#and hd 3d models as well!

[nyansequitur]

aaaaaa the mashu segment of sanrio vfes was posted publicly!!!! the girls!!!!! aaaaaa!!!!!

[sessai]

Thanks to @occasional-pyrrhon for pointing me in the direction of these files and u/Floralpikmin99 on Reddit whose been uploading them.

Anyway this is set up in Blender with the original models and textures from the game. Took a while to get it to look anything like it does in game and it's still not quite there. I'm surprised how well these decade old models and textures from a 3DS game come out in HD.

I've wanted to try my hand at making more detailed models of some of the characters and environments for a while (pretty much since I first started learning Blender) but it's pretty hard to find reference for how things look. Should be easier now, though it'll be a while before I have time to do something like that. It'll go on my art blog if I do.

[wdnrbm]

Secret collab with ARCO: Seregios Great Sword and Bow, 6:100 scale

These 2 (as well as 12 other weapons) are remodeled by ARCO after the official concept art. And are available as free layered weapons mod for MHW by MHWResurgence team. You can view HD renders here:

WIP shots, hand for scale. Yes, both of them are foldable! The stand is also the same as the one in your Seliana house.

[satoshi-mochida]

DOKAPON! Sword of Fury coming to PC in English - Gematsu

Sting will release DOKAPON! Sword of Fury for PC via Steam in English and Japanese “soon,” the developer announced. A specific release date was not announced.

The game, a remastered version of the 1998-released PlayStation title of the same name, first launched for Switch on August 1, 2024 in Japan. It is currently unclear whether the English PC release means Sting plans to release the Switch version outside of Japan.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Engage in good-natured fighting with soon-to-be ex-friends! The ultimate relationship-ruining board game x RPG is back, where the best way to succeed is to play dirty! Spin the wheel and set off on an exciting adventure with your friends! Defeat monsters, purchase weapons, and level up, just like in an RPG. Once you’ve gathered enough strength, face off against powerful bosses in epic fashion! Your journey will take you across a wide, diverse world… Just don’t forget that your true goal is to get filthy rich! Money is everything! Anything goes, as long as it lines your pockets…and as long as you’re cool with it! Will you walk the path of thievery and plunder, or will you hold firm to your morals? Will you join hands with your friends, or plot to betray them? It’s dealer’s choice around these parts! Play even with faraway friends in Online Mode, and feel free to pause your adventure anytime with the Autosave function; it’ll be ready and waiting for you whenever you’re available again! There’s also a full range of display settings on offer, including HD and widescreen support, allowing full immersion like never before! Game too slow for you? No problem! Speed options up to 5x ensure you can always keep things moving along at your own pace. A virtually endless array of options allows you to play the game your way: you can substitute in battle background music from earlier titles, set the number of weeks to play, adjust game balance, and more! You can even give yourself an advantage if you’re new to the Dokapon experience; come one, come all, as this game’s for everybody! The Iron Sword of Rage returns to cut through all the nonsense of the 2020s in style. Come grab its hilt and give it a swing for yourself!

Key Features

-Stick it to your friends and aim to become the richest of the rich!

Whosoever winds up wealthiest in the end (meaning, the bearer of the most assets) shall be deemed the winner!

How do you achieve that? Well, by fighting monsters, plundering, pillaging, and betraying your best buds; that’s how! All the rules are made to be broken in this board game!

Need to fast-track your earnings? No problem! Try engaging with the alliance system, entering the Tenkaichi Tournament, or participating in other unique events to ka-ching like a king!

And hey, if you just want an RPG adventure in an expansive (expensive?) overworld, that’s perfectly within your reach here too!

-Possibly the most heinous Dokapon game of them all?!

Can this even fly in the 2020s?! I guess we’ll find out, since this remastered version retains all the same irreverence the original was known for!

That classic pixel-art world from before is kept intact, but with all illustrations and 3D models updated and given new effects for their debut on the big, high-def screen!

Every 3D model is a full-on ‘toon now, while the illustrated 2D art has been fully smoothed out. But if that’s too much change for you, no problem: the original pixel art can still be tagged in as desired!

-“Rock-Paper-Scissors”-style battles anyone can enjoy!

Encounter an enemy and it’s battle time! But not to worry, because these battles are simple as can be.

First off, a coin toss decides who goes first. When it’s your turn, you choose one of four possible attack types.

Choose wisely, and you’ll be doing some good old-fashioned weak-point hitting for massive damage!

But fail to predict your opponent’s defense type, and that massive damage may be yours to bear instead…

Will you be able to read your opponent like a book? Will your opponent be able to read you? The tides can turn in an instant with a single slip-up, so make your move and cross your fingers!

-Same old multiplayer madness, but now with online matches, too!

Up to four players can rumble locally, with only a single copy of Dokapon among them!

Don’t have any friends nearby? (Lost them all to Dokapon fights?) No problem! Online multiplayer’s got your back. The world’s your oyster now!

Best of all, you can stop playing anytime you’d like (you swear!), then jump right back into the fray later on by loading up your save data!

-Utilize the speed multiplier and up the game’s tempo to your liking!

Yes, you can even speed things up to make the game match your pace.

At 3x or 5x speed, even the busiest players have no excuse not to give Dokapon a try!

The speed multiplier can even be used online, cutting down wait times and making the sparks fly faster than ever!

-Add some sugar and spice to make everything twice as nice!

Call them X-factors or secret ingredients; either way, you can access them in the System menu and rebalance the whole game as you see fit!

Just give it a pinch of this and a dash of that—only as much as you’d like.

Maybe turn down the number of rounds, for example, if you’ve got a busy schedule and can’t quite handle the usual length?

Or fine-tune the gameplay experience by giving yourself infinite magic, or limiting the number of times Wallace appears!

You can even change the background music to some classic battle themes from past Dokapon games, for that little extra kick of nostalgia!

What would a remaster be, after all, without that certain “je ne sais quoi” that gives this series its edge?

Watch a new trailer below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

PC Announce Trailer

[planet-of-the-machines]

The Prom Incident: Part 2

(Just outside the gymnasium, on level 6)

*Uzi, N, and Hot Rod arrive at the entrance to the gym, finding Chase and a few other Elite Guardsmen trying to get in.*

Guard 1: “What genius thought it was a great idea to make the gym lockable only from inside!?”

Hot Rod: “Aren’t you supposed to be in training?”

Chase: “Uzi. Hot Rod. …N. I’ll be brief. There’s a situation in the gym.”

Uzi: “Well, duh. That’s why we’re here.” 

Chase: “…I’ll ask for details later. I’m assuming you know about V and Lizzy–.”

N, Uzi, Hot Rod: “Yes.”

Chase: “Good. Strongarm has given us permission to engage Them and any other accomplices, and Wheeljack has given us experimental ammunition that he believes will help us solve this crisis”

Guard 2: *to N* “Hey murder bot, you got any bolt cutters or something?” 

*Something is then thrown into one of the gym doors from inside, hitting hard enough to distort the door and cause it to fall on top of the talking guardsman. This is followed by a crush of WDs and some HDs fleeing the room. Some are missing limbs, with those that have lost legs– including Warpath, who’s swearing like a sailor –being carried out by others, but all of them seem terrified.*

Braiden: *Head on fire again, passing as the fleeing crowd thins* “Worst! Prom! Ever!”

*Once enough of the crowd passes and flees, Uzi, N, Chase, and Hot Rod see what blew the door off…”

Hot Rod: *Quiet, horrified* “…Sunstreaker?”

*Atop the broken door (and an Elite Guardsman) was the corpse of his semi-narcissistic classmate, but his yellow paint job was quickly turning light shade of gray. Hot Rod had heard of aggressive depigmentation before, back when he was in elementary school, and there was only one reason for such a thing to happen.

*Namely, death.

*The cause of this was, fortunately, quite obvious. Of course, that’s not saying much: a bunch of cleavers embedded into a Heavy Drone’s chassis (including one into his core and another into his visor, meaning his orange eyes weren’t rendering) leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation.*

Uzi: *to N, mildly concerned* “Do your sisters… have disposable melee weapons? Ones you can create a lot of in a very short time?”

N: “N-no. G might be able to, but I’m not sure.”

*The trapped guardsman pushes the door and corpse off of him, but is unable to stand.*

Guard 1: “I’ll take Dreadwing to the med-bay, I trust you and your friends can handle this.” 

*The guardsman-in-training simply nods. Chase then cranes his head to look inside, followed by his blog-mates, finding that Prom has devolved into absolute chaos, with some parts of the room on fire. Multiple HD and WD body parts are laying across the floor, oil and hydraulic fluid splattered across the walls. Oh, and V was fighting Doll, who was using what one who is familiar with a 3d modelling program can describe as program tools, but usable to wreak havoc.*

*The Russian speaking WD summons a cleaver knife and tosses it at V, removing her arm. She follows this up by removing the ceiling fan from its post.*

Uzi: “Holy crap, what is she doing?”

N: “This isn't what I expected at all! I guess we should–”

Chase: *flat and blunt* “NO.” 

*Doll throws the ceiling fan in V's direction like a frisbee, an attack that is narrowly dodged. V uses her remaining arm to deploy a plasma cannon and fire back.*

N: “But she’s–”

Chase: “I refuse to actively aid a criminal.”

Uzi: “Then why are you helping this guy?” *gestures to N*

Chase: *beat* “I refuse to aid a criminal who is not explicitly trying to reform.”

*With a swipe of her hand, Doll enforces a shield that protects her from V's blasts. She then uses her… abilities to force a pole through V’s midsection.*

Uzi: “Well, if she dies here, then she won’t get the chance to reform herself, will she?”

Chase: *ponders* “…valid enough.” 

*V pulls herself off the pole, and fires at Doll using a machine gun from her regenerated arm. The purple haired, red eyed Worker picks up the broken door and throws it at her opponent… only for N to stop the projectile. Uzi follows up by deploying her sword and trying to stab Doll directly in the face. The blade basically ricochets, though it leaves the Russian speaker’s visor cracked.*

Doll: *confused* “[Uzi, would you really side with the Murder Drones? I'm not the only one who's lost family to them.]”

Uzi: “Bite me! Whoever started this wants us to fight!”

Doll: “[Cute.]” *smiles as her eyes flash yellow for a split second* “[But I don’t need help.]”

*The emo shapeshifter’s eyes widen before narrowly avoiding impalement from another summoned pole. V lunges at Polina from the side, only for the latter to teleport out of the way, reappearing before N, who she engages in battle.*

V: “Hey, you’re the little shifter N told me about, aren’t you?”

Uzi: “Uh…” *She doesn’t know what to make of this* “…yes?” [[WTF is a shifter?]]

V: “Mmmm… You help me kill this purple-haired bitch and find Lizzy, and I don’t kill you. Deal?”

*After a moment, she nods. Chase and Hot Rod, meanwhile, are taking cover behind the bleacher, where they find Bumblebee, Blades, Rebecca, Thad, and Jazz hiding from the carnage.*

Bee: “Why is she even doing this?” *turns to the blue-haired WD* “Do you have any ideas?”

Rebecca: “How am I supposed to know? She and Liz never told me they were, like, basically witches!”

Thad: *terrified* “You’re her friend! Don’t friends know their friends better than other people!?”

Chase: “Do you have anything in regards to potential motivations?”

Bee: “Chase! Hot Rod! Great timing. Please tell me the Guard has a plan to stop this madness.”

Hot Rod: “We have… concepts of one?” *smiles sheepishly* “We honestly expected N’s sister to be the one driving the violence, not Doll.” 

Blades: *a mix of existential anxiety and sarcasm* “Great. Now we can all die together.” [[CALCULATING MOST PROBABLE DEITY TO PRAY TO]] 

Hot Rod: *to Bumblebee* “Any chance you brought your pistol with you?”

Bee: “N-no, that’s at home.” *beat* “How was I supposed to know Lizzy would–!?”

Jazz: “You didn’t. An’ I don’t think anyone here did.” 

Thad: “Is there a rule against taking guns off a deceased Elite Guardsman?” 

*Chase looks offended, and opens his mouth to speak, only for N to get thrown into the wall above them, coming down in segmented body parts* 

N: *reduced to a head and torso* “Hey guys, how’s it hanging?”

Rebecca: “Shut up.”

*Doll and Uzi continue their fight. A knife is thrown into the stereo, which Doll then takes to toss at Uzi again. Uzi jumps and arms herself with the microphone stand, which she kicks towards Doll. She stops the stand in mid-air. Uzi turns into her car mode and makes a tight turn towards her opponent. The stand is thrown back at her, causing her to overturn. Doll summons a dozen cleaver knives and flings them towards V, who is circling her near the ceiling like a vulture. She flies semi-gracefully between them, before unleashing her plasma cannon on Polina once more.* 

*She teleports out of the way, only to be on the receiving end of a flying tackle from behind, courtesy of a reconstituted N.*

*As the 3v1 continues, with those involved moving in a way one could describe as some sort of dance, Chase is looking for the opportunity to end this situation once and for all. Loading his pistol with the magnesium rounds Wheeljack gave him, he waits. Eventually, Doll is knocked to the floor with a flying kick to the head by Uzi, at which point the Elite Guardsman in training opens fire on the perpetrator. To his dismay, Polina uses her abilities to stop most of them before they hit her…*

*…And then she redirects them towards V, who was preparing to shoot the purple-haired WD in the head.*

*As soon as the bullets hit, the female Disassembler’s insides are set on fire, flames shooting out of the holes where they hit. The sensation of suddenly having their insides lit ablaze causes V to fall to the oil-splattered, corpse-ridden floor, screaming in agony.*

N: “V!!!” *Flies over to his teammate/little sister* ohmygod pleasedontdiepleasedontdiepleasedontdie–”

*He finds her convulsing on the floor in unspeakable pain, as her red dress burns off and her visor is glitching uncontrollably. Her pained screams are similarly increasingly distorted with static.* 

V: [N– N, I-I’m sorry it hurts so much N help me help me please help I don’t wanna die please help me]

*Doll stands up and prepares to finish the job, only for Uzi to throw a table at her. Hitting the floor, the purple and black shapeshifter pounces, and the two start brawling.*

Doll: *whilst she and Uzi’s fight devolves into a punching match* “[Do you not feel remorse?]”

Uzi: “More for N than you, you just killed half our grade! And for what!? Just to kill one of the disassemblers!?” 

Doll: “[You know not what is behind them–]” *moves her head to the side to avoid a stab* “[–what lies ahead for you if you continue down this path. The force behind the Disassemblers wants us gone, wants you and your kind gone. If we finish their pawns off now–]”

*Her opponent responds by punching Doll in the face hard enough to make another crack in her visor, before converting her legs into engines and pinning the Russian-speaking WD against the ceiling.*

Uzi: “Fuck off! They’ve only been cooperative since the breach, and they’re just as much in the dark about the bigger picture as we are. I'm not dealing with anything well, but I'm done dealing with everything alone. We move forward together, or not at all.”

Doll: “[Did they not kill your mother? Did he–]” *gestures to N* “[–not try to kill you? Or are you too focused on finding yourself to care?]”

*This causes Uzi to freeze up for a brief moment. Doll uses her opponent's distraction to try dismembering the emo shapeshifter with her powers…*

*…only for her right eye to be shot out, causing her to leak… blood? A brief glance down below sees Bumblebee holding a EG-standard pistol, moments before bolting for cover. Doll attempts to pick up the ceiling fan on the gym floor to bisect the yellow HD, but all this results in is a panicked Uzi’s right hand and forearm transforming into an upgraded version of her Sick As Hell Railgun, immediately charging up to fire. Doll only has enough time to widen her remaining eye in surprise/horror before teleporting back on the ground behind the bleachers–*

*–and immediately gets shot in the head by Chase, with a normal round.* 

*It takes a moment for things to settle down. Jazz, Thad, Blades, Bee, and Rebecca stare at Polina’s “corpse” with horror, especially in the latter’s case.*  

Jazz: “Is it over?”

Uzi: *lands* “H-how did I do that!? And why am I all sweaty? Who programmed that!?”

Thad: *runs over* “Uzi, you ok?”

Uzi: “Wasn’t expecting to shoot the place up, but yeah, I’m fine!” *an eyelid on her visor twitches as she finishes, before she looks in the direction of N and V, the former cradling the latter* “…Not sure about everyone else…”

[boxturret]

Mask o' Flight Bohrok design

The highlight of MoF is the several frames where you can see some frozen Bohrok, it was the part of the movie I was always the most interested in, and would pause and rewind constantly trying to make out any details. Well now there's the HD version on youtube you can actually do that much more reasonably, and I noticed some really interesting details with the shields.

Back when watching it on DVD on a CRT television, all I could ever make out was this one, which seemed to be a simplified Kohrak shield.

But looking at it today I noticed these two, one which looks more like a Nuhvok shield and one that's mid way between the two.

That's when I realised: They were actually articulated! I did a quick sketch of how the would most likely function.

Now you may notice the fire, and wonder why, since it looks like a cross between the Kohrak and Nuhvok shields, but in the movie you can see the slightest hint of red under the ice.

And in a deleted scene you can see Terry showing off a carving of the Bohrok, and the flame shooting one clearly has the same shield design.

Also worth pointing out that the central prong with two flame jets on either side is reminiscent of Tahnok-Kal's shield design. (So maybe it was actually a hoard of Tahnok-Kals...)

So yeah. MoF Bohrok are Tahnok, and their shield does this cool unfolding thing to reveal the flame jets, maybe they could even function as pincers? We may never know.

The tiny robot in Mask o' Flight 2 which used a barely modified version of the Bohrok model features the same shield design as well.

Also possibly shows that if the Bohrok had moved they would have had a single neck, instead of the double one (which I can say from first hand experience is a pain to rig). He's an odd little guy, he moves very awkwardly and somehow looks like he was greenscreened in in a cgi movie.

The Bohrok in MoF are quite odd, they appear for a few frames, are mostly obscured, and for the most part seem to be practically using the 3d model from the renders, but there's little things like this that show that some work did go in to them. It makes their barely being in the movie more of a shame really.

This was going to be a tweet but it was too complicated.

[bahamutgames]

Solatorobo: Read the Afterthoughts

Game: Solatorobo: Red the Hunter (October 28, 2010)

Console: Nintendo DS (Via Emulation)

Hey hey! Let's get the ball rolling again with some more afterthoughts! And another RPG, which you all know I love. But this in particular is a VERY interesting RPG that surprised me in a lot of different ways. A DS Furry Mecha RPG is something that appeals to me GREATLY. I don't really have much general stuff to say, so let's just get right into it!

As always this is NOT a review, just a collection on my thoughts after beating the game! PLEASE play anything and everything I talk about if it interests you!

SPOILERS FOR SOLATOROBO AHEAD!! I KNOW IT'S OLD BUT I REALLY THINK YOU ALL SHOULD PLAY THIS ONE!!

Opening

So, my history with this game. Honestly, I only knew it cause my brother is OBSESSED with it. I believe it's one of his favorite RPGs ever made. So it's been on my radar for a bit. And this year something finally snapped and I decided to give it a go myself! And am I glad I did!! This game RULES!! It's such an interesting and unique little title that's, in my opinion, WILDLY ahead of its time.

Stuff I liked

Alright so where to begin? I think right out the gate I wanna talk about the visuals since it's easily the most interesting part of the game. Solatorobo is a 3D game on DS, so you know what to expect. Those cute little crunchy models the DS does so well. But with some nice 2D artwork as well particularly in the stellar anime openings, talk sprites, and occasionally even decorating the 3D environments themselves. But more importantly that what dimension makes up the world, is just how good the world itself looks! This game does some pretty remarkable stuff with its visuals that makes it look AMAZING, especially for a 3D DS game. Which aren't bad looking, but I think Solatorobo is maybe just a step ahead of everything else.

Had to give you an example on this one. This is one game I REALLY feel like would KILL in an HD remake. But even as it is, I think it's a gorgeous title. And lastly, but maybe most importantly about the visuals, are the character designs. Which are probably my favorite parts of the game. Solatorobo is a furry RPG like I said. All the characters are furries, which isn't unheard of for RPGs. But I think the way they're drawn is REMARKABLY ahead of its time. All the characters are drawn in this way that REALLY feels like they're furries I would see on the present day internet, if that makes sense? Maybe it's just cause this game influenced furry culture in ways I don't realize, but it just FEELS like it was made specifically with the furry scene in mind. From the way the characters are drawn down to the fact that they really only use cats and dogs, some of the most popular species fur furries (no shade they're great animals). But in addition to that, I haven't read them yet, but there's actually books out there about this world and how functioning as an animal person works in day-to-day life. From my understanding they thought up how clothes and toilets work when you have ears and tails and such. There's a special love for the furries in this game is what I'm getting at lol.

Speaking of that in depth thinking and lore. The whole world and plot of this game RULES. Basically, it takes place in a group of floating islands all inhabited by animal people. The islands are their own continents with their own cultures and problems. And you sail the Cloud Sea in mecha and air ships to reach these floating islands. Which is already GREAT, I love ALL of these aesthetics and concepts. But the game only gets better with its mix of technology and mysticism fusions making the plot. Playing as a bounty hunter who takes on odd jobs that lead him to awakening a giant monster, and the struggles he and his friends go through to fight that monster back. And the slow reveal of the plot and what's really going on is genuinely remarkable. HUGE spoilers but the reveal that humans exist, into the reveal it's a post apocalyptic earth, into meeting the AI in the tower who explains how it all came to be and the origin of animal people. It's REALLY interesting and it all keeps you on your toes and wanting to find out what's going on the whole way through, at least in my opinion. ALSO, Red the Hunter is a new edgy badboy made in a lab! Write it down!

Then after that there's the gameplay, it's all fairly simple, to be fair. Especially outside of combat, but combat in particular is very neat in this game. It's an action RPG, which can be pretty aggressive gameplay-wise. With a lot of big attacks and big combos. But Solatorobo is surprisingly defensive! You yourself actually don't directly attack most of the time. Instead gameplay revolves around baiting out enemies, and then picking them up when they whiff an attack and throwing them around. This allows you to use them like projectiles or find ways to get them down quicker. And with a customization system similar to something like Kid Icarus Uprisign's powers, where upgrades take up tiles on a board, there's a lot of ways to potentially make the combat really personal! However, they made a mistake by making the main way to pick up and deal damage to enemies be mashing. Because I can mash like a madman, this game was basically nothing to me. But I still really loved the combat!

Outside of that, I love the music. It's got some FANTASTIC songs, particularly the lovely credits theme. And a lot of the town themes are really pretty. It's got lovely aesthetics for each world. A lot of really cool visuals like giant hermit crabs wearing temples for shells. Or an island with a special atmosphere that let fish fly through the air. A lot of the writing is really good, you really love a lot of the characters by the end. And everyone has such AMAZING designs. Even NPCs like the quest giver are SO cute and hot. A lot of the furries are super hot like Mervielle and Opera. But even the enemies like the shadow monsters and regular bugs have REALLY cool designs! It's honestly a league in of its own when it comes to characters and designs.

Stuff I didn't like

To be fair, there really isn't much about the game I dislike. Off the top of my head there's only a few things that particularly irked me.

For one, the game certainly has some, shall we say, "of the era" humor. Like, Red the Hunter says some kind of transphobic things. Not like, to be transphobic. But it's the sort of thing where like "hey in retrospect saying someone doesn't look like their assigned at birth sex is tricking you is kind of fucked actually" type things. And there's definitely a gay npc that's like, kind of made into a homophobic stereotype. Yeah, in the furry game. Some lines, even though it's all like not super offensive, are certainly products of their time.

Then there's the minigames. I thought fishing was fine, and flying around the open areas is really only an issue because of DS controller limitations. But personally I thought the races in specific kind of didn't click with me. They feel very odd and I don't think you need to win a single one of them to get credit for playing them. Which, yeah that's probably for the best cause they're not super fun. But still it's weird, right?

Then lastly, and probably my biggest gripe with the game. Is the hunter rank system. Basically, you can't take on better jobs until you do more lower level jobs. Fine, that's no problem. However, really frequently they'll kneecap your progress by making story missions a higher hunter rank than you have. This, in of itself, is also fine. But where it becomes a problem is when EVERY SINGLE JOB only gives 1 point towards your hunter rank. You need like, 10 or so to level up. So you'll be sitting there grinding sidequests for a large portion of the game. I think encouraging, and sometimes even forcing, players to do sidequests can be fine. But it did feel like a drag sometimes here.

Final Thoughts

But yeah! Aside from those things, I think this game is very cool. Solatorobo was a real surprise and I was expecting good things from it! I had a blast meeting these characters and seeing this really interesting world. I know the team is still around and they currently make the FUGA games. But DAMN I think a Solatorobo remake would be KILLER nowadays. This game never uses the touch screen either so it would work fine!

And I didn't even mention the multiplayer aspects of the game, it feels like it does a LOT with the technology for a random one-off DS RPG. Similar to maybe The World Ends With You? Regardless, it was a neat game that appealed to me greatly.

===

And that's it from me on Solatorobo! I'm always VERY happy to play another hidden gem kind of RPG that I haven't seen many people talk about. Sometimes you do get duds that don't click. But sometimes you get Solatorobo! I'm serious when I say that I think a LOT of my friends would ADORE this game. So if you read this and you haven't played it... WHY DID YOU READ THIS??? GO PLAY SOLATOROBO NOW!!

As always you can follow me on twitter to see what I'm playing as I play it. I think I'm kinda getting back into the swing of things with my gaming schedule now that I'm on hiatus. So that's nice.

And that's all I got! Go play a game with hot furries in it!

[marcusrobertobaq]

Sav Dan's Shop (Android Zone) exploration and commentary

⚠️ The quality is just terrible

This Android Zone is called SAV SHOP in the game files. Where is it located within Detroit? No fucking clue. There's a similar destroyed Android Zone in Kara's BfD. Dunno if they're the same.

They sell new and pre-owned androids, components, repairs even some electronics and some other shit like that. Real average small tech shop.

"Kalu's Tool"? What a name. No idea wtf it is but this Uke Antivirius is kinda funny 🤪 I just can't read the text at all, bro.

Idk what these RXL things are but ok. Reading "robot" i assume is related to those robots from the concept art. But maybe can be used in androids?

Now those LVB ones:

LVB MACRODATA 7850: Move effortlessly between Androids applications with a powerful processor.

LVB "300% ENERGY": Move effortlessly between applications with a powerful processor.

LVB SMOOTH 2.2: Help preventing further darkening and protect the skin from premature erosion

Ok, we're talking about 2 processors and one stuff for the skin? THE SKIN AIN'T A HOLOGRAM CONFIRMED.

Now, man, now look the size of that shit right there, this EYE™️ component.

Gotta be for those heavy work models. It says TR600 and the heavy model we know is TR400. Maybe a new gen? But, man, still too "big" xD that's what she said

As u can see, androids parts ain't "hollow". Ain't supposed to be, at least. Also u can notice how androids are made with "easy limbs detachment and replacement" in mind, the cables in the joints are basically plug/unplug. Still weird tho.

Say hi to the Roomba

Other android parts they sell are these "patellas" (the knee the joint) and legs/arms. Also those "Thirium cells"...

Kinda different from the regulator we know, huh? They also got a whole M series shit going on related to that patella thing i'll leave this link cuz these textures are ridiculous. Means some models series are named with one letter only, the second letter being variations of the same "model family".

"POWER UNIT" and it's part of a UPGRADE PACK. Also a "GENUINE PARTS PROGRAM" idk what this means. Maybe pirated and cheap 3D printed components are a thing, we see these machines in Jericho.

I still don't know how these limbs works in practice, sometimes the joints just...doesn't make any sense in my head.

I ain't got no idea what those small boxes are. "Dust Cover"? What?

No idea what the triangle thing is, there's nothing on the box. Judging by being a triangle must be something related to androids (ofc).

Also boxes like that purple and red ones are CABLE PACKS (from AFC?). I can notice there are some formats (one of 'em really similar to the one Zlatko uses when plugging into Kara)

U can see a Hard Disk, Wireless and "Tabs" icons there. I'm not sure what that means, maybe u can used to connect these things O.o

And ofc...CLOTHES.

They sell clothes for androids? I mean, ain't got the markings we are used to and they look pretty generic but still something.

On the table we see what looks like empty thirium bag, an opened triangle-shaped box then below the Uke Antivirus, other cable packs, dust covers, regulators, eye components, audio processing components and some other shit that looks like HDs and SSDs

This SATA III SSD also comes in 8TB, 4TB and 2TB. Wtf xD

An honorable mention to the Android Compartments (feat Kara without a head)

I personally think it should also be a recharging point too but, well, doesn't look like one - but how tf this shit's detecting the android status then? Whatever, i hc they can recharge in there.

[fembot-y2k]

Every time I see a fucking "AI Machine learning upscale" mod that aims to make either a 20 year old game with low res textures or gods forbid a game with pixel art "HD" I die a little inside before going a absolutely feral.

I'm eternally fucking infuriated with how the ever growing movement of "graphics = quality/value" chokes the life out of art within the video game landscape. Modern conceptions of art have cheapened certain things to a frankly disgusting degree, so much so that I've genuinely heard someone say "it feels like they couldn't afford real art so they used pixel art" with their real human mouth. The idea that the more high fidelity something is the more value it inherently has both as art and as a project is reductive at best and fucking stupid at worst.

So many of these fucking mods and texture packs and filters and "remaster" projects create vapid facsimiles of whatever they're trying to "improve" or just flat out look like shit. The 20 year old texture you tried to replace with something a shitty AI site you paid for threw up has things like depth and shading built into it to assist with the limitations of its time as well as to match the game's art direction. All you've done is take a fucking butter knife to it and made it a flat confusing mess that barely looks like what it's supposed to anymore.

Look, I'm not against giving beloved old games new coats of paint. Texture packs and overhaul mods have always been a thing. But until recently they were made by people who fucking understood the inherent value of the art they were working with, and either aimed to give a new angle on it or change it all together into something new. And that's good! It's creativity! It's expression! What ISN'T either of those things is smoothing out all the beautifully placed pixels on a sprite from a super Nintendo game and going "ah yes now it looks like real art! So HD! So smooth!"

You cannot reduce the value of such a complex piece of art as a video game down to "well it's got 4K textures and 3D models with tons of polygons" to do so is insulting to the entire medium and the history of technology and skilled developers and artists who created them.

[dreamforcedeities]

It's finally done, a remixed version of the NiD Wizeman model from NiD HD to be more "art arcuate". This model was made by Tsoll/ @petals.n.chimes (Instagram), you are allowed to do whatever with the model but PLEASE credit them! (I'd also like to see whatever is done with this model too but that's not a requirement) You can download HERE

Features/changes

1. A major face lift to match an obscure piece of NiD artwork, plus hints of archie (mainly the back and sides of the helmet). I will admit the neck was a creative liberty with the model, he has a neck in JoD so it only made sense to include it here. 2. Improved hands! More accurate to the saturn marking wise, 3D eyes and actual finger bones! 3. Major bone overhaul, cloak and jewels are now fully rigged 4. Reshaping to the cloak to be a tad more like fabric 5. Recoloring one of the crystals to be more saturn accurate, as well as making the large one fully round instead of a half sphere 6. The vanilla model had a weird "greenish" tint which has been corrected. 7. All of his original tris from the PS2/Steam version are still in tact. Just... felt the need to say just in case anyone was curious. 

[tillman]

Strive eddie is the equivalent of bringing a deep sea fish to the surface and them deflating do you guys mind he needs the pressure and pixels to live he doesnt do well in hd 3d models

[blazehedgehog]

Thoughts on the Last Nintendo Direct for the Switch?

It was alright. A lot of people are very excited by what was shown but, I dunno.

A lot of modern Mario RPGs are pretty hit-or-miss, so Brothership isn't necessarily an instant win for me.

Nintendo World Championship could be interesting. It's probably a better take on the NES Remix idea than previous games, and the way they're doing online multiplayer could prove to be pretty cool. It's a shame it isn't live, but I suppose racing against ghosts means you don't have to worry about latency.

The thing is, with both NES Remix and this, I also want the option to just... play the full versions of these games. No timers, no competitions, just the raw games. But Nintendo's not going to do that. They'd also rather have you subscribe to their NSO service, too.

Fantasian is mostly interesting to me for the fact that a lot of the backgrounds are effectively pre-rendered -- but not using CGI. They apparently made realworld dioramas using actual model making material and photographed them. That's cool. The rest of the game seems like generic JRPG fluff.

I've tried over and over to like Donkey Kong Country Returns, both on the Wii and the 3DS, and it just rubs me the wrong way. I've said it's something weird with the controls feeling sluggish, but I think it's also the level design. It feels like it stretches some of its ideas pretty thin. Like we did not need a whole world dedicated to minecart levels. I'd hope the DKCR remaster is the version I'd finally enjoy, but I don't have my hopes up.

It's cool to see the "HD-2D" Dragon Quest games, at last. Those old phone versions they have on the Switch are awful. But also the only DQ game I've ever connected with was the demo for DQ8, so I dunno how much this tickles my fancy. But I've also never given a real one of these games a chance.

Hearing "timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch" for Denpa Men is weird, given that was a 3DS game. I always thought it was first party. Is this also coming out on PS4? PC? Very strange.

Glad to hear about the Marvel Vs. Collection. I was just scrolling through my XBLA library on my 360 a few days ago and lamenting how I only own MvC2 and not MvC1, even though I like MvC1 better. Weird it's apparently only coming out for last gen; there aren't native PS5/SX versions of this or the Ace Attorney Collection. Just PS4/Xbone/Switch. With backwards compatibility I guess they don't have to bother with a native version, but still. Weird.

Zelda looks good and is a long time coming but I wish it wasn't so different. Like I have faith it'll be interesting but it does disappoint me it's going to be more puzzle-y and not an action game. After so many years of asking for the ability to play as Zelda, for them to say "well she CAN'T swing a sword like Link!" feels a little compromise-y. I'm sure it'll be fine.

That was not enough Metroid Prime 4. They picked the most unceremonious, least exciting way to show it, too. I actually thought it was them announcing remasters of Prime 2 + 3 like they did with Metroid Prime 1, because it's just generic "shooting nameless space pirates to metroid prime music" footage until the end.

Rewatching it, I can definitely see how people are saying it's a Switch 2 game, though. Like that Metroid Prime remaster seemed like it looked really pretty, but this feels like a step above what the Switch is normally capable of, at least as far as 60fps goes. Like compare for yourself. Prime remastered on the left, Prime 4 on the right.

Look at the ridges in her shoulder panels, and how they're a 3D modeled groove with inset detail in Prime 4. That detail is probably just a texture in the Prime remaster. And just, like, how much better the material work is overall.

I could see this being 1080p 60 on Switch 2 but only 30 on the OG Switch.

Also please show me new guns or mechanics or something next time.

[kingdrawcse]

What organic chemistry software do you use daily???

Calling all professionals and enthusiasts in the field of chemistry, as well as educators and fellow students — KingDraw is a must-used for you.

Easily install KingDraw with its user-friendly interface in simplified Chinese and English. Create chemical structures and reaction processes effortlessly, even if you’re a beginner.

Unlock the world of professional drawing with high-definition export and no copyright concerns!

KingDraw offers ACS1996 drawing templates and customizable options to meet various needs. Save files in formats like cdx, mol, SMILES, kdx, and export images as SVG or PNG. Perfect for professional image editing and publication editing.

Versatile and feature-rich supports multiple platforms — ideal for teaching and research!

KingDraw supports multiple clients, including mobile phone (KingDraw APP), tablet (KingDraw HD), and computer (KingDraw PC), support multi-end data interworking, convenient for you to record chemical inspiration anytime and anywhere.

In addition to rich drawing functions, KingDraw also supports structural image recognition, intelligent gesture drawing, 3D model conversion, structural naming, chemical property calculation, compound information query (KDpedia), and other functions, suitable for daily work and learning, scientific research, teaching activities, and other scenarios.

Seamless integration with ChemDraw and Microsoft Office!

Effortlessly copy and paste your creations from KingDraw PC to ChemDraw, Word, PowerPoint, and more. Easily edit with just a double-click.

Get the free chemical editor KingDraw from Google Play and App Store：）

[kanzgamesandtrailers]

Sony Playstation 5 Hardware Reveal Trailer

Please! like and subscribe to my channel Youtube

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and South Korea, and was released worldwide one week later. The PS5 is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles, which were released in the same month.

The base model includes an optical disc drive compatible with Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. The Digital Edition lacks this drive, as a lower-cost model for buying games only through download. The two variants were launched simultaneously.

The PlayStation 5's main hardware features include a solid-state drive customized for high-speed data streaming to enable significant improvements in storage performance, an AMD GPU capable of 4K resolution display at up to 120 frames per second, hardware-accelerated ray tracing for realistic lighting and reflections, and the Tempest Engine for hardware-accelerated 3D audio effects. Other features include the DualSense controller with haptic feedback, backward compatibility with the majority of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games, and the PlayStation VR2 headset.

History

Development

The lead architect of the PlayStation console line, Mark Cerny, implemented a two-year feedback cycle after the launch of the PlayStation 4. This entailed regularly visiting Sony's first-party developers at two-year intervals to find out what concerns they had with shortcomings in Sony's current hardware and how such hardware could be improved in console refreshes or for the next generation. This feedback was fed into the priorities for the console development team. In the development of the PlayStation 5, a key issue was the length of loading times for games. Cerny said several developers, including Epic Games' Tim Sweeney, told him that standard I/O speed of hard disk drives was now a limiting factor in pushing game development. Slow data rates placed limits on the size of data being loaded into the game, the physical location of data on the storage medium, and the duplication of data across the medium in order to reduce load times. An important goal was to find ways to reduce loading time, particularly in games that stream or dynamically load new game areas as the player moves through the game world.

Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, stated that Sony had researched the feasibility of a "low priced, reduced spec" version of the PlayStation 5, like what Microsoft had done with its Xbox Series X and its lower-power counterpart the Xbox Series S; and concluded that they believed such consoles do not fare well, becoming obsolete too fast.

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#hardware #hardwarebustersinternational #hardwares #reveal #ps5games #ps5 #PlayStation5 #PS5 #teardown #deconstruct

[satoshi-mochida]

DOKAPON! Sword of Fury for PC launches January 21 - Gematsu

The PC version of DOKAPON! Sword of Fury will launch via Steam on January 21 at 5:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. ET, developer Sting announced. It will support English and Japanese language options.

The game, a remastered version of the 1998-released PlayStation title of the same name, first launched for Switch on August 1, 2024 in Japan. It is currently unclear whether the English PC release means Sting plans to release the Switch version outside of Japan.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Engage in good-natured fighting with soon-to-be ex-friends! The ultimate relationship-ruining board game x RPG is back, where the best way to succeed is to play dirty! Spin the wheel and set off on an exciting adventure with your friends! Defeat monsters, purchase weapons, and level up, just like in an RPG. Once you’ve gathered enough strength, face off against powerful bosses in epic fashion! Your journey will take you across a wide, diverse world… Just don’t forget that your true goal is to get filthy rich! Money is everything! Anything goes, as long as it lines your pockets…and as long as you’re cool with it! Will you walk the path of thievery and plunder, or will you hold firm to your morals? Will you join hands with your friends, or plot to betray them? It’s dealer’s choice around these parts! Play even with faraway friends in Online Mode, and feel free to pause your adventure anytime with the Autosave function; it’ll be ready and waiting for you whenever you’re available again! There’s also a full range of display settings on offer, including HD and widescreen support, allowing full immersion like never before! Game too slow for you? No problem! Speed options up to 5x ensure you can always keep things moving along at your own pace. A virtually endless array of options allows you to play the game your way: you can substitute in battle background music from earlier titles, set the number of weeks to play, adjust game balance, and more! You can even give yourself an advantage if you’re new to the Dokapon experience; come one, come all, as this game’s for everybody! The Iron Sword of Rage returns to cut through all the nonsense of the 2020s in style. Come grab its hilt and give it a swing for yourself!

Key Features

-Stick it to your friends and aim to become the richest of the rich!

Whosoever winds up wealthiest in the end (meaning, the bearer of the most assets) shall be deemed the winner!

How do you achieve that? Well, by fighting monsters, plundering, pillaging, and betraying your best buds; that’s how! All the rules are made to be broken in this board game!

Need to fast-track your earnings? No problem! Try engaging with the alliance system, entering the Tenkaichi Tournament, or participating in other unique events to ka-ching like a king!

And hey, if you just want an RPG adventure in an expansive (expensive?) overworld, that’s perfectly within your reach here too!

-Possibly the most heinous Dokapon game of them all?!

Can this even fly in the 2020s?! I guess we’ll find out, since this remastered version retains all the same irreverence the original was known for!

That classic pixel-art world from before is kept intact, but with all illustrations and 3D models updated and given new effects for their debut on the big, high-def screen!

Every 3D model is a full-on ‘toon now, while the illustrated 2D art has been fully smoothed out. But if that’s too much change for you, no problem: the original pixel art can still be tagged in as desired!

-“Rock-Paper-Scissors”-style battles anyone can enjoy!

Encounter an enemy and it’s battle time! But not to worry, because these battles are simple as can be.

First off, a coin toss decides who goes first. When it’s your turn, you choose one of four possible attack types.

Choose wisely, and you’ll be doing some good old-fashioned weak-point hitting for massive damage!

But fail to predict your opponent’s defense type, and that massive damage may be yours to bear instead…

Will you be able to read your opponent like a book? Will your opponent be able to read you? The tides can turn in an instant with a single slip-up, so make your move and cross your fingers!

-Same old multiplayer madness, but now with online matches, too!

Up to four players can rumble locally, with only a single copy of Dokapon among them!

Don’t have any friends nearby? (Lost them all to Dokapon fights?) No problem! Online multiplayer’s got your back. The world’s your oyster now!

Best of all, you can stop playing anytime you’d like (you swear!), then jump right back into the fray later on by loading up your save data!

-Utilize the speed multiplier and up the game’s tempo to your liking!

Yes, you can even speed things up to make the game match your pace.

At 3x or 5x speed, even the busiest players have no excuse not to give Dokapon a try!

The speed multiplier can even be used online, cutting down wait times and making the sparks fly faster than ever!

-Add some sugar and spice to make everything twice as nice!

Call them X-factors or secret ingredients; either way, you can access them in the System menu and rebalance the whole game as you see fit!

Just give it a pinch of this and a dash of that—only as much as you’d like.

Maybe turn down the number of rounds, for example, if you’ve got a busy schedule and can’t quite handle the usual length?

Or fine-tune the gameplay experience by giving yourself infinite magic, or limiting the number of times Wallace appears!

You can even change the background music to some classic battle themes from past Dokapon games, for that little extra kick of nostalgia!

What would a remaster be, after all, without that certain “je ne sais quoi” that gives this series its edge?

[smartchoicehub]

Lenovo ThinkPad P P14s Review

Discover the perfect blend of power and portability with the Lenovo ThinkPad P P14s 20VX002NCA. This mobile workstation is meticulously crafted for professionals who demand performance without compromise. Whether you're a designer, engineer, or a tech enthusiast, the P14s ensures that you stay productive on the go.

Exceptional Performance

At the heart of the P14s lies a powerful Intel i7-1165G7 processor. This processor is designed to handle demanding applications effortlessly, making it particularly useful for intensive tasks such as 3D modeling, video editing, or complex data analysis. With upgradable RAM capacity of 16 GB DDR4, you get the flexibility to enhance performance based on your needs. Coupled with fast SSD storage of 512 GB, you can expect quick boot times and lightning-fast file access.

Designed for Professionals

The P14s boasts a lightweight design of just 1.47 kg, making it the ideal companion for professionals on the move. Its robust build quality ensures durability, allowing you to work without worrying about wear and tear. The high-quality Full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels) offers crisp visuals and vibrant colors, enhancing your creative work whether you're indoors or outdoors.

Long Battery Life: Say goodbye to anxiety over battery life; the P14s provides extended usage hours to keep you productive.

Comprehensive Security Features: With multiple security options, you can protect your vital data from unauthorized access.

Multiple Connectivity Options: The device offers a range of connectivity ports including USB, HDMI, and Thunderbolt, keeping you connected to all your accessories effortlessly.

Good Audio Quality: Experience enhanced audio with Dolby Audio, ensuring that conference calls and multimedia playback are clear and immersive.

However, the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s does come with a few considerations. Its higher price point compared to competitors might not appeal to everyone, especially if you're budget-conscious. You may also find the color options somewhat limited, and while it performs well for everyday tasks, the absence of a dedicated GPU means it's not suited for extreme gaming. The built-in webcam could use an upgrade, and under heavy load, the device may generate warmth. By integrating all these advanced features, the P14s not only meets the demands of modern professionals but also enhances the overall user experience. If you're looking for a powerful mobile workstation that can keep pace with your fast-moving profession, the Lenovo ThinkPad P P14s is a worthy contender. For more information on this exceptional device and to see how it can elevate your productivity, visit here. Stay connected, stay productive, and embrace the power of the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s in your professional journey!