#and finally the quest of completing all 7 of them goes on [epic music in the background]

[mauvearts]

Caranthir

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[rawliverandcigarettes]

10 Questions

Tag time ! Thanks a lot to @illusivesoul for this :D It’s nice to feel included even though I’m still very new around. (this is going to be super long because I can’t seem to shut the hell up. :3) 1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you like to live ? I guess I enjoy living where I live, which is France. The country is small but there are many landscapes to choose from, and you don’t even have to travel that much to find mountains, blue sea, cities or forests. I also enjoy poking fun at my own country and culture way too much for what would be decent. Foreign jokes about us are just too funny xD And even though we too are crippled with political and social issues, I look at some other countries (HMHM America), and yeah. It could be so much worse. 2. How did you discover Mass Effect ? I was a great KOTOR fan already, but I tend to stick to what I know, and I rarely venture to new stuff on my own. It was a combinaison of friends, good reviews and a very cheap copy on a shelf of my local store that finally made me play Mass Effect 2 for the first time (I started with the 2, then the third, and ended with the first one, which is definitively not how you play a trilogy). 3. Do you have any tattoos ? If you don’t, do you want any ? I don’t have any tattoos, and I’ve considered getting one many times. But given how expensive they are, I don’t think they’ll ever be enough of a priority for me to commit to this vague idea. I have many other expensive things I’d rather do first :3 4. Do you have any pets ? Kind of ! My parents own 4 cats, that I can’t help but consider my own too even though I moved out. They’re cute and insufferable, one of them is completely insane, looks like Dracula on steroids and is called “Le Mérovingien” like this french Matrix character that curses all the time, One of them lost a leg in a car accident, but hopefully he worked through the trauma and is perfectly healthy and energetic again. The two left hate each other’s guts and their war force us to separate them at all time. So my parents home is a very calm place as you have guessed. 5. If you could recommend 3 games from any genre, what would they be ? 1. The Beginner’s Guide This game has to be my all time favorite. It’s not a proper game so to speak, more like a narrative experience based on interactivity by the creator of The Stanley Parable. It’s not for everyone and generally you will either don’t get why it exists or you will be slapped so hard you won’t be able to express yourself for hours. It talks about creation, game creation specifically, toxic creative relationship, depression, the relationship between the creator, the creation and the public consuming it, and meaning. A masterful example on how narrative design can push further the boundaries of classic storytelling for consumerism and turn it to painful expression of artistic obsessions. I love this game so much. 2. Silent Hill 2 I am a huge survival horror fan, because in their essence they try to answer a crucial question in game development in the rawest way: how do you make the player react ? The survival horror genre is all about direct reaction, and reaching the player beyond the screen in their very comfort zone. You can go the easy, cheap way of throwing buckets of blood around and slap a few jumpscares here and there, or you can try to play with your medium and crawl right underneath the skin, which has always been Silent Hill’s way of throwing it down. But I think Silent Hill 2 is where the payoff is the greatest. It’s not an easy game, because it’s old and counter-intuitive in level design, camera and puzzles, and it gets easily frustrating. But some of the greatest, most creative ideas I’ve came across in term of narrative level design have been explored there. Plus the themes are actually very mature for the gaming public of 2000, as they deal with illness, sexual frustration, surviving abuse and alienation from society and your loved ones. It’s raw, it’s twisted, it’s haunting like a fever dream. And it’s actually very, very smart. 3. V4-11 HALL-A A very neat visual novel that didn’t do much noise besides specialized audience, and definitively deserve a shot ! In this game you are a barista in a cyberpunk society, and you encounter a various cast of characters that you befriend and serve. It’s super chill, the soundtrack is lovely, it’s bound to make you crave for a cocktail as you play. Maybe I am somewhat criticial on how it ends, but otherwise it’s a very heartwarming experience with slight sadder undertones. It goes on with the trend of “you witness big events from a NPC/civilian viewpoint”, which I adore. The game went out while my team and I were producing a game that share some of the concept, and it was a lovely surprise ! (it’s very cheap as well, and the creators need financial help !) 6. Song that you’ve listened a lot lately ? Careful What You Wish For, by Coil (it’s weird and somewhat depressing, you are warned) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHIlBk5vbVI 7. Guilty pleasure movie ? Mhhh. I’d say Sweeney Todd by Tim Burton. It’s over the top and very melodramatic with undiscussed sexist undertones when it comes to how female characters are depicted in this world, BUT what can I say. Gothic cheesiness mixed up with musical numbers never seem to stop being my jam. 8. Unpopular opinion about Mass Effect (optional) Ouh boy. I have so many it’s extremely hard to pick a single one. xD I’m going to settle for Andromeda and try to summarize my opinion, but I might do a very very long separate post to explain what I mean in lenghts later. I haven’t played Andromeda much because my computer is sad and dying, but from what I saw and what I undertsood from ulterior research, I think Andromeda’s worldbuilding is broken on many levels, and some narrative choices made very early by the team affect the stakes so much they’re basically nonexistent, and, at least for me, the lack of stakes drove the entire quest to be rather pointless. I’m a very nitpicking person, especially when it comes to themes, cohesion, society and space stuff, and a lot of what happens in the first hours prevented me to believe in the story and the characters inhabiting it before they even had a chance to do anything significant. :/ I understand why people can bypass that and enjoy the story and characters still, and I am sickened by the amount of abuse some of us spat towards Bioware, but my suspension of disbelief got shattered in the first hours of the game multiple times, and despite how much I wanted to like this new epic journey, I’m... not your target audience this time, Bioware. 9. Favorite books ? Argh. Mh. Good question. I can’t really say if any of them are my favorite, but I like them enough for them to be featured here -and I have stopped reading for years so I have trouble remembering any. So in no particular order, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell, the Ellana trilogy by Pierre Bottero, Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche... I can’t really tell to be fair. I need to read more. 10. Dream job ? Game developer, specifically in narrative design (how surprising I know). And I am very fortunate to be living the dream right now. <3 I am starting my very own indie company, and our very first game, Xenophever, is on the rails right now. I won’t lie ; it’s a hard life. Only time will tell if the sacrifices were worth it, but I bet they will be :D It’s over ! Thanks again for the tag ! I won’t tag everyone because I don’t know enough people yet, but feel free to hit me up if you want to do this so I can cook you up some neat questions :D

[theinquisitivej]

‘Wonder Woman’ (2017) - A Movie Review

This is a very good DC live action movie with few problems that detract from the overall experience. Phew - it has been too long since I've been able to say that!

          Now I like parts of 'Man of Steel' and 'Suicide Squad', but in both cases that comes with a whopping great asterisk as I list the myriad of problems that are tangled up along with the positive elements of those films. It's like having a plate of enjoyable meatballs engulfed in terrible spaghetti; there may be a few bites that have some meat to them, but the rest of your meal will be defined by the flavourless stuff in between. In this metaphor, I suppose 'Batman V. Superman's meatballs are raw, out of date, and make you violently sick for several days after experiencing it. 'Wonder Woman' consequently had the pressure of redeeming a franchise that had hurt us three times already, in addition to audience members viewing it with a critical eye as the first female led superhero movie since 2005's atrocious 'Elektra'. The film had a lot of boxes to tick, but what works so well about it is that it goes along like it's business as usual, without worrying about all that baggage that could get in the way. Some may be hoping for something a bit more groundbreaking for a movie about a character such as this, but in some instances it's better to excel beyond your grounded ambition than to aim high and fail spectacularly.

          Despite her iconic status as THE female superhero, the actual details of Wonder Woman's origin, her personality, and her history are not so prominent in the public consciousness. The character has had mixed origins throughout her lifetime, but this film stays true to the consistent details that have endured over the years. Diana is the daughter of Hippolyta and princess of Themyscira, a fantastical island hidden away from the world and home to the mythical Amazons. During her life on the island, she is taught how to fight by some of the most skilled warriors in the world and told the ancient stories of her people, and how they are tasked with guiding man towards peace. After a series of events that make her feel like she may not belong here on this island, Moana, uh, I mean Diana sees a WWI plane crash into the sea. After saving the pilot (played by Chris Pine), and learning that his name is Steve Trevor, Steve tells her of a great and terrible war and the role he has to play in it. She decides to go with him and help end the war, taking the armour and weapons of her people as she embarks on a quest that will make her the hero we know as Wonder Woman.

          A lot of people have compared this film with two Marvel Phase One movies; 'Thor', and 'Captain America: The First Avenger', and honestly, that's pretty accurate. Like 'The First Avenger', it's a period piece that throws a superhero into one of the World Wars, and like 'Thor', it's also a fish-out-of-water story that gets a lot of comedy out of a character with a fantastical background being contrasted with the mundanity of the real world. That may not sound great as it makes the movie sound derivative and unoriginal, but the script makes it work really well in this context. The writing is legitimately funny and the cast do a great job at delivering it, and unlike 'Suicide Squad' where the humour seemed to come out of nowhere due to the awkward editing, here it feels organic and natural. Also, when you start to see the ark that Diana is experiencing throughout the narrative, you realise that WWI was the appropriate setting for this story. She embarks on this quest with a mission that views things in a black-and-white way, but the First World War is a textbook example of how conflict isn't quite as simple as that. The questions this raises are simple but powerful, and the effect this has on our hero is compelling. A lot of this is thanks to Gal Gadot who, while not sublime, fits the role far better than a lot of us gave her credit for. This leads to a story that resonates with me far more than the oh-so-grandiose themes of 'MoS' and 'BvS' that are muddied with poor execution.

          There are a few things that prevent this film from being one of the all-time greats, at least for me. The first act of Themyscira rushes through a lot of mythology, but also seems to miss out on a few key details. Hippolyta mentions that the Amazons were freed from captivity, but I'm not sure we were ever told who actually placed them in captivity. So much information is given to you in a short amount of time, and the visuals switch from the storybook illustrations to footage of Diana training, making the sequence a little too confusing for me. Given the importance of these fantastic origins to Wonder Woman's character, I would've appreciated having a better idea of her heritage before we leave Themyscira. Fortunately, Gadot keeps that mysticism going throughout the movie, so you never feel like the character has been compromised in this regard.

          Although the colour is greatly improved in this film, allowing scenes on Themyscira to be vibrant and some interiors to have warm, inviting colours while London and the trenches are appropriately drab, the final act suffers some of the visual problems that plagued 'BvS'. It takes place at night, which admittedly makes the lasso of truth pop and look even more magical, but also shows the film's hand once the CG comes out in full force. The CG is definitely shaky at several points throughout the movie, so covering everything in night makes the rubbery people and objects slightly less noticeable, at the expense of a striking or memorable aesthetic that could make all the difference to your final encounter. The action's also a little overblown, and while I found the epic moments entertaining, it was just a little too overindulgent, much like the liberal use of slow-motion in certain fight sequences.

          Apart from that, 'Wonder Woman' is pretty great. Despite the slow-mo, the action is fantastic, leading to memorable sequences with excellent choreography and pulse-pounding set-pieces. The sequence that happens right in the middle has a brilliant build up, and once it starts going I felt completely and utterly swept up in the powerful heroics that I was hoping to experience in a film about Wonder Woman. Rupert Gregson-Williams' music is also very high quality, orchestrating the film in a way that heightens the emotions without ever over-stepping its boundaries and sealing the deal on many of the film's most dramatic moments. Hans Zimmer's electrifying theme for Wonder Woman from 'BvS', which was the one undeniably excellent part of that movie, returns and is perfectly used at the points where Wonder Woman is at her most admirable and kickass. To top it all off, the film takes its time to have quiet moments that make you care for the characters, allowing subtlety and nuance to creep its way into the DCEU through tender scenes that remind Diana and the viewer that people are more than they appear to be on the surface.

          'Wonder Woman' had a lot to prove due to the unfair amount of pressure placed upon it. But it stands tall and strong, forging ahead to deliver a story unphased by what everyone demands and expects it to be. As a result, we have a very decent story with one or two flaws in its execution that doesn't redefine the cinematic or cultural landscape, except to remind us that heroic acts are to be valued and stories about those heroes are worth experiencing, no matter who wears the outfit or who stars as the leading role. Last night's events are a disheartening reminder of the misguided violence we commit against one another, so I am deeply thankful for a film like 'Wonder Woman' right now that can show us the virtue of compassion.

8/10.

Its technical accomplishments probably warrant a 7/10, but 'Wonder Woman' speaks to the heart with its energy, writing, and the uplifting experience of it all.

[rainyphilosopher]

Top 10 Best Oculus Rift Games

Opening our list of the Top 10 Oculus Rift Games is Star Trek: Bridge Crew Set in an alternate reality between 2009’s Star Trek, lead the U.S.S. Aegis in a quest to find a new homeworld for the Vulcans after their planet’s destruction. Voyage into the Final Frontier with your hearty crew of aliens, humans and more. Ubisoft’s Virtual Reality game takes you to the vastness of space.

With your VR gear at the ready, lead your crew and guide them by any means necessary via co-op mode. Communicate with your friends and they will help accompany you through thick and thin. Lead someone to battle to take down an enemy fleet or let them do engine repairs. The choice is up to you as a captain. Multiplayer experience aside, players can go solo. Instead of sitting in the captain’s chair all the time, you can move from one seat to another to do individual tasks...

It seems like a chore but once you get the hang of it, it gets more immersive. It’s only weak feature is its lack of exploration. With Oculus’ hardware features, and a VR-ready PC, experience the most decent Star Trek game yet. It has a PlayScore of 9. Sublevel Zero The Oculus was the stepping stone for VR technology and there have been many games who tried to prove that it’s the next big thing. Those who fail, or succeed are otherwise given a term called “Tech Demos”. Some supersede the others, while some games do not. Sublevel Zero is a bit of both. Sigtrap Games’ shooter takes you to a futuristic world of polygonal proportions. With the taglines, “Fly. Fight. Survive.”, this game takes zero gravity shooters and roguelike to the Virtual Reality platforms. Your only perspective is inside the cockpit. Shift those gears and strap those seatbelts because you’re in for the ride of your life. Using your Oculus gears, battle your way to a procedurally generated world.

Customize your ship and let it take over each level, but once your ship fails, you start all over again. It has a PlayScore of 8. Elite Dangerous This is a massive multiplayer space exploration game. If No Man Sky was perfected, it could have been as mesmerizing as this game. With content so large and a galaxy to play around with, Frontier Development’s open-ended space exploration game takes you to the cosmos and beyond. This is the fourth Elite game of the series since 1995.

Combining elements of trading, crafting, exploration, and fighting, roam around the Milky Way galaxy by buying and selling stuff. But it’s not always easy, the world of smuggling is met with risks. Fend off enemies by blowing their ship up. Upgrade your starship and be a force to be reckoned with. With Oculus, it’s as immersive as ever. Dive into uncharted star systems, find a faction, and dazzle in its deep trading mechanics. The game adapts to your idea of an adventure. You can even witness the game’s first extraterrestrial entity at a certain point in the game. Voyage through the great beyond and get ready to encounter foreign entities, engage in space battles and take Virtual Reality to its full potential. It has a PlayScore of 7. Redout: Enhanced Edition A zero gravity racing game that pays tribute to the classics such as F-Zero, Wipeout, Rollcage and POD. Put your futuristic pedal to the metal and feel the hyperkinetic blaze of pulsating colors and vertigo-inducing action. According to the devs, it’s as uncompromising, fast, tough and satisfying like its inspirations.

The game’s movements are heavily physics-based. Each slope, turn, crash and curve is powered by the Unreal Engine 4. By donning your Oculus gear, feel the rush every light particle coming at you every second. Step into its online multiplayer and race against 12 people from around the world, or make your own adventure in its career mode. With over 25 tracks, step into a post-apocalyptic Earth where neon lights are a thing. But it wouldn’t be a racing game with an upbeat and adaptive soundtrack to please your ears while playing. According to the developers, it’s the fastest game ever made. Feel the vibrations, buildings and landscapes flying. Especially when you’re on VR. It has a PlayScore of 6. Arizona Sunshine Survive in a post-apocalyptic Arizona filled with bloodthirsty undeads. Find solace as you receive a distress call from a radio.

But before act on it, arm yourself in its wide range of weapons. Be a badass zombie killer in this virtual reality game that puts your deepest zombie fantasies in the forefront. With your Oculus Gear in place, jump in its single player campaign and use its movement-based weapon tracking to shoot these vile creatures to their doom. Explore its sun-soaked world, loot items, and experience the thrill of the infestation like never before. Its motion tracking is as real as it gets. If you feel lonely, better grab a friend in its co-op mode. But be careful for the enemy threat goes bigger when two warm brains stick together. With a powerful PC, Arizona Sunshine is among the finest VR games released to date. Although the seemingly questionable pricing may be a problem with most players. Still just check it out. It has a PlayScore of 5.

Audioshield Rhythm games are still a thing. And with Virtual Reality making a name for itself in the past few years, it’s bound to get better. Combining the Oculus’ motion tracking and the cliche of rhythm games, defend yourself from incoming orbs by blocking them out your path with your shield. It adapts to your musical library and reads any song file. It even picks something from your library as a Song of the Day. It doesn’t really offer much content unlike other games on the list, but it serves as a form of tech demo for the possibilities of more rhythm related VR games. It uses an advanced version of Audiosurf that accurately syncs music from your collection and it also has streaming from YouTube. It’s a totally enjoyable game if you don’t want to go to your best friends party on a Friday night.

Just pick up those controllers and feel the beat. It has a PlayScore of 4. The Lab A charming VR experience set in the Aperture Science laboratories. Travel from pocket universe to pocket universe and interact with its various virtual environments. Explore eight minigames that range from the epic to the bizarre. Defend castles with your archery skills, visit exotic locales, repair robots, examine the beauty of the human body or destroy things with a giant slingshot. It’s not exactly loaded with content, but it does offer a fun introduction into the world of virtual reality. It has a PlayScore of 3. Thumper The VR won’t be running out rhythm games anytime soon... No matter how silly and cute they are, they always seem to work. Drool’s unique take on the rhythm genre takes it to a whole new level. Mixing together violence and music, guide a lowly space beetle in a void of neon-colored spaceways. Using the Oculus’ gear, make your way through a gauntlet of horrific, yet beautiful levels filled with blinking lights and a reverberating beat.

Feel the rush of rhythm-violence and defeat ominous boss fights in its unique levels. This game won so many awards and received universal acclaim due to its unique gameplay, a darker atmosphere compared to most rhythm games and of course the awesome soundtrack. Playing the game on Oculus is optional unless you want to put yourself deep into its flashy atmosphere But compared to most rhythm games, Thumper is a completely different beast when played on the VR. It has a PlayScore of 2. Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes Virtual Reality is a good playground for fun party games. This one takes it to the extreme. Some say it ruins friendships, other say it strengthens bonds or enhance communication. But how can someone do that when you need to keep talking? The game’s main premise is simple, one player is trapped in a room with a randomly generated time bomb; the other players are in a separate room with a manual necessary to defuse it. But here’s the crazy thing, they can’t see the bomb! Of course, communication is key.

Anyone can play this game and it’s not always necessary to play it on the VR. But the feeling of sweat and tension from the other voice channel makes for a very thrilling experience. The game receives positive acclaim due to its enjoyable social experience. It has a PlayScore of 1. And the best Oculus Rift Game so far is DiRT Rally A racing game topping Oculus’ list? Wow. Buckle your seatbelt as you take a drive on the world’s most unforgiving terrain. Ride along rain-dipped valleys, snow capped hills and sandy deserts. But don’t let the scenic landscapes and detailed vehicles deceive you. Every stage will test your skill, concentration, and patience. Along with the unforgiving cliff edges, you’ll have to deal with the mechanical failures.

Engines will overheat, tires will get punctured, repairs will eat into your precious time. The game is hard, you got that right. But having a realistic view of racing is one of the coolest things about it. With its hair-pullingly accurate rally races and world famous off-road race cars, it’s the best Oculus Rift Game with a PlayScore of 8.74.

Read more at http://videogames4everyone.com/top-10-best-oculus-rift-games/