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themonotonysyndrome · 4 years ago

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Successors to the Future

I like to get lost on Tumblr when work becomes frustrating and I was immediately inspired by the Second Wive AU from @tri3tri!

If you’re a TW’s fan and enjoy reading yandere content, you just gotta check @tri3tri out. They’re one of the best yandere content creator for the TW fandom!

And since I’ve been playing Blazblue Centralfiction a lot lately and love badass girls, this plot bunny won’t leave me alone and so I want to add a little something to their amazing AU.

FD/N = First daughter’s name/Renata Draconia (half-human, half dark Fae Princess. Malleus & MC’s eldest child)

SD/N = Second daughter’s name/Sherrie or Cherry Draconia (half-human, half-dark Fae Princess. Malleus & MC’s middle child)

S/S = Son’s name/Lucien Draconia (half-human, half-dark Fae Prince and the heir to the throne. Malleus & MC’s youngest child).

MC/S = MC’s surname

“Oh. My. God. What did you do!?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I got it all under control!”

“Under control - the pasta is on fire! How the - ”

“I can fix this! ...I think?”

“Move. You’re a human disaster, you know that? I told you to wait for me if you’re planning to cook dinner! Now the kitchen looks like an eldritch god just threw up! Mama is gonna be so sad when she gets home.”

“I tried yelling for you, but you were too busy livestreaming Among Us to hear me! Now help me scrap the pasta off the pot while I clean the counter before Mama gets - .”

“Sweethearts?”

Both teenage girls yelp at the sudden voice and instantly turn around. The pot of burned pasta clattered on the dirtied floor. MC looks around her kitchen in exasperation. She was wondering why none of her children didn’t greet her as soon as she got home from work. When she heard bickering from the kitchen, she saw her daughters were frantically cleaning up the mess that was Renata attempt at cooking dinner.

But instead of being upset over it, MC just shakes her head fondly.

“Did you use your fire magic to cook the pasta, sweetie?”

Renata sheepishly scratch her cheek in embarrassment. “I thought it might boil the pasta a lot faster...”

Her younger sister gape at her admittance. MC just smiles as Sherrie proceed to lecture her older sister about using her magic to cook while Renata slowly inch closer to her so she could hide from her sister’s wrath behind their mother.

MC will never get tired of seeing her children so comfortable and vivacious in their own home. A stark difference when they were all living at that place back then. She could still remember how Renata barely smile, barely interact with anyone that wasn’t her parents and little sister. Her Sherrie weren’t any better. Back then, she was too young to understand why the castle’s servants would whisper that the King’s daughters were imperfect because of their human halves. Why their lingering and judgemental eyes would upset her so.

MC could bear being a pet bird living in a gilded cage, could bear Sebek’s condescending remarks, Lilia’s cruel smiles, Silver’s guilty passiveness and even Malleus’ lack of empathy. What she couldn’t bear was how her daughters were treated at the castle. They expected their Princesses to be as aloof and noble as their father, but refused to acknowledge that they were children first and foremost. Refused to accept their human side.

And when the announcement were made public that Malleus would take a second wife to provide him a male heir at the behest of his council, MC decides that it’s time to leave.

Especially when she saw how the news broke her eldest child. That night, she was frightened at how intense Renata hatred of her father. While she could care less about Malleus taking in another woman into the castle, MC never thought that his second marriage would be an act of betrayal to her daughter.

At that moment, MC knew that if they were to stay in that place any longer, she would’ve lost her daughter to her own hatred. They needed to go, they needed to escape.

And so in the dead of the night while the entire Valley of Thorns were celebrating over their king’s second marriage and superior wife, MC and her children scurried away to the only place she could think of.

Night Raven College.

She didn’t know when Lilia or anyone else in the castle would realise her and their princesses’ disappearance, so she begged a stunned Dire Crowley who thought she had died when no one could find her after Malleus graduated to send her home.

The headmaster finally came through for her and her confused, distraught children. Crowley had quietly explained that he already found a way to send her back to her own world years ago. However, she disappeared before he could tell her. A quick glance at the two little girls alongside her and he couldn’t help but grimace with deep guilt.

As atonement, Crowley hurried to grab a few books and journal that he can find about the fae court (both dark and light) and their magic. He pressed the materials into MC’s arms and explained that after she and her daughters step into the mirror, he will shatter and destroy any remaining fragments so that Malleus and his men could never find them ever again. However, MC must teach her daughters about their Fae side and how to glamour their otherworldly features from humans.

MC tackled the headmaster in a hug with tearful eyes, grateful that he could help them. They were then ushered into the mirror and finally, finally, her nightmare was over.

Years have passed since that night. With each passing seasons and being able to explore the world without Malleus’ oppressive court, the castle servants and his retainers, her daughters flourish into amazing young girls.

Their little brother equally so.

As Renata try to persuade Sherrie to allow her to use her magic to clean the kitchen up, MC asks, “By the way, where’s your brother? I’ll just order some takeaway for dinner. They should arrive soon.” As she said this, she already whips out her phone to order their food.

“He was napping in his room.” Sherrie reply her as she wipes the stove clean. Renata grumbled under her breath as she was made to mop the floor manually.

Mc thanked her and left the kitchen to wake her son up. Her son was the unexpected gift that they were blessed with after they crossed to her world. She didn’t expect to be pregnant, but consider how feverishly Malleus made love to her as his way to console her that the other woman and his second marriage would mean nothing to him and that she would still be the only woman he truly loves, MC really should have known.

It was so difficult to hide her joy that with the presence of a second wife, it would mean that Malleus would focus more on the other woman. Which meant Lilia would also need to make sure that she would learn all the proper court etiquette and Silver and Sebek would need to arrange the proper security for her as Malleus’ concubine.

The arrival of her son was unexpected, but dearly welcome by her and his older sisters. Although MC was not able to give her daughters the childhood that they should have, she made sure that her son - Lucien - was raised in an environment that allowed him to be a normal child.

Well, as normal as a half human and half fae could be.

Shaking the lump underneath the thick duvet, she receives a tired groan.

“Wake up, dear. Go freshen up. We’re having dinner in a little while.”

Worming his way out of the duvet, Lucien poke his head out and smile blearily at her. “Welcome home, Mama...”

MC pressed a quick peck on his forehead before ruffling his dishevelled hair. Her son looks so much like Malleus except he inherited her eyes and soft heart. While her oldest daughter is a carbon copy of Malleus and her second daughter looks exactly like her but with Malleus’ green eyes.

She’s so happy that she can provide her children that life that they deserve.

Dinner that night was as lively as usual. Renata was still riding high from her sweet sixteen birthday party that they just had last two days ago. It was quite a celebration and it ended with the revelation of her Unique Magic. Since it was a warm Summer evening, the small family enjoy their meal at the garden outside.

“ - we should totally play Among Us together! Including you, Mama! I think you’d love it!” Sherrie gushes after she pushes her glass of water away.

Renata gasped as if affronted. “Are you trying to tear this family apart!? The moment we suspect someone is the imposter, it’s anarchy unleash!”

Sherrie rolled her eyes at her oldest sister need for the dramatics. “Oh please, you live for the anarchy. You’re the one who started the fire when we played last time.”

Lucien winced as he recalled their last gameplay. “It was a mess. Everyone couldn’t stop accusing one another. My classmates even swore they wouldn’t dare to play with you ever again.”

MC smiles to herself as her children chatted with one another. It always warms her heart to see how close the siblings are to one another. From the stoic and hateful little girl, Renata had grown to be a playful and brilliant young woman. Brilliant in terms of magic. Even from a young age, Renata could control her elemental magic well. MC still remembered how wide she would smile whenever Malleus praises her during their training. After coming to this world, she continued to mastered her magic with the helps of the materials that Crowley provided them. By the age of 14 years old, MC realised that her creativity had led her to combine her elemental magic into an arsenals of powerful spells.

They decide to celebrate her newfound skills out to dinner.

And with the recent discovery of her Unique Magic - Observer - their family is aware that Renata has been experimenting with it almost every day.

“Oh yeah, uh, Mama?” Renata suddenly broke MC from her train of thought. Beside her, Sherrie and Lucien are comparing their two favourite games.

“Yes, dear?”

“Umm... Last night I Observed myself and something came up.” Renata began to explain and she started to fidget in her seat.

MC grows concern over her daughter’s hesitant expression.

“What is it dear? Is something wrong with your Unique Magic?”

“No, no, everything’s fine! It’s just that, well, so you know my Unique Magic give me the ability to observe my possibilities, right? Well, 99% of my possibilities shows that I’m going to participate in Night Raven College’s entrance ceremony soon.” Renata explains.

“Say what?” Sherrie suddenly intervene, eyes wide in surprise. Their own conversation paused.

MC could feel her blood froze at her daughter’s words. Suddenly, she no longer has any appetite for dinner.

“Night Raven College?” Lucien asked, confused at the sudden tension in the air. “I remember Mama said she studied at a place call Night Raven College.”

MC wanted to spare her son what she and her daughters had been through in Twisted Wonderland. But at the same time, she didn’t want to hide their past from him. So he told her all about Twisted Wonderland and Night Raven College. Of the good friends she made during her time at the school. About all sorts of shenanigans they got themselves into.

About a dark fae that she could see herself falling in love with at the beginning of their friendship, but that became a distant dream when Malleus let his fear of her mortality and his selfish, draconic desire to hoard her all to himself overwhelmed him.

No matter how much she tried to pleaded with him, reasoned with him, Malleus refused to yield. He threatened to harm her friends should she ever think of anyone other than him and gave her all the luxury in a world while locking her up in castle full with creatures who believe they’re superior to humans.

Lucien was stricken when she told him everything. In the end, all MC could do was smile sadly and told him that while Malleus might have love her and his children, in the end, it doesn’t mean anything when he allow his own council to dictate that Renata was not suitable to become his heiress just because she’s a girl.

In the dead of the night when Renata couldn’t sleep after they settled down in this world, she went to MC and with tearful eyes yet resolute face, her daughter informed her that she never wanted to be Malleus’ heiress. Having a taste of freedom, everything that this world has to offer to her and the loving support of her family, Renata knew she could be so, so much more than a mere Queen to a backwater country and its people.

And so the thought of her going back to Twisted Wonderland - where Malleus would no doubt still be searching for them - scares MC.

“Is there a way to prevent it?” MC quietly asks, though in her heart, she knows the answer to her own question.

Renata regretfully shake her head. “I can’t make the 1% where I don’t go back to Twisted Wonderland into a reality.”

“And why not?” Sherrie demanded.

“Because in that possibility, I’ll die here from Overblotting.” Renata dryly reply.

That’s the drawback of her daughter’s Unique Magic. While she could observe her every possibilities and acknowledge one and turn it into a reality, Renata can only see hers and not other people’s. Not only that, she cannot changed the many paths that had been laid in front of her. She can only observe and choose. Not altered.

Both Sherrie and Lucien flinch. MC shove the image of her daughter dying as a monster into the back of her mind. Renata lowered her head slightly.

“I... I don’t want to go back there.” Renata whispers. “I want to stay here. All my friends are here.” She raises her head when MC hold her hand and squeeze it comfortingly.

She needs to be strong for her children. Being a single mother wasn’t easy. They used to live with her parents and they were pillars of endless support to MC and her children. They didn’t turned her away when she appeared out of nowhere after months of disappearance with two horned children in tow. Instead, they helped raised and care for her children when she’s out working under long corporate hours.

The kids adore their grandparents and were heartbroken when they passed away.

But by that time, MC was financially secure to move her family into a new house and support her little family all on her own. She understood what it meant to be strong for her children and she will continue to be just as strong.

So with a sigh, MC narrowed her eyes and said, “If we can’t change the outcome, then we will do out best to prepare for everything that will stand in your way, Renata.” All three of her precious children jerk their heads towards her. She press on, “Each one of you posses your own strength; and I don’t mean magical capabilities. Your oldest sister’s greatest strength is her creativity when it comes to magic, Sherrie possess an intelligent mind for planning and strategising and you, my son, I’ve seen how big your heart is. You understands that compassion isn’t a weakness and that’s something the faes from the Valley of Thorns can never understand.”

Sherrie interrupt her speech with an abashed expression. “Uh, I don’t think me playing Total War: Rome II counts as a mastermind, Mama.” She sheepishly said.

Her attempt at the joke lessen the heavy mood a little when Lucien giggle and Renata crack a smile. It’s amazing to see how much her children have grown.

MC playfully roll her eyes. “Be that as it may, what I’m trying to say was that we can help Renata survive in Twisted Wonderland by doing our damn best to prepare her.”

Renata nodded eagerly while Sherrie and Lucien cheer.

And so MC clap her hands once and her children sat straight. “Let’s turn this into a family project. Now, sweetheart, do you know when the Ebony Carriage will pick you up?”

“Hang on, lemme check again...” Renata’s scleras suddenly tinted black and her green eyes glow brightly as she activates her Unique Magic. While she Observe all her possibilities, SD/N left the table to fetch her tablet while MC explains a bit more what being a student of Night Raven College would mean for Renata. After Sherrie sat back down at the table, Renata blink and her eyes return to normal. “I’ll be at the entrance ceremony two weeks from today. The headmaster is going to be so shocked when he sees me.”

MC hums. “Two weeks... we can work with two weeks. We need to prepare a countermeasure when it comes to your father. Words will surely spread that someone that looks like him is attending Night Raven College.”

“I can Observe further ahead what he will do once he realised that I’m there.” Renata said and furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating. “I need to test my magic against other people so I can see if I’m able to fight him or not.”

“Actually, I think I might have an idea on how to handle that.” Sherrie intervene. She’s holding a stylus pen and is scribbling something furiously on her tablet. Lucien crane his neck to see what his sister is writing, only to tilt his head in confusion.

As the family continue to brainstorm into late in the evening, MC silently swore to herself that she won’t leave her daughter all alone to defend herself in Twisted Wonderland. She doesn’t know how, but she will be there with her and still keep her children safe.

And then, the fateful day arrives.

“Next student, please come forth!”

“State thy name.”

“Renata MC/S...”

She said nothing when she heard Headmaster Crowley gasped beside her. “You - how!?

The Mirror of Darkness ignores him. “You were born with a different name, but live proudly under your mother’s legacy.”

“Damn right.” Renata smirks. “I’m my mother’s daughter first and foremost. I’ll continue to live as free as her.”

“Such conviction. You possess a deep desire to protect your loved ones which is both admirable and ambitious with the power that you were gifted with. Becaue of that, the shape of thy soul is a blazing green fire and towers of thorns that serve as your shield. You belong in Diasomnia.” The Mirror of Darkness declare.

The headmaster mutter something about fate playing a cruel joke on his once poor prefect.

And when the current Dorm Leader of Diasomia greeted her, he took a step back when he sees her face and horns. His eyes wide with shocked and words failed him. For every Diasomnia member had seen the tapestries of their previous Dorm Leader and especially one as great and terribly powerful as Malleus Draconia.

“Nice to meet you, senpai. My name is Renata MC/S.” She said as politely as possible. “I’ll do my best not to cause any trouble to this dorm.”

Renata tilt her head and pretend to look confused when her Dorm Leader continue to gape at the sight of her. Whispers of her true heritage and family began to circulate among the crowd.

At that moment, she recalled the advice given to her by her family:

“Don’t show off your spells. Ever. Lay low as much as you can. We can’t really control the rumour mill so let it travel on its own. While you’re there, gather all the intel you can about father and the current affairs in the Valley of Thorns. Anything that can be used against them. Also, you need to watch Bungou Stray Dogs with me. You can learn a thing or two from some of the characters in that anime.” Sherrie had said while showing her tablet and a messy flowchat of her plan. She tapped her stylus pen on the ‘Phase 1’ section with great importance.

“You need to keep your cool, big sis. You like to set the things that irritate you on fire. Like that girl’s handphone after she copied your test paper.” Lucien reminded her. Renata stucked her tongue out while Sherrie laughs.

“You need to make good friends, sweetie. Friends that can help you from the sideline. I have a list of people that might be able to help you against your father. I think it’s safe to assumed that their kids would also be attending Night Raven College too. Though some of them need to be offered a reward or be persuaded to help you first. Don’t worry, I’ll write down on how you can win them over.” MC assured her.

With her family supporting her even from another world, confidence in her magical abilities and a plan already in motion, Renata would not let her other so-called family trapped them ever again.

“It’s showtime...”

Did I really based Renata off Nine the Phantom? Hell yeah! I love her fighting style in the game. I HC that Renata is as badass as her.

I like to continue part 2 to this oneshot next week if my workload isn’t so crazy. I’m having so much fun writing for this wonderful AU!

#twisted wonderland #fanfic #twst mc #malleus draconia x mc #twst kids #Malleus and MC kids #yandere malleus draconia #Draconia Family series #Second Wive AU

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mystech-master · 5 years ago

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Something I’ve been thinking about when imagining my own BBTAG story is the fighting styles in each verse, more specifically how they are presented in animation.

Now we all know that Blazblue is the most powerfull verse in BBTAG, with Ragna being one of the most dangerous men on the planet with his Azure Grimoire. But let’s look at how the fighting styles are represented

Blazblue and Under Night In-Birth are both fighting games, so when the characters fight they have a certain tempo about them (think of how fast you press buttons and how fast the character animations respond). They seem even in terms of combat speed and power, but since it is a fighting game you don’t get nimble dodges, counters and parries (well you DO but in fighting games it’s more fo a mechanic rather than you see the character moving (their weapon) in a specific way to prevent an attack).

Persona is a turn-based RPG, yes, but when you look at the Animation, the Personas are WAY larger than they are in Arena and tear the ground and buildings asunder with their attacks. Just watch the first fight with Izanagi in the Golden Animation (Granted this is NG+ Yu but still) (2:43)

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If you want me to count the P3 Movies, the Personas don’t do anything TOO spectacular in those, outside of Aigis (let’s see what Ragan can do against a million bullets) but even then she isn’t using her Persona, and Makoto Yuki (the Messiah himself).

Brief little shout out to Labyrs with Dat Axe though, yeah honestly if it weren’t for anime bullshit I would totally bet that at full charge Labrys’ axe would break Ragna’s sword in two.

Then you got RWBY, specifically the Beacon arc (as that is where the characters are taken from in BBTAG’s tory), with dynamic and fast paced action courtesy of the late Monty Oum (RIP), I honestly keep thinking that most of the RWBY cast (not even the more experienced/powerful ones) could kick Ragna’s ass.

Ragna in CP is said to just use brute force with no technique or skill and falls back on the Azure Grimoire when the going gets tough (regardless of Blazblue’s shitty writing this is what is stated and unless you want to go Au fan-theory on me this is what we’re stuck with). Now from CT and CS we can bet that means that usually Ragna just has above average Ars Magus abilities and relies on power over skill, and when he DOES use the Blazblue it’s against bullshit people like Nu, Hakumen, or Terumi.

Ruby has Speed and Range with her Sniper Scythe, I mean just look at this shit how could anyone get close to her (I guess that’s why they never had any 1v1 fights in the Beacon arc for her, which really fucking sucks)

Weiss could just toss him around like a ragdoll with her Glyphs, although in a straight sword fight Ragna might get an edge due to Weiss seeming to have this problem with not expecting dirty moves (The Arma Gigas and WF Lieutenant grabbing her in their fights, and Vernal not giving her time to summon). But even then Weiss is insanly mobile with her Glyphs.

Blake’s Shadow Semblance and high speed blade work coudl trip him up b/c I doubt he’ll be doing what Roman did against her and Sun in the Vol 1 finale. But looking back at that scene, the tempo does seem like it'd be manageable from what we’ve seen of Ragna.

and Yang, I recall reading somewhere that “only a master/skilled martial artist could battle with one of the Malachite Twins so effectively” or something amongst those lines. Yang charges in a lot too, yes but she has the skill to back it up, and also yes, much like Ragna she also relies on her power a lot as well. But, she shows far more dynamic movements with her Ember Celica recoil, spinnign around the opponent with all those high speed jabs and elbows. Watch some Ragna gameplay and then watch the yellow Trailer and tell me who you think woudl come out on top? Power isn’t everything in a fight.

(could only find good gifs for Blake and Yang, Ruby and Weiss’ either wouldn’t upload or I couldn’t find any that showed scenes that fit my point).

I know Ragna has Soul Eater to drain their auras, but that’s only if he can get in a hit anyways and even then it might just keep him in the fight. Really his best bet is to do massive AoE attacks with all that seithr energy and hopes he hits something.

Yes Ragna does get more skilled later on as character development comes in, but we only get a few animated cutscenes showing him fighting and his gameplay is still the same shit we’ve seen, so it’s kind of a “Tell, don’t show” thing.

Even when looking at the fights in Blazblue Alter Memory, the tempo is NOT the same as the games and that characters don’t show off everything their movesets have to offer (which was one of my personal let downs of that series).

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jdrider02 · 4 years ago

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I have beaten Golden Sun 1 and 2: Lost Age

(Mostly copied from my Twitter "analysis")

So the deed is done. I've beaten the Golden Sun original duology. I should point out that I beat the first game back in late January 2020 and played a bit of the second, just before my spring college semester had begun and I had to focus on that. Once I finished my summer semester, I went to work on getting through the second game. Though a 6-month school hiatus was in between the two games, I can say now that these are some great RPGs, full of heart, clever thinking, and lots of stuff to do.

Since this game so long and I spent quite a hefty amount of time on it, I want to give my few pros and cons for these games, specifically for GS2:

-I wish that Isaac and Felix, when the protagonist of their respective games, had their own dialogue instead of just saying Yes or No. Weird when they are outside of the protagonist role they can speak fine. All the other characters were great, not sure if I should expand on that

-The puzzles in these games were good enough to not be braindead or obtuse. Though GS2 did have some cryptic solutions required me to look up a few hints or get help from friends on Twitter who are big Golden Sun fans (I'd like to give thanks for helping me). While those were weak moments, thankfully they were few.

-I both like and dislike how big the world is. There was so much to do, lots of land to cover, fantastic world building, diverse cultures and enemies, and when I got the boat and skills like Grind and Teleport, that really felt like opening up a whole other world. That said, I wish Teleport came in a lot earlier because looking at the world is way different from walking through the world, for a looooong time. (I also may have been spoiled by modern RPGs like Xenoblade and Octopath having a warp system by default)

-The battle system was cool. Using Djinn to apply status changes and call crazy Summons was a nice change of pace (from my perspective anyway). The battles having quick animations made it overall faster to start and stop which meant I often did not get bored. The only time I thought the battles were annoying was when they interrupted me while I was solving puzzles. When the puzzles got more complex, the battles were more interfering than complementing. I would like to thank Avoid psynergy for making that less of a problem.

-The story was nice. There was a simple objective that became interesting as I shifted from Isaac to Felix. Interesting perspective shift. The ending was...alright. Honestly with how other game stories are dark, it felt weird that this had a more happy ending, but good for them

-This game is quite long, and I clocked in around 50 hours with the aforementioned so much to do. I'll be honest, in general, RPGs being so long intimidate me, because I'm afraid I will take too long to finish them. Especially since we live in a time where people blaze through games just to get to the newest product, that's both amazing but scary to me. I tried going as fast as I could at times in GS2 and felt exhausted. That's not this game's fault but just my mentality with RPGs.

Overall, I did not regret spending time on Golden Sun. Now that I have I appreciate it when people talk about the series more. Or when people demand for Isaac to become playable in Smash... I feel for them now. Because I did not grow up with this game though, I do feel like GS does not have to be an ongoing series. Like I said, these games (GS2 moreso) are so huge, I feel like some people would be overwhelmed by how bloated it is. And there is still GS3 to get to... I suppose at least, if they could at least bring the games to the Switch, just port the two over like you did for the Wii U... a miraculous remake that merged the two into a single game would also be neat. I didn't get 100% but I tried as best as I could. Will I ever return to complete all the bonus stuff? hmmmmmm not sure. Still got a lot of other games I wish to visit, but I'll consider returning.

Anyway, while I think I’ll finish up with BlazBlue 2 next, the GS journey is not over. Gamestop had a copy of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn in their glass case. Were it not for purchasing that I probably wouldn't have examined the series further... I also hear this is the bad one but frick, I’ll still give it a shot eventually. That's all for now. Maybe in time I will make Golden Sun fanart

7-16-2020

#jdgameslist #jdbacklog

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dlamp-dictator · 5 years ago

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Allen Summarizes His Total Warhammer 2 Experience

So, I’ve been playing Warhammer 2 for about 60 hours now. That’s not enough time to play every race and warlord in depth, but it’s enough to get a good idea of things. I’ve played a little bit of everyone save for the Dwarves and Vampires, and I only got a handful of the DLC, namely the stuff for all the default races. Anyway, here’s the general experience I’ve gotten:

The Empire

The Empire is a well-rounded faction that covers just about everything. The only they lack is monster units... unless we count the Steam Tank. They’re pretty good at any level or point of the game.

Much like Hyde from Under Night though, their simplicity does not make them easy. Properly using the Empire to it’s fullest requires you to actually think about your unit composition and positioning. I personally find that either going for heavy on infantry or range works. Either a lot of infantry with some archer support, or a lot of archers with some spears guarding them. Having a cavalry unit or two on the side to flank or finish off the infantry helps too.

And much like Cao Cao’s Three Kingdoms campaign, the Empire’s ““““Easy”””” starting difficulty is literally the first province and that’s it. From that point on you’re surrounded by stingy Elector Counts, cagey Frenchmen, incomprehensible Dwarves, and Skarsnik. Expand east and you’ve got deal with Vampire. Go south and you’ve got Orcs, the Border Princes, and even Dwarves if you aren’t careful with your relations. Go north and you have NORDLAND to deal with, and then the relentless Chaos after that. And Sigmar help you if Bretonnia get’s Marienburg first, because there goes your economy heartland.

Also, your daily reminder that Nordland are DICKS.

The Greenskins

The Greenskins are like Azrael from Blazblue: Big, hard-hitting, recklessly aggressive, and only requires single brain cell to use effectively. At least on easy and normal difficulty.

I’m not joking, 10 units of Orc Boyz, some archers, and maybe a cavalry unit or two will utterly clean house in most battles, at least in the early game. I barely needed to work in order to win my fights until I ran into the Dwarves.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the Fightiness mechanic. On one hand, it really helps you get into character as the Greenskins and encourages more reckless smashing and stacking to get an entirely free full-stack army. On the other hand, after playing the Empire I am very use to slowly advancing, planning my steps, and carefully looting a handful of areas while I work on infrastructure, which clashes with the greenskins’ rush army playstyle.

I’m never able to get past midgame with these guys because of it, and I really want to get there. It’s honestly fun being able to play this game without worrying too much about infrastructure and logistics.

The High Elves

Here’s a completely accurate image of Allen playing the High Elves:

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I’m not joking. A solid line of Lothern Seaguard, a line of archers in the back, and you will blot the sun itself with arrows. These guys are the zoners of Warhammer, like Hilda from Under Night, but with arrows instead of swords.

Unless you’re playing as a buffed-up Tyrion. Then you’re playing Wagner, and it requires just as little thinking.

I honestly haven’t played much of the high elves. I don’t really care for them and getting through the islands are kind of a pain. Aside from the MASSIVE archer fire I didn’t have much fun with them. Though I know the basic generals can get DRAGON MOUNTS, so maybe I’ll try again after this 100-turn Empire run I’m doing.

The Lizardmen

Just have an ancient Kroxigor as your general and they’ll do 80% of the work.

Okay, in all seriousness, the Lizardmen get some pretty powerful units in the early game between the army-destroying Kroxigor generals and slightly overpowered Saurus Warriors. It comes at the cost of Saurus warriors being expensive as hell, but almost worth it.

The spawning pools can give you some ridiculously good units with little to no cost, which is just wild depending on the army composition.

Haven’t played around with the flying units yet, but it’s pretty fun time all around.

If I were to compare to a fighting game character, I’d say their like Merkava from Under Night In-Birth. They’ve got a lot of good tools and strategies, but it just comes down how much you’re willing to deal with some of their wonkier mechanics like the Geopanels, spawning pools, and early-game cost.

The Darks Elves

If the High Elves are Hilda, then the Dark Elves are Gordeau. Extremely offensive, extremely powerful, but can’t really play defensive, or at least not catered to doing so. And with Murderous Prowess you really need to get in there and fight.

I thought the Warhammer community was just meme-ing, but no, 5 Sisters of Slaughter units really can do 90% of work, at least on the lower difficulties.

Apparently, having Harpies in your army is a really big-brain power move in the Warhammer community. After seeing them shred a Chaos artillery unit I can see why.

I was surprised how peaceful Malekith’s campaign was at first... and then I confederated with a faction and everything went to hell.

Seriously, confederation is some bad civ man, at least for the Elves. I ran into the same issue in my Tyrion campaign too. I confederate, realize all too late that my ally didn’t build anything in his province and left themselves (and by extension, my new flank) helpless as other filthy troglodytes make war on my new property thanks to the power move lowering my reputation all around the board.

The Skaven

I have no fighting game comparison for the because nothing in fighting games should reward mindless mashing like the Skaven spams its slaves and clanrats.

Seriously, I can never get past the early game with this faction, it just feels too brainless to really use properly. I know their mid and late-game stuff it pretty good, but this early game is just... too mindless for me.

Also, as much as I like the idea of the Under Empire, very few of the campaigns really had it in mind save for Ikit Claw. It just doesn’t make sense for the other warlords given their enemies, goals, and locations.

Other Small Notes From Allen

Naturally, I can cover every race and faction in 60 hours, so here’s a quick rundown of the more miscellaneous things:

The Vampires seemed really cool until I realized they didn’t have ranged option. Then they became unplayable.

The Dwarves also seemed really cool until I realized they didn’t have cavalry. I know they have war machines, but even the Skaven have Doomwheels as a work around. Maybe the Dwarves can get some steampunk-styled tank to ram into enemy flanks? The Empire has them, so why not the Dawi?

Mannfred von Carstein can suck Karl Franz’s Imperial nuts with his cavalry spamming armies that somehow got 8 units of armored cavalry right out of his ass with his pitiful economy and sacked lands. It’s like he knew most of my armies consisted of archers and only a handful of spear units.

On that note, Nordland can also suck Karl Franz’s Imperial nuts with how much their being dicks. Apparently the lore says they hate the Empire because of Gelt pranked the Elector of Nordland too hard and he couldn’t take a joke, but I wish Gelt just offed the guy while touring the countryside because these people just won’t give me military access as 40 turns of being nice and being at war with the Greenskins invading their lands.

I’d honestly play as Bretonnia if their peasantry mechanic didn’t make me think I was playing Civilization 5 again. Civ 5 is a good game, but I can’t do logistics and conquer the world at the same time, no matter how stupid strong the cavalry is.

I understand how the DLC works, but I don’t agree with it. Ten-dollar DLC every three to four months a year sounds fair for a 60-dollar game that has hundreds of hours of replay value, but I wish they had DLC packs for those of us that got to the party late. Like, just pay an extra 30 bucks and get all the DLC from last year or something like that. The current model does works for the dedicated fans, but us stragglers really feel burned.

Anyway, that’s really it for my quick thoughts. Magical Girl Raising Project: Joker came in the mail last night, so I’ll be reading that for most of today. Anyway, see you folks later!

#warhammer #total war warhammer 2 #your dictator is speaking

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zerolympiustrife · 5 years ago

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Favorite video games of all time?

Get ready for a LONG post, folks! However…allow me to break this down to my three favorite video game genres: Fighting games, RPGs/JRPGs, and Platformers/Action Platformers (both 2D and 3D). However! Since I feel like these posts are gonna take MUCH longer than I thought it would, I’m just gonna divide the genres into separate posts. But for now, let’s stick with the…

FIGHTING GAMES!:

Dragon Ball FighterZ: My number one favorite (traditional) fighting game of all time. My favorite ArcSys game of all time. My favorite Dragon Ball game of all time. This game is the reason how I got into the Dragon Ball franchise back when I’ve had to little to NO interest in the franchise, even when I’ve watched the ENTIRE Namek saga from the original anime back in 2009. The game’s GORGEOUS art style, every character animation’s (such as specials, supers, intros, victory poses, and ESPECIALLY the Dramatic Finishes) faithfulness to the original manga AND anime of Dragon Ball Z and other DB properties (such as GT and Super), the AWESOME soundtrack (courtesy of ArcSys theirselves, who’re known for awesome music in their games), the 3v3 gameplay, the character roster (though I’ll admit that having five Gokus and Three Vegetas is rather silly), having a new character design by DB creator Akira Toriyama himself, and lastly, being a breath of fresh air to those new to the fighting game genre (since the genre itself is notorious for its high learning curves) AND to Dragon Ball fans who were sick and tired of having the story of DBZ recapped over and over and over AND OVER AGAIN is a fucking sight to behold. This game FUCKING RULES (and a million times better than MvC:I). However, I wouldn’t call it perfect. I’ll admit that the Story Mode is rather lackluster, Arcade Mode is rather lacking, the Shop is completely randomized, and the Online Mode, much like every other fighting game, suffers from lag, spammable players, or just outright ragequitters. That, and the fact that, unlike MvC3 and BB:CTB, every character assist only sticks to ONE attack (meaning that more than one character is gonna have a Kamehameha assist), and that MOST PLAYERS you’re gonna run into is gonna main the likes of Cell (who ENJOYS dragging out combos for as long as possible), Adult Gohan (like Cell, also drags out long combos), and Vegeta (Super Saiyan, because of his assist. Need I say more?). But aside from those flaws, it is hands down the BEST fighting game I’ve ever played, next to…well, below.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: My number one favorite (unique) fighting game of all time. My favorite Nintendo game of all time. Series creator Masahiro Sakurai is a man that I’d like to describe as…well, not only doing the impossible and HIGHLY respected, but also putting those filthy naysayers about certain characters in their place. The fact that the whole point of Smash Ultimate was to include EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER FROM SMASH 64 TO SMASH 4 (Wii U and 3DS), INCLUDING EVERY THIRD-PARTY CHARACTERS DESPITE THE LICENSING AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES THIS WOULD CAUSE is another sight to behold. FUCK Melee, THIS is hands-down the best Smash game of all time! The inclusion of Spirits, the Adventure Mode, the Boss battles, the gameplay, the kind of chicanery you can pull, the game’s main theme “Lifelight”, the roster, the soundtrack…there’s just ALOT about this game that I just fucking adore. What can you make folks more hyped about this game? Oh, I don’t know…why not shock everybody with JOKER (from Persona 5) AND BANJO & KAZOOIE (who’s still owned by Microsoft) being in the game. What I love about Smash Bros is how Sakurai is just outright defies those say certain characters can’t appear in the series for silliest (or justifiable) reasons. Cloud can’t be in Smash because his game was never released on a Nintendo console until 2019? No problem! Ridley’s too big therefore he can’t be playable? Fuck that! Banjo & Kazooie can’t be in Smash because they’re owned by Microsoft of the Xbox brand? It’s fine! Why? “Because I AM HERE!” -Banjo (JK, but seriously, the fact that Banjo’s in was quite a surprise.) Smash 4 is the reason how I got into Final Fantasy VII, and I hold the entire Smash series in high regard for doing so. Goddamn, do I love this franchise! But! Again, it’s not perfect. The Online Mode is MUCH worse than DBFighterZ (to the point where you’re more than likely to end up in a battle with Items TURNED ON or stages with distracting hazards, OR end up fighting the SAME fucking characters I hate fighting against, such as Little Mac, Falco, Inkling, Incineroar, etc.), and that fighting against EVERY single spirit in the Adventure Mode to get 100% can get rather tiring (not to mention that you gotta get BOTH bad endings from fighting Galeem solo AND Dharkon solo), lack of additional content upon release (Stage Builder and Home-Run Content weren’t even implemented into the game at first), and lastly (although these two complaints are one of more personal matter and one towards Square Enix), the fact Zero from Mega Man X, my favorite video game character is ASSIST character instead of a playable was really heartbreaking to see (but hey, I’m not complaining TOO much since I enjoy interacting with him in my free time in Training), and lastly, the fact that Cloud, and to high extent, Final Fantasy VII AND the FF franchise as a whole has LITTLE TO NO representation in this game whatsoever (again, I feel like this was more of SE’s fault than Sakurai’s). No spirits, no “Fighter Spirit” artwork from the original FFVII, no Assist characters, not being dubbed in English AGAIN (though this was more of a contract issue with SE), no additional music on Midgar, NOTHING. But, nonetheless…this game is fucking awesome.

Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle: Ahahahahaha! Ah…Oh, Blazblue…I love this franchise oh-so much, but the fact that it hasn’t received the same treatment as Guilty Gear lately (not to mention the mainstream Blazblue games, aka the C-series, has pretty much came to an end) is a rather sad sight to see…depression aside, I love Blazblue. I REALLY do! I love the characters, I love the stages, I love the music, the story is confusing as FUCK, but it’s a fighting game franchise I’ve discovered WAY back 2012 and I still love to this day, even more so than Guilty Gear (don’t @ me). So…what to do now? Could there perhaps be another Blazblue game? A game that just so happens to be a crossover? One just as awesome as Smash Bros? Ooh! How about…PERSONA 4?!? UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH?!? A FRANCHISE THAT, LIKE DRAGON BALL AND FFVII, I’VE HAD NO INTEREST IN UP UNTIL 2018 (aka RWBY)?!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA- Fangasm aside, the fact that this game even EXISTS is an achievement in its own right. As stated before, this game is the reason how I got into RWBY. What I really love and adore about the game are the interactions among the characters. That, and I was SO HAPPY to hear that the game would be dubbed in English, after GG:Xrd Revelator and BB: Central Fiction lacked a dub. I was not only excited to hear the likes of Ragna, Noel, and Hazama voiced in English again, but I was also happy to hear that any characters who’ve never been dubbed in English in the past (characters from UNIB, newcomers in BB:CF, etc.) would be dubbed in English as well. Hell, the fact that the characters from both Blazblue AND Persona 4 (two franchises/games I really love) being in the EXACT same game together was enough to make me be all like “Shut up, and take my money!”, considering how crazy excited I was in the past to see them interacting with one another via fanart and fanfiction (thanks to the Persona 4 Arena games being developed by ArcSys). And if you thought having only THOSE four franchises in the game was enough, you’d be wrong! Here’s Arcana Heart! Here’s Senran Kagura! Here’s a FIFTH character from RWBY: Neo Politan! This game, much like DBFZ and Smash Ultimate, is awesome. However, complaints I do have towards the game are the Online Mode (although the chibi interactions are cute and adorable and I will praise the Online Mode for that, and ONLY THAT), Gordeau from UNIB is still a problem, the rest of the half of the roster is entirely DLC, lack of additional content upon release, the control scheme is WAY too simplistic (even moreso than DBFZ), and lastly, while I love the sprites ArcSys did for RWBY, the reused sprites from Blazblue, Persona 4 Arena, and UNIB is also a complaint I have (but a minor one, mind you. They could’ve just easily redone the sprites specifically for this game, but…no). And while this game isn’t exactly in my top two favorite fighting games, it’s definitely in my top THREE. Also, I have yet to actually to play the Story Mode of this game, but I haven’t yet, therefore, I hold no opinion on the story as of currently. Marvel vs Capcom-styled traditional fighting games are hands-down, my go-to preference for traditional fighters.

Dissidia (and Dissidia 012): Final Fantasy: Forget Dissidia NT, THIS game (mostly Dissidia 012) is what an awesome 3D Action Fighting game is about! Much like how Smash Ultimate’s a unique fighting game (a Platform Fighter), this game is also a unique type of fighting game, possessing RPG elements and just having a blast with its awesome combat system. Cloud and Sephiroth were just so much fun to play as, with Terra, Squall, and WoL being my other favorite characters in this awesome game. This game is also essentially a HUGE homage to Final Fantasy as whole. From the ongoing conflicts between Cosmos and Chaos, to MULTIPLE references to the character’s original games, to additional modes that involve unlocking the likes of Gilgamesh from FFV, or fighting against the most frustrating secret final boss I’ve ever had the displeasure of fighting against (Feral Chaos), these games are awesome! Also, the reason why I’m addressing both games as a single installment here is because technically, while Dissidia 012 IS a prequel, it pretty has the same content (no, scratch that, MORE content) from the first Dissidia game and it’s pretty much an updated…well, not a “port”, per say, more like an enhanced re-release, much like Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 or any of the Blazblue EXTEND re-releases. However, complaints I have for Dissidia is that certain characters are annoying to fight against (such as Jecht, FUCK that character), the RPG system takes a while to build up until your favorite characters are FINALLY at Level 100, trying to get the rarest Equipment is rather difficult, and lastly, the action commands for certain character’s EX Bursts can be retooled for the sake of a proper fighting game, but then again, Dissidia ain’t a “traditional” fighting game. But aside from that, not only is this my favorite Action RPG/Fighting game of all time, but this is also my favorite Final Fantasy Spin-Off of all time.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars: What’s that? You were expecting a Marvel vs Capcom game to be on this list, let alone my top 5? Too bad! It’s Tatsunoko, baby! This one definitely holds a spot in my heart as this game stands as my number one favorite “Capcom vs Whatever” game of all time (yes, even moreso than Marvel vs Capcom itself OR any of the SNK vs Capcom games, don’t @ me). I love this game. I love its soundtrack (ESPECIALLY its main theme, “Across the Border”), I love the roster (despite being small), I love the final boss of the Arcade Mode (Yami, from Capcom’s Okami), and I love the gameplay. My complaints goes towards the lack of additional content outside of Arcade and the Gallery (although the top-down shooter minigame is rather fun), and, as stated before, small roster. But other than that, this game was really fun to play.

OTHER FAVORITE FIGHTING GAMES:

Sonic Battle, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, SvC: Chaos, and Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma.

Coming up next: My favorite RPGs/JPRGs!

#fighting games #dragon ball fighterz #super smash bros ultimate #blazblue cross tag battle #dissidia final fantasy #tatsunoko vs capcom

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thebloodfridge · 6 years ago

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A Question

Did Mori really think he could just retcon things about characters halfway through the game and no one would notice? Well, all things considered about the community, he would be kind of right.

Though if anyone remembers, one of Ragna's character flaws in the first half of the series (you know, before Mori began rewriting things) was that he held back too much. For whatever reason Ragna got complacent about his fights and often would just let his strength and durability carry him through without really trying. For those rusty on the early games, this claim can be supported by Rachel herself chastising him for holding back in her true story route of CT where she went as far as to punch him in the face over it. You also had multiple story routes where Ragna would realize he's about to die and attempt to turn the fight around with his Azure Grimoire but it's too late and he fails. The entire system of time loops was reliant on this, and were then broken by him finally going all out and of course a helping hand from Noel/Saya.

Then we jump ahead to Chronophantasma and not only was this aspect forgotten, but completely reversed as all of the sudden Ragna is labelled as weak and shamed for using the Azure Grimoire as a crutch to win all of his fights by the cast (minus Rachel) and the narrative itself. Which begs the question why did the time loops last as long as they did if Ragna abuses the very thing that broke them? What's more, if you look over the first two games, the claim that he does looks even worse because canonically Ragna only activated BlazBlue twice. There was the first time in CT for the back to back fights with Hakumen and Nu, and then once again in CS for the back to back fights with Terumi and Mu. You can also add to that the few animated fight scenes we see of Ragna in the first couple of games and he would only use his sword as canon examples of him fighting. I suppose Mori and his team could assume players mashing the Drive button to play for some reason holds story significance, but either way this highlights the noticeably weaker writing of the latter half of the series.

If someone wanted to make the claim that it happens more off screen or it's implied or what have you, I would respond with the tried and true "show, don't tell" and refer back to the bad writing point.

Anyway, Ragna clearly understood the weight of what using his Azure Grimoire meant at the start of the series, which makes sense seeing as he always takes Jubei and Rachel's words to heart as they raised him and he trusts them. He only would use it when his life was on the line (sometimes not even then as per the time loops) and it always would net positive results such as breaking the loops, saving Noel etc. This measured, only when necessary use of the Azure Grimoire continues on even after they tried pushing the hollow lesson that it's wrong to use it with the end of CP where everyone acknowledged it was needed against Take-Mikazuchi and also with the entire plot of CF.

And you may ask why the sudden twisting of the narrative if the only result was a half-hearted and half-baked lesson they didn't even keep? Mori hasn't commented on it as far as I know, meaning there is no way to say for sure, unfortunately. However, if I had to bet, I would guess it was due to the fact they decided to add Celica to the games and she needed something "important" to do seeing as her popularity meant it wouldn't be a wise business decision to only give her a cameo even if it would better serve the story.

So, don't worry people who need to rewrite Ragna so they can pretend they actually like him. Mori apparently does it, too.

#BlazBlue #ragna the bloodedge #food for thought #critical thinking skills

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anothrwintr · 7 years ago

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My Blazblue Cross Tag Battle Wishlist

Okay, everyone’s doing it. I might as well do the same. I wanted to let it out for a while now. Do note that me not mentioning a character doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t wanna see them make it in; it’s just that I’m mentioning the ones I DO want to appear. Alright, here goes.

Blazblue/P4A/UNIEL/RWBY Cast:

- Iron Tager (of course, mah main man)

- Yuuki Terumi

- Kokonoe (Dunno how they’ll implement her graviton mechanic tho)

- Elizabeth (I never got to play P4AU and she’s the one character I wanted to play the most)

- Aigis

- Tohru Adachi

- Yukari Takeba (i always liked the girl!)

- Kanji Tatsumi (fairly likely to appear already, tho)

- Yuzuriha

- Eltnum (get a Melty Blood representative there!)

- ROMAN TORCHWICK (Good God he needs to get in)

- Neopolitan (I can only imagine how fluid her animations would be)

- Blake Belladonna (Practically assured assured already along with Yang. She’d be bloody kickass)

- Yang Xiao Long (I wonder how she’d play though? Kinda like Sol?)

- The entirety of Team JNPR (Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren) (they’re practically the deuteraganists to Team RWBY anyway,)

- Sun Wukong (clones and shotgun nunchucks ftw)

- Adam Taurus (a villain hated by a lot, but you can’t deny, he’s got style. shotgun-katana, come on!)

- Cinder Fall (because RWBY’s gonna need villainous representatives. I’d say Salem, but we haven’t seen much of her on the field as of late. It’d be premature to get her in)

Who else from any other video game/company?

- Sol, Ky, or ANYONE AT ALL in Guilty Gear! (Maybe A.B.A. or Testament?)

- Darkstalkers characters (lol, i know how unlikely this is, but just imagine how awesome it would be to see Demitri, Donovan, Lilith, or BB Hood in this shit!)

- A Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure character (the Capcom fighter) (Again, REALLY UNLIKELY. But I’ve been playing on Fightcade recently, and now I wanna see Jotaro and Dio in this or even Midler)

- Arcrueid Brunestud, Aoko Aozaki, Shiki Ryougi or any other Melty Blood representative (considering Arcsys’ connections with French Bread, maybe it can happen?)

- A Fate character would be cool, too!

- Maybe 2B and/or 9S from NieR Automata?

- Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!! and alternatively Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax (give him his english voice AND make him an actually good character, Goddamnit!)

Any other comments?

Please, please, please please please PLEASE localize it with english voices, especially for the Blazblue and Persona cast. A good chunk of your fanbase will absolutely appreciate it!

Also, consider toning down the damage a bit, or matches would end too quickly.

With my wishlist, I know they could only manage so much, but it would be cool to see them follow through with a bunch of these, the english voices especially!

#blazblue #blazblue cross tag battle #bbtag #bbctb #guilty gear #rwby #persona #under night in birth #Personal Ramblings #won't tag the characters anymore cuz their names are probably already tags on their own

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gear-project · 2 years ago

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Annon-Guy: Do you prefer English Dub, Japanese Dub or Mixed Dub in Video Games?

HMM~ That's a FUN question!

With Guilty Gear Strive having a Korean dub now, I often like to explore ALL my options of late, though at the very least I keep English Subtitles on so that I'm aware of what is being said.

Actually, on the subject of dubs, I have been poking around for some fun fandubs for a few Japanese games that never got English dubs... there have already been a few character dub mods for BlazBlue Central Fiction, which never got an official full English dub, but can still utilize the audio files found in BlazBlue Crosstag Battle for some characters.

There's also a few mods that do UNDUBS which basically let older PS2 games retain their original Japanese audio but with English subtitles where present... two such examples are Valkyrie Profile 2 and Berserk: Hawk of the Millennium Chapter (both VERY excellent games by the way).

Also, particularly in the Saint Seiya/Knights of the Zodiac communities, Dubs are often ranged from French, Spanish, and even Italian! I personally like the original Japanese version of Saint Seiya, but hearing the games' dubs in AUTHENTIC GREEK DUB would be pretty neat!

There's one more dub community that deserves more content than they often get, and that is the RUSSIAN community! The Russian Guilty Gear Fanbase has been active for many years (despite the political/economic situations they currently face), and for a while now I've hoped that they could get a Russian Fandub for Guilty Gear Strive at some point.

Or, we could do things the Katsuhiro Harada way for the Tekken Series and just have everyone speak their native languages!

Just a few examples:

Chipp (Speaks English but probably has a South African Accent by now and probably learned Zulu).

Potemkin (Probably speaks a very DEEP Hindi accent).

Millia (Can speak Russian, but also Spanish when she wants to talk with Zato...)

Faust (is actually native Chinese, believe it or not so he probably speaks Mandarin...)

Kum Haehyun (Authentic Korean, but speaks Japanese at times... and English when s/he talks with Johnny).

Testament (actually speaks Swedish since that's where they were from originally...)

Leo Whitefang (speaks German and enjoys a good cooked sausage with BEER).

I should also mention there was a Guilty Gear Xrd Fandub in the works for the Revelator/Rev2 games a while back, I'm not 100% sure if it ever got finished though.

Would be nice to see an English Fandub of the original Guilty Gear X/XX and GGXX Accent Core games someday...

#Dubs #Dubbing #Fandub #Voice Acting #Seiyuu #Fandubbing

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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Is Mortal Kombat 11’s EVO 2020 Absence Actually Surprising?

February 5, 2020 1:00 PM EST

With Mortal Kombat 11 being absent from Evo 2020, I was pretty shocked. However, maybe it isn’t as shocking as I initially thought.

Last night, the Evo 2020 game lineup was announced bringing eight modern games and one classic to the biggest fighting game tournament of the year. Just as a reminder, here are the nine games that will be on the big stage:

Street Fighter V: Championship Edition

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Tekken 7

Soul Calibur 6

GranBlue Fantasy Versus

Samurai Shodown

Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[cl-r]

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

While there are many games that did not make the cut, there is one standout title that has surprised both the FGC (fighting game community) and the general gaming community. No, it is not Super Smash Bros. Melee. NetherRealm Studios’ 2019 release Mortal Kombat 11 did not make the cut this year for Evo 2020.

Considering how well the game has been doing in terms of sales, critical acclaim, and garnering entries for Evo last year, it seemed like a lock for Evo 2020. But as Evo co-founder Joey Cuellar was revealing the games, with the first four being the shoo-in games for the tournament, it became clear Mortal Kombat 11 wasn’t going to be making the cut. Initially, this was a surprise to me. Mostly because this is the fighting game I’ve followed the most since its release. In my eyes, this community seemed rather active with a presence at every major fighting game tournament. But is Mortal Kombat 11‘s absence really a surprise?

To begin, let’s look at the numbers Mortal Kombat 11 brought in at Evo 2019. Last year, Cuellar posted the final entrant numbers for each game. There were a total of 14,321 entrants split between nine games. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had the largest pool garnering 3,492 entrants, while BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle had the smallest pool, with 640 entrants. Mortal Kombat 11 had a total of 1,567 entrants, which was roughly 10% of all entrants at Evo 2019.

Evo 2019 Final Numbers! Smash Ultimate – 3492 Street Fighter V – 1929 Tekken 7 – 1885 Samurai Shodown – 1719 Mortal Kombat 11 – 1567 Unist – 1156 DragonBall FighterZ – 1191 Soul Calibur 6 – 742 BlazBlue:CTB – 640#Evo2019

— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 15, 2019

Assuming bringing in entrants for the event is important for Evo since it makes money from players registering, I do not believe Mortal Kombat 11 was cut because it wasn’t bringing in enough people to the actual event. If that were the case, Soul Calibur VI would have been cut as it only brought in 742 players. Outside of Evo, Mortal Kombat 11 has brought in plenty of entrants to the events that showcase it. It had the second-largest pool with 531 entrants at CEO 2019 and the larget pool at Combo Breaker with 758 entrants.

Since it seems like Mortal Kombat 11 was bringing in people physically to the venue, maybe it wasn’t bringing in enough people to its Twitch stream. Using TwitchTracker.com for the metrics, it seems like the NRS fighter did pretty well. It wasn’t the best out of the bunch, but it certainly was not the worst. At Evo 2019, Mortal Kombat 11 had an average of 51,719 viewers with its peak being 74,987 viewers during its slot on August 3, 2019. There were a total of 466k viewers that popped in during the tournament, with the Evo Twitch channel garnering 3.7K followers during its 4.6-hour duration.

Dragon Ball FighterZ was the other big game that day and actually had an earlier slot. It had over 60k viewers on average, with over 96k viewers at its peak during the Sonic Fox and Go1 final. It did have a lower viewership with 222k viewers in total but garnered more followers for the channel. Depending on one what determines “success” either one of the two could be considered good draws for the tournament.

Even though those aren’t bad numbers, Mortal Kombat 11 certainly did not keep up with Sunday’s competition. Tekken 7 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brought in the most viewers and followers overall. But it did do better (in regards to these stats) than Samurai Shodown, UNIST (Under Night In-Birth) and Soul Calibur IV, all of which are present at Evo 2020. So, it couldn’t be that Mortal Kombat 11 doesn’t draw in an online audience.

I did want to see how well Mortal Kombat 11 has done on Twitch in general since it launched last year. It does take a substantial dip between April 2019 (launch month) and July 2019. Since then it has been pretty steady, albeit lower on viewers. In comparison to another fighter that came out last year, Samurai Shodown seems to be maintaining its popularity among its fanbase while Mortal Kombat 11 has dipped pretty substantially. Those probably aren’t the best comparisons considering how much more popular Mortal Kombat 11 was last year, but there is definitely a dip in interest.

But again, that is just looking at it overall. In a tournament setting, people (like myself) start to get hyped and carve out time to watch their favorite games. That being said, I don’t think Mortal Kombat 11‘s absence is a numbers issue. Clearly, there are less popular games that made it on that list.

When the news broke that Mortal Kombat 11, I started seeing a bit of a pattern in regards to how players were treated at Evo 2019 and how it isn’t really all that surprising that the game isn’t going to be there. A sort of separation between the MK players and the rest of the FGC. Here are a few tweets from some of the top Mortal Kombat players suggesting it’s not just because of numbers.

Interesting that MK11 isnt at Evo despite the numbers it pulled last year. I am sensing politics..

— SonicFox @ Paris (DBFZWT)

(@SonicFox5000) February 5, 2020

I got a few ideas about why MK11 didn’t make the lineup this year, but hey it is what it is….the community wasn’t happy with being there in the first place & tons said we got treated like shit there, so why y’all acting so surprised now? We got what we wanted lol.

— END| Scar @ Home

(@khscar12) February 5, 2020

Another year, another slap in the face to the MK community from EVO.

But at least they have an MVC2 invitational

— PXP | A F0xy Grampa (@AF0xyGrampa) February 5, 2020

Also can we please stop with blaming the game on the timeline.

Most entrants ever at CB-CEO-EVO for an NRS game. Non pro tour events have been getting 100+ entrants where as other nrs games would get like 30-40. MK11 isn’t my favorite NRS game but it’s clearly politics.

— CGL Tweedy (@Tweedy_FGC) February 5, 2020

All of these tweets refer to some sort of politics behind the scenes. They also touch on how the Mortal Kombat 11 community was treated while at Evo. None of them really explicitly say how they were mistreated or what sort of politics would be behind the game’s absence at Evo 2020, but it doesn’t come as a big surprise to these players.

Neither NRS or Evo have not yet commented on why Mortal Kombat 11 is being left out this year. And I’m not quite sure if they will. NRS has its own plans for esports, which will probably be announced at the Final Kombat event in March. Maybe NRS wants its competition to be more online-focused like Tweedy mentioned. There could even be some sort of dispute between NRS and Evo that we don’t know about.

Regardless, Evo isn’t the only stage fighting games are played on competitively. It is almost certain Mortal Kombat 11 will be present at other events like Combo Breaker and CES, but I would be lying if I said I’m not a bit bewildered. Tell us why you think Mortal Kombat 11 isn’t going to be at Evo 2020 in the comments below.

February 5, 2020 1:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/02/is-mortal-kombat-11s-evo-2020-absence-actually-surprising/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=is-mortal-kombat-11s-evo-2020-absence-actually-surprising

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furederiko · 8 years ago

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Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 was held on June 13-15 in Los Angeles, USA. Meaning, it has once again come and gone, and now comes the time to talk about some of its biggest news (ones that matters to me, at least). That's right, it's a Video-Game Special Random-News-Digest this time around...

NOTE: In general, the topics below are categorized under the company that released them. But in some cases, they go by their separate franchises instead. And one more thing, this was supposed to go up yesterday, precisely one day after E3 2017 ended. BUT... due to unexpected technical issues (internet connection, and... my health), I had no choice but to postpone it. Better late than never, I guess... *sigh*

Marvel vs Capcom

Let's kick this off with a collaboration of Marvel and CAPCOM. Aside from another "Monster Hunter" title that I honestly couldn't care less, "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" was one of CAPCOM's big showcase this year. Remember that leak that arrived earlier this month, the one that spoiled the game's roster? Looks like that report might be true after all. CAPCOM has officially unveiled several more playable characters: the Marvel side has been added by Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange, cosmic warrior Nova, assassin Gamora, and the Mad Titan Thanos; while the CAPCOM side was expanded by silver haired Dante of the original "Devil May Cry" (so NOT the latest reboot "DmC"), Zero from "Rockman X" series, cyborg Spence of "Bionic Commando", and goofy knight Arthur from the action comedy franchise "Ghosts 'n Goblins". Considering all eight of these names fit that roster report, I'm pretty sure the credibility of that leak has been confirmed. Everyone was revealed through the new Story trailer, that also announced that a Story Demo has been made available to those who want to experience the game first-hand. You can also check out some of these characters in action, as well as possible in-game pairings (like Gamora-Strider, Strange-Arthur, and so on), through the official gameplay video.

As I've commented on my previous R-N-D, most of the names (with the exception of two) revealed here are 'has been' characters. So while some people were happy about them, many were equally disappointed, which isn't good considering the internet hasn't been kind towards this title. An issue that stemmed from public's disappointments to "Street Fighter V", really. Thankfully, there was one pleasant surprise that came along with this trailer. And it's Black Panther! Those X-Men enthusiasts who cried foul when Wolverine is omitted from the game, can stop whining because the character officially has a replacement now. I'm pretty confident that Panther is going to share a similar 'slash and dice' movesets, if not simply a re-skin version. Panther's inclusion made a lot of sense, considering his first-ever solo movie is arriving in February 2018. The same logic goes to Thanos, as "Avengers: Infinity War" that will put him in the spotlight will arrive a few months after in May. And thanks to Thanos' importance in the story mode, now I understand why Gamora (who shares a famillial link) is necessary to be included in the core cast. Somehow I suspect she's going to be a re-skin of Jill Valentine though, and that might be an issue. Speaking of problem, Panther's not among the core roster. He will be part of the upcoming 6 character DLCs that already includes Ultron and Sigma, though seemingly will be available on launch as part of the 'Deluxe Edition'. And since we already have Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and also Groot (who has been confirmed to be an official assist of Rocket, as they come in one package), I wouldn't be surprised if Star-Lord will follow suit among this DLC wagon as well.

Story is usually not a fighting game's forte. Even the seamless touch of "Mortal Kombat" couldn't hide the fact that it's... ridiculous at best. And well... this one is no different. Jugding from the trailer, this game seems to rely heavily on the Infinity Stones, or as Captain America suggested, "Infinite Six". Again, it also makes sense, due to the movie based on it happening in less than a year. After all, why would the title even bothered to have 'Infinite' as the sub-title, if that's not the whole point, right? The universe-shattering plot somehow reminded me of "Street Fighter V" all over again, which wasn't that great. So I'm not too sure CAPCOM will be able to pull this 'cinematic experience' off into something significantly better. The CAPCOM characters already felt... what's the word... out of place? And yikes, what happened to Chun-Li?! Subjectively speaking, she's not as 'ugly' as NetherRealm Studios' design for female characters, but I've certainly seen the Chinese Interpol agent in a much better shape before! On the other hand, never thought I'm gonna say this, but Thanos totally kicked-ass with his Infinity Gauntlet. Getting me more and more excited for the "Infinity War" movie, which might be the other primary goal of this game from the very beginning.

I don't know what you think, but overall this game doesn't look half bad. The design might need some getting used to, but I think it feels closer and closer to the previous 3 titles the more I see it. Unfortunately, as I've said before, the general sentiment of this game is definitely leaning on the side of negative. Fans who have 'tasted' the Story Demo have expressed a similar pessimistic tone as well. With a release date crawling closer and closer, how would CAPCOM react to this? I guess we'll just have to wait and see when the game is officially launched. "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 19.

Sonic the Hedgehog

SEGA released a new trailer for "Sonic Forces", and this time around, they introduced the set of villains that Modern, Classic and Custom Sonic will be teaming up to face. I was already sold by the inclusion of a Custom character, but seeing all those arch-nemesises in one place just turned me into... a pure happy camper. And that's not all, because a new powerful and mysterious enemy will be joining, if not commanding them. Infinite, no relations to the above category, will be teaming up with Doctor Ivo Robotnik/Eggman (from... duh, almost every game?), Metal Sonic (who debuted on "Sonic CD"), Chaos (of "Sonic Adventure"), Shadow the Hedgehog (of "Sonic Adventure 2"), and Zavok (from the recent "Sonic Lost World") to take over the world. Seriously, that new villain looks scary, and he's totally stealing my attention. Dang it, I totally wish I can play this game. There's no release date so far, but "Sonic Forces" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this holiday.

Dragon Ball

I actually couldn't care less about any "Dragon Ball"-based games beyond the ones released during the 90s, but this one... "Dragon Ball FighterZ"? This totally got my attention! Indeed, it was that good, that it was stealing many E3 attendee's attention with its high speed action, flashy moves, and colorful anime graphics. For some reason, the "Marvel vs Capcom" style felt strong in this, to the point that many people have come to loving this more than that franchise's upcoming release. Ironic, huh? I guess nostalgia does play a crucial factor...

This title is under Bandai Namco, but developed by Arc System Works, and somehow was leaked a few days ahead of its planned official reveal. The latter is the company that is known for franchises like "BlazBlue", "Guilty Gear", and also the "Naruto" series. But unlike the Naruto ones that went full-on 3D style, this one utilized a 2.5D style, which once again, is the right call! Why? The development is in 3D, which as producer Tomoko Hiroki has confirmed, makes some technical elements much easier to pull off, but the visual is of 2D animation. And I say, not just that. "Dragon Ball" IS and has always been an anime, thus the anime style is definitely the way to go when it comes to adapting Son Goku and other character of the long-running franchise. It also easily reminded me of those classic "Dragon Ball" fighting game I used to play on my SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive with my family. Aaah, the good 'ol times when the world was still kind, and people hasn't been corrupted by the irony called... growing up.

The game's official reveal trailer only included 6 characters so far: Son Goku, Vegeta, (child) Son Gohan, Cell, Frieza, and Majin Buu. But since the game will be based on the whole "Dragon Ball Z" arc, it's obvious we'll be seeing many more characters like the twins Android 17 and Android 18, Krillin, (future and child) Trunks, and even Son Goten. Especially with Bandai Namco stressing out that "famous scenes from the Dragon Ball anime reproduced in 60 frames per second and 1080p resolution.". A closed beta demo will be held on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One before the end of summer, so fans who are intrigued to give this game a shot, just need to wait a bit longer. For the time being, we can indulge ourselves with several gameplay videos taken as direct-feed from the E3 hall. You can visit Gematsu (HERE, and HERE) to view them. "Dragon Ball FighterZ" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC worldwide in early 2018.

Nintendo

Contrary to previous report, Nintendo did take the stage this year, as they announced numerous exciting titles that made MAAANY people happy. Not a surprise as well, because Nintendo Switch was just released 4 months ago, and there haven't been many softwares to complement the hybrid console.

Let's start with what's probably the biggest signature title for Switch. A game that IGN has even crowned to be the "Game of Show", "Best Platformer", and "Best Nintendo Switch Game" of E3 2017. It's none other than... "Super Mario Oddysey"! In this game, players will take Mario on a globe-trotting 3D adventure to collect Moons, a fuel for the airship 'Oddysey' that is necessary to rescue Prince Peach from Bowser. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. How many effing times do Mario needs to walk through the same scenario, right? But never mind that, because this game looked super fun.

I haven't purchased Switch yet, but even I'm already itching to play this game. For so many reasons. That great and catchy theme song that made me dancing like a child. That white broadway top-hat, or Mexican sombrero? And Mario 'possessing' practically any living beings around him with a cap throw? Dang it, if only I can play it right NOW. This looked a lot like "Super Mario Galaxy" on Wii, but with its own... spin. Get it? Here, just take a look at its reveal trailer, or the gameplay videos (available on Gematsu), and tell me if you're not easily charmed by this game. Because if you're not, then I seriously pity your sad childhood (just kidding, no need for death threat!). "Super Mario Odyssey" will launch on October 27th, 2017... only on Nintendo Switch.

The second Switch game for Mario is "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle", that combines the world of Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom, with Ubisoft's "Rabbids" franchise. Yep, this worst-kept secret collaboration title has been developed by Ubisoft, hence why I don't give the company their own exclusive category (because its content will be separated in two). In this game, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and also Yoshi will join forces with their four... Rabbids dopplegangers, to journey four different worlds, in the hope of restoring order to The Mushroom Kingdom. I'm personally NOT a fan of the Rabbids, but even this crossover game looked FUN. And beyond that, according to IGN it has a deep strategic battle system too. But more importantly, this game also proved that Nintendo is becoming more open to allow other developers to use their properties. A fact that inspires great potentials and possibilities in the future. You can watch the official announcement trailer on Youtube, as well as a Development Diary for the game. Gematsu also had 21 minutes of gameplay from the E3 floor, so go ahead and visit the site. "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle" will be released for Nintendo Switch on August 29th, 2017.

More Mario? Yes... more Mario! Announced during Nintendo's E3 2017 Treehouse live stream, "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions" is a renewed classic that will arrive on October 6th, 2017 exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. In this game, rather than trying to battle Bowser, the Mario Bros are teaming up WITH Bowser to restore Princess Peach's voice. Visit Youtube for the official trailer, and also Gematsu for 25 minutes of gameplay videos. Wow, Mario is killing it, huh? Nope, not just him, his green dinosaur friend Yoshi is also getting his own Switch game! Conveniently titled as "Yoshi", the 2D side-scrolling adventure will see Yoshi exploring a world of miniature diorama filled with flip-ping surprises. Go ahead and watch the trailer and have your mind... flipped. LOL. "Yoshi" will be released in 2018.

What about other franchises, you wonder? Well, ask and you shall receive! In list form... LOL - The honestly weird-looking "Arms", is getting rave reviews. It's ridiculous fun, even with its lack in the story department as well as... logic. It might look simple, but it has a startling amount of depth that will wow anyone. Many are saying that this will be a hit for families entertainment, and the game is already hitting the market with a DLC already announced. - Fans of the "Metroid" series will also get their share of excitement. "Metroid Prime 4" has been announced for Switch. There's no release date for now, but I'm sure information about that will come in the near future. The same can't be said about "Metroid: Samus Returns" though. A 3D polygon remake of Game Boy classic "Metroid II: The Return of Samus", the title will be officially released for 3DS on September 15th, 2017. - The pink ball Kirby also gets Switch-ed, in the equally conveniently named "Kirby". Kirby will be adventuring in a party of four, which means up to 4 players can play this game together. Don't forget to check out its Hollywood style trailer! "Kirby" doesn't have a release date yet, but is set to be released in 2018. - And "Skyrim" fans? You got it! Complete with amiibo support and Legend of Zelda skins...

As you can see, the library of Switch is expanding like crazy, and it's an exciting turn around especially compared to what happened to Wii U. Those who have purchased this hybrid console since day one, no longer has to worry about not having a game to play. And for those who haven't had a chance to do so... well, the more the reason to get a Nintendo Switch, right? *grins*

Pocket Monsters

Are you among those who are waiting for a core Pokemon title on Switch? And you were disappointed when "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" was announced for 3DS instead of the rumored "Pokemon Stars"? Well, turns out you only need to wait... a little bit longer. The Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara officially announced that Game Freak has begun developing a core RPG title for Nintendo Switch! So it is indeed happening, folks! He added though, that the title "may not release for more than a year, but we hope you will look forward to it all the same", hence why I told you to wait. Then again, more than a year from now can also mean... it MIGHT arrive on November 2018, right? Wow, I'm getting excited for no reason... LOL.

In a way, this announcement has also partially confirmed that the Switch is indeed the officiall replacement of 3DS. Moreso, and this is just a wild guess, but likely the rumor about "Pokemon Stars" was actually referring to this particular development, instead of the recently announced extension of "Pokemon Sun & Moon". Either way, this is a great news, because we're finally getting what many Pokemon fans have been dreaming: a chance to play a Pokemon RPG on the TV screen! How is that possible, you dare ask? DUH, Switch is a hybrid console that enables that! Of course, this also works wonder to Switch itself, because quoting my own words from last week: "The hybrid console is definitely in need of a fan favorite franchise like Pokemon to attract more players". Yes, the E3 announcement for those Mario titles and many others have shut down the public concern of 'Switch is lacking of exclusive game titles'. But having a Pokemon RPG on Switch, will undeniably attract Pokemon fans who are still on the fence to purchase the console and help boost its sales. Want prove? That's easy, because mark my word, I'm TOTALLY getting a Switch (sooner or later) just for this! *geeks out*

By the way, technically speaking, this section should've been part of the Nintendo category. But since it has already established its own category (in various form of medias) for such a long time, I've decided to put it separately.

Assassin's Creed

At long last, Ubisoft officially unveiled "Assassin's Creed: Origins" during Microsoft's E3 2017 stage. It was certainly not a surprise announcement, considering the title was already leaked since May. More than that, a Game Informer coverage was already leaked ahead of E3, officially spilling the beans in a non-official manner. Ouch! Someone at Game Informer is going to get fired...

Confirming the rumor, the new game will take place in Egypt, and as the title suggest, will be telling about the founding of the Assassin's Brotherhood. The main character (but not the only playable one) will be Bayek, a protector of the land whose story will be root of the Creed. Since the game takes place in the ancient Egypt during Cleopatra's reign, we can expect to see Great Pyramids, mythologies, pharaohs, and many other awesome bits from the country's history. Eventhough this game has been in production before the infamous "Assassin's Creed Unity", it will have a new free-form combat system with new A.I., revamped narrative experience and freedom to choose quests, an entire country to full explore, while still retaining and improving the series existing signatures like puzzles, Eagle Vision (through an Eagle named the Senu this time), stealth, that annoying climbing, Naval adventures, and many others. You can check out the official reveal trailer on Youtube, a Gameplay Demo, coverage by Game Informer, as well as a "Mysteries of Ancient Egypt" that gave additional details about the game.

There are several version of the game that fans can purchase. First is the "Deluxe Edition" that contains the game, printed version of the hand-drawn world map, soundtrack, and Digital Deluxe Pack. Second is the "Gold Edition", that adds a Season Pass for upcoming expansions and equipments. There are also the "Collector's Edition", "Dawn of the Creed Collector's Edition", and the special "Dawn of the Creed Legendary Collector's Edition". That last one will add a highly detailed resin statue of Bayek and Senu, The Collector's Certificate of Authenticity, replica of Bayek's eagle skull amulet, two Steelbooks, and four large lithographs signed by the studio artists. This limited edition (only 999 units for worldwide sale) is already available for pre-order exclusively on Ubisoft store for $799,9. As the pricing suggest, this is totally for that devoted fan with plenty of money to spare! *sigh*. Visit Gematsu for further details of these items. "Assassin's Creed: Origins" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27th, 2017.

Square Enix

The company brought their top franchise to the convention this year. Several new iterations of "Final Fantasy XV" were announced during the event, while new development on the highly anticipated "Kingdom Hearts III" was also revealed elsewhere.

Second DLC episode for "Final Fantasy XV", one that will focus on Prompto Argentum's solo adventure will be launched on June 27th, 2017, alongside the "Regalia Type-D" update (brings greater freedom to drive Regalia off-road). Just like the first that featured Gladioulus as the central character (released back in March), "Episode Prompto" will likely take place in between the infamous Chapter 13 of the main game as well. If Gladioulus was a hack and slash action genre, then apparently Prompto will take on a first-person shooter experience. Makes sense, really, considering his signature weapon of choice. You can check out a six minutes gameplay video of this DLC on Youtube.

Expanding the "FF XV Universe", two more extension games have been announced. The first one was "Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV", that will be available for PlayStation VR. It's a... fishing game, that let players explore oceans, lakes, ponds, and rivers alongside Noctis and his friends. Clearly based on one of the main game's mini-mission, the game will be launched in September. For now, you can view the official trailer to know that I'm not at all kidding. The second was "King's Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon", which apparently is an action RPG. This one's an App game, and will be released on iOS and Android later this year. I can't see the relation of this title with the main game, but I'm sure Final Fantasy fans will dig it like crazy anyway, right? Last but not least, the main game will soon have a major update to support Microsoft's new console. One which I will talk about at the end of this post. "Final Fantasy XV" is available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

As for "Kingdom Hearts III", Square Enix debuted a new trailer during the "Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour". Compared to the "Final Fantasy" one, I personally liked this one better. But while the game looked great, the story seemed to have gotten... even more confusing by and by. Apparently, Hades, Maleficent, and Pete are looking for a Black Box or something, while lead character Sora alongside buddies Donald Duck and Goofy want to bring Roxas to reality, with a certain 'dire cost'. I recall only getting to the second game, thus never experienced the Nintendo DS ones to even have a clue of what's going on. Still, the charm of this series is the various Disney/Squaresoft worlds, and at the end of this trailer, Square Enix officially announced that new information will be delivered at the Disney D23 Expo 2017 on July 15th, 2017. That means there will be new worlds to explore, and I bet it will involve recent released titles like "Frozen", "Moana", and/or "Big Hero 6". "Kingdom Hearts III" is still under development, and hasn't gotten a release date, but is likely to arrive in 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Taiko no Tatsujin

The latest iteration of the "Taiko Drum Master" series, the "Taiko no Tatsujin: Session de Dodon ga Don!" has been announced on Famitsu Magazine. The game will have a special jam session against other player's musical performance data, that can even be achieved when they are not actually available online. This game will include over 70 songs that cover from famous Japanese classic anime songs, classic orchestral musics, recent tunes from the J-Pop circle, up to modern hypes like the "Pen-Pineapple Apple-Pen". A teaser website has been opened by Bandai Namco, that revealed a special feature to play the game alongside popular characters from Japanese shows. Development has reached 80% and the game is set to be released for PlayStation 4 later this year.

Spider-Man

As proven by their smartphones games like "Future Fight" and "Contest of Champions", or the collaboration with CAPCOM that I've talked about above, Marvel is ramping up on their video game divison. And the one I'm going to talk about here, is their collaboration with Insomniac Games, in form of the non-nonsense titled "Marvel's Spider-Man". It is best known as "Spider-Man PS4" though, because as the nickname suggests, it will be exclusively released on PlayStation 4. And well, since SONY is the copyright owner of the Spider-Man franchise, it's not really much of a surprise huh?

A special 9 minutes gameplay video has been released to give players a sense of what to expect from this game. My reaction? If you're eager to see how Spider-Man gets trapped in a Rocksteady's Arkham game, then this is easily your answer. The whole stalking, cinematic quick-time sequences, as well as exciting one-vs-many combat totally reminded me of those Rocksteady titles. But instead of Batman and his vast array of gadgets, we have Spider-Man and his iconic humor, jokes, acrobatic movesets, and... gadgets in his place. Creative director Bryan Intihar also described the footage in details, through PS4's official blog. It seems Spidey will 'cooperate' with Wilson Fisk, to deal with the Inner Demons gang, who works under Martin Li or Mr. Negative. He will be exploring an open-world of New York to deal with super villains as well as personal matters.

Honestly, I'm not too keen on the human character design, as well as the first suit that has too much white. But this certainly caught my attention. Heck, I think every Marvel fans would be amazed by this. In fact, this game has been confirmed to include additional Spidey suits, as well as multiple Spider-Man characters, meaning there's more to it than what we've seen so far. With strong emphasis on story, it's not a joke that IGN has awarded it as "Best PS4 Game" as well as "Best Action Game" of E3 2017. Here's hoping the actual game will be as good as, if not better than this achievement suggested. "Spider-Man" will be released in 2018.

LEGO Games

New characters have been announced for "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2"! Giant teleportation mutt Lockjaw, and Inhumans Queen Medusa have officially entered the game alongside Agent Venom. As to be expected, the whole roster of Guardians of the Galaxy have also been confirmed to be playable in this second game, because the story will pick up directly where the previous title left off. Not to mention tying in to this year's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" movie. There weren't many details offered for this game, because likely TT Games and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment is saving more reveals to be delivered on Disney D23. For now, you can watch various gameplays through the official LEGO presentation stream on Youtube. "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2" will launch for all consoles on November 14th, 2017.

Professor Layton

Following last month's reveal of the first episode of "Layton's Mistery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy", LEVEL-5 celebrated E3 2017 with with details for the second one. Episode 02, entitled "Song of a Certain Love: Riverside Festival" will focus on the town's tradition of confessing love from opposite sides of River Thames. One that is called "Riverside Confession Show". The legend told that the couple who engaged in that would die unnatural death. But this time, contrary to the annual festive that usually went victim-less, two young people actually get killed! An event that shakes the town, for better or worse. I found the premise of this episode to be exciting, because it means Katrielle isn't just a run-of-the-mill detective in this game. She's going to be investigating deaths, and possible murders!

Another two of the "Seven Millionaires of London" have also been revealed. Joining Ridley Fremens and Clerk Gospec are Andrea Quinto and Zach Lyell. Quinto is a young multi-millionaire who inherited a vast sum of money following the death of her parents. While Lyell is a sharp business who is extensively expanding businesses. He's the president of a group enterprise that owns Long Roller Bank. Up to this point, it's still unclear how or in what capacity these Millionaires are involved in the game. Are they part of a secret organization, that is somehow responsible for Professor Layton's disappearance? Or is there other mystery behind that? And how will they affect Katrielle's life?

Several new features have also been announced. Katrielle will be able to change clothes in the game, and they are specially designed by famous stylist Shouhei Kashima. New outfits can be obtained by using "Special Coins" in the 3DS version, or actual money in the smartphones version. Those who purchase the 3DS download version in Japan will receive a Flora Reinhold-style outfit. Player can also decorate the interior of Katrielle's "Layton Detective Agency" through the new "Room Coordinate" feature. New furnitures might be obtained by trading "Interior Tickets". As for the puzzles, this game is said to have the highest number of them, of all Layton titles. Lastly, the game's theme song "Girls" is sung by Kana Nishino, and will be officially released on July 26. "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy" will be released worldwide on July 20th, 2017.

Atari

No, you're NOT reading it wrong. Atari, the classic 90s gaming console that even I have never even seen in real life, is getting back into the hardware business. Apparently, CEO Fred Chesnais had publicly stated this news on the E3 2017 floor. He didn't really go into specifics about this, aside from saying that it is based on PC technology. But could he be talking about that "Ataribox" that has been teased on Youtube? The video DOES call it 'a brand new Atari product'. It even has its own website. The current speculation on the internet, that Atari is attempting to replicate Nintendo's accomplishment with their NES Classic. You know, the one that only saw limited release and has been discontinued? Especially because the video hinted at the "Atari 2600" which was the first console ever released by the company. I guess we'll just have to wait for more information about this. But be honest, would you purchase a NES Classic-esque console just to play classic and likely long-forgotten Atari games? Personally, I'm NOT too sure...

Microsoft

Speaking of console... Okay, let's end this R-N-D with a topic that many are calling to be... the 'MOST POWERFUL' reveal of the Expo. Microsoft has officially unveiled the name of its high-tech console Project Scorpio, and it officially goes by name "Xbox One X". That's... so many Xs, huh? LOL. By 'most powerful', I'm obviously talking about the console's technical specifications of course. And not about that over-confident official tagline that's being boasted throughout the event on T-Shirts, as well as flaunted pretty much everywhere. Hold on... HUH?

Really, its technical specs is certainly no joke. True 4K resolution with 12GB GDDR5 graphic memory, that enable games to run smoothly in 8 million plus pixels resolution (that's the highest possible, for current technology at least); 8-core Custom AMD CPU with 6 Teraflops GPU and 326GB/s Memory Bandwidth, for realistic and smoother animations; liquid cooling and supercharger-style centrifugal fan, to ensure it stays cool with less noise, a system that, according to Xbox Software Engineering Kareem Choudhry, is usually implemented for servers; 8GB flash and 1TB internal HDD storage, with faster hard drive speed; 4K UltraHD Bluray Disc Drive; DTS and DOLBY TrueHD Atmos sounds; various connectivities via wires and wireless; and not to mention being the smallest consoler the company has ever released. To be honest, eventhough I might have an IT background, I have NEVER been into hardware. Thus all these gibberish tech-talks almost put me down to sleep. But I don't think it takes a genius to easily tell that this thing is massive. Undeniably a 'First Class' product that offers immersive gaming experience. According to IGN, the CPU is 30% faster than the current Xbox One, with a GPU that's 4.6 times higher. To ensure backward compatibility with it, all of its accessories and games will work on this Xbox One X, and existing games (like "Dragon Ball FighterZ", "Final Fantasy XV", and "Assassin's Creed: Origins" that I've mentioned above) will soon receive major updates to ensure faster loading time, even for a player who isn't utilizing a 4K TV.

Said technical specification is certainly an eye-popping fact. This is basically a super high-end PC set, in form of a standalone console. Unfortunately, that comparison also immediately raised several glaring questions among the public, particularly game enthusiasts. One that ranged from the most simple, like "Who is this intended for?" to the most philosophical like "Why even bother choose this over PC?". Indeed, which gamer market is Microsoft really trying to aim with this product? Because obviously, to make full use of the UltraHD 4K resolution, a gamer needs to eventually own and plug it into a 4K TV as well. Which is... STILL a really pricey technology that NOT everyone can afford. The fact that the console itself will arrive at an equally 'premium price', feels like a hard wake-up slap to every average guy's face.

Will this win over those gamers who have abandoned home consoles and have since moved on towards PC? In an interview with Gamespot, a developer (who's working on exclusive Xbox title... a random FYI to see the bigger picture) sang praises for Xbox One X by calling it as the most developer-friendly due to its super over-powered hardware. He said, "it's like a high-end PC crammed into this tiny little box". Of course, the logic that follows is, why not just... use a PC instead? A PC World writer has even made a possible comparison to the budget necessary to build one with similar specs. With its own valid pros and cons. The point is, PC gamers will likely opt to spend less money to upgrade their existing PC sets. So is this meant for Xbox fanatics who are looking to upgrade from a very recent Xbox One then? Or VR enthusiasts, eventhough it might be a veeeery niche market? Why not go with the cheaper Xbox One S instead? Hmmm...

Sure, technically speaking, Microsoft has created a console that's... uncomparable, and has no competitor in terms of power and performance (that's the words of Head of Xbox Phil Spencer himself). Will that guarantee a win in the console competition? Remember, the hip and popular neighbour PlayStation 4 (and its 4K extension PS4 Pro) proudly carries the advantages of having far richer library of titles and DLC exclusives, one that only continues to add as we speak. While the sweet and seemingly innocent new kid-on-the-block Nintendo Switch, is offering the ease of mobility, family-friendliness, and multiplayer experience both offline and online. Both are already promising long hours of entertainment with a relative 'family-budget' that seems more inline with the current economical climate throughout the world. So can Microsoft really be certain that their luxury product will appeal a much bigger mass than those? Particularly when sales for the current Xbox One isn't even doing... good? Learning from past experience, the answer to that is rather... skeptical.

No offense to the company, but somehow the term 'most powerful' itself feels... exaggerating much? I mean, A for effort, but it's nothing but a temporary bubble with a very limited lifetime. We are talking about technology here, a means that is ever-changing and ever-evolving. This month, perhaps Xbox One X is indeed the strongest there is, but another console will surely swoop in with better specs and surpassed it. Perhaps next year, if not sooner or later. Trust me, this is coming from a proud Xbox360 owner, who still has the fully operational console and plays its numerous game titles every now and then, and who has consciously skipped out Xbox One due to the lack of interesting titles (aside from monetary situation LOL). What I'm trying to say is, I don't really see the point of moving on towards Xbox One X, at least in the near future. Which is ironic, because what seems to be winning over many gamers' heart, was none other than Xbox One's backward compatibilites. Yes, the exact thing that SONY has been failing to deliver for years, has become the big positive difference that Microsoft is generously offering. Said function will not be available until later this year, but it will support up to classic/original Xbox games! That's an era of 15 years ago, so we're talking about valid nostalgia boost here.

In the end, the common sense is the Xbox One X is NOT for everyone. But it's still all up to you to decide whether you want, NEED, or even afford to have one decorating your already-possibly-expensive home. Lest we forget, freedom of choice, is everyone's basic human rights, regardless of their financial ability *sigh*. This 'most powerful console' is set to be released on November 7th, 2017 at the mindblowing price of $499. I guess that's when its accessibility strength to the general public can truly be tested. So as always, we'll see...

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