly loved any actual full entry in it. I have so many personal issues, quibbles, qualms, and frustration with Life is Strange: with every individual game, with how it has been handled by its publisher (my biggest issue at this point, actually), with how it has seemingly been taken away from its original development studio, with how it chooses to resolve its narratives...

But with True Colors, all of those issues get brushed aside long enough for me to appreciate just how fucking well designed it is for this style of game. I can appreciate how the development team, while still clearly being 'indie' compared to other dev teams working under Square-Enix, were able to make such smart decisions in how to design and execute this game. Taken on its own merits, apart from its branding, True Colors is absolutely worth playing if you enjoy these 'telltale' style games. Compared to the rest of the series, I would argue it's the best one so far, easily. I had a lot of misgivings and doubts going in, and in retrospect, those are mostly Square-Enix's fault. Deck Nine, when given the freedom to make their own original game in the same vein as the previous three, fucking nailed it as much as I feel like they could, given the kinds of limitations I presume they were working within.

I'm someone who agonizes every single time there is news for Life is Strange as a series - someone who essentially had to drop out of the fandom over infighting, then dropped out of even being exposed to the official social media channels for it later on (I specifically have the Square-Enix controlled channels muted). I adore Max and Chloe, and as a duo, as a couple, they are one of my top favorites not just in gaming, but in general. They elevated the original game to be something more than the sum of its parts for me. And while I have enjoyed seeing what DontNod has made since, it's always been their attention to detail in environmental craftsmanship, in tone and atmosphere, which has caught my interest. They're good at creating characters with layers, but imo they've never nailed a narrative arc. They've never really hit that sweet spot that makes a story truly resonate with me. Deck Nine's previous outing, Before the Storm, was all over the place, trying to mimic DontNod while trying to do its own things - trying to dig deeper into concepts DontNod deliberately left open for interpretation while also being limited in what it could do as a prequel.

But with True Colors, those awkward shackles are (mostly) off. They have told their own original story, keeping in tone and concept with previous Life is Strange games, and yet this also feels distinctly different in other ways.

Yes, protagonist Alex Chen is older than previous characters, and most of the characters in True Colors are young adults, as opposed to teenagers. Yes, she has a supernatural ability. And yes, the game is essentially a linear story with some freedom in how much to poke around at the environment and interact with objects/characters, with the primary mechanic being making choices which influence elements of how the story plays out. None of this is new to the genre, or even Life is Strange. But the execution was clearly planned out, focused, and designed with more caution and care than games like this typically get.

A smaller dev team working with a budget has to make calls on how to allocate that budget. With True Colors, you will experience much fewer locales and environments than you will in Life is Strange 2. Fewer locations than even Life is Strange 1, by my count. But this reinforces the game's theming. I suspect the biggest hit to the game's budget was investing in its voice acting (nothing new for this series) but specifically in the motion capture and facial animation.

You have a game about a protagonist trying to fit in to a small, tightly knit community. She can read the aura of people's emotions and even read their minds a little. And the game's budget and design take full advantage of this. You spend your time in a small main street/park area, a handful of indoor shops, your single room apartment. It fits within a tighter budget, but it reinforces the themes the game is going for. Your interactions with characters are heightened with subtle facial cues and microexpressions, which also reinforces the mechanic and theming regarding reading, accepting, and processing emotions. And you get to make some choices that influence elements of this - influenced by the town, influenced by the emotions of those around you, which reinforce the main plot of trying to navigate a new life in a small town community.

When I think about these types of games, the conclusion is always a big deal. In a way, it shouldn't be, because I usually feel it's about the journey, not the destination. And as an example, I actually really dislike the ending of the original Life is Strange. I think it's a lot of bullshit in many ways. The setpiece is amazing and epic, sure, but the actual storytelling going on is...really hollow for me. Yes, the game does subtly foreshadow in a number of ways that this is the big choice it's leading up to, but the game never actually makes sense of it. And the problem is, if your experience is going to end on a big ol' THIS or THAT kind of moment, it needs to make sense or the whole thing will fall apart as soon as the credits are rolling and the audience spends a moment to think about what just happened. When you look at the end of Season 1 of Telltale's The Walking Dead, it's not powerful just because of what choice you're given, but because through the entire final episode, we know the stakes - we know what is going to ultimately happen, and we know the end of the story is fast approaching. All of the cards are on the table by the time we get to that final scene, and it works so well because we know why it's happening, and it is an appropriate thematic climax that embodies the theming of the entire season. It works mechanically, narratively, and thematically, and 'just makes sense.'

The ending of Life is Strange 1 doesn't do that, if you ask me. The ending of most games in this genre don't really hit that mark. When I get to the end of most game 'seasons' like this, even ones I enjoy, I'm typically left frustrated, confused, and empty in a way.

The ending of True Colors, on the other hand, nails everything it needs to. Handily, when compared to its peers.

If you're somehow reading this and have not played this game but intend to, now is probably where you should duck out, as I will be

discussing SPOILERS from the entire game, specifically the finale.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Firstly, since I don't know where else to put this, some criticisms I found with the game. And honestly, they're all pretty damn minor compared to most games of this type.

Mainly, I just wish the whole Typhon thing was handled a bit more deliberately. It's a bit weird to do the 'big evil corporation' thing (especially when a big corporation like Square Enix occupies as much as or even more of the credits to this game than the people who actually MADE it?) without offering more explanation and subtlety. The game certainly makes some efforts but they're mostly small and mostly optional, like background chatter or a handful of one-off bits of documentation/etc. you can find in the environment. I feel like Diane in particular needed to be fleshed out just a little bit more to really sell us on how and why things like this happen, why corporations make decisions that cost people their happiness, security, and lives and they just get to keep on doing it. I think just a little bit that is unavoidable to the player that puts emphasis on maybe how much the town relies on the money/resources Typhon provides would've helped. Again, this is minor, but it stands out when I have so little else to critique.

I would've liked to get more insight on why Jed is the way he is. No, I don't think we really needed to learn more about his backstory, or even really his motivations. I think we get enough of that. I just think it would've been great to somehow highlight more deliberately how/why he's built up this identity overtop of what he's trying to suppress. Maybe even just having Alex internally realize, "Wait, what the hell, Jed has been hiding these emotions and my powers haven't picked up on it?" or something to that effect could have added an extra oomph to highlight how Jed seems to be coping with his emotions by masking/suppressing them. Also really minor complaint, but again...there's not much else here I can think to really improve on within the confines of what's in the game.

The game doesn't really call Alex's power into question morally. Like. Max has an entire meltdown by the end of her story, second-guessing if she's even helped anyone at all, if she has 'the right' to do so, how her powers might be affecting or expressing her own humanity and flaws...this story doesn't really get into that despite a very similar concept of manipulating others. There's like one bit in a document you can choose to read in Alex's 'nightmare' scene, but that's really it. I feel like this sentiment and how it's executed could have easily been expanded upon in just this one scene to capture what made that Max/Other Max scene do what it did in a way that would address the moral grayness of Alex's powers and how she uses them, and give players a way to express their interpretation of that. Also, very small deal, just another tidbit I would've liked to see.

When I first watched my wife play through Episode 5 (I watched her play through the game first, then I played it myself), I wasn't really feeling the surreal dreamscape stuff of Alex's flashbacks - which is weird, because if you're read my work from the past few years, you'll know I usually love that sort of shit. I think what was throwing me off was that it didn't really feel like it was tying together what the game was about up until that point, and felt almost like it was just copying what Life is Strange did with Max's nightmare sequence (minus the best part of that sequence, imo, where Max literally talks to herself).

But by the time I had seen the rest of the story, and re-experienced it myself, I think it clicked better. This is primarily a story about Alex Chen trying to build a new life for herself in a new community - a small town, a tightly knit place. Those flashbacks are specifically about Alex's past, something we only get teeny tiny tidbits of, and only really if we go looking for them. I realized after I gave myself a few days to process and play through the game myself that this was still a fantastic choice because it reinforces the plot reasons why Alex is even in the town she's in (because her father went there, and her brother in turn went there looking for him), and it reinforces the theme of Alex coming to accept her own emotions and confront them (as expressed through how the flashbacks are played out and the discussions she has with the image of Gabe in her mind, which is really just...another part of herself trying to get her to process things).

By the time Alex escapes the mines and returns to the Black Lantern, all of the cards are on the table. By that point, we as the audience know everything we need to. Everything makes sense - aside from arguably why Jed has done what he has done, but put a pin in that for a sec. We may not know why Alex has the powers she does, but we have at least been given context for how they manifested - as a coping mechanism of living a life inbetween the cracks of society, an unstable youth after her family fell apart around her (and oof, trust me, I can relate with this in some degree, though not in exactly the same ways). And unlike Max's Rewind power, the story and plot doesn't put this to Alex's throat, like it's all on her to make some big choice because she is the way she is, or like she's done something wrong by pursuing what she cares about (in this case, the truth, closure, and understanding).

When Alex confronts Jed in front of all of the primary supporting characters, it does everything it needs to.

Mechanically: it gives players choices for how to express their interpretation of events, and how Alex is processing them; it also, even more importantly, uses the 'council' as a way of expressing how the other characters have reacted to the choices the player has made throughout the game, and contributes to how this climax feels. We're given a 'big choice' at the end of the interaction that doesn't actually change the plot, or even the scene, really (it just affects like one line of dialogue Alex says right then) and yet BOTH choices work so well as a conclusion, it's literally up to your interpretation and it gives you an in-game way to express that.

Thematically: the use of the council reinforces the game's focus on community; and the way the presentation of the scene stays locked in on Alex and Jed's expressions reinforces its focus on emotion - not to mention that the entire scene also acts as a way to showcase how Alex has come to accept, understand, and process her own emotions while Jed, even THEN, right fucking at the moment of his demise, is trying to mask his emotions, to hide them and suppress them and forget them (something the game has already expressed subtly by way of his negative emotions which would give him away NOT being visible to Alex even despite her power).

Narratively: we are given a confrontation that makes sense and feels edifying to see play out after everything we've experienced and learned. We see Alex use her powers in a new and exciting way that further builds the empowering mood the climax is going for and adds a cinematic drama to it. No matter what decisions the player makes, Alex has agency in her own climax, we experience her making a decision, using her power, asserting herself now that she has gone through the growth this narrative has put her through. Alex gets to resolve her shit, gets to have her moment to really shine and experience the end of a character arc in this narrative.

Without taking extra time to design the game around these pillars, the finale wouldn't be so strong. If they didn't give us enough opportunities to interact with the townspeople, their presence in the end wouldn't matter, but everyone who has a say in the council is someone we get an entire scene (at least one) dedicated to interacting with them and their emotions. If they didn't implement choices in the scene itself, it would still be powerful but we wouldn't feel as involved, it'd be more passive. If they didn't showcase Alex's power, we might be left underwhelmed, but they do so in a way that actually works in the context through how they have chosen to present it, while also just tonally heightening the climax by having this drastic lighting going on. If they didn't have the council involved, we'd lose the theming of community. If they didn't have the foil of Alex/Jed and how they have each processed their emotions, we'd miss that key component. And if we didn't have such detailed facial animations, the presentation just wouldn't be as effective.

Ryan/Steph are a little bit like, in this awkward sideline spot during the climax? Steph always supports you, and Ryan supports you or doubts you conditionally, which is unsurprising but also ties into the themes of Ryan having grown up woven into this community, and Steph being once an outsider who has found a place within it. They're still there, either way, which is important. The only relevant characters who aren't present are more supporting characters like Riley, Ethan, and Mac. Ethan being the only one of those who gets an entire 'super emotions' scene, but that also marks the end of his arc and role in the story, so...it's fine. Mac and Riley are less important and younger, as well, and have their own side story stuff you have more direct influence on, too.

But damn, ya'll, this climax just works so well. It especially stands out to me given just how rarely I experience a conclusion/climax that feels this rewarding.

And then after that we get a wonderful montage of a theoretical life Alex might live on to experience. Her actions don't overthrow a conglomerate billionaire company. She doesn't even save a town, really. If the entire council thinks you're full of shit, Jed still confesses either way - because it's not up to the council whether he does this, it's because of Alex, regardless of player choice. Honestly, even after a playthrough where I made most choices differently from my wife, there weren't really many changes to that montage at the end. It'd have been great if it felt more meaningfully different, but maybe it can be. Even if not, the design intent is there and the execution still works. It's a really nice way to end the story, especially since it's not even a literal montage but one Alex imagines - again, her processing what she's gone through, what she desires, expressed externally for us to see it. And for once, the actual final 'big decision' in a game of this type manages to be organic, make sense, and feel good and appropriate either way. You choose to either have Alex stay in Haven Springs and continue building her life there, or you can choose to have her leave and try to be an indie musician, with the events of the game being yet another chunk of her life to deal with and move on from (I haven't really touched on it, but music, especially as a way to express and process emotions, is a recurring thing, much like photography was in the original game, or Sean's illustrations in LiS2). For once, a climactic 'pick your ending' decision that doesn't feel shitty. It's pretty rare for this genre, honestly.

I could - and already have, and likely will - have so much more to say about this game and its details, but I really wanted to focus on touching upon a main element that has left me impressed: the way the entire game feels designed. It feels intentionally constructed but in a way that reinforces what it is trying to express as a story. It's not just trying to make people cry for the sake of 'emotions.' It is a game literally about emotions and it comes to a conclusion in a way that is clearly saying something positive and empowering about empathy and self-acceptance.

Storytelling is a craft, like any other, and it entails deliberate choices and decisions that can objectively contribute to how effective a story is for its intended audience.

A good story isn't something you find, after all.

It's something you build.

[dabidagoose]

What's your fave video game sountrack(s)? =^o

Ok that is a very loaded question so this is gonna be a long ass response, I hope you're prepared for what you've done.

(ok there's a tl;dr at the end if you want it sorry for this lmao)

FIRST POINT my immediate thought was the Ikenfell soundtrack (actually my immediate thought is I can't fuckin' choose they're all amazing but. then ikenfell). On the personal side, I was pretty much obsessed with the game for like three months straight, and i fuckin' love aivi and surasshu's music. I am also a simp for chiptune so jot that down. Moving past what may very well just be personal preference there are some incredibly interesting musical choices and impeccable choices story-wise that hit just. SO fuckin hard. Like emotionally. I won't elaborate on to the context and why the song works so well but the final battle theme is absolutely SPECTACULAR. (I could elaborate though so. ask if you will and i'll write another spiel on why it breaks my heart and soul). But also to reference a less-plot relevant piece I'm gonna bring up Alchemy is for Everyone. The squish bass sounds at the beginning are SUCH a fun environmental sound, it is really just NOT a sound I hear often which makes the track really stand out. And it fits SO perfectly for all the slimes and just. It's so WET. I love it. Makes me wanna wriggle. Which ok is probably also personal preference on reflection because my friend hates a wet song that I love but. Ok it's GOOD. Anyways continuing to the melody the fuckin PITCH bends. This is digital music at it's peak. We get the fun sounds. We get the fuckin pitch bends. Which are so fun because having slightly out of tune notes is such a fun feeling. It's a little off kilter, it's a little different. It's just SO funky and sounds so awesome to bend those pitches just a little bit, take full advantage of the medium and play around with it. Now I'm gonna talk a bit about why I love aivi & surasshu's music so much which. Ok so I believe(?) they coined the term "digital fusion" where you're mixing all these fun fresh digital sounds with real instruments/more traditional sounds and it can work SO fuckin well (for extra musical literature on this subject I'd like to suggest Yoann Turpin and specifically Chip Ship). Which we already get a taste of that where the pitch bends are playing on piano but it really kicks in when the violin takes over the melody and it's SUCH a graceful instrument in comparison to all this funky/awkward stuff we've had. The dichotomy is fuckin awesome. The violin is like a graceful victorian socialite ballroom dancing in after these pitch bends just pinned their arms to their sides and wiggled their hips around. We then get a third spacey instrument (I. have no idea what it is.) and it is. SUCH a switch. We have moved from awkward and stilted to almost too perfect and graceful (I forgot to write before but the high piano at the violin adds so much) to a moment of awe and discovery. We are now exploring the universe, the world of science and alchemy, and it is fantastic. The song almost seems to have it's own little narrative, and this is just a backing track for exploring one of the buildings!!!! This is within the first couple hours of gameplay, it is incredibly non-plot-relevant but SUCH a piece of art. I am absolutely in a slime ball watching amazing science happen so precisely and it is. so fuckin cool. And I could probably go off about every single other song, but in the interest of keeping away spoilers and finishing this post before 2 am, I will not. (Addendums because I can: this is less wet than the one my friend hates, and also this song is MOIST. I would also like to mention It's Showtime and Between the Lines as other song favorites but if I went into them I would never sleep.)

Okokokok. So. So SECOND point (I'm. so sorry.) I looked at my video game music soundtrack (I have two main soundtracks one for just every music but I didn't want to overwhelm it with VG music so I made one just for that that has ENTIRE soundtracks from almost every game I've played which. oops.) and I found two other contenders based mostly on I Really Liked The Games. The Oneshot soundtrack and the Night in the Woods soundtrack. Ok I'm gonna talk about Night in the Woods first cause HOLY shit. holy shit. The fucking astral songs. Those are fucking masterpieces. Such a simple ensemble but it creates such an INTENSE atmosphere. I really love instrumental music can you tell. I specifically want you listening to Astral Train for this one (played it for my senior recital and even though I had to play the violin part on clarinet I maintain it was one of the best choices I've ever made), but we the way the layers blend together is a fucking masterpiece. Since this song had to be designed so that any layer could play alone and each one could join in any order, each part of the quartet has to be interesting, but they still all must blend together and so they each get melody moments but the harmony/bass lines have to be interesting as well and. They ARE. This is such a hard task and it's accomplished SO. INCREDIBLY. WELL. (Side note: also makes for a good ensemble piece for, say, your and your friends' senior recitals, so everyone gets fun parts, a chance in the limelight, and a chance to rest, haha totally irrelevant note right there definitely no connection to my real life). With Astral Train we really get this cool ghostly train feel and through all the Astral pieces we REALLY feel the absolute intensity of Mae's dreams and the music creates such an immaculate vibe. It is unmatched. The rest of the soundtrack contains plenty of bops in a variety of genres too, where the bass songs have to be both playable and fun (Die Anywhere Else my beloved), and we get nostalgic and mischievous music fit for this ragtag team. This is the feeling I've had hanging out with my teenage friends at 10 PM in a parking lot. It is absolutely perfect for this video game. The music is SUCH a bop and really emotionally connects to me cause the game is such a bop of a plot. It is truly fantastic. (Addendum: Ok listening to Gregg rn and. Holy shit bop. I love him. I love this)

Ok now onto Oneshot, which, admittedly, does not have as strong a holding on the podium as these other two do, but curse me for having been emotionally destroyed by the video game because now I am emotionally attached to the music too. But, again, ATMOSPHERE. I am once again gonna be speaking in the interest of spoilers here, so I hope anyone who's finished the game will forgive what I'm not saying, but the entire landscape of this desolate planet is just SO much. The world is so simple and empty, and yet awe is often mixed with this feeling of despair. This is incredibly fitting for Niko, for the hopeful little pal they are, and creates an incredible effect. (I included specific song reccs for the last but I don't quite for this - so I'll just say now that I'm listening to On Little Cat Feet). The visuals are fairly simple, the map small, and just looking at the game the world feels incredibly small. But the music makes it all seem so vast. We really get put into Niko's shoes (or their little cat feet I suppose), and get to see this world for the vast, terrifying, but incredible place it is. The music makes you feel like that child seeing a new world for the first time, (this isn't spoilers past the first chapter but I'm warning you anyways) even though you are meant to be a god, you are still made to feel small and the world still large. The music does so much of this work, and it's incredible. Throughout the soundtrack the underlying angst, the despair, remains present, and the game has so much more impact for the music. No game is incomplete without it's music, and Nightmargin does a fantastic job creating this music for Oneshot. I haven't analyzed the actual music instruments/structure so much, but it's those instrumental sounds again tearing at my heart strings again. I would also like to recommend this game beyond the soundtrack, since it is an incredible story, with some puzzling gameplay, and it has made me feel how no other game has. It is a masterpiece of a game, and I implore everyone to play it through. Get hints if you need to, or play alone, just make it to the Ending. You'll know when you're there. (Addendum: I think I'm very repetitive here but I refuse to edit it so you have to live with this. Anyways gonna say it again: Play Oneshot!!)

Now I have chosen three game soundtracks that had a story that incredibly connected with me, and music to bolster that story and those emotions in incredibly meaningful ways. But there are so many others with great music, but that didn't necessarily connect on such an emotional level. Portal and Portal 2 have fantastic soundtracks, Celeste has beautiful music, Underhero has some funky and spectacular beats, Undertale and Deltarune are famously incredible (although I also did emotionally connect with them... but they're already talked about enough. Lancer beloved.), Clam Man is just. Fun., Oxenfree is also incredibly atmospheric and spectacular, Sewer Rave just has nice beats, and Minecraft is nostalgic as all hell. There are so many games to choose from, that from the moment I saw your question I knew I would be writing a far too long Tumblr post to answer you, because it feels an injustice to just answer one without reasoning, or without bringing to light all of the other amazing sounds I've discovered.

To finally answer your question, I think Ikenfell deserves the top spot in my heart. My instinct was right, there's fresh sounds, great musical structure (see: Between the Lines that I didn't elaborate on), incredibly emotional sounds, and fantastic storytelling within the soundtrack. But I love all of these other soundtracks, so I must bring them up. For they also have spots in my heart.

TL;DR - Ikenfell wins but I also love Oneshot and Night in the Woods and many others so I don't know what to say chief (lies i have too much to say)

[stormhaven13]

I haven’t been paying close attention, are you still doing your Horizon Zero Dawn playthrough?

Also, for fun, what are some of your favorite video games that you’ve played?

I will be, but I had to pause for a bit cause life, then my uncle showed up out of nowhere and has been living in the room with the PS4, and I've been too busy to like. Move it and the tv. I will finish it, but I'm gonna settle back into school first.

Ahhhh favorites. My old nemesis :p I'm gonna just list a bunch cause I suck at favorites. I'll also include a brief like. Intro to them/why I love them cause I love talking about games, I'm learning game design sue me :p

Read more cause this got much longer than I expected!

In alphabetical order, cause if I order things another way this will take much longer!

Divinity Original Sin 2 is one of my favorite RPGs ever, Lohse owns my entire soul. The character writing and world building are just excellent, and I love how little the game restricts you, so you feel like you have a lot of agency while playing the game.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a fantastic bit of neurodivergent representation. Senua has some form of hallucinations/delusions, but the game is set in like. Viking fantasy basically. And the way its recorded makes you really feel her auditory hallucinations. And she's just portrayed as a really well rounded character and I really appreciate it.

Horizon Zero Dawn, I feel like I don't really need to mention this one, I've already talked A LOT about why it's basically my favorite game of all time.

Life is Strange is an old favorite, literally life changing for me. It's got some flaws but its close to my heart. I played it in early high school and had some Realizations that I then proceeded to ignore for like 7 years.

Oxygen Not Included is a deceptively complicated management game that eats up dozens of hours at a time. It's really cute looking, but it is also absolutely brutal, you can get all your people killed in like. 30 seconds if you're not careful. I have never finished it but I love starting it.

Pokemon is an old standby for me, it's the first game I ever played, and even though I get deeply frustrated with the series at times, it has stuck with me forever. I actually help run a Draft League server, which is a fun time! Also have done some background design on an entire region worth of custom mons, ya know. For funsies :p

Stardew Valley, for probably obvious reasons. I mod it a lot, I love SVE, and the game in general pushes all of my buttons. Good character writing, interesting world building, intense management game! I play a little bit of everything, but management games are the ones that eat my attention the most.

Stellaris is an excellent strategy game that I personally prefer to something like Civ. As a strategy game their about on the same level, but Stellaris A: lets you completely design your own civilization/species, and B: actually has super interesting story telling mechanics that really let you tell stories about your games.

The original Subnautica is probably my favorite survival game, just really great environmental storytelling and atmosphere. It's one of the few games (that I play, horror is rare for me) that truly scare me, cause my reaction to attempting to go into the desert full of giant Reapers is visceral!

Warframe is, in my opinion, the best free to play game ever made. It's gorgeous, the gameplay is super fun (Ninjas in Space!), and nearly everything is gettable completely for free, and anything that isn't is only cosmetic. To be warned though, it is terrible at teaching you the systems of the game, and they are super unclear.

I could go on, I play A LOT of games, and as someone studying game design I love talking about them, but that's already 500+ words, which is probably way too long for a simple ask! If you want thoughts on a particular game or genre I am happy to oblige though. It will probably be more mini essays though :p

[willowjadeflower]

what i... absolutely love about the game outer wilds is how deeply they explores real-life phenomenom and theories and science like!! the fact that the sun will inevitably turn supernova at the end of its lifespan, that the universe is growing older and colder, and facing that inevitibility? the mechanics of quantum physics and exploring just how interesting it would be for objects to only exist in a single possibility when observed by having players physically interact with them in puzzle form?? are memories that are sent back in time the same as sending a person back in time?

i just absolutely love the passionate curiosity and exploration of both homemade planets and scientific ideas within this game - the entire structure of piecing together a mystery through sheer environmental storytelling is truly inspiring, and the entire solar system is brimmimg with the sense of creativity and adventure. the art, the characters, the music? it’s absolutely beautiful.

[maxthommusic]

The Rest of Us

The Last of Us 2 has been spoiled. The leaks are out and the ending has been revealed. At least that's my understanding. That's what my Twitter feed has led me to believe. I haven't looked into them, and for the record, it's been pretty easy to avoid. But the one type of comment I haven't been able to avoid is the person claiming to cancel their pre-order since they now know what the ending is. This type of reaction is absolutely bonkers to me and I wonder if I'm alone in this?

While the ending to a game is undoubtedly an egregious spoiler, I don't think it means you have just cause for canceling a pre order and skipping the experience entirely. Some comments I've seen are, "Thanks for saving me $60, I don't need to play this now." This has been exclaimed in relation to not only knowing the ending, but simply not liking the ending. To explain slightly further, some people are upset they know the ending and think, "What's the point?" while others find the conclusion lacking and have decided to skip the experience altogether then.

For starters, games are the sum of their parts. Rarely does a video game succeed on one facet alone. And especially in the case of "The Last of Us 2 v the World," TLOU will 100% be about the total package. Just look at Uncharted. This lauded series is often mocked for how unpolished its gunplay is. Yet it's still considered to be legendary and has sold millions and millions of copies worldwide. It's because the story being told is an exciting, rip-roaring adventure. And lemme tell ya: if I judged Uncharted based on any of its beginnings and endings, I'd have missed out on something truly wondrous. Which seems completely obvious. But is it?

The "vocal minority" is so loud these days it's really hard to know who to trust. While you may criticize capitalism for being evil, money certainly does talk. Numbers don't often lie and when Naughty Dog first decided to be open about Ellie's sexuality, they took a major PR hit. People were pissed. Right...?

Critics loved the additional TLOU DLC and if you search TLOU fan art, a significant amount of fans have chosen to remember those additional scenes as some of the fondest. But that's the interesting part: you have to dig for that. You have to go looking for it. People's chagrin at making Ellie gay is what's served right on the table, unfortunately. But the amount of copies TLOU has sold since its launch and the amount of pre-orders Sony saw coming piling in proves that for the number of people who seem upset, the money is still pouring in to tell the story they want to tell.

Just look at micro transactions. Everyone hates them right? Then how come they generate millions, in some cases billions, of dollars in revenue?

It's time now, more than ever, to vote with your wallet. Games are only becoming harder and more expensive to create. What succeeds is determined by your spending. If you choose not to spend your hard earned cash on TLOU2, that's completely your prerogative. But damn, I hope it's for the right reason. There are stories to be told here and how TLOU2 ends is not how we're gonna remember it. The journey of how we got there is what's gonna replay in your mind's eye. Which, I understand: knowing the ending means you already comprehend all the foreshadowing and where's the surprise in that? But think of all the gorgeous graphics, textures, and details you'll miss. Think of all the side dialog and environmental storytelling that will go completely missed. There will be no triumph over adversity, no deep breath when the dust has settled. All these things cannot be spoiled by knowing the ending. To cancel your preorder because on these grounds is just childish. Worse because we all know you had to go looking for that leak. Or, at least, you didn't try very hard to get outta the way.

Quick tips for avoiding spoilers: 

#1: Skip past all articles including the subject matter's title

#2: Do not read the comments on ANYthing related to the subject matter

Honestly, that's it. One-two punch. I live by these guidelines and it works hella good for me. Ain't nothing ever been spoiled for me. 

TLOU2 is gonna break sound ground. I practically guarantee it. I'm not even excited for the game because I find the universe simply too bleak for my tastes... but as an intellectual, I'm telling ya: this shit is gonna rock. If you've found some reason to skip it, that's all you. But for the rest of us, get your negativity outta here. As a whole the gaming industry is just way too toxic and anyone involved with the TLOU2 leaks needs a spanking. I'm of the firm belief that anyone willing to even click the link and read the spoilers is a stain on our community. Who does that? Who has the desire to see the ending to one of the most hyped games of this generation?

Obviously a scumbag. Or someone not even remotely interested in TLOU2. Which begs the same response to both situations: we don't want your opinion. Leave the fun, intrigue and wonder to those that have an actual love and passion for this industry. Stop the toxic dialogue and let us enjoy our games in peace. Devs will rest easier, dialogue between gamers could stabilize and the Internet might be a bit of a nicer place...

But that's all wishful thinking. 

Here's to Naughty Dog and The Last of Us 2. I hope it captivates us like we've all been expecting. Send the devs some nice notes. I bet they'd love to hear it.

[blueskydreama]

Uncharted is my favorite action adventure video game franchise of all time. I tried my absolute best to be as unbiased as possible when writing this review, but I have to admit that I did fall into the trap more than once. Coming from the talented developers at Naughty Dog, creators of the smash hit The Last of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End wraps up the story of Nathan Drake and his comrades in this last, massive and explosive adventure. The PS4 has long been aching for an exclusive killer app, and Naughty Dog has done everything in their power to make sure UC4 fits the bill. It does. Oh, sweet mother of God, it does.

 WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR UNCHARTED 4

Uncharted 4 picks up the story several years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Having retired from the life of a treasure hunting rogue, Drake has made a relatively normal life for himself, making a living as a salvager of cargo from underwater wrecks. However, his new life is quickly disrupted with the reappearance of his long-presumed dead brother Sam. Sam is in trouble. A Panamanian drug lord by the name of Hector Alcázar has demanded that Sam find the lost treasure of pirate Henry Avery in 3 months or he will be killed. Not an easy task, especially considering he and his brother tried once before 15 years ago and failed. Drake reluctantly accepts his brother’s pleas for help, and sets off an explosive chain of events that culminates in one of the best twists I have experienced in a long time.

Uncharted 4 will take players across the globe in a journey that puts some of the most epic adventures to shame. Players will visit Italy and pull off a high stakes heist at a black market auction, Scotland, visit Madagascar and explore the plateau, and the fabled pirate paradise of Libertalia. The story is larger than ever before, with betrayal, emotion and intensity the likes of which the previous games could only dream of. The pacing of the plot is near perfection, with an excellent balance of chaos, thrill and quiet moments, although the introduction sequence could have been better paced. However, after the (simply spectacular) opening credit scene, the pacing is far smoother, and really begins to feel like a summer blockbuster.

The voice acting is the greatest it’s ever been. Troy Baker is absolutely phenomenal as Drake’s brother, and Nolan North is at his finest portraying a worn out, tired Drake, while Emily Rose (Elena) and Richard McGonagle (Sully) also put on top acts. You truly feel that these actors have become their characters, and feel the emotional weight behind their performances.

The ending is controversial, I won’t deny that, and while it irked many people, I personally believe that it could not have been better handled. There is simply no better way to send off Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise.

Being an adventure game, it goes without saying that the locations will be exotic – and absolutely gorgeous. Naughty Dog has forced the absolute maximum potential of the PS4 for this game. The environments are huge and richly detailed, with lush foliage that bends and moves with the characters, and glistens and drips in the rain. Puddles splash when the player moves in them, and water refracts light. The animation is top notch, with characters having unique combat poses and idle stances. The level of detail and polish present in this game is beyond anything I have seen before, even on current generation games. While I can’t say anything for the authenticity in the locations, considering that Naughty Dog modelled Kathmandu in Uncharted 2 true to life, I can say it’s a safe bet they did the same here, although obvious liberties had to be taken for gameplay purposes.

Characters react realistically to the environment. When brawling in muddy locations, character react accordingly, flinging mud and becoming covered the gunk. They drip water and their clothing becomes heavy and darker colored when soaked. Skin shines and trails water, and hair becomes matted. I constantly found myself slack-jawed at the lengths the developers went for this game.

Graphics aside, the sound is unmatched. Gunfire is thunderous and jolting, and the environmental SFX are astounding. When in the jungle, you believe you are there, with howler monkeys screeching and birds calling. The wilds of Madagascar are populated with cicadas and typical wildlife. The hurricane in the opening level is terrifying. The music is astounding, with sweeping orchestral pieces during action and peaceful melodies that play during the more intimate moments.

The production values are through the roof. The game truly feels as if you are playing a summer blockbuster movie, and the near complete lack of bugs and glitches is the icing on the cake.

Not too much has changed since Drake’s Deception hit shelves in November of 2011. The gunplay is just as refined as ever, and feels smooth and very fluid, especially with the new lock on mechanic – although that can make getting headshots somewhat difficult; however, it can be disabled at any time. Many of the old weapons return, with some new additions such as the Aegis 9mm pistol and the HS39 assault rifle. Along with the new weapons comes the marking system, which allows players to tag enemies to follow their movements and plan routes of attack. In addition to this, players are given the option to completely avoid combat, a first for the series.

Another new entry to the series is the grappling hook and rope, which further enhances traversal and environmental interactivity. Drake can use it to cross otherwise impassable gaps, scale walls and even instantly KO enemies with a lethal dropdown attack. The rope enhances vertical gameplay to entire new levels, and truly feels like a useful tool. That aside, the rope can also be tethered to stationary objects and used as a pulley, or even attached to breakable things and used to create new pathways.

Hand to hand combat has been slightly upgraded as well, with new takedowns utilizing your partners and new combat moves, but otherwise stays the same. Environmental takedowns are still as flashy as ever and even seems to take queues from The Last of Us for some of them.

Stealth plays a much bigger role in this entry than previous games. As mentioned before, some combat sections can be completely avoided if you are stealthy enough. Sneaking up behind enemies and silently killing them is a lot more fun than it should be, but the terrified look on their buddy’s face when they discover the body is priceless. Enemy AI is intelligent and challenging. If they find you, they will continue searching the area even after you disappear. They flank you and use cooperative tactics to try and defeat you. It is a much welcome change from the brain dead AI of most shooters. The same goes for your partner AI as well – they actually kill enemies and do a spectacular job of aiding the player.

Treasures return, of course, only now there are 109 to find, and they are very cleverly hidden, which gives an excuse to meander around large wide open areas. Alongside these treasures are notes and journal pages to be found that flesh out the lore a bit more. By pressing the OPTIONS button, you can view these collectibles. Beating the game unlocks new bonuses such as skins and tweaks to make your next playthrough that much more fun and interesting.

 Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune blew me away the first time I played it in 2008 on my uncle’s PS3. I felt like a true adventurer, off to solve the mysteries of the ancient world. A modern day Indiana Jones – stop the bad guys, get the treasure and get the girl. I walked away dumbstruck. The game was hard, yes, but the presentation and quality spoke to me on a deeper level. That gaming could be a hobby, but could also be a way for talented individuals to tell a story, to create ART, and that’s what Naughty Dog did, way back in 2007.

Nearly ten years have passed since then. Uncharted has become synonymous with high production values, venerated storytelling, exceptional character growth, and the PlayStation name itself. Naughty Dog’s flagship series permanently landed them in the spotlight of AAA game development, and they have continued to prove that they earned their spot, garnering universal praise and hundreds of awards since then.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the culmination of all of that hard work and dedication, passion and love. I cannot recommend this game enough. Tears have been shed, blood has been spilt and stories have been told. It saddens me to see Drake’s story end, but I would have it done no other way.

 Uncharted 4 is a true masterpiece of modern storytelling. This is for all the Dogs out there. 

[miximax-hell]

As always, it’s been a hot minute. But, uh, hey! I hope you’ve all been fine!

Can you believe that this is actually my 20th reference sheet? That’s crazy. I am hecking slow, but I honestly thought I’d have stopped doing this (way) before I reached the double digits. But, hey, I’m still kicking!

And, to honour such a number, it was about time to add another Raimon baby to this blog, so I’ve gone for one of my very favourites. Shishido is very dear to my heart for a variety of reasons (that I will make sure to explain thoroughly when the time for it comes) and I’ve had this miximax in mind for a very long time. In fact, I’ve been ruminating on it since @raynef-art (btw, today’s Raynef’s birthday, so go and wish her a happy birthday if you can!!) and I talked about Shishido on Skype years ago. When was that, even? 2016? 2017, perhaps? In any case, it sure has been extremely long. But, thankfully, all of that ruminating led to one of my favourite pairs in this whole project! Katrielle Layton is a fantastic fit for Shishido, and I will do my very best to explain why this is the case in this post.

So, for more on ShishiKat, please check under the cut!

As always, I like to use this first paragraph to talk a bit about random stuff, so feel free to skip it if you want. Long story short, I’ve spent the last few months (since mid-May or so) job hunting like a beast. Big ol’ companies from all around the world, like Rockstar, Revolution, The Creative Assembly/Sega or Build A Rocket Boy have shown interest in me, but it’s led nowhere so far, which is extremely frustrating. Heck, there’s a company who contacted me first and they still didn’t give me the job in the end. >:| But I did an interview last Thursday and I should get an answer soon, so let’s hope that goes well...! It’s an awesome job, close to where I live (so I wouldn’t have to move), the company is super successful and two friends are already working there. It’d be incredible to join them and keep progressing in my career. And, well, money doesn’t hurt at all either. Gotta get into the wheel of capitalism. Anyway, job matters aside, I’ve recently finished some games that have become personal favourites of mine, like Valkyria Chronicles and Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star (even if the first one was arguably better), but the one that undoubtedly takes the crown is Marvel’s Spider-Man, which shaped up to be a game as brilliant as Insomniac’s previous titles, if not even more so, and has become one of my favourite games of all time. Sadly, Spider-Man isn’t originally a videogame character, so I won’t be including him in this project (as much as that pains me). So we’ll have to take other routes if we want to have a Marvel miximax here... I’m on it, but suggestions are still accepted.

So, Shishido! Who doesn’t love Shishido? He’s just so lovely. Look at him! Look at him right now! How can someone without visible eyes be so PRECIOUS? Don’t you just want to channel the annoying aunt within you and pinch his cheeks and nose? Well, we still can’t do that, but we can try and do him justice by giving him a truly awesome miximax. (The quality of the art that accompanies said miximax may vary in quality, but that’s not Shishido’s nor Katrielle’s fault--it’s entirely mine for not being better.)

So, friends who have been here for a while and have a good memory may be thinking, “Hold on a minute, you! The Professor Layton franchise has already been represented within this blog--you miximaxed Fudou with Hershel Layton himself!” And you’d be right. You might even be thinking I’m betraying my own rules by using two characters from the same franchise. Well, that isn’t the case, as PL is a Level-5 franchise and I may (and tend to) use up to two characters from each franchise made by L5. It’s all here. But, even with all of that, there’s still a question that remains and that I figure many people might have in their heads: if Fudou is already miximaxed with Hershel, isn’t Shishido basically a copy? Does Katrielle really add anything to the table?

I’m glad you asked. Well, I’m glad I asked, because that’s what led to all of this. ww And, thankfully, yes. Yes, she does. But before answering that question, we have a much more important question to ask:

Who is Shishido Sakichi?

Hino, that lovely piece of work, is actually really fricking good (when he actually tries) at something I’m unable to name, hence why I will refer to it as “scattered storytelling.” It’s similar to environmental storytelling in the sense that we’re never directly told many things, but we can still figure them out thanks to the looks of a character, the scenarios we see, audio queues, etc. Video games offer many resources to build up rich environmental storytelling, but what Hino (and probably many others--it’s not like he invented the wheel!) does is give us hints scattered across different pieces of media to try and figure out what some of his undeveloped characters are all about. And let’s be real: original Raimon is a lovely collection of undeveloped characters. So let’s check out a few things about Shishido and see where they take us.

Shishido was one of the first members of Raimon, being one of the 7 players the team had before they were forced to look for more people to have a match against Teikoku. He was, however, replaced by Kidou when he joined the team, and he stayed as a benchwarmer until he got injured by Gemini Storm. Then, as he joined the Dark Emperors, if you talk to him in the game before the match, he mentions how he’s been pushing himself past his limit for a long time, only to keep feeling like he’s mediocre. Finally, during the match between Raimon’s older and newer members, he is shown facing Kidou and getting past him despite how afraid he was of engaging directly with such a big rival.

On top of that, his in-game descriptions go like this: “He is becoming the team’s key-man by developing his own pace,” (IE1) “His laid-back personality can make him the butt of his team-mates' jokes“ (IE2) and “The Aliea crystal has given him an invincible self-belief“ (IE2 DE). Let’s admit that it’s not a lot to go by, but maybe we can get something out of all of this.

As usual, I explain this better in the heat of the moment while talking to someone who’s ready to listen, so Raynef or my girlfriend probably got the better version of what I’ll be trying to explain now. However, those conversations are so old that I'm having trouble retrieving them, so... welp. ww Let me try anyway.

Judging by what we know about Shishido, we can try to figure out what his character development has been like. We get his first in-game description as soon as we can see him in our in-game menu; that is, before the first Teikoku match even takes place. At this point, aka at the very beginning of the game, Shishido is a player that is “becoming the team’s key-man.” Slowly, perhaps, but he is on his way. However, this process is halted abruptly when Kidou joins the team, as he replaces him as a regular first-team player. Now, a valid question would be, “why did Kidou replace Shishido and not any other midfielder?”

It would make no sense to get rid of Someoka or Kurimatsu to let Kidou in the pitch, as he’s not a forward nor a defender. But, among all the midfielders in the team, why Shishido? Why not Handa, Shourin or even Max (who is technically a forward, but has been playing as a midfielder, so it’d make a lot more sense to bench him)? The most obvious answer would be that everyone else has abilities that Kidou can’t properly replace/mimic/make up for; or, in other words, that Kidou is like an upgraded version of Shishido more than he is an upgraded version of any of the other characters. And what is Kidou, exactly? A brilliant midfielder with incredible control over the ball and a great strategist overall. It’s this last part that we’re most interested in: he’s a strategist. A game-maker, that is. What one could easily call a vital part of a team or, even, in more poetic words, a key-man. What Shishido used to be, or was going to become, before Kidou showed up to steal his spotlight. Not to mention the incredible pain one must feel upon being replaced like that... (This was best explained by @mimiflieder on her fic, Change of pace--it’s about Handa and Ichinose, but the same thing applies. I totally recommend checking it out!)

This theory is further supported (in sad ways) by his in-game description in IE2. His personality remains the same (laid-back and doing his at his own pace), but he has gone from being a key-man WIP to the butt of his teammates’ jokes. Sure, the jokes are blamed on this laid-back personality, but something doesn’t quite add up. Check out his quote while he’s a Dark Emperor: he’s been pushing himself too hard to achieve nothing. Is that really what you’d call ‘laid-back’?

In the best case scenario, everyone sees him as being laid-back and chill to the point of being funny: he’s not making a fuss about being replaced in front of his teammates. However, he’s been trying as hard as possible in secret to become the best he can possibly be... only to still be eclipsed by Kidou and the other talented members of the team in every sense.

In the worst case scenario, his attempts to improve are very much obvious to his team, and the lack of results or the gap between the two key-men not becoming any smaller is what makes him the butt of jokes (but I hate this scenario because Raimon babies are all sweet and supportive boys who’d never do this. I DON’T CARE IF TEENAGERS ARE CRUEL AND STUPID BY NATURE. RAIMON BABIES ARE BETTER THAN ACTUAL TEENAGERS, OKAY, AND THEY’D NEVER DO THIS. THEY ARE PRECIOUS LITTLE ANGELS.)

In either case, he was destined to be--heck, he might have already been in non-spoken parts of the game--Raimon’s game-maker, but when Kidou came around with his superior skills, Shishido became, simply put, obsolete. That made his self-esteem sink and eventually threw him in the arms of Aliea in a desperate attempt to finally be better and stand up to Kidou. That’s why his in-game description as a DE talks about his boosted self-esteem, much like Handa’s talks about how that jack-of-all trades is using the meteorite to become master of all.

And, of course, this makes that scene during that final match ALL the more relevant: not only does it signify the triumph of hard work and resolution over sheer talent, fleeting as it might be, but it’s also the end of a long, long journey of self-deprecation, self-improvement, guts and sheer fear. Shishido was literally SHAKING when he saw Kidou running towards him, but he pulled himself together and won. He was no longer the inferior one, the replaceable one, the laughing stock. Little and unexplained as it may be, it’s a truly emotional finale to his personal and unspoken journey.

(Another and more positive way to look at it is that Shishido is meant to become Raimon’s game-maker and key-man AFTER KIDOU LEAVES, so all this time by his side has been a massive training camp of two years to learn his ways and then add his own twist to everything he’s learnt. This leaves some issues hanging, but it will at least let me sleep tonight.)

What we have here is a pretty solid theory pointing at Shishido having what it takes to become a game-maker. But, hey, that’s just a theory! A GAME THEORY! ...And what this means is that there’s evidence supporting it, but we have no way to confirm it unless one of you guys can go and casually interrogateview Hino (and if you do, that’d kind of come in handy, actually). However, the pieces fall together a bit too well to be just a coincidence, right? At least, I think so. And even if they don’t, we don’t have much more to go by, so... it’ll have to do.

Anyway, we’ve (somewhat) answered the question about who Shishido is. It is, therefore, about time to answer the main question this post laid on the table: is Katrielle a good aura to use when her father is already part of this project? And, even if she is, why would Katrielle be the best match for Shishido? Let’s start by explaining what makes Katrielle non-redundant despite bearing her father’s surname and being very similar conceptually.

In essence, Katrielle and Hershel fulfill very similar roles: a smart person who likes puzzles and is hired to solve mysteries no one else can solve. But anyone who knows anything about these characters will know that, really, they are absolutely nothing alike.

Hershel is the perfect gentleman: well-behaved, modest, calm and cold-headed regardless of the situation, polite to a fault, boasts perfect manners, and he manages to get along with even the most unfriendly people in the world thanks to his infinite patience, unwavering kindness and the smile he has on his face whenever he greets someone. Not to mention that his investigation process is long-winded and meticulous, and keeps telling Luke to not make quick assumptions when he jumps into conclusions ahead of time.

Meanwhile, Katrielle is pretty much the polar opposite: proud (heck, the first episode of the anime has her saying her skills are better than her father’s!), funny, dramatic to a fault, jumps to crazy conclusions so fast that everyone around her is always surprised by it and doubts she even put any thought into them, has a quick temper sometimes, she works as a detective just for funsies (and glory, to some extent, as she’s constantly struggling to be taken seriously by people who’d rather talk to her dad), she’s easily swayed by yummy food, instinct and imagination move her much more than hard evidence... This alone is enough to make the personalities of ShishiKat and FudoLay totally different, but, of course, this train doesn’t run on personalities, but on powers and skills. So let’s discuss not what Kat offers, but what Shishido needs.

We’ve established that Shishido was a game-maker in progress. Now, let’s keep in mind that this project includes all of the main characters from IE, IEGO, IECS and IEGalaxy, and they could all potentially be sharing a side of the field with Shishido, so let’s see whom he is competing against.

Of course, we have Kidou, the genius game-maker, the absolute commander of the pitch and, well, a living legend trained by another living legend: Kageyama. He has a miximax too, but you guys have not seen it yet. In due time.

We have Fudou, whose natural intelligence is (arguably) on par with Kidou’s and has received some training by Kageyama as well, even if he didn’t reach the same level of legend nor acted as a game-maker nearly as much as Kidou did. Fudou is, however, enhanced by Hershel Layton, whose influence upon mixitransing helps Fudou stop being such a little shit. That allows him to focus enough on the game and on his teammates to surpass Kidou as a serious and cold-headed strategist who is able to treat every situation as a puzzle and find the precise moves needed to solve it. Not to mention that, of course, Layton boosts Fudou’s intelligence as well.

Shindou has his miximax, which turns him into a "gamemaker of truth who can appraise people and the general situation, while combining both stillness and motion." Pretty self-explanatory.

Taiyou and Hakuryuu, upon mixitransing, become "midfielders of unparalleled accuracy, who can see into the future and attack the enemy's weak spots with their analytical reasoning." These two aren't technically game-makers in Chrono Storm, but Zhuge Liang was a frigging strategist and these two are given analytical reasoning through their miximax. Not to mention they were probably game-makers when they were part of their original teams.

The way the canon tried to keep Shindou and Taiyou/Hakuryuu from overlapping was by casually disregarding Zhuge Liang’s strategist side and focusing on her Keshin and ability to see the future/what no one else can see, so we can scratch Taiyou and Hakuryuu, as they won’t easily be taking the role of game-makers anymore. We can also discard Kidou, as FudoLay completely outclasses him for the time being. (Look at me, I sound like I’m writing an article on Electrode for Smogon--) So, ShishiKat’s only real challengers are FudoLay and, uh... does Shindou’s miximax have any kind of fandom name? I heard people refering to Kirino’s miximax as Kirino d’Arc, but that’s about it. Anyway, to keep it simple, I’ll call it ShinOda until someone brings up something better.

So, yeah, ShishiKat is competing against ShinOda and FudoLay. ShinOda focuses on a complete control over when to move and when not to move, arguably to preserve his teammates’ and his own stamina and maximise what everyone can do with their natural reserves of energy. FudoLay, on the other hand, uses analytical thinking to find the most efficient moves in any given situation. As I mentioned, he treats every situation as a puzzle, and, as Layton would say, “every puzzle has an answer.” One specific and perfect answer that FudoLay excels at finding, using the minimum number of steps necessary and turning the solution into pure art. He is, however, still Fudou, so he’d probably push his teammates to the limit in rough ways in order to achieve that perfection he is aiming for. And it’s still Layton, so we can expect some long-winded thought processes that take long to pay off--but when they finally do, HOO BOY.

It's good being analytical and smart, but perhaps, just perhaps, Shishido could use a little something to make him different and stick out among his peers. Something that is a bit more... proactive. Unpredictable. Slightly impulsive. But still as witty as one can ever be. He needs to combine the brains with the brawn, and blend it all together with much-needed cheerfulness, since all the game-makers we’re dealing with here are cold or outright pricks.

Shishido needs to improvise to the point of making things up for no reason and eventually making them work in almost miraculous ways. Focus less on what’s in front of his eyes and more on what other possibilities could be there. Act more on instinct than on careful observation. Give commands that are a lot more roundabout that those of Shindou, Kidou or Fudou, but end up paying off in ways that not even he could always predict. Jump into the problem head-first and solve it in-situ instead of looking at it from afar and pondering for long periods of time. And, of course, among all of that, he needs an enormous self-confidence to pull it all off, as his premises may seem utterly ridiculous and he must believe in them whole-heartedly to convince everyone else.

Katrielle Layton checks every single one of these boxes. It’s Katrielle, and Katrielle alone, who can turn Shishido not just into a replacement for the times when Kidou and Fudou aren’t around, but into a true force of nature that can assist the team at all times. It makes Shishido useful and non-redundant--which is, of course, much more than the anime did for him. Let alone the manga, where Shishido didn’t even appear. (I mean, the manga gave us Tamano bby, but still--)

And the best part is that they don’t step on each other. ShinOda is fantastic (and I won’t comment on my own ideas), but no one is objectively better at being a game-maker than the rest. Different situations will call for different approaches, so their relevance will shift as the rivals change or as the rivals adapt to one style or the other. Or, heck, they can simply all work together to keep their rivals guessing and come up with even greater strategies that combine everyone’s fortes.

Also, I’m watching Katrielle’s anime with my girlfriend and that is what made me consider her for this project in the first place, so props to her! (But sorry for butchering the design, dear ww)

[metalgearkong]

Hollow Knight - Review (Switch)

10/18/19

Developed by Team Cherry, released February 2017

I am shamefully late to this party. Hollow Knight was shown to me by a friend a couple years ago when I was visiting Oregon, the place I grew up, from California, the place I now live. I liked the art style and atmosphere, but I didn’t play it long enough to fall in love with it. Only recently did I download Hollow Knight from the Nintendo eShop because it was so cheap, and I had heard so many good things about it. This began a deep appreciation and passion that grew on me quickly. After finally finishing the core game (not including DLCs) and getting at least one of the three endings, I can safely say that Hollow Knight has become one of my favorite games of all time.

We play as a little bug-like creature, who has come to explore the Hallownest, an expansive underground abandoned bug kingdom with ancient secrets and treasures to discover. The story is intentionally vague for most of the game, and even by the end, you likely won’t fully grasp the story and lore elements without some help or further research. It’s not that the clues aren’t there, it’s just a giant puzzle to analyze, something I enjoy doing. The lack of constant story revelations didn’t bother me, because Hollow Knight has an ongoing sense of mystery and wonder. As you delve deeper and deeper into the dark, dangerous, and macabre locations within Hallownest, you’re never really sure what’s going on, but the game is so well designed, you’re constantly inspired to press on and discover what’s around the next corner.

Hollow Knight can be succinctly described as a Metroidvania with a bit of Soulslike mixed in. This game is a combination of some of the most successful trends of gaming, rolled into a masterfully executed new package. The Hallownest consists of several interconnecting locations that have a distinct theme, and serve some sort of function of the ancient kingdom. Each of these areas have their own music, enemies, color scheme, and environmental hazards. The in-game map is extremely helpful, showing you where you are, shaping each area, and giving you the ability to place markers on the map with different colors so you can invent your own legend and remember where certain things are. 

Many times and obstacle will be found in the corners of each of these biomes, letting you know that once you’ve discovered more abilities, that these are places you’ll want to revisit. I had a blast pulling out lined notebook paper and drawing each of these areas as I went along. The game won’t show you the true size of each location until you find Cornifer, a friendly cartographer bug who is also exploring the Hallownest. Buying his map interprets an entire area for you. I had fun comparing my sketches and drawings to the actual map shape and size in-game. I also enjoyed scribbling notes about things when I needed new abilities, or just an interesting location that might have story relevance at some point. The game certainly doesn’t hold your hand and has enough confidence in players not to talk down them.

Team Cherry has some seriously brilliant game design elements built into the combat system. For example, when you slash with the nail and hit an enemy, it pushes you and the enemy back ever so slightly. The combat has a weight to it, and when you get hurt, the audio fades out briefly like you’ve just stood next to a gunshot or explosion. It really feels punishing to get hit, even if you’re not near dying, and makes you want to pay attention and do better. Aspects like this, and other gameplay nuances, make you have to think twice when performing simple actions. 

If the player dies, you are returned to the nearest bench you sat on (a save point). As you play the game, you collect Geo from fallen enemies. Geo is the currency of this game, and can be used to buy Cornifer’s maps, open fast-travel stations, and purchase Charms (upgrades) at stores. If you die, you wake up on the last bench yoh sat on. Then, you have to go back to the place you died in order to collect your Geo. If you die before retrieving your Geo, that Geo disappears forever. This is a very Soulslike element, and leads to a lot of suspense as you try your best not to perish again before regaining your lost currency. My advice is to buy things when you can, because saving up Geo has no purpose other than risking losing it all if you die twice. I’ve lost thousands of Geo making this very mistake. Luckily, the place you died is shown on the map, and a certain musical tune will alert you that you are approaching the right spot.

Another Soulslike aspect of the game are the difficult boss battles. This is actually one of the only elements of the game I didn’t fully enjoy. Some bosses aren’t too hard, but most of them are very challenging, and require a dozen attempts to defeat. Some people really get off on this, but not so much me. The frustration of being killed by a boss a bunch of times doesn’t equal the payoff of finally defeating it. Some bosses are optional which is convenient, but most of them also contain an item that greatly helps you in the game, or gives you an ability which is required to access major areas. I know that everyone says “difficult but fair” for these sorts of things, but some bosses only start feeling like a fair fight once you’ve died in battle with them a handful of times to learn their moves -- then it begins feeling like a fair fight. I dreaded each time I came upon a new boss because I knew I’d be stuck for the next while trying to defeat it, instead of exploring, which is what I enjoy the most.

The music of Hollow Knight plays a big part in its atmosphere. Each area has its own distinct music, but more than that, the music is a terrific addition for defining the tone of each area or scenario. It mostly seems to consist of string and piano, with other instruments sometimes mixed in. Overall the game has a very somber tone, much of it attributed to the music. However, some areas feel more whimsical or lighthearted. Places like Fog Canyon or Greenpath have a less threatening vibe because, story-wise, they are in a much less threatening location. Plenty of enemies and challenges are still found in these areas, but the game does a brilliant job using music to establish mood and even help with bit of storytelling.

Hollow Knight is a fantastic, elegant, beautiful game. The fact that this is Team Cherry’s very first official commercial release is beyond impressive and inspiring. This is truly a triple-A title disguised as an indie game. How is it that this 2D Metroidvania is just as addictive and feels just as expansive as Skyrim? Even feeling like I was being extremely thorough (but not referring to guides) I only completed 71% of the game after 32 hours of playing. To truly get the best endings, and uncover the entire backstory and lore elements, I could see myself spending at least 10 more hours uncovering this game’s secrets. I look forward to returning to this game, not only for the DLC that has already released, but to try again at discovering all of the locations, abilities, and story the game offers for dedicated fans. Hollow Knight is one of the best games ever made, and I can’t wait to see what Team Cherry does next.

9.5/10

[davidmann95]

Early Kingdom Hearts III impressions

I got the thing. The playing of the thing has been sporadic, though hopefully that should change tomorrow. Having made it partway through the Toy Story world, here’s what I think so far, in mostly non-spoilery terms (I touch on a couple minor and/or expected things that happen over the course of the first world) but under a cut regardless. Except for one critical thing I need to make sure everybody sees: the opening to the Toy Story world is very possibly already the best moment in gaming in 2019, and even if you don’t give the weakest, wettest fart about this series, you owe it to yourself to look up those first 2 minutes or so on Youtube.

* so fucking pretty

* Only one truly sour note so far (other than Phil not speaking at the Coliseum, which is monstrous), but damn, what a place to have one: the 0.2 ending made perfect sense to use for the opening here, but for god’s sake, why on Earth not just use the whole thing? So damn janky cut to the bone like that; at minimum it should have kept “I’m back!” This is somewhat in keeping with the game as a whole being almost aggressive in letting you know you’re screwed if you didn’t play literally every other game (other than hopefully X, since I passed on that) - this isn’t really Kingdom Hearts III, it’s Kingdom Hearts III Part 3/3 after Dream Drop Distance and A Fragmentary Passage - but frankly, I feel like at this point that’s fair, even if IV better do a better job at starting on a relatively clean slate. It’s just this one point where I feel like it failed in execution, but the philosophy remains understandable.

* It’s fun! I wish I could cycle through the triangle commands, but the fighting’s frenzied and exciting while remaining familiar, and I’m using magic and shotlocks a lot more than I did in past games. I thought moving away from the command deck was a mistake, and I still hope they return in the future, but this absolutely feels like the perfected form of the classic model.

* This is a LOT funnier than past games. A few moments of stiffness that are par for the course aside, the dialogue feels so much more fluid and natural than in the past, while still managing to bring it for the emotional material.

* There are about 3 or 4 times more mechanics involved here than a normie like me could ever hope to grasp, but it feels like a pick-and-choose of what might most interest you and your playstyle rather than an overwhelming necessary collectathon, especially given I know the secret ending this time is just going to be behind a single scavenger hunt, so I approve.

* The Gummi Ship is...fun now. Not an outright blast or anything, I can’t imagine i’ll go into the depths of it, but I honest-to-god dig blasting around the overworld in the thing and the actual fights are perfectly solid. I remember playing Ratchet and Clank: A Crack In Time years ago and thinking “just do this!”, and it honestly isn’t a million miles away from what they went for. Big gold star for most improved mechanic.

* I was concerned the new (ish, I know she’s filled the part in a minor capacity in the past) Kairi voice actor would be distracting, but as of her one time sticking her head in so far, I think she’s really good. Sadly they kept Richard Epcar as Ansem, and while to be clear he’s definitely still good, I’m holding out hope that if the Xehanorts fuse together for the final battle as implied by the last trailer, that guy’ll be voiced by Billy Zane. I think I’ll be down for the new Master Xehanort later, since going by the trailer the new guy with him is doing entirely his own thing rather than a weak Nimoy impression.

* Sora, you took down four previously post-game bonus boss-tier enemies at the same time, why are you talking like you’ve been reduced to a 90-pound weakling

* Malificent is still convinced she’s the main villain and that’s delightful, as is her and Pete’s failed first go at grabbing the box.

* Love love love the Uncharted-style integrated environmental storytelling and incidental dialogue, which I’ve thought for awhile the series would benefit from; learning why Seifer wasn’t in Twilight Town this time and why the skateboards vanished damn near made me double over, and I cannot overstate how important it was to me to learn that pizza and burgers exist in the universe of Kingdom Hearts.

* I like the camera and I’m definitely using it more than I did in Spider-Man, even if it’s nowhere near as versatile., since you can actually take pictures and there’s more environmental stuff actually worth taking pictures of. And in the past I’ve been a little ehhhh on the song titled Sora as his definitive tune compared to everyone else’s, but I like it a lot more as the ringtone.

* I’d always assumed that it would take, like, the Kingdom Hearts equivalent of a nuke to break a Keyblade, and that it would set off titanic repercussions or at least seriously damage the heart of whoever wielded it. That it’s apparently more of a ‘damn, gotta get a new one at the shop’ situation certainly makes it clearer how Riku was able to just hand Kairi one like it wasn’t even a thing. Apparently it isn’t!

* And finally: I assume it’s a character thing, but if I had a whatever name like Lea and then was bequeathed something as dope as Axel, I too would stick with the latter even after getting my heart back.

[digitalfrontiers]

Prey  (Arkane Studios  2017)

[mysticfyres]

After a brief period of Steam exclusivity, the Fyre Awards are returning to Tumblr!

{Introduction}

We’re approaching the end of the year, which means it’s almost time for the 2019 Fyre Awards! As before, the Fyre Awards are a fake Gaming Awards Ceremony conceived and hosted entirely by me, Fyre. As December comes to a close, I’m going to look over all of the games I played over the course of the year and choose winners for 20 unique award categories. These categories include Best Level Design, Best Music, Best Narrative, and many more. A full list of categories can be found below.

Similar to the previous years, throughout the following days I am going to be posting category winners, with posts describing each of the games, the award they won, and why. The Awards will begin with the Awards in Visual Achievement, and will proceed until we finally wrap up with the Game of the Year Awards. These awards will be posted here as well as on my steam group page, so feel free to follow along wherever you like!

Notable changes from previous years:

The "Artistic Achievement" Award has been replaced with the "Best Environmental Design" Award. The new award can be found in the Awards in Visual Achievement Category.

The "Best Multiplayer" Award has been removed completely

The Awards in Individual Achievement category has been replaced with Awards in Innovative Achievement. 3 new awards have been added in this category: the “Best Original Concept“ Award, the “Best Subversion of Expectations” Award, and the “Best Alteration of a Series Game” Award

{Games and Categories}

A full list of all games under consideration for awards can be found here

Categories:

There are 20 total awards divided into 6 categories:

Awards in Visual Achievement Awards in Audio Achievement Awards in Gameplay Achievement Awards in Writing Achievement Awards in Innovative Achievement Game of the Year Awards

Rules & Restrictions:

A single game can win no more than 3 total awards

A single game can only win 1 game of the year award

Game of the year awards are not limited to exclusives. Any game playable on that medium (PC/Xbox/Mobile/Playstation) over the course of the year is eligible to win the award.

Awards and Descriptions:

Awards in Visual Achievement

Best Visual Design

The Best Visual Design award recognizes the most visually stunning game of the year. The award may not necessarily go to the game made with the most advanced graphics engine, but a game which demonstrates the most unique and consistent use of visuals. An ideal winner features a trademark design which makes it stand out from other games on the market, while simultaneously being beautiful enough to make you want to stop and screenshot every few seconds.

Best Character Design

The Best Character Design award recognizes a game with exceptional character conceptualization and execution. Although perhaps not always well-written, these characters have distinct, interesting designs that set them apart from all others, and are well-loved by audiences.

Best Environmental Design

The Best Environmental Design award recognizes a game with stunning environmental construction. Rather than focusing on functionality and ease of navigation, this award commends a game with a truly beautiful environment, that is stunning to look at and a joy to explore. An ideal winner should provide a gaming environment which is fully-realized and stunningly detailed, and generally striking.

Awards in Audio Achievement

Best Sound Design

While video games are primarily considered a visual medium, a key element in making the world of their stories’ come to life is their sound design. Sound design, in this case, includes all nonmusical pieces of audio used in a game. This can include anything from the sound of footsteps npcs make when walking on a dirt road, to the ‘ping!’ of dialogue boxes when a character speaks. Although often overlooked, these small, essential elements breathe life into a game. Thus, the Best Sound Design award recognizes the game which demonstrates unique mastery over these elements to enhance the game as a whole.

Best Soundtrack

While the Best Sound Design award recognizes outstanding nonmusical audio in a game, the Best Soundtrack award praises a game for its music. Music, in this case, encompases everything from the title screen melody, to boss fight soundtracks, to small shanties sung by npc bards. Both instrumental and lyrical pieces are considered in this award, and the winner of this category demonstrates masterful use of one or both types in their game. Ideal candidates for the Best Soundtrack award include music which not only enhances the gaming experience, but provides pieces which stand as beautiful melodies outside of their game as well.

Awards in Gameplay Achievement

Best Gameplay

The Best Gameplay award recognizes the game which has mastered the art of player interactivity through gameplay. This award recognizes gameplay which is streamlined, fun, and easy to learn, yet difficult to master. Punishment and reward systems are appropriately balanced, so that any player can theoretically reach the game’s end, but only the best and most patient of players can achieve total mastery. Ideally, there is also be an element of uniqueness in its gameplay, an expansion of earlier titles or a twist on conventions which make the gameplay not only logical, but interesting.

Best Level Design

The Best Level Design award recognizes a well-crafted gaming environment, one which balances ease of navigation, visual design, and difficulty to traverse. This award recognizes a gaming environment which logically balances its visual and interactive elements, and requires an appropriate amount of time for a player to assess and traverse. If distinct sections are defined, all feel equally balanced and interesting, and rely on the same underlying principles of design without sacrificing uniqueness.

Awards in Writing Achievement

Best Narrative

The Best Narrative award recognizes a game with masterful storytelling, with a compelling and emotional narrative arc that sinks its teeth into players and doesn’t let go. This award recognizes a story that begs to be played through to the end, and which stays with players long after they walk away.

Best Game Direction

The Best Game Direction award recognizes a game with outstanding creative vision and execution. An ideal winner presents a clear direction and thesis, all of its elements coming together to reinforce that argument in an emotive, striking fashion.

Best Protagonist

The Best Protagonist award recognizes a main character who is memorable, loveable, and entirely unique. Though perhaps not necessarily the best of people, they are a character audiences can’t, and won’t, ever forget.

Best Antagonist

The Best Antagonist award seeks to recognize a villain who is full of personality, whose motivations and behavior are complex and uncertain. Whether they be at constant odds with the protagonist or reveal themselves in the end to be good all along, they serve as a worthy adversary throughout the main story, whom audiences can’t help but love.

Awards in Innovative Achievement

Best Original Concept

With so many games released every year from major studios and indie developers alike, it's tempting to say we’ve “seen it all” as far as games and gameplay. However, there is still a surprising amount of room for pushing the boundary when it comes to games, and that’s what the Best Game Innovation award seeks to recognize. This award recognizes a game that introduces something new to the gaming scene, and shifts previously established genre conventions or rebels against earlier games in its class.

Best Subversion of Expectations

Every new game that comes out inevitably builds off the backs of others that came before it, using genres, tropes, stories, and themes all too familiar to us. As such, early into a game it can be tempting to think we know where it is going, the story it is going to tell, or what its quality will be all the way through. Though first impressions are often right, occasionally some games will play with those expectations, hinting at their reliance on familiar principles only to abruptly pull the rug out from under us with something either completely new or totally unexpected. The Best Subversion of Expectations award thus recognizes a game that surprised players and betrayed our expectations in the best way possible.

Best Alteration of a Series or Game Formula

Games that are part of a series are, for better or for worse, often very similar. For the most part, series games use the same basic mechanics and themes over and over with slight changes, making them often feel repetitive. However, occasionally series games will introduce a new mechanic, character, plot point, or idea that fundamentally changes their series - hopefully for the better. The Best Alteration of a Series Game award then seeks to recognize a game that is part of a series that introduced something new, and better, than anything it had done in the past. Whether a slight UI alteration or an entirely new plot, this change refined an already good series and changed the game in the best way possible.

Game of the Year Awards

Mobile Game of the Year

The Mobile Game of the Year award recognizes the best mobile game of the year, one which makes the most of its platform and draws in thousands of players worldwide. This award recognizes a colorful, addicting, yet masterfully crafted game, one which audiences can’t help but love - and pour all their money into.

Xbox Game of the Year

The Xbox Game of the Year award recognizes the best Xbox game of the year, one which begs to be played until within an inch of its life, whose gamerscore stands not as a challenge, but as an invitation. This award recognizes a game which makes best use of its console’s graphics, community, and quirks, to make it a fantastic gaming experience.

PlayStation Game of the Year

The Playstation Game of the Year award recognizes one of Playstation’s strongest titles, typically console-exclusive. This award recognizes a game which begs to be played, one which other consoles, if they don’t, often wish they had.

Nintendo Game of the Year

The Nintendo Game of the Year award recognizes the best game Nintendo has to offer for the 2018 year. Whether it be a new generation of one of their popular franchises or something entirely new, this game is a classic in its own right, and an incredibly fun experience.

PC Game of the Year

While there has long been debate over which is better, console or pc gaming, one arena in which pc undoubtedly has the edge is in diversity. Sporting both popular console titles and an endless array of exclusive indie titles, pc has by far the greatest variety of games to choose from. Thus, the PC Game of the Year award recognizes one of these many diverse titles. Though it may have found its way to other platforms, this game grabbed the hearts and mind of pc gamers, and is a must-have in any steam library.

Ultimate Game of the Year

The Ultimate Game of the Year award recognizes the best of the best, the game that stole my heart and defined my entire year. This award recognizes a game I loved through and through, that I couldn’t put down and couldn’t stop thinking about in the brief moments that I did. This game reminded me of all of the reasons I love video games, and makes me excited for new titles like it every year. Regardless of what others may say of it, this is my number one game for 2019.

{Outro}

That’s about it for now folks. I’ll see you all in the coming days when I announce the winners!

-Fyre