#also as u can tell i played the dlc last night..... it was good

[arshem]

[gvtterfeast]

who else loves video games that have good baselines for characters/worlds but dont actually go much beyond that so really you just love the story that you built in your head based off the small bits of in-game content :^)

[enigmatist17]

The Mark of a Bullet (Sir Hammerlock x Wainwright Jakobs)

Y’all Y’all

I cannot wait to play their wedding DLC, I am almost there.

But have this in the meantime, because y e s I love them so m u c h my baby Hammerlock deserves happiness

------------------------------------------

Alistair Hammerlock enjoyed a challenge, of course, he did. Leaving his namesake, which had not been as hard as one would have assumed, freed him of some terrible shackles. The world and its infinite treasures and adventures were his for the taking, and Alistair couldn’t be happier. His renown in the hunting community exploded in such a short time, and within 10 years Hammerlock became synonymous with Alistair and his hunting. Pandora became his home after some time, Alistair happy to study and track until the war came. He was never one for shooting people and dissidents, but hunting fell to the background as he helped the small band of people try and defend their home from Handsome Jack. After the liberation of Pandora, Alistair moved on as he always did, and found himself on Eden-6. For most people, paradise did not involve swamp creatures and other horrors, but for Alistair, it was absolutely perfect. He was settled in a small town for close to a month when the head of Jakobs corporation invited him for a hunting trip. Never one to turn down a hunt, nor the rather delicious free food and exquisite ammunition, Alistair took the invite.

Where he came for Montgomery Jakobs, Alistair instead finds himself falling for Wainwright Jakobs. 

He arrived two days into the hunt, startling Alistair and receiving a bullet to his shoulder. It wasn’t the greatest of meetings, the two bickering as Alistair expertly tends to the wound in record time.

“Do you go ‘round shootin’ every person ta come near you?” Wainwright snarled, watching the hunter roll his eyes as he pulls out the bullet.

“Do you find it acceptable to come around and brazenly confront a hunter amid the hunt?”  Wainwright spluttered at the accusation, ears turning red as his father and associates laughed in the background. 

“Here I thought big game hunters knew everythin’ about their surroundings.”  It was now Hammerlock’s turn to shoot a look, pulling back to burn the now bloodied bandages.

“I was not aware I had to also lookout for a surprise newcomer, mister?”

“Wainwright Jakobs.” Alistair cocked his head slightly, unaware the heir to Jakobs corporation was even aware of the hunting expedition. “You must be the famous Sir Hammerlock then, hmpf.”

“Indeed I am.” Despite the huff, Alistair was more amused now than irritated, offering a hand to the other. “Do you often hunt with a shotgun?” 

“I don’t hunt at all.” Wainwright winced as he carefully stretched out his arm, the injury only letting him about halfway. “I am far more comfortable with a good book by a fire, rather than out in the mud and grog intestines. I am here by request of my father, who is under the impression this is all for business.”

“Oh, dear.”  Wainwright raises an eyebrow at the tone, but the hunter says nothing, merely escorting Wainwright to their makeshift camp. The hunt goes on for three days, Alistair hiding back growing irritation as the head of Jakobs and his business partners operated with reckless abandon. The hunter had heard rumors of avoiding any invitation by the CEO, and now he fully understood. The only saving grace was Wainwright, much to Alistair’s surprise.

Despite not enjoying the heat and swamp, Wainwright was learning tricks of the trade rather quickly. Sure, his aim was nonexistent and his brash footing was leaving a lot to be desired, but for the most part, Wainwright was a fast learner. They were up late each night, speaking about music, philosophies, books, any and every topic they could think of. The two end up staying an extra day, Montgomery bidding a hasty farewell after realizing that Hammerlock had no part with his parents’ company, and therefore was effectively not worth his time. Wainwright seemed to almost transform the moment his fathers’ vehicle was out of sight, shoulder’s loosening as he cracks open some brandy. 

Hammerlock returns to his humble lodge after bidding Wainwright goodbye and finds his research was rather...lonely without the company. Alistair had never been one to seek out company for his work before, but those short days with Wainwright had been rather lovely. Taking a week-long expedition, that most certainly wasn’t extended because he got slightly lost, Hammerlock is glad to see his abode and pauses when he notices the door is ajar. Readying his pistol, Alistair slowly opens the door and points his gun at the figure standing in the living room. 

“Are we going to meet with your gun always between us?” Wainwright sounds amused, but Hammerlock can tell he is nervous after hearing his pistol click.

“Perhaps that would end if you approached me in my sight.” The pistol is holstered, and Wainwright turns with a slightly bashful look. 

“Fair point, fair point.” There is a freshly cooked meal on the table, and Alistair can’t help but be grateful at such a sight. “I heard you would be returnin’ soon, and as such thought ta offer a good meal.”

“How very kind of you.” Alistair doesn’t mind the small amount of grime he sullies the couch with, knowing there will always be later to clean. They both slip into a conversation as if they had never parted ways, the late hour slowly turning to early morning as they continued. It should be silly, men in their late forties and early fifties respectively laughing and regaling each other with stories like teenagers. A night turns into a week, Wainwright taking Alistair around for an in-depth tour of Eden-6. It’s late one night when gazing up at the myriad of stars on the roof of Hammerlock’s cabin, that Jakobs leans over and captures the hunter’s lips in a kiss. For just a moment, Alistair freezes at the contact but is soon moving his flesh and bone hand to caress the side of Wainwright’s jaw. They eventually part and Alistair suddenly thinks that coming to Eden-6 had been his wisest choice throughout his career.

It only hits him a few days later, bidding Wainwright a goodbye after escorting him home, what that feeling of utter peace meant. When Alistair arrives at his own abode, his shirt is quickly yet efficiently removed. Just above his left nipple, a patch of skin that had always been barren was finally alight with a symbol. The design, still in the process of solidifying with dark hues of reds, greens, and blacks, appeared to be forming the most ornate shotgun Alistair had ever seen, crossed over his own infamous sniper rifle.

Coincidentally, it looked suspiciously like the personal gun of one Wainwright Jakobs.

Some grogs were momentarily stirred from their slumber by a loud bout of elated laughter. 

The symbol solidifies the day before Wainwright offers Hammerlock a permanent place in his own estate. The hunter moves in with no hesitation, the housekeeping staff clustering around the study door that evening. They can see Hammerlock shedding his shirt, saying something and pointing to himself before Wainwright lets out a loud bout of laughter. The symbol on Alistair had now grown to fill the entire upper left side of his chest, Wainwright reaching out and touching it with an expression neither of the staff had ever seen before.

It was pure adoration.

Hammerlock says something to other man, who gives a shrug before shedding his own coat and shirt. It was clear he was slightly shy, a bit soft around the middle from his simple gunsmith work, whereas Hammerlock was built and toned from his occupation. The hunter seems not to mind at all, eyes drawn to Wainwright’s back when he turns around. Alistair’s prized journal, one that only Wainwright had been blessed to see, was seemingly tattooed onto his back. Astonishingly the pictures displayed moved, flickering both from what he had drawn over the years, to images of Eden-6. It was rare for one’s soulmate mark to be so vivid, and even rarer to change its shape at will, or in this case, it’s pages and images. The eldest staffer finally shoos everyone away when Alistair kneels down, spindly fingers tracing over Wainwright’s mark as if he was touching gold. 

“This is just astonishing.” Hammerlock can’t help but breathe, the roll of his breath across Wainwright’s back making the shorter man shiver.

“So you’ve said near hundred times I reckon.” Despite feeling a bit inadequate at the moment, the Edenian can’t help but feel his heart flutter. Catching sight of his own mark in the mirror just a day ago had sent a feeling of...peace when he realized just what it was. He had nearly scared some of the staff running to and fro, ordering various rooms to be prepared as if for many guests. Thoughts of personal space and potential unwant had faded the moment Hammerlock had arrived. The hunter and the gunsmith had shared a look that felt like it had lasted years, the world just settling in a way that had never been before.

It felt like they had finally found steady ground, and had taken to privacy almost immediately. 

Alistair and Wainwright end up sitting on his bed, the gunsmith on his stomach as Alistair touches and kisses what seemed every inch of his mark.

“A gentleman might get a right jealous of attention like that.” He chuckles, and Alistair sits up with his own amused look.

“Well, I suppose I shall have to rectify this posthaste, shall I not?” Wainwright all but blinks, and Alistair has settled beside him as if they had done this a thousand times.

“I suppose you should.” Wainwright sits up slightly when he notices Hammerlock shift, clearly becoming uncomfortable in his prosthetics. “Do you need some assistance ?”

“I can manage a few hours longer.” Alistair shrugs, finding the slight frown that crosses his partners’ face almost adoring. Mhm, calling him partner so soon? Hammerlock knew that soulmate bonds could be potent, but never before had he ever thought of such a thing happening to himself. He would have laughed, shaking from his thoughts when he feels his prosthetic arm be worked free with its’ quiet pop. “Winny, a heads up if you don’t mind!”

“Winny?” Alistair can’t help the faint blush that flares up, the nickname having slipped without a thought.

“I...you see.” Any excuses that he could have come up with fade when the other starts shaking, clearly holding back some laughter.

“Ain’t never had a nickname before...I like it.” This man and his endless enthusiasm for all things, were most definitely going to be the end of Alistair, absolutely. 

“Yes, Wainwright is a fair mouthful, and I find that Winny, well it suits you, my dear.” Wainwright is now the one blushing, Alistair removing his leg prosthesis with practiced ease, setting both it and the arm on the bedside table. Hammerlock barely sits back before he is swept up into Wainwright’s arms. They shuffle a little bit, and soon Hammerlock has his head tucked into the crook of Wainwright’s neck, rather appreciating how soft the other was against his scrawny back. He feels soft and slightly calloused hands brushing along the designs of his mark, hearing a soft chuckle as Wainwright traces his own gun. The hunter doesn’t even feel himself falling asleep, having never felt so unguarded and safe to do so. It’s the first time in years he sleeps without nightmares or pain and knew that hopefully, this would be the beginning of something wonderful.

[futuresmashmemes]

In complete curiosity, can you tell me what your favorite Smash reveal trailer of all time was?

Like, actually, real shit, stuff that’s already happened in this timeline?

Nothing will ever top Smash 4’s reveal for me. I was really into Brawl as a kid, and after Brawl came out a lot of people spread the idea online that it would be the last smash game (hilarious in hindsight, I know). Me, being the dumb kid I was, took that at face value. I also wasn’t really into following leaks at the time. I was also 12, almost 13 when 4 was revealed, keep in mind. I just sort of accepted that smash was done.

I vividly remember when I first saw that reveal trailer. We were in the middle of bumfuck nowhere for my sister’s soccer game. I was sweaty, hungry, and my phone was running out of battery. I managed to convince my mom to let me stay in the car for the rest of the game, where I promptly began charging my phone and went onto YouTube to pull up some music to listen to (knowing me at the time, it probably would’ve been an Evanescence song). And there, at the top of my recommended feed, was that trailer.

It almost didn’t feel real. I was so convinced that Smash was over, I almost thought that the video would’ve been a fake. Some shitty mod or whatever. But I clicked on it anyways, because, y’know, Smash Bros! Boy am I glad I did. Instantly, I was enthralled by the idea of Smash on the go. I didn’t have a 3DS at the time, but I played on my DS like I was getting paid for every second the screen was on. Having a portable smash game was a dream come true! And when they got to the Wii U part of the trailer, I was drawn in by the visual upgrade compared to Brawl. I was a dumb kid who didn’t know anything about graphics watching this trailer in 480p on a shitty Windows phone, and even I could tell how much of a graphics upgrade it was compared to Brawl. I didn’t have a Wii U at the time either, but I was still excited.

The new characters announced were just the icing on the cake. I love Animal Crossing, but I never expected an Animal Crossing rep in smash because I read that Sakurai had previously said that Animal Crossing characters were unsuited for battle. So when that trailer opened up on a shot of the Villager opening the now iconic envelope, my hype levels instantly shot through the roof of the car. Really, I should consider myself lucky that I was watching this trailer in the middle of an empty parking lot in the middle of nowhere and not, say, on the bus ride home from school, because after that point, I was visibly freaking out throughout. I would’ve been perfectly satisfied with just Villager, but then the trailer continued. The videos online right now show these two as separate videos, but I definitely remember watching them as one big trailer.

NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHING!

Oh boy, who could it be? The gang looked up at a cliff to see a boy with distinct spiky hair.

“No. There’s no way it could be him. There’s just no way! I read online that he couldn’t get in, so it’s not him.”

Blip!

“OH MY GOD IT IS HIM HOLY SHIT IT’S MEGA MAN FUCKING MEGA MAN HOLY S H I T!”

It didn’t feel real. It felt like a dream. But I was loving every second of it. And even better, the next video in my recommended feed was the trailer for Wii Fit Trainer. What? Why? Who asked for this? I was dumbfounded, but all for it.

I think that those three characters made for the perfect holy trinity of character reveals. The anticipated first party/character Sakurai previously said no to, the third party, and the character that nobody saw coming. Smash 4’s initial reveal had it all. I probably rewatched that trailer for the rest of the soccer game. I texted all my friends about it, and they were all nearly as excited as I was. I would’ve told my mom and sister all about it when they got back in the car, but I wasn’t supposed to be using data at the time, so if they knew that I had used it to watch a silly reveal trailer over and over again, mom probably would’ve had a heart attack (this was before unlimited data was more standard). But you better believe that I exploded on about it as soon as I figured it was safe to.

Even after all these years (and all of the timelines I’ve looked into), no Smash trailer...no, more like no trailer period has ever gotten close to capturing the pure excitement that I felt when I first saw the Smash 4 trailer, and I doubt that there ever will be one. I’m a jaded adult now, and everything is more exciting through the rose-tinted glass of adolescence. The “Everyone is Here!” trailer for Ultimate came close, though. Smash 4’s development was also something of a turning point for me when I became more active in following the development of new games online. I think it was for a lot of people, I think that a lot of that can be attributed to Brawl’s success (and the Wii as a whole) at capturing a wider demographic of gamers compared to Melee and 64. Smash 4 feels almost laughable to go back and play now, but I can’t deny the impact it had on me.

As far as other individual reveal trailers go, here are my favorites:

Little Mac and Palutena-both for the same reason: THAT ART STYLE. Their trailers also convinced me to play their respective games. Uprising was one of my first 3DS games and Punch Out is the last game I remember renting from Blockbuster.

Greninja-As laughable as this sounds now, getting a new Pokémon rep was really hype for me back then. I was beginning to get into competitive, so seeing the ninja frog that had taken over the competitive scene at the time get into smash was cool, even if I was Team Fennekin. Confirmation that at least Charizard had survived the cut was also really cool.

Robin and Lucina-I didn’t know anything about Fire Emblem at the time, but Robin looked cool and I was digging the 3D anime artstyle from Awakening that the trailer was rendered in. Another trailer that convinced me to buy the game that they were from, and good god now I’m an insufferable Fire Emblem fan good lord I was so innocent back then. “Girl Marth” jokes were rampant amongst my friends. Also, CAPTAIN FALCON!!!

Lucas-Funny story, my sister absolutely despises video games with a burning, visceral passion now, but back when we played Brawl together, her mains were Lucas and Snake. You can imagine the pain and agony she felt when Smash 4 initially came out. Lucas’ DLC came out around my birthday, so her gift to me that year was a $10 eShop card. She just told me: “you know what to spend it on.”

Cloud-“Hey guys, you know what would’ve been awesome? In Brawl, if, like, they put in Cloud from Final Fantasy 7?”

Corrin-At this point I was a big Fire Emblem fan riding hot on the hype train for Fates, so I was very excited for Corrin. The dragon-inspired moveset also seemed really cool. Funny how times have changed, and when Byleth was added in I was very lukewarm compared to when my reaction to Corrin.

Inkling-Similar story to the Smash 4 reveal trailer, I was absolutely not expecting a Smash announcement that day and I saw the video was in my YouTube recommended feed while I was at my internship of all places. Unfortunately, none of the other people there were gamers (let alone Smash fans), so they couldn’t share in my hype.

Everyone is Here/Ridley-I can’t properly give this one the justice it deserves in a short amount of words and this post is already getting really long, so I’ll save this one for a later day if you guys are interested. To keep it short, let’s just say that I was very much a part of the Ridley gang and I was very happy to see him in.

Belmonts and K. Rool-I got up at 7 in the morning to watch that trailer and loved every second of it. Keep in mind that I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. The only thing that sort of spoiled it for me was that the Smash teams themselves leaked it the night before by releasing a track titled Bloody Tears/Monster Dance

Ken and Incineroar-Nothing against these two, but at the time I was crushed when I realized the Grinch leak was fake. Now I can look back on it and laugh at Little Mac getting yeeted through the billboard and Villager’s stance at the end of the trailer.

Sans Mii Costume-Pretty sure I’ve already mentioned this, but when I first saw that trailer I legit fell out of my chair laughing. I’m not even an Undertale fan, but seeing funny skeleton man on my screen just broke me. The fact that Toby went to Sakurai’s house and beat him in Smash made it even better.

Banjo-I’ve never actually played a Banjo Kazooie game before, but I’ve seen enough videos about them over the years that I almost feel like I have. They’re ingrained in my childhood due to that in a weird way. Plus, it felt so good to have a victory over the Steve fans. I felt the weight of that Jiggy that bounced on the floor.

And that’s about it! If you guys want to hear my thoughts on the Everyone is Here trailer, please let me know and I’ll do another post like this.

...Upon rereading this post for spelling errors, I realized that you probably were more asking about my favorite reveal trailers throughout multiple timelines. Oops. Let me know if that’s what you wanted and I’ll answer with my thoughts on my favorite future reveal trailers.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again no problem

it sure has been a tuesday

reading: nobody here wants to read planetary science papers. i don’t even want to be reading planetary science papers. i do not care about geology i am not even sorry 

watching: snow trail (1947) bc I am very fond of Toshiro Mifune. baby’s first movie! he looks VERY handsome! he does a really good job! non-spoiler highlights of this movie include Can’t Go Tell On Us To The Cops If You’re Naked, Holy Shit This Phonograph Is Great, and Mountains Can Sense Intent. it is a very fun way to spend an hour and a half, especially if you’re an outdoorsperson. why anyone would or does climb mountains is beyond me, but it is fun to watch a dramatized version. there’s a fucking BONKERS avalanche scene in the first twenty minutes. 

listening: this breaks my Cover Theory, the theory in which i posit that the only good covers are very spare acoustic versions with one person and a guitar in their bedroom (extra bonus points if they’re interrupted by some sort of animal) or totally different arrangements that alter the whole mood. this is just a solid less synthy cover by a gay lady! i love it! i immediately put it onto four characters’ playlists! i am not immune to new jersey nostalgia, a state in which i did not have a very good time and have very few positive memories of but which is definitely warmer than this freezing hellstate! 

playing: i have many and complex feelings about Dead Money, @morrak has mostly been the recipient of these late night ramblings. this Fallout: New Vegas DLC is a very good, very focused study about the concept of letting go in general and also letting go of all the terrible things about the lost pre-apocalypse world. mostly, it is almost as satisfying to kill Dean Domino as it is House. also, you can hold this character’s hand and it’s a very important very emotional moment of gay solidarity. all i have to do is the last boss battle and i’m dragging my feet bc it’s genuinely stressful. 

making: haHA I HAVE FRESHLY LAUNDERED THINGS TO SHOW OFF, READY TO GO IN THE MAIL!!! two out of these three people are on this hellsite but check it very infrequently so I’m rollin some dice here. i love making the FUCK samplers bc they’re very small and stitch up very fast and they’re funniest when u find the most elaborate frames possible. the patches are more working QR codes that go to Never Gonna Give You Up. not quite as fast to stitch up, and way more finishing work involved (not entirely happy with how well i finished these, but they’re done), but also very satisfying. 

[eggoreviews]

Nintendo Direct Feb 2019 BREAKDOWN

So, that direct was pretty okay right? If you missed it or even if you didn’t, I’m gonna be taking a look at everything announced and giving it a vague excitement rating! Enjoy!

Super Mario Maker 2

This was a pretty great way to kick off this direct. With the promise of a host of new features coming in this entry to build upon the first, including the introduction of slopes (finally) and a new texture pack based on Mario 3D World, I reckon this is definitely one to mark in the calendar. Mario Maker 2 is slated for a, gratefully soon, June 2019 release.

Excitement Rating: YEEHAW

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

The long awaited third entry in the MUA series, to the surprise of many, is in fact a Switch exclusive. For those who don’t know, this is a hack-and-slash fighting game, of course tied heavily to Marvel comics. This entry seems to be riding in off the back of Infinity War, with Thanos and the Black Order showcased as central villains. Honestly, this game looks like it could be fun, especially with friends, though I don’t think it’ll turn out to be anything special.

ER: Sure, why not!

BOX BOY! + BOX GIRL!

This adorable little puzzle platformer is making its debut on Switch this spring, with the promise of local multiplayer and more levels than ever before. Looks to be a goodun for fans of cute, minimalist art design and box-based puzzles and the like.

ER: Cool! Those boxes can move!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Ver. 3.0

Nintendo sort of slapped us in the face with a lovely, welcome announcement of a new Smash update! Oh boy! New features! And then they turn around and say they aren’t gonna tell us what they are.

Oh.

Kind of makes me question the point of putting this in the direct a little, but I’m sure whatever they’ll add will be cool! On top of that, a tentative release window for Joker was given (before the end of April this year) and we got a cheeky look at some of the new spicy amiibos, being Snake, Simon and the Pokemon Trainer lot.

ER: Yay?

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Updates

Here’s one that definitely caught me offguard, but I’m more than happy with it considering I just picked up the game. Part of the new Captain Toad content is free, adding in proper 2 player co-op where you can both play as Toad. The paid ‘special episode’ stuff struck me as a little odd, considering this game was already a Wii U port that’s now getting even more paid DLC. Regardless, it’s not too pricey and you can even pick up the first DLC course now, with the rest coming March 14.

ER: That’s cool! 

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

This not-quite-Castlevania game could easily be mistaken for a knock off of that franchise, but seems to have some defining elements of its own. The art style is bold enough to make it unique and the game seems to have an interesting variety of puzzles and side quests to make this more than just a run of the mill 2D platformer. An obvious choice for those with a Castlevania shaped hole in their hearts.

ER: You go bouncy vampire lady

Dragon Quest Builders 2

What is basically just Dragon Quest Minecraft with a story mode apparently, this oddly charming sandbox game was seemingly popular enough to warrant a sequel. And I won’t lie to you, it got me a little excited. As a fan of Dragon Quest its art style and general building-ness, I think I might have to pick this one up. And it’s got a cool retro map!

ER: I’m not excited, you are

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition

In case you hadn’t guessed, I literally adore Dragon Quest. The bright colours, the developed characters, the expansive world, awesome monster designs, great soundtrack and lame sense of humour, it all just gets me. It just sort of sucks I already own this on the PS4, where I can’t access all this new content. Oof. But yeah, pick this up if you can. You won’t regret it if you’re a JRPG fan.

ER: More like echoes of an exclusive age amirite

Disney Tsum Tsum Festival

Oh.

I won’t lie to you right now, nothing screams ‘soulless’ to me more than small Disney plushes with all the personality taken from them being stuck into totally random minigames. Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney (mostly through Kingdom Hearts but that’s besides the point) but I don’t think this elicited much excitement in anyone.

ER: I guess this exists, huh?

Starlink: Battle for Atlas - Spring Update

This was another one that surprised me. Considering how mind meltingly badly Starlink bombed, partly down to its odd reliance on the whole ‘toys to life’ craze that died out in 2013, I really didn’t think there’d be any further support for the game and they’d just sort of slip it under the rug. But nope, we’ve got some more Switch exclusive missions involving some more Star Fox characters, as well as the introduction of Wolf’s buddies. Honestly, I think Nintendo needs to do themselves a favour and just release a new Star Fox game.

ER: Great, if for some reason you bought this!

Rune Factory 4 Special & Rune Factory 5

Here’s a series I’d literally never heard of until last Wednesday, but the only way I can describe it from what I’ve seen is it looks to be a cross between Animal Crossing and kind of also Dragon Quest. You cook stuff, you farm stuff, you fight things and you can get married if you want, so definitely cool if you’re a fan of the series. But also cool if you’re someone who wished Animal Crossing was a bit more JRPG. Alongside the announcement of a remastered Rune Factory 4 later this year, as well as confirmation of Rune Factory 5 sometime in the future.

ER: Cool! Plants and stuff!

Oninaki

An action RPG with an intriguing premise and a rich, dark colour scheme, Oninaki seems very eager to set itself apart from other JRPGs on the market and still manages to stand out just a bit, even in a direct that’s basically been packed with JRPGs. Oninaki explores themes of reincarnation and grief, following the story of one grey-haired dude saving lost souls from a place called the Upside Down the Beyond to stop them from turning into monsters. Another one to add to the list if you like edgy RPGs!

ER: Edgy and cool

Yoshi’s Crafted World

Another update for this adorably cardboard entry into the long running Yoshi series, we’re finally getting close to actually being able to play it. Nintendo showcased some of the more interesting variants of gameplay, with the use of rafts, cars and planes definitely making this seem that there’s some substance here to go with the style. Alongside this, a demo released on the eshop so go play that if you haven’t already and decide if it’s for you!

ER: Wow, this game has a Labo costume! I’ll definitely grind for that!

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Finally some more info about Nintendo’s latest instalment in their anime Game of Thrones series Fire Emblem, we got a big ol infodump about some of the stuff to do with the game. While the video itself will explain everything better than I can, this time players will be able to interact with three kingdoms and three main protagonists, all of this centralising around one academy the game is set within. Overall, this game certainly looks interesting to play, but one I’m not quite sure I’ll be picking up just yet. Basically, if you’re unfamiliar with the games but love a tactical RPG, this one is a no brainer.

ER: Edelgard’s design is pretty cool. If one of them has to get into Smash, I hope it’s her.

Tetris 99

The game many have been calling Tetris Battle Royale, this is the very first Nintendo Switch Online exclusive offering and it’s totally free if you’re a member. It’s Tetris and you have to win against 98 other people, also playing Tetris. Nice!

ER: Tetris block for Smash

Dead by Daylight

As a game I got for free through Playstation Plus, it should be fairly obvious that this port isn’t one that excites me greatly, especially after seeing the quality of the graphics in the trailer the direct showed us. While the concept of an online match with several survivors and one killer sounds good on paper, it seems as if the quality of this port may leave a lot to be desired. But still, this could still only be early development footage and we really have no idea how it’ll look by the end.

ER: Tentative

Deltarune

Undertale is one of my favourite games of all time, so of course it excited me to find out I’d finally be able to play the sort of sequel, Deltarune, which Toby Fox has taken in the interesting direction of splitting the game into chapters. The first of these chapters will be free (yay I like free) and it certainly seems like the same abstract sense of humour and charm present in Undertale has been carried over to this sequel. Definitely one to watch.

ER: Always excited about cartoon doggo

Daemon X Machina

This mech-fighter has been floating around in various Nintendo directs for a fair while now and it’s encouraging to see the game come close to release. In a commendable move, the producer of the game has offered a free demo of the game allowing you to pilot your own custom mech and experience a boss battle in the demo known as ‘Prototype Missions’. The aim of this to gain feedback from potential players in order to make the game as good as it can be, which is amazing! It’s honestly a bit of a dream world where every game developer and publisher is as open and transparent as these guys, so kudos to them. As well as this, the game looks pretty heckin’ fun so it’s definitely worth picking up the demo off the eshop and giving these guys your feedback!

ER: Big ol’ robots hell yeah

GRID Autosport

As of yet, the Switch has lacked a realistic racing game. Enter Grid Autosport, which seems to be packed with a variety of cars, tracks and game modes, including all DLC from the original release of the game. Not one for me, but I’m sure there’s plenty of Switch owners out there whose racing fix isn’t quite satisfied by Mario Kart.

ER: V big if ur a car person

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

This game was notably created in collaboration with neurologists and those who experience psychosis in order to properly portray the main character and her mental health struggles. Following the quest of Senua as she fights to save the soul of her dead lover, this game created a huge wave through the industry when it first launched and won major awards for its artistic design and performance. While this isn’t one I’ve had the chance to try yet, it certainly looks as if it provides a brilliant, emotional experience from beginning to end.

ER: A lot

Mortal Kombat 11

This was one everyone basically already knew about, but this direct gave us a reminder of the release date and various features such as custom characters. For fans of this long running, brutal fighting game, get April 23 in ur brains.

ER: Cool

Unravel Two

This adorable puzzle platformer sees you and, optionally, a friend take control of two little creatures made of yarn as they navigate a colourful world and help each other pass various obstacles. For those fans of platformers like the Yoshi series, Unravel is definitely one to consider.

ER: Cool

Assassin’s Creed III Remastered

This is the iconic stealth fighting series Assassin’s Creed’s first outing on Switch, but if this footage is anything to go by, it’s not looking brilliant. While this once again could be put down to unfinished development, the first look at a game is often the most important, and a slow frame rate shown during the direct could mean this game isn’t what fans want it to be.

ER: Tentative

Final Fantasy Release Dates

For fans of the legendary and slightly intimidating JRPG series, several games in the series both new and old will be coming to the Switch in 2019:

Final Fantasy VII on March 26th

Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! on March 20th

Final Fantasy IX is out now!

ER: Cloud is my favourite twink

Astral Chain

Admittedly, at a first glance, this title in a brand new franchise didn’t particularly excite me. But after having another look, I can definitely see where all the hype is coming from. This looks to be a hack-and-slash sort of action RPG with all the edgy story elements and setpieces of that ever so popular steampunk genre that players seem to love these days. With all these mechs, explosions and edgy voiceovers, it makes me think that Xenoblade Chronicles and Deus Ex had some kind of torrid love affair. On top of this, with a dev team that has Bayonetta, The Wonderful 101 and NieR: Automata under their belt, this is a game that will almost certainly impress when it finally comes out on August 30. Platinum Games might just have another winner here.

ER: Big yes

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

oKAY, let’s be real, this is the one that really knocked it out of the park. At least for me it did. As the final reveal, this made me scream a little tiny bit. I think we’d all heard the rumours of a 2D Zelda coming to Switch, but I was highly skeptical to say the least. But a wonderfully charming and artistically bloody P E R F EC T remake of Link’s Awakening?? HHHHHH. They even kept all the Mario enemies for some reason! Oh boy, whenever they release this in 2019 apparently really can’t come soon enough.

ER: AAAAAAAAAAAAA

That was all for this direct! I hope you enjoyed my silly, unplanned breakdown of all the cool things that happened. Til the next direct!

Oh and if you’ve got a craving for more game news, be sure to check back on my blog March 1st for the second ‘issue’ (lol) of my monthly viddy game mag!

Stay hydrated my dudes.

[eirenare]

Afterthoughts of FFXV’s 2nd anniversary stream

Okay, so... it’s taken me a while due to a mix of having blurted out my thoughts of how I lived it all on Twitter not much time after the stream (you can read it here, if you’re interested: https://twitter.com/Eirenare/status/1060552739044950022 ) and how much it stings to still think about it, but...

Welp, it was about time I said something about it here.

I’m going to go first with the cons and then the pros...

~ CONS OF THE STREAM ~

I still can’t believe Square-Enix higher-ups took away from us 3 of the 4 promised DLCs (among who knows what amount of stuff beside FFXV that we’ll probably never know about). I just still can’t believe it. With that, they:

— robbed us of and Lunafreya of the spotlight she finally was going to get (because, as much as I love Kingsglaive and she’s a badass there, Lunafreya certainly needed more fleshing out)

— robbed us of the opportunity of kicking asses with Aranea, a freaking badass dragoon knight

— robbed us of seeing more Niflheim, and maybe of seeing Tenebrae

— maybe even robbed us of having Loqi as partner of Aranea if my theory would have been right, or seeing more Ravus, and overall probably seeing more of the other characters of Niflheim

— robbed us of the opportunity of seeing Noctis challenge a freaking fucking cruel fate he didn’t deserve and the cruel fates of the others, to get them all a deserved happy ending

— robbed us and all the characters of said happy fate they deserved after all the amount of shit they had to put up with... which means we may have also seen Nyx and the others alive and happy too

It just STINGS. SO. MUCH. It makes me feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated.

And it strikes me as just SO dumb to cancell these DLCs. They were in production, there was already money invested in them, AND they were going to sell for sure, given their content (more Ardyn backstory? THAT LITERALLY WON THE SURVEY. Playing as Aranea? HIGHLY requested it. Lunafreya getting more fleshed out? HIGHLY requested and was 2nd on the survey, and it was HIGHLY needed. Noctis fighting to give a happy ending to his people? Don’t know how much it was requested, but it was very interesting AND the characters deserved it)... I mean: of all the things they’ve cancelled, couldn’t Square-Enix’s higher-ups AT LEAST leave FFXV in peace and let it end as intended??

They’ve pissed off SO many people with these cancellations... A TON of us. And with reason. It was just disgusting.

I  H O P E  that, as Tabata’s team mentioned, they can at least tell us the stories of the cancelled DLCs in any other ways (anime, manga, online written chapters, whatever it is), but I still don’t want to get my hopes too high because, you know... Because, well, if the CEO and the rest of the higher-ups decided to cancell DLCs that had been advertised for MORE THAN 1 YEAR, and say it in a 2nd Anniversary stream, anything can happen.

And this may feel like it stings a fuckton for us, but the worse part it was Tabata and his team who took it: imagine working with such excitement to make these DLCs come true, to then, after some time in production, being told “nope”. It must have stung SO MUCH to them. They’ve been working to give all of us fans a ton of content after release, specially content that’s been asked for, and what they get is a kick in the groin.

I really hope Tabata has all the luck in this world with his next projects, free from the shackles of a company that’s beeing doing lame for a long time and it just won’t stop doing lame...

And here I hope the actual CEO is replaced, and that the structure of Square-Enix changes. Because if they don’t, I think they’ll be fucked up sooner than later. Also, the dream: all of the amazing people that’s left Square-Enix, making a good company together.

I’d also would like to say that I’m VERY thankful towards Tabata. He’s done an amazing job, and it stings to think that he’s seeing FFXV ending like this, without him being allowed to finish it as he would have liked it. I mean, you saw his last interview, not much time before the 2nd Anniversary stream (I think it was 1-2 months ago)? He was SO delighted talking about his intentions with the DLCs... Not to mention that, if I remember well, he specially wanted to see Lunafreya’s DLC happen, not just because of giving it to the fans, but because he really wanted that a ton.

If Tabata’s resignment really wasn’t him being pressed to go out, I have to say I’d totally understand that he’d go away from the company on his own, given what I’ve said before...

So, thank you for everything Tabata, and the same goes for your team. I wish you all the best of lucks. FFXV has been absolutely crucial to me these last 2 years and it’s given me SO MUCH and helped me so much... This journey’s forever going to be etched in my heart and soul.

And, well... with this, I’d like to move to the good things of the stream.

~ PROS OF THE STREAM ~

Episode Ardyn has me so, SO hyped. Like... Damn, it looks amazing. That trailer alone gave us scenes, gave us a bit of gameplay, and if I was trembling while watching the stream (although I was watching it live in JP so I had to rely on Twitter to know what was going on)? That became SHAKING. I even took my hand to my mouth in a fist and bite a bit on my knuckles.

Just... Poor Ardyn. It was my headcanon that he’d been imprisoned for such an ungodly amount of time at Angelgard, but I couldn’t foresee that they’d show him HANGING FROM CHAINS PIERCING HIS BODY (that was hard, and unexpected in the sense of that scene may be enough to raise the rating even without blood). As in, 2.000 years alone is horrible, 2.000 years alone in a cell is worse, 2.000 years alone in a cell after such traumatic events is even worse, but 2.000 years alone HANGING LIKE THAT?

Oh boy. My poor Ardyn. I wanna hug him even more now...

However, on another tone: now we know how his body really looks like underneath so many layers of clothing, and that HE HAD A PONYTAIL. That ponytail BLESSED ME. I love characters with ponytails SO much.

Also: YOUNG REGIS AND YOUNG VERSTAEL AND OMG  S O M N U S . AND more explorable Insomnia AND during daytime? Sign me up. And the implications of the foreshadowing with Prompto, among other good amount of foreshadowing... A LOT of things make sense now, and I’m sure a lot more about Ardyn’s behavior and words will make sense when the DLC launches. And THE POSSIBILITIES. Imagine if we get to know or, best, see something about Noctis’ mother, Aulea? Or Noctis as a baby? Or, depending on if the DLC features different years, maybe even the Kingsglaive or others? I’m just SO excited.

Maybe they’ll do like they did with Episode Ignis and somehow put multiple endings on Episode Ardyn, too...? Hummm... *thoughtful*

ALSO: anime short movie of Ardyn. ANIME SHORT MOVIE OF ARDYN. I used to say wishfully that what if they were doing an anime of him, AND THEY ARE. Holly. And it’s about the PAST, the way they worded it. Can’t wait for the teasers in December 15th and January!

Imagine just how much hyped I was watching the trailer that it easily overcame my sadness, anger and annoyance of the cancellations for like 2 hours.

Other good things, little but nice, are the FFXIV collab and the clothings for the chocobros (specially Noctis with the cat ears and tail omg, hi at long last Nyactis), and the fact that they haven’t said they’ve cancelled the level editor, which means we could maybe still be getting it... Here’s to hoping.

So, in the end: I’m both in sorrow and excited about FFXV. Sorrow because it’ll end way sooner than expected and not in the expected way, and sorrow because of the cancellations, but excited about Episode Ardyn and its anime prologue.

To finish, I’d like to thank anyone that might have read this post, and wish you a good day (or night)!

*crossing fingers and doing every possible luck ritual in existance so that we may get the cancelled DLCs’ stories at least told in any other media*

Also: I have the feeling I’ve forgotten to say something, but I don’t know abskdng Dx

[aurimeanswind]

Back to Business—Sunday Chats 8-19-18

Okay. So Sunday Chats. How do I do this again? Oh yeah. Writing and whatnot.

Let’s get Started.

The Business Update

So as I’m sure you can tell, if you tuned into Irrational Passions Podcast two nights ago, follow IP on Twitter, or just see the silly shit I do on social media, I’ve been really busy. Sunday Chats has taken that hit, and as I don’t write everyday anymore nor am I writing every Sunday, it’s likely there is no reality I can do these on a weekly basis like I used to. Still, I’d like to work in at least once a month, which is what I have been doing. I know that’s not the pace I was setting back in the heyday of writing everyday, but I’d say I’m generally less stressed and the writing I produce is generally better than it was towards the end of me writing every day. Meaning maybe I made the right choice by decided to put a nice end cap to that journey? Maybe not.

I’ve been far more in a managing role since then, and the thing I do the most now is the thing I love to do the most, host and guest host on podcasts! My podcast output has been up about 300% the last couple months I feel, and that makes me super happy. It’s what I love to do. And with a ton of new shows coming to IP, I’m happy to be a part of them.

So let’s get the update out there. Here are some things we are doing/launching with Irrational Passions that I’m excited about, and I think you should be too!

Irrational Passions Podcast is now on Spotify! So is Input: A Video Games News Show, so if you’re a podcast listener on Spotify, I’ve got great news for you! Get Acquainted should be up there soon too!

Input has officially changed its format to focus on one news story per episode on a more intimate basis. There is still room for more traditionally formatted episodes, but episodes may be coming out faster and more frequently per week, with more focus on single stories and topics. I’m really excited about this change. Give it a listen!

Irrational Passions Presents is a new audio feed coming to podcast services around the globe, that will be home to Article Reads, one off interviews, and maybe other cool little stuff. I’m excited for the possibility it brings, and am stoked to have that out there!

Irrational Passions Video Game Book Club is a new monthly show coming TOMORROW. It launches Monday August 20th with the first part of Batman Arkham Asylum. Each game we will be splitting into three checkpoints, and discussing with varying groups of Irrational Passions members. Scott White has been spearheading and editing this show, and he has done a phenomenal job with it. Shoutout to Scott!

Podcast Ultimate, our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Podcast hosted by Mike Burgess, CONTINUES next week, with episode two all about the recent Smash Direct. We talked for about two and a half hours and it was a blast. Give that a listen on YouTube, which is still currently the only space it is and will be available. Working on possible other options in the near future.

PAX West 2018 is coming up, and much like PAX East 2018, we are coming in FULL FORCE.

I’ll be there, alongside Scott White, Logan Wilkinson and Mike Burgess.

We’ll be rooming with the fine folks from OKBeast.com, and we’ll be doing a crossover podcast with them LIVE on Twitch and YouTube on Friday, August 31st, at 9pm Pacific Daylight Time.

I’ll also be representing Irrational Passions at the Kinda Funny Interwebsite Peer Schneider Cup Tournament or whatever its called in the Hydra Theatre on Saturday September 1st at 7pm PDT. Come see me! Support me! Or just say hi! I am absolutely going to lose, but I’m going to try my best!

So a lot of this is the culmination of things we’ve been working on for a while. The Book Club especially we’ve been working on since February. Everyone is hard at work and CRUSHING it, in addition to the reviews, podcasts, and opinion pieces we will continue to put out. Jurge called this the “IP Direct” on Twitter because this is our Nintendo-direct level of announcements. We’ve been working hard and will continue to do so going forward, and while that may mean we can’t sit and chat EVERY Sunday, I still plan on making time for all of you once a month at least.

A big part of that, as some folks may have seen, is I’ll be soliciting questions for Sunday Chats on Saturdays now. So it’s the same deal outside of that, look for my tweet that has the hashtag #SundayChats in it, just look for it on Saturdays now. It gives me time to get things done and organized a bit easier and faster, and cuts less into my day off now, which will hopefully streamline the process.

That all being said, I’m going to skip game talk this time and go right into...

Questions!

Let’s get to it.

Whoa boy a lot to unpack here. I’ll go one at a time now.

Selfie Saturday has officially become Selfie Sundays. Sorry for the lack of warning all, but selfies aren’t going away anytime soon.

Am I concerned? No. Not after this last direct. You’ll hear me talk about it on this next Podcast Ultimate but for me the new Smash Bros would not be “ultimate” if there wasn’t a story mode in it. And there appears to be one, going off this recent teaser in the direct. I know it’s dumb, but as someone who predominantly plays Smash by himself, it’s honestly super important to me to have that. I think that’ll be new and I think that’ll be really exciting too!

I think as a game they will likely hope to update and support for a while to come, coming out two years into the Switch’s life and I think the Switch will be around for a while to come, that they are just teeing this up to have tons of stuff either in expansions and DLC later, and have as much in the base as it can. Smash fans I think want all the stuff from the previous games, and I think there are plenty of quality of life things that make this new as well. Like, the Wii U game was so good, but missed those QoL improvements that really stopped it from being great. Plus, it was on a platform that no one had. Now everyone has a Switch, and anyone can stop and say “let’s play Smash” and have folk break out the Switch to play Smash at any event or whatever. That’s a big deal. It’s kind of what they wanted the 3DS game to be, but even that version of the game was neutered compared to it’s same-release Wii U counterpart. Now it’s the best of both worlds, it’s a loving culmination of Smash itself and everything that’s made Smash great up until this point, and I’m crazy stoked for it.

So the Filip stuff is tricky. I haven’t really talked about it too much publicly, but the more comes out about it the more upset I get. To be perfectly honest? Yeah. I’m really pissed about it. But me getting angry helps literally no one. I took English and Journalism class super seriously, going through what little college I did. And I’m sure someone like Greg Miller would say the same being someone who went through actual journalistic training, for more than me, plagiarism is super fucked. And Filip built a career on it.

It makes me lose faith in the system of getting hired at a place like IGN. It helps reinforce those things you hear about folk that are hired out that they are just picking from a very specific pool that meet a specific vision for that place. And that hurts me. Because I would like to think and hope the quality of my work and my worth ETHIC above all and anything else, having done all I have done on a weekly basis for almost a decade would be enough. But clearly it isn’t.

But I’d rather not harp on too much about it. I do believe in good karma, and what goes around comes around, and so I will continue to push my positivity out into the world, and hope it does something good for me.

No, I cannot ride a bike. I know it’s crazy, and I know Jacob Bryant has trouble believing it.

The day I decided was the last day I’d try and learn how to ride a bike was the summer when I was maybe six or seven. At the house I grew up in there was this hill near the opening of our drive way. I took the training wheels of my Bike and went to the top of the hill. I said “this is the day. Make or break,” and I got my legs up on the Bike. I was either going to ride down that hill and keep riding, or fail and fall over and give up on riding a Bike for the rest of my life.

I pulled my legs up and....

Well, I immediately fell to the right and scraped up my knee and leg. I didn't even make it down the hill a little bit. I started quietly crying to myself, because I was like, six, took my Bike, put it in the garage, and went inside to play video games.

That was the last time I ever rode a bike.

Listen, so many folks have been coming to me saying how Video Game Book Club took inspiration from their show or whatever JON. One, it wasn’t even my idea. I did have the idea to split each game into three checkpoints.

But my MAIN INSPIRATION for the show was actually Rebel FM’s book club. The only one I heard them do was Dead Space 2, a phenomenal game. I know a lot of video game book clubs exist though, and for example Mike’s big inspiration for his ideas in the club was the GameInformer Book Club. Basically, no one is original.

I have a ton of stuff on Audible that I need to finish listening to. I do not read at all, because I’m awful, so I just listen to books. A couple I really adored and finished earlier this year were the King Killer Chronicles books. The first two in the trilogy are out, and hopefully the third will come out sometime ever in my life. They’re by Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind and A Wise Man’s Fear. Super good. Amazing world building and a huge focus on currency, which I really liked.

I really want to finish Ready Player One, I got about two thirds into it and really liked it. I also grabbed Altered Carbon, the Dark Tower 1, and You’re Never Weird on the Internet, Felicia Day’s autobiography. Those are the ones on my shelf right now.

I’ve been following some of the Tweets. I love it. I’m also going through them again with the Three Best Friends Podcast folks in a Limited Run series they’re doing, featuring: me! All about Kingdom Hearts. The first two episodes should be out now, and they’re crazy fun.

Of those three, I think Birth By Sleep is the clear winner, and it’s really because it is the only “complete game” out of the three. What I mean is there isn’t kind of, revisiting or rehashing in it. 358/2 and Chain of Memories both rely so heavily on the Kingdom Hearts 1 worlds, especially Chain of Memories, while introducing their own stories that are both very good I think, Chain of Memories being the far, far, far better one for me personally, but the repetition in both still hurts it so much.

Birth By Sleep has the issue of revisiting its OWN bullshit like seven times in that game as you play through all three stories, and that sucks, but at least it isn’t something you’ve seen in a Kingdom Hearts game before. While I think the systems in BBS are rough around the edges, later to be better realized in a KH3D or even Kingdom Hearts 3 itself, the character work in that game makes it special. Terra/Ven/Aqua is a story you are AS invested in, if not more so, than the original Sora/Riku/Kairi story. And so it is this very intimate story for fans of the series I think.

That and playing it is just the best. Especially on PS4 where I recently played it. It just feels better with twin stick controls. It’s crazy grind-y if you’re trying to do everything, sure, but all the games are in their own way in that regard.

It’s funny how mechanically KH3D is the best of the handheld attempts at side stories, but it muddles the story the most. It’s a double edged sword, where they kept going until they got it right, and in a way they did irreparable damage to the story along the way because of it.

I really don’t know. I know it’s dumb and little but I’d really love to hit 1000 subscribers on YouTube. Super inspired by the work the OKBeast folks have done with their channel, and basically Mike Burgess has single-handedly turned our YouTube output up a notch. But not just him, he has got Jurge doing video reviews too, and with Scott White’s video talents finally being shown in Book Club, they’re got me inspired to get more work up there again too. It helps especially knowing it’s not just me.

But the big long team goal is outside fo 2018, which is to go to E3 as a team in 2019. That’s the big goal.

Downloading it to my Xbox One now. Hit me up. We’ll play.

That’s the end. That’s it. That’s all she wrote. And by she I mean me, in this case. I’m excited about the future of IP, I’m excited about the stuff we are doing, that I am doing, and while it’s a ton of work and a lot of stress, it’s the stuff I live for. It’s very rewarding hugely in part to the team that is doing it and how we are working together. Stick with us, and I promise we won’t let you down. Please god hopefully, at least.

Do me a favor until then.

keep it real.

[jinglejangleurshitupbro]

Bitch u though??t???? If i do a of them you gotta do it too

FUCKING BET @its-mamoruAlso @sunflower-maiden-love @emily-bennet here’s the thingy as you requested01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? -Fuck you, dad.
02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? -My friend @miniaturehotdog whomst I love and cherish dearly
03: Do you regret anything? -My only regret is buying that girl I liked that heart bracelet. Should’ve kept it for myself.
04: Are you insecure? -Nope.
05: What is your relationship status? -I have a qpp but I’m still a single pringle that’s ready to mingle
06: How do you want to die? -Uhhhh in my sleep? Or maybe in the arms of my beloved, all dramatical and stuff
07: What did you last eat? -These Chester’s Spicy Fry thingys, they’re p good
08: Played any sports? -Used to do cross country for 2 years!
09: Do you bite your nails? -Occasionally.
10: When was your last physical fight? -I don’t fight, people see me as small and puny so the fight isn’t worth it.
11: Do you like someone? -Like 17 people at once, dude.
12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? -Of course I have!
13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? -Yes.
14: Do you miss someone? -My great aunt, who died recently. Not much though, just a teeny bit.
15: Have any pets? -I had betta fish for a few years.
16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? -Tired because of my new meds for my nosebleeds.
17: Ever made out in the bathroom? -Nah.
18: Are you scared of spiders? -Ehhh if they’re bigger than my eyeball, then yes.
19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? -Definitely.
20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? -In the lunchroom at school, twice
21: What are your plans for this weekend? -Stay home, finish the Breath of the Wild DLC that came out recently.
22: Do you want to have kids? How many? -Hah, you’re funny. No, I don’t want kids.
23: Do you have piercings? How many? -None.
24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? -This year? Everything. Last year... Chemistry.
25: Do you miss anyone from your past? -No.
26: What are you craving right now? -Physical contact is a constant craving
27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? -No.
28: Have you ever been cheated on? -No.
29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? -Not to my knowledge.
30: What’s irritating you right now? -How many of these questions are asking about relationships and stuff.
31: Does somebody love you? -God I hope so
32: What is your favourite color? -Any blue
33: Do you have trust issues? -Kinda
34: Who/what was your last dream about? -I dreamt I was basically living through The Evil Within 2 because I played the damn game so much.
35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? -My mom
36: Do you give out second chances too easily? -Fuck nah
37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? -Both.
38: Is this year the best year of your life? -Debatable
39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? -Uhhhhh 15/16? I forget
40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? -N O P E
51: Favourite food? -Pho, gyoza, and grilled cheese
52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? -Yep
53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? -I watched a few of Markiplier’s videos (dont judge, I love him)
54: Is cheating ever okay? -Why the fuck is this even a question? ITS NEVER OKAY YA DUMMIES!
55: Are you mean? -When the situation calls for it.
56: How many people have you fist fought? -Play fights? 4 people. Real ones? None.
57: Do you believe in true love? -Yeah
58: Favourite weather? -Overcast or Cloudy
59: Do you like the snow? -YEAH
60: Do you wanna get married? -Yes
61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? -No, that name is overused and creepy.
62: What makes you happy? -My friends
63: Would you change your name? -Bitch.... of course I would
64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? -I guess? We havent talked in like 2 years.
65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? -I tell them I’m a lesbian and I’m not interested.
66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? -Ehhh not really.
67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? -My friend Jake
68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? -My friend Emily
69: Do you believe in soulmates? -Yeah
70: Is there anyone you would die for? -Yeah, my friends

[tumblunni]

I had a weird dream last night that there was like a new sequel comic made by the Bobobobo Bo-Bobo guy and it was calld ‘Blind Nya’ (???) and it was officially licensced by sega and then there was a scene of eggman in Garnet cosplay doing a fusion dance with Don Patch

Also another dream where I was equally convinced that a thing existed, but it was less funny this time and more So Mundane That I Wonder Why I Dreamed This. It was just some sort of anime dating sim that i thought was Ehh kinda average, like i was living in an alternate world where this had been a part of my childhood that was so boring i forgot. I think it was called ‘Goodbye Mayfly’, and in context my dream-mind was trying to remember the word Wallflower, i think? Anyway you are An Anime High School Girl and Date Some Cliche Strait Dood Archetypes. But I think also there was something with a parallel world that was magic?

Like I think I was possibly taking inspiration from the manga Dream Saga Takamahagara (hope I spelled that right) which was actually a very unknown thing that I liked when i was a young kid. (First ever canon trans character I ever saw in anything!) Anyway the plot of that manga is that everyone has a parallel self in a magical mirror fantasy world, and when you dream in our world you wake up there and vice versa. Protagonist was the only one with the power to remember our world when she went to that world, at the cost of not having a parallel life over there so she was totally lost and needed to have her parallel friends explain all the worldbuilding to her. But they didn’t remember her and she had to win their trust again until they awakened as part of the super duper hero team and gained magical girl powers and stuff. then save de world!! Also everyone was lil kids in real world and bishie magical girl/boy type characters in fantasy world, so it had that cool element of ‘wow i wonder what i’ll be like when i grow up and get to have grown up adventures’. (Ha.. ha... kids, the real grown up adventures are just paying gas bills and stuff, don’t idealize us...) And also there was one character whose fantasy world self was a girl and like in the real world she was ‘a boy who wants to be a girl’, and just it was nice to see a trans character explained in rather simple terms for kids, even if also sometimes the portrayal wasn’t 100% perfect. man I wish i could read that story again but its so hard to find the books! i never even got to see what the ending is...

ANYWAY BACK TO THE DREAM So it was a dating sim in that sort of setting, but the mirror world was just a very boring cliche alice in wonderland ripoff instead of the cool desert setting from Dream Saga that combined japanese and indian mythology. And it was just something like you were a princess and everyone else was a prince of a different kingdom and then you had basically the same dynamic as you did in real life high school? So it was just like ‘your choices in real life high school have way more importance and you’ll have an even bigger happy ending’, cos you’d unify some fantasy kingdoms. And then i (sadly) don’t rememember if any of the other princes got to be cool fantasy races or anything, but if I could make this game for real then they TOTALLy would be! Hug your shy and nice ogre boyfriend!! get swept off your feet by the king of bunny boy kingdom! (I am still so pissed that i saw concept art of the Viera race in FF12 as a both genders non sexualized thing, like it makes me even madder to know they wasted a good idea instead of always intending it to be the bad version...) Also I think the game actually had some character customization, and in the dream i was like ‘man this is the only good part of this’. It was kinda basic tho, you just selected from five or so preset appearances for your protag and all of them were white, lol. But it was interesting cos the appearance selection also corresponded to what elemental affinity your fantasy kingdom would have! And you had different kinds of elemental fairy wings. Also i recall that all the selection pictures for the different elements had the protag doing some sort of weird model pose while a lot of terrible ps1 era particle effects floated in the background. Like a non sexualized version of this random character from Monster Rancher: (have a good laugh at the badly translated profiles, lol)

And then like I never got to actually play the game before I woke up? I was just on the character creator screen complaining about how I’d apparantly played it before and I knew that half of the elemental options were essentially unuseable due to bad gameplay balance. Like there wasnt any battle or anything, the element just determined your starting boosts and penalties to social stats you needed to romance all the doods. And apaprantly some stats were easier to gain than others, so certain boosts were essentially useless and certain penalties made the game almost unwinnable. I think I always still picked those broken options tho, cos I was more interested in picking the character i thought looked coolest rather than winning the game. Also all of the dudes weren’t very fun to romance, apparantly! I remember that dream-me was really annoyed about the ‘chair kicking scene’? Like, there was one character who was an immature bully in highschoolverse and then he was supposed to be the super rich and noble prince that’s the best ending in the fantasyverse. One of those ‘oh i was just bullying you cos i liked you’ plots of a jerkass boyfriend who never even apologizes or anything. And the last straw for me was when he kept kicking your chair during class and then lying to get you in trouble when you told the teacher about it. I was like ‘wtf dude, you’re THAT immature? aren’t you supposed to be 16??’ And I think I was mad cos he had turquoise hair and I liked his character design but he was a douche.

Just like how I was annoyed playing Spirited Heart Deluxe cos Frebo has a cool design and is a sarcastic funnyman but then he’s also supposed to be an adult and you’re a teenager and its Creepy. (the damn art style makes everyone look like a teenager, how was I meant to see that coming??) And like yeah, I know that the game keeps going for like six years but there isn’t anything in play to make it so that you can’t marry him until after you’re of legal age and all. And he’s still got a huge age difference even if you wait til the end of the game to tie the knot, and its still a teacher-student thing thats kinda creepy... Oh and randomly I found a site that has pics of all the different job costumes in that game! Good so you can see how awkward it is to try and tell age, cos like your height seems to vary depending on which one you pick, lol.. And while I’m going off on this tangeant I may as well ramble about how its funny that the gay DLC expansion pack had so much of an art improvement that it makes it look weird in comparison. (All those routes were way better written too!) Also I’m still sad that the sequel got cancelled, but its funny how Frebo looks EVEN MORE younger than you! Damn u game why u confuse me with elf dads

[crying-saeyoung]

Can I request RFA reacting to MC proposing to them? c: Was thinking about that earlier today !! lol

I’ve read this HC before and I loooooovee ittttt sooo much I love this headcanon aaaaa I hope you guys like it as much as I do!! -Green

Yoosung:

-honestly, it wasn’t planned at all. Kinda. You did have a whole plan for a date, very romantic and a night to remember for sure.

-but when you woke up and saw Yoosung right there, sleeping so peacefully, you just had to do it. God, you just had to marry this man. Right now .

-so you get out of bed as quietly as you can, and you whip him up a sweet cup of coffee that he taught you from his barista club, and some strawberry pancakes with whip cream 

-this boy loves sweet things so you write on the side of the plate with caramel ‘will you marry me, baby?’ 

-you did some basic latte art on his coffee, just a simple heart but you thought it was cute 

-you put it all on a small tray and brought it over to the bedroom, where Yoosung was still sleeping 

-you set the tray down on the nightstand, and sit right next to him, petting his hair and kissing his shoulders and cheeks to wake him up 

-his lil sleepy eyes are so cute that you wanna ask him right then and there but you SomeHow resist 

- “I brought you some breakfast in bed, honey” you give him the tray and he’s already surprised because !!! he loves your cooking, but what’s the occasion???

-first yoosung smiles at your cup art and drinks some of that, complimenting how cute you are and how good you are at making coffee!!! maybe even better than him?? ooo

-when he looks at the plate to see what you made, he almost misses the little words by the side. but he does see it

-at first he thinks it’s a joke. were you reinacting one of your books or something?? 

-but when he looks back at you to see you on one knee by the bed with a ring in your hand he actually screams

-without even thinking he totally throws the breakfast off the bed the coffee is safe on the nightstand thank god and jumps into your arms 

-making the two of you fall on the hard floor but he doesn’t care because “yeah!!!! yeah!! yeah, i wanna marry you!!” he doesn’t even say YES he just keeps saying YEAH. because. YEAH!!! we’re getting MARRIED! 

Saeyoung: 

-saeyoung deserves the best of the best okay

-so you make a GAME out of it 

-you make him search for the ring and it’s so complex that you honestly forgot where you put the ring

-you hid it the other night and woke up at the butt-crack of dawn, waking up your soon to be fiance along with you 

-he’s cranky about it, but once he hears that you two are going on a scavenger hunt he’s BLASTING OUT THE ROOM 

-saeyoung please put on clothes we’re going outside 

-it’s really fuckin cold in the morning so you guys have to dress up warm, which to Saeyoung means 707 layers of jackets heheh

-the puzzle was made to be really challenging because you know how smart Saeyoung is, even if he pretends he isn’t 

-it’s kind of like his Valentines Date (DLC) except a lot less romantic ,, and more adventurous 

-one moment your in the bathroom until he breaks it apart to find a key, and the next moment you’re in the garage unlocking one of his babes. inside there you find a tub of ice cream, so you go to Saerans room! You find a bouquet of flowers, so now your suddenly at the supermarket! Just like that, and it goes on FOREVER  

-the last stop (where the wedding ring is) is at the top of the hill in a small dog park where the two of you had your first date. by the time you get there it’s the middle of the afternoon 

-Saeyoung isn’t even TIRED. he’s having so much fun!!!

-he has to climb one of the trees to find the ring, and you’re down on the ground and you kinda just go “o. that’s where i put it” because, again, you fucking FORGOT 

-he hangs from one of the branches and hands the ring to you, and you see the confusion on his face, but also the playfulness 

- “what could it mean??? i don’t remember a ring in our relationship. hmm… you truly are a master, because frankly, I’m stump-ed.” bu-dum cccchhhh 

-you join on in, observing the ring curiously even if you knew what it looked like.

-it was a beautiful ring. you didn’t want it too flashy, that didn’t really match his personality. it had a diamond in the middle, with two moonstones shaped in crescents to hug the diamond on each side. one reason because it was his birth stone, the other because. it was a moon stone. spaaaace

- “hmm, the only time I remember there being a ring in our relationship is when I proposed to you??” 

-Saeyoung laughs because it’s like lololol funny joke MC but then all the sudden your getting on one knee and he’s kinda just like. w h a t 

- “don’t tell me you’re going to say no and ruin the adventure already? we still have to go to the moon, you know.” You try to be cocky but your voice is trembling. you’re literally proposing to Saeyoung who is hanging upside down from a tree like a damn monkey 

-he falls off the tree 

- “OH MY GOSH, ARE YOU OKAY??” you try to help him but he’s scrambling away from you. Your heart breaks a lil bc of that,,

-and then you see that your boyfriend is crying and he’s trying really really hard for you not to see and you don’t know if that’s a good sign or not 

- “are you crying because you love me or because you’re hurt because I’m really worried about both” a legitimate question you have to ask

-AAGAHHH it’s cause he loves you!!!! hell yeah he wants to marry you!!!

-that’s what he wants to say but he’s crying so much it comes out as a bunch of nonsense. “h yeh.. wa -nanabb… maaaarrRRYYyy-mmm y-yo-uugh-ouuu ehhhehHH!!!”

-after you get him calmed down he kinda just bursts into tears at random times the rest of the day because he’s so overwhelmed with LOVE FOR YOU 

Jumin:

-you don’t even beat around the bush with this fuckin dork. You’ve TRIED. it DOESN’T WORK Y’ALL 

-if you don’t tell him outright about something, he’ll never know what you mean 

-you’re out at a very very fancy dinner. You don’t want to propose there because of paparazzi. you figure that the dinner will help the romantic mood though 

-after the dinner, you two go out to his private garden, and you spend the rest of your date there, walking and talking

-at one point you stop the two of you at a small little bench and request to sit down

-you continue talking while you make a flower crown for the both of you because he’s a very pretty boy and you can’t resist.

-also you need something to do with your hands because you’re so nervous and jittery 

-by the time you’re finished with them, you place one crown on your head and then offer him his 

- “would you like to be my prince, Jumin?” 

-he smiles at you, because gosh. u are… so cute. Of course he wants to be your fuckin prince !!!

- “forever. be my prince forever, okay?” 

- “okay, MC. I promise.” 

-you place the crown on his head, and without really thinking about it you place the ring on the top of his head too 

-Jumin is like “?????” 

-very confused

-when he picks it up, and sees it is an engagement ring, he almost laughs because when Jumin looks at you again you are struggling to get on one knee in the grass 

- “are you asking me to marry you, MC?” 

-UGH YES JUMIN YES I AM aSGHHGH HELp me

-Jumin full out just giggles. He’s got a little blush on his cheeks and everything. he looks damn beautiful. It’s like the guy is shining under the moonlight 

- “please god marry me Jumin Han” kinda just slips out of your mouth before you can think about it 

-he brings you up to him and gives you a very deep kiss before putting on the ring. 

- “MC, if you need me to, I’ll be your king.”

Jaehee:

-you had brought the whole RFA together at your apartment for a casual get together and game night

-and you planned to propose with everyone there 

-you just wanted it to be fun and memorable for the both of you, and to have your RFA family with you sounded amazing

-you were. v v nervous but you couldn’t tell anyone because literally everyone in the RFA would snitch without even thinking about it they’re terrible

-the party was finally at that calm, but fun air you wanted it to be. Yoosung and Saeyoung playing Just Dance on the TV, Jaehee and Zen chatting about their daily lives and his musicals while you were preparing food with Jumin.

-I think out of everyone in the RFA, Jumin is the happiest for you two, whether he say it or not

-and really…. he was the only one who wouldn’t snitch…. 

-so while you were pouring drinks for everyone, you told Jumin you planned to propose to Jaehee tonight but you weren’t sure when the best moment would be

-surprisingly he gave you a?? side hug??? 

-he was so proud of you guys aaaaa

-Jumin wasn’t the most romantic person, but he did give you good advice. Let it come naturally. Don’t think of her saying no, just think of her saying yes, because she will. Jaehee will say yes

-and that was such a relief to hear that you gave Jumin a big ol hug and a smooch on the cheek before bringing out the food 

-an hour goes by and you all are playing monopoly 

-Saeyoung and Jumin are getting all the expensive houses and constantly competing for each others cards. No one knows how Saeyoung got so much money. 

-Yoosung is making a little home with all the really cheap blocks and Zen is pulling his hair as he has to pay Jumin yet again

-then there’s you and Jaehee who watch the fire burn and maintain a normal board of moderately expensive houses. 

-and you just feel so good at the moment. You and Jaehee cuddled in a blanket with your friends all around you 

-so you turn around, kiss her on the forehead, bring out the ring and ask her to marry you

-ALL EYES ON YOU 

-the fighting IMMEDIATELY STOPS and everything is so quiet

-…

-..

- “DAMMIT JAEHEE IF YOU DON’T SAY YES, I WILL” Saeyoung SCREECHES at the top of his lungs and he looks like he’s gunna c r y 

-Jaehee does finally find her words and says yes, then the two of you kiss and everyone is standing up and cheering for the two of you 

-they force you to do a slow dance together and really you wouldn’t have it any other way 

Zen:

-you don’t want to do it in public, because of paparazzi, but… Zen does love attention..

-so you decide to propose to him after one of his shoes back stage 

-you watch the whole performance with a nervous heart and shaking hands 

-the whole time you just stare at Zen and you watch how beautifully he sings and preforms. He’s amazing at what he does. You just… feel so proud of him

-you really, really hope he’ll say yes. You need him to. You don’t think you could ever get over it if Zen said no. 

-When the show is over, there’s usually a meet-and-greet with all the actors so you have to act quickly before he leaves for that and is too tired for a proposal 

-you greet him with a big hug and a kiss, which he appreciates a Whole Lot

- “hey, Zen, I was.. wondering something today.” 

- “yeah? what’s that?” 

- “would you ever… in the future.. would you ever like to get married?” 

-you catch him off guard and now he’s blushing like a FOOL 

-of course!! especially if it’s to you, and he winks. He’s just casually flirting but you’re just like THE TIME IS NOW 

-you slam down on your knee so hard that you actually start crying and Zen is just ????!!!!!! what h a p p e n e d 

-you explain in tears while bringing out the ring that you wanted to propose but you got too excited.. 

-YOU’RE SO CUTE, O H MYG OD,,,

-Zen just laughs, picks you up and gives you a really big SMOOCH on the lips. pretend i didn’t say smooch because it was actually really romantic 

-he dips you, what a nerd 

-god, he loves you. he’s looking at you with such a sparkle in his eyes as he says ‘yes’ and putting on that ring, you forget all about your injury and go in for another kiss as he spins you around

-after he smugly shows all his fans the ring in pride

[alcyone2305]

The Final Fantasy XV Review (1/2)

This will be my review of FFXV. It will include everything FFXV related I either know about, experienced or played myself. And therefore, I’ll split it up. (I already know I’ll still forget some aspects I want to talk about. There’s just so much to look at.) I won’t summarize the story unless I feel it to be necessary.

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae (game demo) Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo (game demo) Final Fantasy XV A King’s Tale (game)

Final Fantasy XV Brotherhood (animated shorts) Final Fantasy XV Kingsglaive (movie)

Final Fantasy XV (game)

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae:

Oh, the hype was real. It was possibly the realest shit I had ever experienced. I bought Final Fantasy Type-0 just for the demo. I did try to play Type-0 but it didn’t do it for me. Instead I invested about 60 hours into the demo, leveled up to 91 and recently went back to play it. And I figured out: The skills I used to have are gone. I’m used to XV’s battle system and when I attempt to go back, I find myself internally flailing my arms because WHICH BUTTON DOES WHAT WTF. I won’t go too much into detail. (I probably will nevertheless, oh well.) The first time the characters appeared on screen, I screamed at Ignis. He was the one, I just knew it. The sole fact of him having a British VA I liked sold him for me, no joke. I usually dislike British accents but Ignis had this… certain charm him which just captivated me. I remember watching the cutscenes over and over again, trying to figure out who the fuck was voicing him. Noctis took second spot. His grumpy attitude in the morning after being woken and him being the good-looking protagonist made him settle behind Ignis. And then there was Prompto and Gladiolus. Sunnyboy and beefcake, my least favorites. Prompto received the label of “Every comic relief character to have ever existed” and Gladiolus was called “Manly man ready to break your neck without any emotion”. I know, I was wrong in the end but we didn’t get much. What left the biggest impression on me? The side quests. There was one for every teammate. Prompto had his Catblepus side quest (which they expanded upon in the game), Gladio went on a training/fighting trip with Noctis and Ignis… Oh God… Hold me, Ignis had a stargazing quest. Fuck. So beautiful, so stunning, exactly my taste. Stars, astronomy, an intelligent, good-looking man… Can you imagine how angry I was when the quest wasn’t in the game? Why did they take it out!? It was already done. Prompto’s mini quest was in game as well, even expanded upon. The main quest was good as well. The whole set up of Deadeye roaming the area and demolishing trees and animals was sick. Why wasn’t it in the game anymore? The same as the side quests. It was already done, why didn’t they include it? Did they have to adapt the graphics or other game mechanics? Such a pity.

Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo:

Noctis’s dream world was stunning. It really felt like I was turned into the child and found myself exploring every small inch of the world. It gave us a peek into the journey ahead, with Leviathan and Titan peeking in and out, day and night changing up and us turning into monster we would end up facing. I doubt there was anyone hating or disliking Carbuncle. Our companion lead us through the short story and tried to protect us. When Regis was placing a small Carbuncle on Noctis’s nightstand, we saw Regis cared and loved his son. A short, yet sweet and warm bonding moment Regis exchanged with the sleeping Noctis. Altissia though, oh boy. With Gratia Mundi playing in the background (which is one of my favorite soundtracks of FFXV) I got completely lost in the city. (Even now I easily get lost in Altissia, jfc. Does anyone even know the map by heart????) The transition to the Iron Giant boss fight was cool. Because we learned how to fight as younger Noctis, we felt mature when the weapons and magic switched over to the real deal and we felt strengthened when we were warping around and taking the Giant down. Sadly, it was extremely short. They had already adapted the battle system so I had less trouble playing through it when I started the demo last week. Magic had a playful feeling to it. Firecrackers, raindrops… It was a different take on magic from a child’s eyes.

Final Fantasy XV A King’s Tale:

This part will be even shorter. I didn’t play A King’s Tale but watched other people enjoy it quite a lot. While many find the 2D pixel look appealing, I’ve never been one to grow fond of older graphics. I’m a visual whore when it comes to games. I want it to look good, I want to see clearly. So visually, A King’s Tale doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve only played a few games, but from what I have played, I prefer better visual quality. Nevertheless I found the story absolutely adorable. It gave us a view into Regis’s human side which deeply cares for Noctis. It’s a struggle every parent has to face: The child doesn’t want to sleep so you have to “bribe” your child. Regis does this through telling a bedtime story. Lovely, adorable, heartwarming and yet, the battles are fast-paced and flashy just like the game. As far as I know this game is free so if you want such a feeling in your chest, go and play it!

Final Fantasy XV Brotherhood:

Before I do anything, I’ll express my anger. Why? Because Brotherhood has so much background information about the characters. Information we need to feel and connect to the characters. Why was Noctis in a wheelchair? Why was he in Tenebrae? How did he and Prompto meet? Solely by the game, you don’t get the entire image. Instead you have to rely on additional sources. Thankfully Brotherhood is for free. Maybe you can already guess a trend developing here: Splitting the story up wasn’t a good idea. Kingsglaive, as much as I love the movie, wasn’t a good idea. When you buy the game, you want the entire content to be in there. I paid 90€ for the Deluxe Edition of the game but there was still more information out there. It makes me angry, okay? The dependence on further source isn’t good. The game should be fine standing on its own but considering how bad the story-telling was, it wasn’t doing fine. In fact, it was already on the ground after being kicked in the balls. Nevertheless, you should watch Brotherhood before you play the game. Or do it for the lulz, I don’t know. It’s lovely. There’s an episode on each of the boyband and a little bit more information and battles. To be honest, I loved it. It was just enough to know how Noctis met his companions. Watch it for yourself.

Final Fantasy XV Kingsglaive:

Ah, my bread and butter. The amount of posts I made on Kingsglaive are almost overwhelming. Maybe you can guess: I really enjoyed the movie. Don’t get me wrong; It still had some major flaws (which I had already mentioned). The whole set up of splitting the story up, demanding money for the movie (unless you buy the more expensive version of the game) and putting important information in it was... wrong. It wasn’t good. In the time of DLCs being pumped out almost all the time, we gamers become pissed off very fast. No one likes DLCs because it means important parts of the game are missing (because that’s how DLCs are used when it comes to FFXV). Same goes for Kingsglaive. It’s like an expanded DLC dealing with the story before we jump into Noctis’s shoes. But that isn’t all. We’re introduced to a pile of members of the Kingsglaive. They’re well-designed, each has certain characteristics going for them so we naturally want to know more about them. Now, the problem is… The movie only takes 120 minutes. 120 minutes trying to deal with politics, the struggles of the Glaives, yet wanting to be entertaining and appealing. 120 minutes aren’t enough. They should’ve done either or. Anyway. I’ll elaborate on the characters a bit further. Nyx: Protag, big heart, our hero. Cocky af when it comes to his duty and dealing with the king’s magic. I avoid doing an analysis post on him because he’s the protagonist of Kingsglaive. It’d blast my head off. Libertus and Drautos took three posts; What would Nyx be like? Seven? Eight? Probably. I’d say he was fine being the protagonist, but I feel like I’ve dealt with too few protagonists to really evaluate what a good protag is. I like him, we can relate to him. On the one hand he’s loyal, on the other hand he’s still evaluating the events around him, trying to decide on the best action to take. Libertus: No, I don’t hate him. (I C U, anon.) Nyx’s childhood friend and best friend, very emotional and therefore, acts on emotions which causes a lot of trouble. He’s the one to give out important information to Niflheim’s spies (that’s what I’ll call them) which help sneaking in explosives at the day of the signing. The first half of the movie had me wanting to punch him because he’s just so dumb in my eyes, but thanks to the analysis posts, I finally noticed how bad he really felt for his mistakes. He knows he fucked up, he tries to make up for it. Immediately. In the end, much more likeable and made me want to squish him. Crowe: She deserved better, indeed. Bigger character potential than Libertus since she was introduced as a witty, strong female character who doesn’t need a man to survive. Sadly, she was killed off screen by Luche, that douche. I watched the movie with my mother and she was devastated after Crowe’s death. My mom is usually indifferent about characters in FF movies. (The action overwhelms her, oops). So when she’s actually showing emotion and disbelief, it’s a good indication the character had potential. I’m not saying it’s proof, just an indicator. Crowe was used as a plot device, which is sad. I also explained why Crowe deserved better in one of my posts. Pelna: Ah, our little sunflower and sunshine. With Luna, the only two people I genuinely cared for and felt sad when they died. His death was especially cruel since we saw the impact of Ultros grabbing him. His body just went… lifeless, crushed. Yikes. Pelna was interesting. While working on his analysis, I noticed he emotionally moved me because I unconsciously related to him. He cracks a joke every now and then, still works extremely hard and his friends are absolutely important to him. It was shown through his actions and words which usually only implied his feelings. I love him, okay!? Luche: I’ll try and avoid being biased. He got the most focus out of all of the traitor Glaives. He was part of the protagonist group, yet felt villainous from the very start. Always criticizing, always a party pooper, in the end murdering Crowe and not even caring for what he did. Instead, he even severely injures Nyx and continues following Niflheim’s empty promises. Most of his character was revealed during his last speech after he shot Nyx. His words were overflowing with anger and bitterness towards the king. He was meant to die. Looking back at his death, his was ridiculous because at the moment he needed his intelligence the most, it left him and he gave in to the promise of power. Oopsie daisy. Tredd: His monologue was sick af. I loved the metaphor of the rats in the sewers. In the beginning, I expected him to be comic relief similar to Prompto, but oh boy, I was wrong. He was the second most focused traitor of the Glaives so I felt like he had some weird dynamic going on with Luche. (Maybe I’m wrong.) We didn’t get jack about him though. Most of my analysis was based on assumptions. His analysis post was also the one to have started the series. Drautos: Daddy D, the main antagonist of the movie. He had major reasons to betray the king and everything he stands for. There’s a lot left in the dark when it comes to him so we have to settle for headcanons most of the time. What a pity though. But in his last moments, the last minutes of the battle between him and Nyx, we get a good image of why he betrayed Lucis. We still have to interpret a lot but I think there’s a nice overview of Drautos if you asked anyone in the fandom. Regis: We already knew he was a very emotional king and not the cruel ruler enslaving his city. He had to balance Noctis’s fate and politics in his hands which took his life in the end. The interactions with Clarus were lovely as well. It gave us a feeling of their friendship and relationship. Most of Regis’s emotions were shown when it was about Luna. We could feel how important Luna was to him so Regis tried to keep everyone safe. His death was cruel as well. At first Glauca sliced off a finger, then rammed the sword through the king’s body with excessive force. Almost disgusting. Luna: Many people pointed out how different this Luna feels from the in-game Luna. Someone pointed out the Luna in the movie wasn’t meant to be Luna. Instead, the developer team intended to integrate Stella to the plot. I’m sure a lot of changes were brought up in the last stretches until the release so that would explain the major difference of the two Lunas. It wasn’t meant to be Luna from the beginning but they had no other choice but to go for her. What a pity. I enjoyed her character. Sure, she was dependent on Nyx but she still carried a strong will and her duty on her shoulders like a strong character would. (For further discussion, I recommend you check out my posts about her. There’s much more anger concerning how she was treated overall in there.)

We also were introduced to the Old Wall/Old Kings which are bitchy as well considering they don’t care about the city and Lucis at all. (Thankfully Nyx and Regis both manage to convince them so Insomnia is saved. Kind of.)

The most positive aspect of the movie clearly is its appearance. It feels like the characters are real, not animated, but actors with flesh and bones in front of the camera. It’s incredible. This might be the biggest selling point for the movie. While the fighting scenes are a mess, they’re still impressive and beautiful to look at. Magic is stunning. Every spell feels different from each other and depending on its user, it changes even more. For example: The king’s lightning is one, massive bolt dishing out an incredible force of pain while a Glaive’s lightning spreads into many smaller bolts, focusing on rather the AoE than the power. I don’t mind the advertisements. Considering how much money went into the movie, they need to earn money in return. And it makes Insomnia look much more realistic when we see a brand we recognize. Inside of the city, I love how different it feels when we explore the upper and lower areas. The higher levels are all about luxury, jewelry, cars and art. Once we explore the levels where Nyx lives, it becomes a bit more plumb. Restaurants, bars, street vendors and karaoke bars give us the impression of a much more simple, cheaper life.

And I love the ending. It leaves us with a bittersweet taste on the tongue. While it may seem like a won battle, we know it’s useless and we have to get into Noctis’s shoes to reclaim our throne. My mom is absolutely in love with the Prologue theme btw. Recently she was diagnosed with incurable cancer so she’s already searching for songs to be played during her funeral. (Yes, life is disgusting at times.) And what’s on her track list? The Prologue of Kingsglaive. Why? It captures the hopelessness of the war against Niflheim flawlessly. My mom prefers such songs. (And yet, she loves the Chocobo theme just as much but I think I’ll talk about that once we dive into the XV game review.)

Overall, I loved the movie. Absolutely. It makes me think about the characters we’re introduced and maybe come up with my headcanons about them. If the developers aren’t giving us more, we are forced to use our imagination. It’s also proves over and over again how overflowing with potential the entire universe of FFXV is and I’ll gladly try to pick apart any question being tossed into my direction.

In the next part, I’ll be picking apart the game itself. I’m sure this part will be even longer than this post.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them. I’ll always explain myself if I can.

[bensopinionsonvariousthingsblr]

So what are my favorite games Part 1

So just to make things clear i haven been writing 1.because this is actually my second attempt at writing this i accidentally closed the tab the first time, uh and i only lost a few hours of work. and 2.because I’ve been working at my job a lot more frequently as of late. anyway, i could probably write an entire full length essay on all of these games but I’ll try to shorten things up, oh yeah uh some games on the list might not be that good, as I may include a game from my childhood that i have fond memories of, but maybe wasn’t as good as i remembered it, anyway its a top 10 so lets begin.

First of all id love to start with some outside looking in, all these games are incredible to me and i would love to put them in the top 10 but i couldn’t, if you want to hear my opinions on them (wow thanks, you actually care) you can ask me on twitter and ill do my best!

15.Sonic Generations                                                                                              14.Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege                                                                      13.Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum (Waterpark&Zoo DLC is amazing)                12.Splatoon 2 (specifically the Octo Expansion, that was really good)                    11.Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition (Def. edition because its portable with good FPS and the extra 3DS content)

OK then Ill get started now :3 Thanks a TON (and I mean it I appreciate amy support i get or constructive criticism) for reading it!

Number 10: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess                                              Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2006/2016 remaster                                What it can be played on: Gamecube/Wii/Wii U                                                                                                                                                                                              The Legend of Zelda is my favorite game series of all time, thats obvious if you know anything about me, and twilight princess is one I’ve played more recently, and from the start you notice Twilight Princess is definitely going for that early 2000′s edgy tone (is that a coincidence or an actual trend, i dunno i was really young in 06 so...) which works fine, and its a really long game, I mean I spent a week or two beating it, that being said i had work and other things going on at the time, but any way it has been said by many more before me, that it is basically an edgy, long,Ocarina of Time remake with motion controls....and they aren’t wrong, though i have called it edgy but i think its more...dark i guess? any way i actually like this better than Ocarina of Time, before you assault me i loved Ocarina of Time, i just tried to put as few Zelda games on the list as i could, and i just enjoyed the Twilight Princess story, characters, and length a bit more, but back to the remake opinion, i sort of agree yeah, but i thought the mystery around Midna and Zant and the Twilight realm, and the mirror, were all something that sets it apart, so in the end i enjoyed it a lot.                                                                                                                                                                    Favorite Part(s)? Arbiters Grounds. AW MAN, I love the Arbiters grounds, the sneaking, the spinner, the boss, the setting, all of it is on point, even the wolf part is unique with the poe chasing, and also the Final Ganon boss I liked all of it, though his appearance is a bit late i thought it was a fun, long, and intense fight

Number 9: Lego Universe                                                                                      Developer and Release Year: NetDevil and Lego, 2010-2012                                What it COULD ( :( ) be played on: PC                                                                                                                                                                                                              IM GONNA GO AHEAD AND SAY IT THIS IS A PICK COMPLETELY ON NOSTALGIA. Yes, this is one of my favorite games of my childhood and since i cant go back and re-evaluate the game because it’s closed unfortunately (except for some server projects that are happening) I’m talking about it completely based on my memories. One reason I love it is, the game’s story and lore at the time captivated me so much that i decided to write stories about stuff my character(s) did, which basically kick-started my interest in writing, as bad as those stories were, I loved the game, I had it’s official LEGO set (Still do it’s a nice little orange rocket ship that could be used in-game) and convinced my cousins to play it too, and we all enjoyed it, now of course i was an MLGPROBOI at the game so I had rare pets and the best weapons and a RED PARROT GUYS (I believe it was super rare and a big deal) so I loved being really cool n’ stuff, people would ask me to help them take out Butterscorch (that was the hardest boss in the game, a purple dragon, BUT SINCE I WAS AN MLGPROBOI I COULD DO IT MYSELF BUT I WAS NICE SO I HELPED) and even sell them secrets on how to do stuff, yeah i was a cool guy, cant relate now, I’ll never be as cool as my alter-alias Square Von Pancake :(                                                                                                                                                                Favorite Part(s): Me and my brother played i t together all the time and we loved the combat at crux prime the most, Crux Prime was the place with the hardest enemies and bosses and it was really fun to be challenged for a while. plus though it was out for only a year we still have countless memories of it, and they added Ninjago in it which I was SUPER into at the time and enjoyed having my character do Ninjago stuff...  

Number 8: Mount and Blade: Warband                                                                    Developer and Release Year: Taleworlds, 2010                                                      What it can be played on: PC, PS4, XB1                                                                                                                                                                                                      Mount and Blade Warband and its expansion Mount and Blade Napoleonic Wars, is one of my favorite multiplayer, and story games, the story mode is fun because you can do what you want, YOU choose the faction you fight with or not to at all, your class, your stats, and you can make some uh *beautiful* characters, the main story, i believe the objective is to become the emperor of Calradia, and rule the dang place and be rich and cool and have people like you, but I dont usually do that i just fight for factions, make money in the arena and at tournaments, and hire mercenaries and win against armies of 200 with like 30 people, its fun, now second talking point for me is the multiplayer, this is where Napoleonic Wars comes in, it is a fun shooter with muskets , or swords....or screw it you can play the bagpipes, that last one is totally not something me and my friends would do late at night. The Maps are super well designed as well and each look nice, and are usually not unbalanced. The third thing is the modding community, if you have this game, and don’t have the Anglo-Zulu war mod, that is just wrong, I mean it is so fun to get your friends and survive against large waves of zulu, or have some friends with the Zulu, it is just a unique experience for me, and other mods are cool to like the Civil War mod.                  ��                                                                                                                                                 Favorite part(s): The Story mode is awesome in the way that it was a time in m life where i was without internet for a good month or two, but i had my laptop and the story mode kept me entertained for basically the whole time, also there are so many fun memories of the AZW mod and late night spent surviving waves.  

Number 7: Lego Battles                                                                                          Developer and Release Year: Warner Bros., Hellbent and Lego, 2009                  What it can be played on: DS                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Lego Battles is also a nostalgia pick, and also happens to be a Lego game, but the difference is it still holds up to me today, and i can still play it today...any way I love the gameplay, it’s a basic RTS but with fun themes like Wizards and Knights and Pirates and Aliens vs Humans, and each has a different play style, but not too different that it didn’t confuse me as a kid, I always liked the pirates and the aliens, I dont know why, but uh a drawback is that it can be too easy, at the time I wasnt fast or good enough to beat the AI with my first base, but i quickly learned if i just escaped after the destruction of the first one and just built a stronger second one, i would have more time because the AI couldnt find me and i would win pretty much every time, but despite that I enjoyed all the campaigns and loved the cutscenes and the extra characters like Santa and the Skeleton Guy (tm) and the Conquistador and the Alien Queen etc. and the way to unlock them was to find red bricks in the campaign levels, and/or collect studs which i thought was a fun challenge at the time, and today i sometimes like to go back to it for some casual RTS action                                                                                                                                                                                                     Favorite Part: The Gameplay, it’s simple, fun, and  doesn’t take too long, so if i just want to pick up a short game of the RTS genre I usually spring for this

Number 6: Star Wars Battlefront 2 Classic                                                              Developer and Release Year: Pandemic Studios, LucasArts , 2005                      What it can be played on: PC/PS2/XBOX                                                                                                                                                                                                      The fact that this comes in at number 6 on my list really doesn’t tell how much I love and appreciate this game, this is probably THE game I played the most in my childhood, and even still I play it online with the new servers (I disagree with you sometimes Disney, but thanks for those) This game is so replayable and I haven’t even played through the campaign yet, yeah, what I have done though is beaten all the Galactic Conquest stories, probably more than once. So for those of you that don’t know Galactic Conquest is a mode where each team starts with one ship and one type of troop and you fly around a map of the galaxy and take over enemy planets and defend yours and buy troops with the money you earn from the battles, and if the two ships run in to each others then they do a space battle, and Im gonna say it now i grew up playing the PS2 version with my cousins, but now I play the PC version and when we play with our cousins they play the XBOX version on Xbox One, any way the PC version is the best in terms of FPS and general gameplay smoothness, but the console versions have Galactic Conquest multiplayer which is something that we have spent countless hours playing, and in the end Battlefront 2 will be one of the best shooters of all time, and better than the new Battlefront 2 because that one is no where near good enough to share a name with the classic one, any way, i will always love Battlefront 2                                                                                                                                                                  Favorite part(s): Galactic Conquest and shout out to the maps Kashyyyk and Tantine IV, they’re the best

Hey thanks for reading through this whole thing, uh as you can tell this was super long, i planned to do all ten in this one but i figure it’s gettimg pretty long and I’ll just stop here and I’ll have 5 through 1 tomorrow, Thank you so much!                                                                                                                -Ben :3                                                                                                                       

[summerbloguk]

Top 10 Favorite Video Games

10. Five Nights at Freddy’s Sister Location - I love FNAF as a whole because of its cryptic lore, but the only reason that I have written only Sister Location and not the entire franchise at the beginning of this paragraph is because I have only finished Sister Location completely.  The other FNAF games were difficult to complete past Night 3 or 4. The hidden lore of FNAF is what makes it so interesting. What was the missing childrens incident? What are the Bites of 83 and 87? What is the deal with the Afton family? Why did William Afton murder all of those children? Why did he use robots for the purpose? All of these questions intrigue me heavily, to the point that I have read both of the novels that Scott Cawthon has written and am waiting for the third part. The gameplay of FNAF never appealed to me, only the lore did. Owned on PC

                                 FNAF Banner Artwork

9. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Pokemon, as a franchise is the game that I grew up with, and continue to grow up with. I have played all of the pokemon games atleast once, some multiple times, and my record for Pokemon Emerald is 7 times. Pokemon, as a universe, fascinates me and keeps me intrigued. The new Pokemon that are designed and released with each new generation of game intrigue and fascinate me. However, the repeating story and gameplay of the core Pokemon games has bored me, and Mystery Dungeon is a series that I really like, as it offers a differing storyline and gameplay than the original games. I especially liked Explorers of Sky, as its story was the most fascinating and unique to me. I always played as a Riolu named Rayce and my partner was always a Torchic named Amber, in all of the Mystery Dungeon games, except for Red and Blue, where I was a Torchic named Amber, and my partner was Chikorita. Owned on the Wii U Virtual Console, DS, 3DS.

              Pokemon Artwork

8. Infamous Second Son - Infamous Second Son was a really good experience for me. It was the first PS4-exclusive game that I had ever finished. I haven’t played the first two Infamous games, and I really want to. The plethora of gameplay choices that the player gets is what reeled me in. When I first started the game, I did not like the fire powers that Delsin had much. But after Delsin got the Neon powers, the game was in full-swing for me. The choice between being a hero and being Infamous was what kept pulling me even deeper. The occasional accidental death made me actually sad and leveling up my karma as a hero made me feel actually good. The ending of the game touched me, as Delsin was able to save his tribe from certain death, and was able to defeat Augustine and let all of the conduits live their life the way they wanted to. Owned on PS4

            Infamous Second Son Artwork

7. Portal Stories Mel - I know that a huge percentage of the people reading this probably didn’t even of the existence of this game, but it does exist, and boy, is it good. I know that this isn’t an official Portal game, but it is better than the official games, as it has better puzzles, more gameplay, stronger focus on the protagonist, amazing characters (Glados always stressed me out, and Virgil is not a backstabbing dick like Wheatley). Owned on PC.

                  Portal Stories Mel Facebook Artwork

6. Assassin's Creed - Assassin’s Creed is a game series that I love not because of its gameplay, or main story, or even the characters. I love it because of its lore. The lore of Assassin’s Creed is heavily drawn from real history, with a few changes here and there. That is why, when the people started getting sick of the game for repeating its gameplay and freezing its modern-day storyline, I still loved it, because all of that was a little irrelevant to me, as I looked for the hidden lore of the games. Sure, I too, got a little sick of the repetitive missions and gameplay, but whenever I was able to discover a piece of lore about the game, I got excited for the franchise all over again. My favorite characters are William Miles, Jacob Frye, Leonardo Da Vinci, Blackbeard, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar (Et tu, Brute) and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

                          All Assassin’s Creed Historical Protagonists Upto Syndicate

5. Dishonored - Dishonored as a franchise was a singular experience for me, and that is the reason why I place all of the games in one single spot. The franchise starts off with Dishonored 1, where you follow The Royal Bodyguard of Dunwall and father to the heiress, Corvo Attano, as he is framed for the murder of his lover, the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and the disappearance of his daughter, the Crown Princess Emily Kaldwin. Corvo escapes prison and tracks down the real culprits of the situation and eliminates them, lethally or non-lethally, with the help of new-found allies. When some of his new friends betray him, Corvo finds them as well and rescues his daughter, after dealing with them. Looking over the entire situation is The Outsider, a mysterious being with god-like powers, who lives in the Void, an alternate Dimension where Space and Time is warped. He grants Corvo his sign, which gives him mysterious and divine powers. The DLC follows Daud, the person who assassinated the Empress and helped in the kidnapping of the Princess, as his guilt and his past catches up with him. The 2nd game is set 15 years after the 1st game and follows Emily and Corvo, as the sorceress Delilah Copperspoon captures the Throne and deposes Emily off of the throne. From here, the chosen protagonist, either Emily or Corvo, runs off to the city of Karnaca to solve the mystery of Delilah, who claims to be the half-sister of Jessamine Kaldwin with the help of a captain named Meagan Foster, whose real name is Billy Lurke, a former member of the group of assassins that worked under Daud, as she helps the chosen protagonist to repent for her sins. The final game of the Kaldwin Era, as the developers call it, a standalone DLC called Dishonored: Death To The Outsider follows Billy Lurke sometime after the ending of Dishonored 2, as she finds her old mentor Daud and prepares for a plan to rid the Outsider of his powers, either lethally or non-lethally. The great thing about Dishonored is its ability to allow players freedom of choice as they play. The players have the option to resolve conflicts either violently or non-violently. The supernatural powers allow a plethora of various combinations of strategies that the player can take to finish the mission. Overall, it is an experience that I cherish deeply. Owned on PC (Dishonored 1 and 2) and PS4 (Dishonored Death to The Outsider).

                     Dishonored 2 Main Look

4. Fire Emblem Fates - The Fire Emblem series was a game series that I had played ever since the games first started coming out in English, but the one game that hit me the hardest was Fates. Unlike the other Fire Emblem games where the streamlined story allowed you to formulate a mystery that was solved in one go, Fire Emblem Fates shows a demo, with Birthright and Conquest giving you tidbits about the real events going on, before telling you the truth in Revelations. This tri-forked storyline asked me make a hard decision at the beginning of chapter 6, which I made 6 times, as I played all the paths twice. The characters in the game feel more natural and complex than in other games, and that makes it harder when you face off against them when they are your enemies in the opposing route. I personally hated it when I had to fight Charlotte in Birthright, who was my spouse in Conquest at that very moment. Owned on 3DS.

                  A Beautiful Fire Emblem Fates Artwork

3.  The Elder Scrolls Online - I love the Elder Scrolls series. I have played Skyrim  so much. This one is a prequel to the same, set around around a 1000 years before Skyrim and follows the Vestige as he tries to stop Molag Bal from merging Nirn (His Universe) with Coldharbour (Molag Bal’s Universe or Plane of Oblivion, equivalent to Hell) and get his/her lost soul back from him. This game is an MMORPG and has its storylines set all across Tamriel, as the game allows you to visit all the provinces, which happened last time almost 20 years ago when The Elder Scrolls Arena was first released. I bought the game in 2016, soon after Tamriel Unlimited was released, but have only started playing it around March of 2018. I have recently finished the main questline and am starting the DLCs. If you play the game on the US PC Server, looking up Rayce The First, Nord. Owned on PC.

                 Elder Scrolls Online Summerset Poster

2. Undertale - I know that many people think of Undertale and their mind immediately goes towards the community that envelopes the game and the negative view of the community generally puts them off the game. However, if you get past that stereotype and play the game, you will be in for an amazing experience that will shock you and move you to tears. Play the game on the Pacifist Run and when you finish the game, you will and you will not want to play the Genocide Run. This indecision will stem from the fact that you want to exerience more of the game, but don’t want to harm the characters that you have grown so fond of. The game is part of a larger movement of people demanding more non-violent options in video games, and is a clear and certain example how that can be achieved. You will play the game as a child who fell down the caverns of a mountain and has to find and go through the barrier to get out (why the monsters trapped did not simply build a ladder to climb out of the hole in the hundreds of years that they were stuck there is beyond me). While looking for your way out, you will meet a variety of characters, all of whom you can become friends or enemies with. That aspect of the game, which evokes your morality, is the reason that this game is on my number two spot. Owned on PC, PS4 and PS Vita.

                      My favorite Undertale Artwork

 1. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim -I know that I included 2 Elder Scrolls games in this list and also put them on really top spots as well, but what can I say except for the fact that I love The Elder Scrolls.   Skyrim is a fantasy based RPG game that revolves around you, The Dragonborn, saving the world from its end at the “wings” of the demonic dragon Alduin. However, you will almost certainly forget to do that when you start to explore the massive world of Skyrim as you randomly wander the map, doing mundane tasks for the NPCs and marrying the person that you literally just met and got a piece of flower from the river for. Finish the game once and then play the 3 DLCs of the game. These DLCs are - a) Dragonborn: Fight against the 1st Dragonborn Miraak, as you explore the island of Solstheim. b) Hearthfire: Build houses and adopt children. c) Dawnguard: Fight against the threat of the Vampire Lord of Harkon, either rebelling against him while part of his vampiric court or as a member of the Dawnguard, a faction of soldiers fighting against the growing vampire threat. Finish the Vanilla game and then go to nexusmods.com to download mods to add more content to the game in the form of quest mods like Falskaar, Beyond Skyrim, Undeath, etc, gameplay mods like Civil War Overhaul, Frostfall, etc and a plethora of other mods like graphical mods, which can make the 2011 game look better than the 2017 version of the game, for free. This game was one of the first games I played that really got me into the Gaming Community. Owned on PC.

                        A Modded Skyrim

Special Mention) Doki Doki Literature Club - Doki Doki Literature Club as a video game is very sub-par, but as a visual novel, is one of the best stories of 2017. The characters of Natsuki, Yuri, Sayori and Monika are very much relatable and comforting... if that’s the correct word. Every character has a flaw that makes them relate to the protagonist. It might be Sayori’s depression, or Yuri cutting herself, or Natsuki dealing with an abusive father, or even Monika, knowing the reality of how alone she is in the world. The story of how Monika deals with her emotions is one that really touched me, especially by the end when she saves you from Sayori and sings “Your Reality” to you. Doki Doki as a meta-fiction story really tells us about the future we’re about to reach. While here it shows us Monika being sentient for entertainment, in the real world, it can be very dangerous. The thought of robots getting real consciousness inside of them, and slowly getting stronger than us, and independent of us is a scary thought. This will then bring up the issues of “Robot Rights”, which will be probably the next big debate on Earth. If the robots grow more powerful than us, then who knows what will happen. Owned on PC.

                    Official Doki Doki Literature Club poster

Signing off

U.K.

[undeadimpulsereviews]

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, is the latest installment in wayforward’s Shantae series. It’s a kickstarter project that started back in September of 2013, and was fully funded only nineteen days after the campaign started. The game was released on the Playstation 4 and Vita, the Xbox One, Wii U and Windows PC; for those who don’t know about Shantae I’ll do a quick refresher. I played and reviewed a game from the series before and I recapped there as well so just the spark notes on this one. Shantae is a half-genie who guards Scuttle town; a small town among Sequin Land, Her mother is a genie, while her father was human. Many evil powers threaten the land and it’s up to Shantae to save the day. I played the last game in the series, Shantae: and the Pirates Curse; I really loved that game and it was my first in the series. So when I heard a new game was in the works I was one of many waiting in anticipation; though now that the game has released does it hold up? For me I really enjoyed Half Genie; It was fun and familiar; plus for all the competionist out there it can be challenging, but if you know how the game works it’s not to bad. I’ll get into that later however, for now lets see what new danger awaits our hero.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero follows Shantae yet again, but this time it’s not only Sequin land in trouble; One night a mysterious otherworldly voice calls out to Shantae. It tells her that the Genie realm is being threatened by an unknown evil, and they need the aid of Shantae to find the culprit and put a stop to it. Though who could the villain be; is Shantae’s old enemy Risky planning something again, or is another evil mastermind behind it all? Can Shantae protect the land, as well as the genies? All these questions and more will be answered as Shantae traverses Sequin Land once more.

I really enjoyed the story of Half-Genie, it was a little on the short side and relied a little to much on back tracking through past levels, but it was good all the same. Though that’s not to say the past games didn’t back track from time to time, but I never remember doing it as much in Pirates Curse as I did here. When I reached the second to last level of the game I was a little surprised; the game really feels like more levels are on the way, but instead you’re told it’s time for the final stretch. The game was fun, and the story an enjoyable classic tale, but it left me wanting more. It was over to quickly, and now I must wait for the future character stories to release. Though the game and it’s story feels like a dedication to all it’s fans; you’ll meet plenty of familiar faces from allies to pretty much the complete rogues gallery of enemies. Though small, the story feels right at home among the other titles in the franchise which is a breath of fresh air after past kickstarters. Though the story isn’t the only familiar sight, the characters as well feel right at home.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero sees little change in it’s cast of characters. You have all the returning faces you know and love. Shantae, her uncle Mimic, Rottytops, etc. Though at the same time you have some new faces as well; from random newly designed monsters and enemies, to a completely new half-genie that will get in Shantae’s way. As for how the characters develop, there really isn’t any developing to be done; this is the fourth game in the series and the personalities and character of the cast is pretty much set in stone. The new characters don’t really leave to big of a lasting impression because it’s clear that they won’t be making a return anytime soon. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t enjoyable, but the characters don’t really get to much screen time to produce an big impression.

Take the character above for example; this is Holly Lingerbean, she is the new half-genie in the game that will challenge Shantae in some form or another. She was put into the game thanks to the funding from people during the kickstarter. Holly, and the mission she appears in, was a stretch goal for the game if the funding far exceeded the original total sum. I like Holly, her personality and story are good, but she is only important for the one mission and that’s it; Wayforward makes it pretty apparent that Holly will probably not be returning in a later installment. Overall however, for those familiar with the series, you’ll be right at home with the cast of Half-Genie Hero. While those who might be just finding out about the series can still find enjoyment among the story and cast without the need to go back and play the originals. Now Shantae and the Pirates Curse was released back in 2014, and then a little over two years later in 2016 came Half-Genie; so how has the game evolved in terms of look and sound?

The Shantae titles each have something about them that sets them apart form the others; like Pirates Curse and it’s changes in gameplay for example. That being said, I believe that Shantae Half-Genie Hero is the most beautiful looking game in the franchise. The past three games all had a pixel based art style to them; Pirates Curse had up to date character art pieces for when dialogue was occuring, but Half-Genie Hero not only has updated Dialogue art, but the animations and character models are also completely reworked. The game is still your classic side scrolling platformer, but now it looks more like a 2.5D experience rather than a normal pixel 2D style.

The video above is probably one of the most talked about boss fights in the game; I chose this video of the giga mermaid because you can see a lot of the animation work done in this one fight. The movements of the mermaid while she’s both chained and freed, the attacks and movements of Shantae, as well as the “cutscenes” and character art you’ll be seeing in the game. No other Shantae game has had a visual presentation of this level and it’s just beautiful all the way through. Even the designs and concepts alone are really well done; it makes small enemies stand out way more than you’d normally think. Plus a decent amount of backer designs were implemented into the game and look really good.

Take the SlimeGal for instance, this was made by someone who help fund the game; Seeing her in action is great, but seeing the steps to her final design is also something. You can see the final design at the bottom, as well as her attack, and how she moves around (the small blob form). Though she is one of many interestingly great character designs added to the game. As for the games music, you can hear the general boss theme in the mermaid video above; though as for how I feel about it? I really enjoy the music as well, it has a certain air to it that fits the image of a genie, as well as keeps within that classic platformer feeling. The boss music is energetic, the game as a catchy theme, and the general map music is great. Here are a few that really caught my attention.

Overall the music and visuals of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is in my opinion the best its ever been. It keeps that classic feeling of a platformer, while at the same time bring new flavor to the franchise as well. Now I said before that Pirates Curse changed a little of the original two Shantae’s gamplay, but what about this game?

Shantae: Half Genie Hero takes the gameplay from Pirate’s and kind of sets it to the side; there is no indication on whether Wayforward might bring back the mechanics from that game, but Half-Genie goes back to the more traditional. You still have the hair whip, and the trinkets that each have their own attack, but now with Half-Genie the transformation have returned and the Pirate clothes have been taken away. The game can actually be relatively difficult at the beginning if you aren’t playing carefully; though near end game everything starts to become a pushover. Beating bosses and traversing levels isn’t to difficult since near the end of the game you’ll more than likely have all the items you need. As for completing the game, I got the platinum on Playstation 4; it’s an easy platinum to get when you learn about how to stop the in game clock. The hardest trophies to get are beating the game in a certain time with and/or without every item, and not getting hit once in the final sequence. Though it’s not to bad; definitely keep a guide open for the items, and do it after you beat the game once. Overall the gameplay is fun and enjoyable; you’ll be right at home if you’ve played a game in the series before.

Overall I give Shantae: Half Genie Hero an 8 out of 10; it’s a great game, but I wish it was a little longer. I know I’ll be getting more story content come later DLC. However, that’s all side stories of other characters. I can’t wait for them, but I want more Shantae. Other than the small length and heavy back tracking it’s a great game all around and I recommend it to both fans of the series and people looking for something new.

That will end the month of February, I’ll be back on Friday to update on what’s to come in March. Until then however, have a pleasant last day of the month.