#but i never really understood the obsession with a dlc

[yo9urt]

lack of beegee3 dlc and beegee4 confirmed. perhaps the reddit nerds will finally be quiet about it

[hinus]

Any thoughts on the elden ring DLC?

I mean depends what specifically you wanted my thoughts on?

The actual gameplay? was very fun playing through, even though i'm a skill issue chump and haven't finished everything yet

As a Morgott enjoyer? Sad there wasn't any extra tidbits but learning about the hornsent solidified some thoughts I've had about him. Having clarity for Mohg as a character as well has been oddly calming.

In terms of the added lore? I'm only more smug in my previous distaste for Miquella. I still never understood the obsession with him when there was writing on the walls the whole time. I'm not really a young looking femboy enjoyer nor do I have the belief of a 'good guy' existing in the setting of Elden Ring. Even now, after the DLC, I'm more perplexed with people being staunch defenders of his actions. You can just say you like how he looks without being a silly goof about it. Comes off weird to me. Like, this is IRL, you don't have to be easily manipulated by his charm here nor call people homophobes for having different thoughts.

Just 'cause he's "gay" and "cute" doesn't make his supposed compassionate desires justified when the whole time you're playing you're being spoonfed by the NPCs and his own counterpart and world building that he's not good and is just doing Marika 2.0 (facism but girlboss slay queen shit that flys over people's heads as bad because #girl or something. i am being hyperbolic for comedic purposes.) but I don't come to the soulsborne fandom for media literacy lol. It didn't feel like a storybook closing of Elden Ring but added a lot more background and complexity to it even if I don't give a rats ass about Miquella nor Radahn as characters outside of comprehending the story since I don't feel personal connections or attraction to them etc etc

[ghoooooooooooooooost]

reading log numbah 7

Umineko [1st episode completed, minor spoilers]

the atmosphere for the first ep is honestly amazing n i like how they never show beatrice's sprite throughout the whole thing too (until the sort of 'interlude' chapters anyways)

battler is honestly a really enjoyable protag when he stops the boob nonsense. also it's a lil funny when he's still trying to argue that witches don't exist while he's talking to dead ppl you speak your truth man

i still like maria i understand her. #girl

i have no idea where this game is gonna go from here

Cell of Empireo DLC (vague?? spoilers for the DLC)

i read the rest of the dlc myself bc idk when or if the translation channel will come back 🥹🫡 hopefully i understood properly

wow so utsugi's relationship w hatsutori was fixation the moment they met huh? like instant religious adoration; at the same time it's not that. it's mentioned by other characters that rather than romantic love it's "fundamental" love but to him i don't think it's the same as how a follower would love jesus. he sees hajime as a person n doesn't want him to be crushed by his burden, while continuing the situation... "so to affirm him is to affirm me." talking abt wanting to be needed n clinging to him like that. hmm

maybe i'm misreading it a lil, it sort of reminds me of reiji's instant imprinting on sanemitsu except without the familial aspect (in reiji's flashback when he said he didn't want his relationship w his dad to become an obsession, i immediately thought of utsugi) -- n obviously in utsugi's case it went down a bad route. also there was more going on w utsugi n harada then i thought

this series is surprisingly meta... was not expecting that when i first started

wherever this series is going i hope it ends happily for the coe gang n sanemitsu..... 🥹🥹🥹 shinano numero uno

[arsenalsquid]

MY VIRTUAL SINGER SONG TIMELINE

I wanna make this as a little story about my earliest connections to Vocaloid/Virtual Singers and how it all led me to loving them.

#1 Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!

Without a doubt, this was the first. All those YouTube videos and internet memes, it was the "Nyan Cat song" of course! But... in reality, it was actually a Miku song, but super sped up. I and many others wouldn't know, so my jaw DROPPED when a friend hovered over the song in Project DIVA, but that wouldn't be until much later. While this wasn't my true start, it would be a long journey.

#2 Senbonzakura and LOL – Lots of Laugh –

Maaany years later, and here I am! My first actual exposure to Hatsune Miku! I'd download a ton of 3DS demos to play, and Project Mirai was one of them. These two would be burned into my mind forever. I even remember going out of my way and searching them up on YouTube, and being amazed by the visuals on arcade/PS4!! I now understood the most basic concept of Miku; someone who sings. I don't remember why I liked this though. I must have seen it as a cute game, with cute songs and fun visuals. But, that would be it. I'd eventually delete the demo, forget about the songs, and move on... but not before...

#3 Kagerou Daze

The first song I encountered on my own! I discovered it while looking at videos of Senbonzakura and LOL, so this was around the same time as that. It was this animated one in particular that I saw the most! I believe I did see the Project DIVA music video, too. I just found myself so enthralled by this, it was so different from the cutesy songs I was just listening to. It was such a heavy feeling song, but the pacing made it so fun to listen to. A feeling that would return later... I listened to these 3 songs a lot, but yeah, I just stopped and didn't really bother looking for more.

#4 Tokyo Teddy Bear

Once again, more years would pass, but this was it. I was having a VRChat session with friends, and one of them put on some virtual singer songs. I didn't really care or pay any attention to them, and just chatted or drew. That is until they put Tokyo Teddy Bear, the Kasane Teto cover. I completely stopped what I was doing and just stared. It was like my friend's voices disappeared and all I could see and hear was this song... and it's visuals. And when it ended, I asked my friend to play it again, and again. It was kind of funny, as they pointed out how I looked just standing still and staring. He showed me some other Teto songs, like Teto Territory and that Fukkireta song.

Afterwards...

I was OBSESSED with Teto. My PFP, reaction gifs I'd send, and non-stop talking for about a week straight. I was so happy to find something I liked this much. And that's when my friend showed me Project DIVA Mega Mix+!! I've come full circle. From there I liked even MORE songs, and after a day or two of him showing me the game, I bought it alongside the DLC, and bam. Vocaloid/Virtual Singer lover forever. Got Project SEKAI, downloaded Project DIVA and Mirai on my PS Vita and 3DS, and got a few merchandise.

I've never felt this obsessed with something in a long while, I think my last thing was Persona 3 back in high school. It's really fun though!! Listening and finding all sorts of new music, seeing the music videos, building my playlist, sharing it with others. I definitely skimmed through a bit, but music means a lot to me. And this form of music is just so amazing to me, a near endless supply of songs to listen to. It makes me so happy. Even the most depressing songs make me happy, because I have something to listen and connect to when I'm down. I love using music as a coping skill !!!!!!

Thank you for reading if you did!!!! This is more of a personal post for me to save >_< My love for this will keep growing :3

[cafedanslanuit]

Legend

♡   —   personal favourites

☆   —   fan favourites

♠   —   nsfw

♫   —   includes songs

Headcanons

RFA + Saeran - Dirty Dancing  ♫ ♡

RFA + Saeran - MC wants to have her own business

RFA - MC is ten years older than them ♡

RFA - What goes through their mind when they’re cuddling? ☆

RFA + Vanderwood - Having a rebellious kid ♡

RFA - MC can’t sleep unless with them

RFA - A bubbly MC makes self-deprecating jokes as a coping mechanism ♡

RFA - MC that is bubbly, confident and never afraid to stand up for someone

Yoosung dragging MC back to bed because it’s raining

RFA + V - MC blasts music when she’s upset ♫

RFA + V + Saeran - MC with a passion for anime and drawing

RFA + V + Saeran - MC with a major in fashion

RFA + Saeran - Quarantine edition ♡

RFA + V + Saeran + Obey Me! brothers on a trip to the beach ♡ ☆

RFA - MC with a hand fetish

MC has Jumin trying commoner food

Zen + Jumin + Saeyoung - MC is selfconscious about being chubby and they make her feel better  ♠ ♡

Jumin comforts MC about a guy who is texting her constantly and making her upset

RFA reacts to a MC that is called Elizabeth

RFA + V + Saeran - As Les Misérables songs  ♫ ♡

Saeyoung messes with Yoosung’s phone to help him out

Saeyoung x MC - MC makes her own music

Latina!MC and Jumin get stuck with MC’s latino parents during quarantine ♡

RFA + Saeran - MC gets her wisdom teeth out ♡ ☆

RFA + V + Saeran - MC has a bad coping mechanism of punching her thighs (tw!)

Domestic Texts Series: Zen & MC || Saeran & MC ♡

RFA - MC is obsessed with Elizabeth the 3rd

RFA + V + Saeran with a MC that likes going to protests

RFA - MC grew up in really bad poverty

RFA + V + Saeran - They find out MC is only eighteen after everything that happened during their routes ☆

RFA - How do they calm MC when she’s anxious?

RFA - MC has dyslexia

RFA - MC with chronic pain

Royal AUs with Jumin, Zen and Yoosung

Love Language Event with Yoosung, Zen, Jumin, Saeyoung, Saeran and V

Happy New Year Event with Saeyoung, Saeran, Zen, V and Yoosung

Thirst Asks [+18]

[All Asks]

[Jumin] [Jihyun] [Yoosung]

Fanfiction

Mystic Messenger as failed love stories  ♡

reminiscing about the characters and your failed love stories in an alternate universe

You get me ♡

What happens when you’ve finally found your prince charming, but he doesn’t seem to fit in your life anymore?

Bet you can’t leave me

Mystic Messenger Week 2020. “The first time she threatened to leave me, I felt like I was dying.”

Who are you?

Drabble prompt - Zen always sought recognition for his work. Lately, he’s been using other resource to achieve his goals.

Dance with me

Latina!MC tries to teach Zen to dance bachata.

Jealousy [Kinktober 2020 - Day 2] ♠

When Zen agreed to be MC's plus one at a fancy party, he never expected she would lock them both inside a bathroom in a fit of jealousy. The hunger in her eyes could only indicate she was about to remind him who he was with.

A plan gone wrong [Mysme Angst Week - Day 1]

You convinced Zen to stage a fake coffee date in order to give Jumin, your fiancé, a wake up call about how much he had been ignoring you lately. However, things don't go as planned.

i could buy you anything but i cannot buy you  ♠ ♡

[kinktober 2021 - day fifteen: body worship] Zen had always had the need to be in control for a lot of years. (...) His guard may not be up as much as it did back then, but to this day Zen still takes a second look at any situation he’s in. He can’t let anything drive him away from his acting career so he always has to give his best and not take anything for granted.

You get me  ♡

What happens when you’ve finally found your prince charming, but he doesn’t seem to fit in your life anymore?

I always wanted to marry rich

Jumin Han stood with his hand holding the doorknob, not believing what he had just heard. There was no way this was happening. Not days before his wedding. Not only that, days before he married who he thought was the love of his life. The one who he thought he could trust, the one that didn’t ask for anything but his love and attention.

Home

You are staying at Jaehee’s after Jumin did something that made you really angry. While staying there, you start feeling sick and end up at the hospital. What you first thought was nothing to worry about, quickly turns into a nightmare that could change your relationship.

Sweet Creature  ♫ ♡

Jumin gets stuck in another country away from his wife due to the pandemic. He’s been having trouble falling asleep, so MC decides to tell him a bedtime story. A simple request ends up making Jumin open up about a small insecurity he had over his wife and his best friend.

If I could tell him  ♫

Request: “can i request a jumin fic where MC has a crush on jumin but is very shy and so ends up talking with the other members more and then jumin confronts her about it and she accidentally confesses/he confesses.”

Animal I Have Become  ♫

500 followers event. “So what if you can see the darkest side of me? No one will ever change this animal I have become. Help me believe it’s not the real me.”

Young God ♫  ♠

500 followers event. “He says: “Oh, baby girl, don’t get cut on my edges. I’m the king of everything, you know my tongue is a weapon. There’s a line on the clock that’s separating your thighs, if you wanna go to Heaven you should fuck me tonight.”

Crowded Room  ♫ ♡ ☆

500 followers event. “Baby, it’s just me and you, just us two, even in a crowded room, baby it’s just me and you” - [SMAU Epilogue]

Dear Jumin ♡ ☆

What if after all the events that happened during Jumin’s route, he didn’t fall in love with MC?

A new life

When MC gets into a car accident, Jumin ends up with her medical records. He never thought he would find out about what happened to his wife six years ago.

You see me in my room, wish you were here right now [Kinktober 2020 - Day 12] ♠ ☆

Jumin Han clicks on a pop-up ad and gets stuck into a cam girl website. As he waits for someone to come to his penthouse and fix his laptop, he can't help but notice a young woman giggling as she read through he comment section. From that moment on, he's hooked. And he can't wait to see more of her.

Sometimes I think about Elizabeth [Mysme Angst Week - Day 3]

Jumin tries to deal with the grief of losing Elizabeth the 3rd.

A late night conversation

A late night conversation with Jumin takes another turn into a much better scenario. [Fix-it fic for Jumin's DLC. Set on Episode 3]

Seven Minutes in Heaven - Holidays Edition  ♠

You’re home for the holidays and your friends invite you to a party. After a couple of drinks, one of them proposes playing seven minutes in heaven and makes everyone at the party leave an item of theirs in a small basket. When it’s finally your turn, you walk over and inspect the items before choosing the one that will decide your fate for the night.

A day off

For @/mysme-rbb event! You convince Jumin to take a small trip to the theme park. Taking into consideration it was the first time either of you had stepped foot in a place like that, it went exactly like expected.

you know i’m just a flight away (if you wanted you could take a private plane) ♠ ♡ ☆

[kinktober 2021 - day five: sex tape] Knowing Jumin is about to leave on yet another work trip, you suggest recording something for him to see while away. A little souvenir so he doesn't miss you too much- but now he's not sure he wants to leave at all.

Superstar  ♫

500 followers event. “Before I met you, I pushed them all away / Soon as I kissed you, I wanted you to stay.”

What you always wanted

Mystic Messenger Week 2020. As MC’s anniversary with Saeyoung is approaching, she asks her friends of the RFA for advice on what present is the best one. After several recommendations, she decides on what she should give him. Her only hope is that he’ll be happy with her choice.

The Ghost Of You   ♡   [ Vietnamese translation ]

A love story between a man with a mysterious job and a nurse during the Second World War. “And all the things that you never ever told me and all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. Never coming home, never coming home.”

Loving You ☆

Drabble Prompt. “I am profoundly enchanted by the flowing complexity in you.” - John Keats

Discoveries [Kinktober 2020 - Day 27] ♠

After you find a transparent light blue dildo hidden in Saeyoung's room, the question hangs in the air. Why not trying it out together?

Lost on you [Mysme Angst Week - Day 2]

A discussion about how to handle Saeran's recovery turns into the worst fight Saeyoung and MC have ever had. Both of them bring back past memories that should have never been talked about, in a desperate try to prove their point, not noticing how much they're tearing their relationship apart.

Just like him [Mysme Angst Week - Day 7]

No one teaches you how to grief. Sometimes you just do whatever it helps the pain go away.

give me the stars

For @/gureishi’s event. A small piece to celebrate Saeyoung’s birthday. A late-night escapade for two young lovers.

Wildest Dreams  ♫ ♡

500 followers event. Slightly NSFW. “He says no one has to know what we do, his hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room.”

Seven Minutes in Heaven - Holidays Edition ♠

You’re home for the holidays and your friends invite you to a party. After a couple of drinks, one of them proposes playing seven minutes in heaven and makes everyone at the party leave an item of theirs in a small basket. When it’s finally your turn, you walk over and inspect the items before choosing the one that will decide your fate for the night.

Beautiful  ♡

Jihyun has a couple of burn scars on his torso after the fire that took his mother’s life. You make sure you know he loves every part of him.

Wait for me

When the pandemic starts, MC gets stuck in another country, away from Saeran who was just starting his recovery. She tries to work a system with him so they can feel close even when they’re kilometres apart.

How ♫

500 followers event. “I’m asking for your help, I am going through hell, afraid nothing can save me but the sound of your voice.”

Vanilla ♠ ♡ ☆

NSFW. Saeran’s favourite place was between MC’s legs.

Apricity

Drabble Prompt. He never understood the reason behind this change (...). All he knew was that when winter came, he would start feeling tired out of nowhere and he would lose his appetite.

Gardening

Drabble Prompt. In which Saeyoung and MC break one of Saeran’s pot and they try to cover it up before he gets home.

All I’ve Ever Known  ♡ ☆

Drabble Prompt. Saeran has some doubts before his wedding. Thankfully, you’re there to send all his worries away.

Not to be able to love

Drabble Prompt. He wants to love her, he does. But when you’ve been through that much, it gets hard to love and not need.

Four Seasons (15 chapters)  ♠ ♡

Saeran’s After Ending. Saeran has finally found MC and is ectasic to finally be able to enjoy the good ending his tumultous life has reached. But with Saeyoung still missing and Mint Eye around, his happiness may have to wait a little more. Was love really capable to win against his inner demons or will he have to learn to fight for himself?

In another life [Mysme Angst Week - Day 4]

When MC knows her time is coming, she promises Saeran she will do whatever it takes to find him in another life. The only mistake was that she didn't expect to find him like that.

Our time

Saeran is saying his goodbyes but this time, you decide not to let him go. || Fix-it fic for Saeran's After Ending

even in the dark

For @/gureishi’s event. A small piece to celebrate Saeran’s birthday. Some days are better than others. But the people who love us stay through it all.

[slade-neko]

Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.

[nautiscarader]

Glitch Techs - review

Okay, so I’ve finished the Glitch Techs, and it was... profoundly okayish. Some spoilers below.

The show is an average buddy friendship team-up where two teenagers learn lessons while going on wacky adventures. Except there are also computer games everywhere that glitch ALL THE time, and into our world, no less, so the company that makes them, Hinobi, needs a whole heap of tech teams, called Glitch Techs to defeat and contain these glitches Ghostbusters-meet-Men In Black-style.

Before I continue, I should disclose some biases: I don’t consider myself a gamer. I occasionally do play games, but I most certainly am not obsessed with them, and I didn’t grow up with retro consoles like NES and Genesis actually Xboxes are considered retro now. Wow, I’m old.

I also might have a slight allergy to the fad of pixelation that has been going on for the last decade or so. I’m not against it, but... Come on, people, we have anti-aliasing. And vector graphics, which are superior anyway. 

So, as you might expect this show didn’t exactly “click” with me, and the final element that made me take so long to finish it was the lingo. Oh dear lord, the cringy, cringy lingo. 

See, Miko and Five don’t go to work, they “do quests” to “get EX PEE”, by defeating an “NPC” that “aggro’d” on them and then they can exchange said XP for “power ups” when they “level up”. Could they be any less subtle?

I mean, imagine a show about people working in a pet shop, and when they go out, they go “in herds”, refer it to a pizzeria as “a waterhole”, and their leader is “an alpha”, it would be a bit over the top, wouldn’t it?    

Once I take those annoying parts from the equation, though, we get a rather standard show for kids. We have an episode about lying, about working in a team, about not pretending to be someone else, taking care of your pets, you know the drill. Some episodes were painfully predictable, though. In Castle Crawl, for example, that broken sword, described as “the worst weapon” was a perfect example of Chekov’s gun, but with extra Bethesda floating quest-marker pointing to it in case you missed it. It was still funny, though.

I also have to admit, though, they nailed the depiction of the e-sports obsession .

It looked as ridiculous in the show as it does in real life. Also, I thought they would address more gaming-related problems, like lootboxes or microtransactions. They kinda touched the subject of pre-ordering craze, but not that much.

The animation is pretty good, typical for western cartoons, with occasional dive into anime-inspired madness, and its style benefited the fast-paced nature of the chases and battles.

Also, even though it’s full of used tropes, the friendship between Miko and Five, as well as Miko and her incredibly extended family was very well done. Her parents sure had lots of DLCs (see? annoying!). 

The quote-unquote douchebag villain was delightfully facepunchable, and I am looking forward to seeing him got punished more. 

Also, in episode 2, we got a glimpse into a potentially darker storyline featuring a LEGENDARY glitch urban legend, so that better be good.

But there is one thing that really irked me, and it’s that I don’t think the show really understood what potential video game glitches can be. 

A glitch, as a concept is amazing. And the idea of something like that happening in our world is fascinating. Computer programs are ruled by logic and math, so an error there can turn the world upside down - literally, sometimes - create effects so random and unpredictable, decided by machine’s relentless dedication to doing its job, your brain cannot comprehend them. 

And in the show it was all boiled down to random monsters showing up in the world. That’s Pokémon Glitch Go, they even parodied it with Flunkies.

Which is ironic, because one of the most famous glitches, MissingNo, comes from Pokémon, and if they did that, I’d be madly impressed. Imagine if someone’s pet turned into A BLOCK OF PIXELS OR A SKELETON OF KABUTOPS.  

Hell, when it comes to glitches, Matrix did that better years ago. That scene with a deja vu cat? That is a glitch. And an even better job of depicting glitches was shown in an animated short “Beyond”, a part of “Animatrix”, and anthology of shorts in Matrix universe, which I cannot recommend more. It is a fantastic movie.

In this short, a woman finds an abandoned creepy house, where Matrix has glitched, and it causes temporal and spatial anomalies: lack of gravity, localised rain, time distortions, etc. 

That’s what a glitch could do if it leaked into our reality! 

(oh and BTW, Thor 2 stole that whole short and put it into the opening scene when Jane finds the Dark World thingy in that abandoned tower, and I’m still mad about this).

I would be okay with video game monsters escaping, if the carnage they did matched with the abstract nature of glitches: give me buildings that suddenly are made of hot-dogs instead of bricks because the tile palettes were swapped. Give me a coffee machine spawning endless coffee because the end loop command was never executed properly. Give me a person who suddenly knows what the person next to them is thinking due to memory OVERFLOW. That would be interesting!

And instead we have a bird that vomits pixels.

...which, you know, would be still weird, but not very creative. On occasions they brushed that pure abstract madness of glitch art, but nowhere near close as I expected.

Also, I have to ask: this company, Hinobi... They have portals.

And can spawn items.

And can create virtual reality.

And can erase memories, through tv no less.

...what is stopping them from overthrowing all the governments, exactly? And if you tell me that is a higher level quest, I’m gonna strangle you with my mouse cord-wait, no, I have wireless one, dammit.  

Also, for an organisation who has a dedicated glitch-capturing team, their tech glitches itself A LOT. Hm. Maybe that’s what stopping them...  

Watching this show gave me a major “Cyberchase” vibe, but I was fine with that, since it was an old show that taught you math, so I was willing to see past the clichés there, or the fact that they referred to “cyber space” as real space, and what do you mean it’s still going. “Wander of The Yonder” was cancelled after two season but this thing is still on air since 2002 what the FLUNKY DETECTED! 

So, yeah, not a huge fan of this show, but from what I understand, there are more episodes done and some potentially in making, so maybe it will get more interesting. And the game parodies were clever enough for me to get lots of laugh, so, as I said, it was o͓̳̩k̔a̯̭̭̻̤̗͌̓̎̽ͧ͒y̻͔͓̞͙̻̩ͪ͌.̭̯̼̞̇

See, even I can do that.

[averyscarlet-blog]

Final Fantasy Versus XV (Sort Of) Progress Report  #4

While there hasn’t been an update quite yet, I felt like you guys would want a little insight on the progress I’ve made with this upcoming chapter. Honestly, I’ve never really done this kind of thing for my others fics so... it feels kinda nice. Especially with the lock-down being extended in my country. I have my parents, but for the first time in my life, I CRAVE for human interaction. But this will have to do. 

Right now I’m about 5k words in. I’ve always limited myself to at least 10 or 15k words, mainly because I don’t like to be too extensive in a chapter. But when I look back, I’ve realized just how much better it is to go over the limit sometimes. I honestly laugh at how horrible I was with my previous works! Hahahaha! Then again, juggling between studying and writing was a bit of a hassle so editing wasn’t really the first thing that popped into my mind the time. 

Now... I have a chance to be better. 

When I first thought up of Versus XV, I admit, I simply started it due to how salty I was after nearly eight to nine years of waiting only to get... Yeah... I don’t hate XV, I was just disappointed with MANY aspects of the game. While I realize that it was mainly due to development hell - especially during the time XIV was pulled and Square took many people from their current projects to fix it - there could have been so much more. After news of Tabata’s departure and the cancellation of three dlc’s, I decided that while I’m studying for the NCLEX, I’ll focus on Versus XV and Forgotten Hearts (a kh fic I’m currently writing). 

They’re the best fics I can focus on in terms of writing and story-telling. While I don’t usually move away from the lore, I so want to be a bit more creative than I currently am. I have been somewhat praised for adding in my own plot to Mercury Alchemist, so why not these two? 

There’s still a lot I want to do for Stella’s character. While I want to write how Nomura originally envisioned her, I still add a little spin to her character. I never really understood why I was so obsessed with her, why I continued complaining over her removal and how poorly Lunafreya’s character was done.Then, after sitting at my desk and stared at my laptop, it finally clicked. It wasn’t that I just liked Stella, I fell in love with the concept of her, the concept of versus XIII! 

I guess none of this really makes sense, but for me it does... and that’s why it’s so special to share it. I’ll never be able the perfect writer, and I may never be able to properly write Stella’s story. But I feel like she shouldn’t be forgotten.

[hypaalicious]

Unpopular opinion! While the way Gladio treated Prompto (in the train scene) was a thousand percent completely unnecessary, I think his words towards Noctis were. I think Noctis needed to hear the truth. He hardly batted an eye at Ignis' injuries and it burns me up that he never seemed to... care?? I dont know the right word, but Ignis and Luna both deserved more

I totally believe Luna and Ignis deserves better. I mean, Luna fucking deserves actual character development like the badass she was in Kingsglaive, for one. Luna faced down Leviathan like a baddie but that was her one moment in FFXV before dying. 😑 I ain’t even gonna get into the DLC where she was waxing obsessive over Noct and reduced to that trope, too.

However, with Noct and all of that, I do feel like he cared very much that Ignis lost his sight for him… but he’s depressed asf. You can’t properly express yourself when you’re all fucked up inside, and I think at least Ignis understood that as arguably the one that knows Noct the best. Kid’s been depressed since he learned that his dad would die an early death due to channeling the power of a Crystal no mortal being can be a conduit for without paying a heavy price. He never knew his mother as she died too soon. His father tried giving him a normal childhood as much as he could, but he grew up still as the child of a royal that had more responsibilities than what a child should be expected to shoulder.

Then Insomnia fell, and he learned that his father was killed while he was away. After that, Luna passed while protecting him. Then Ignis is blinded… Noct’s probably like, “I’m going to lose everything precious to me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I must be a curse of some kind.”

Like… I think Noct just fell in on himself. I can’t blame him at all, as he’s only human with an inhuman task as the gods chosen. This is why I will forever be mad at the Astrals. Ain’t none of that had to go down, but to deities, humans are nothing but chess pieces to move around and replace. I know Noct needed to face the facts that he’s the Chosen king no matter what, and Gladio was the best one to not baby him in accepting that (even though he really didn’t until 10 years later). Noct can’t stop people from taking hits for him. So yeah, grow up, accept that reality and keep moving. But… fuck, can you imagine handling such pressure with grace and all the “right” reactions? I sure as shit couldn’t.

[elvesofnoldor]

anyways, ive seen enough gameplay footage to make sense of the story as a whole and i have to say, despite many merits and potentials, the story of tlou 2 certainly is NOT a masterpiece. IGN sort of kind of still lied to me lmao. my initial judgement on the game still stands, it’s just my attitude towards the game has softened a lot. i dont think im angry about it, or even wistful about the way the story went, and i like it so much better now that ive seen more of it. in fact when i get a ps4 (or ps5 i guess smh, would they even remaster this game for ps5? lmao), i will definitely try out this game. but i still have to say that it still makes a lot of sense as to why people hate it so much and even though i don’t absolutely hate it like some of the fans, i certainly am not the biggest fan of it either.  Maybe it’s because im writing a story about fruitlessness of revenge (well, technically it’s fanfic dont @ me) and therefore ive thought a lot about such story, but the way i understand it, the true face of vengeance has always been grief, and any good revenge story is ultimately a story about loss. Everybody keeps talking about how this is about “neither side is right” or “cycle of violence is toxic” but i think these interpretations are only scratching the surface. To me, tlou 2 is about obsession, specifically obsession with revenge; It’s about hate, born from grief, driving someone down a path of violence that will never end. in truth, the obsession with vengeance is actually obsession with acquiring symbolic justice for a loss irreplaceable, and from what i seen, it seems that neil demonstrated that he understood this much. All the heartbreaking flashbacks? they aren’t just to build up ellie’s fall out with joel and her ensuing straining relationship with joel prior to the start of the story, they are to show us what ellie has lost. At the end, when she faced Abby, joel’s killer, and decided to let her go, i understand it as Ellie letting go of her hate born from grief of losing her only family, so she can finally be free from the shackle of murder and violence vengeance put on her. it SHOULD be about her letting go so that she may move on with her life before everything is lost, but when ellie comes back to the farm, dina is gone, and she has truly lost everything anyways. joel has saved ellie so that she could be happy, except that she is not, and it’s likely she will never be happy again. And what was all the heartaches about again? it felt like it was all for nothing!  the story ends in utter despair, which is very uncharacteristic for a tlou game. in tlou part I and the dlc, the story is full of perils and heartaches. Tlou ends in a way that let us know there will be no cure for the pandemic that ended the world, but the little girl that joel and the players spent entire time getting to know and growing to love survived and she may have a life in happiness and peace. tlou dlc ended in a way that hinted at ellie’s best friend riley’s eventual demise, and it sucks, and it HURTS, but she did not die on screen. the dlc ends in a way to let us know that even when all is dark, you find something to fight for and you live another day, which echoes with what joel said to ellie at the end of tlou part I. Imagine if tlou 2 also echoes with that message of hope. Imagine if ellie simply snuck out without having that conversation with dina, and when she finally let go and come back to the farm, dina is still there. ellie has lost a finger, she has lost joel, she has lost so much and all the murders and violence weighted heavily on her conscience and she is scarred from the experience. So maybe she still played that guitar, and she still despaired, but then she remembers what joel said to her 13 year old self: i struggle a long time with surviving. no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. And then ellie looked at dina, and the baby, ellie knew that she may have lost her old family and it hurt and it hurts still and the scar of the loss will always be with her, but she has a new one to fight for and to take care of now and there is still something worth staying alive for. To me, that would have been a better and stronger ending, a ending that speak of hope even in the midst of despair, it would have been a satisifying conclusion to both joel and ellie’s relationship as well as ellie and dina’s relationship.  now, Abby’s story ultimately contribute to this overarching story about grief and loss, and yeah, i have complicated feeling about her and her part taking up so much time in the game. i sure did NOT like the idea of being forced to play as her and hurt ellie in a boss fight! who wants to fight and potentially kill their favourite character as a brand new character we have very little emotional connection to? what purpose does that serve beside letting us know that ellie did not win this fight in the story? we could have easily played as ellie instead, as her point of view is supposed to be the point of view we identified with? This is the sequel to the last of us, which is advertised as being ellie’s story after all! this is not an independent story! i dont know what was neil thinking. it was apparent to me that abby was probably afflicted with fireflies somehow even before i read any spoilers. she was looking for joel! why else would she look for him and try to kill him? i honestly didn’t think that we needed to play as her to know she was with the fireflies and she was taking revenge on joel cause joel killed her dad and most of the fireflies and took that one chance of finding the cure away from everybody. we didnt need to play as merlene to see from her point of view, just saying. she was simply reacting to what ellie and joel did for the most part, and she never really have to reflect on killing joel the way she killed him. why does she need to take up so much space in the story? this should have been a story that focuses on ellie? i still wish she was ellie’s mom and her story tied into ellie’s immunity and the larger story of finding cure for the infection and she may or may not have been connected to or involved with joel’s death and her vague connection to joel’s murder is her reason to be in the story, but frankly, i dont know how to fix abby’s part of the story, she could have been a good character but it seems to me that she shouldn’t have been such prominent character in this story in particular.  again i think from what ive seen the game’s story has potential, and it has merits, but ultimately the ending and abby’s part hurt the story and lowered its quality. people are still handling the shock of seeing joel’s brutal death, people are still UNDERSTANDABLY having difficulty sympathizing with abby, people are still angry about having to fight ellie, people are still angry about having to witness so much content of brutal violence against characters of colour (yet again) in this game, there is also apparently tranphobic backlash against the game because the garbage cis dudes from the gamer community HAVE to let us know what a disgusting cesspool of shit part of the community is every once a while. but i think it’s fair to say that this is not the star wars sequel situation again. tlou 2 is not an absolute let down the way sw sequel (tlj and ros) is, but it is still a flawed story and should be seen and understood as such. 

[spellshite]

I only play as single player (I tried convincing my friend to play co-op with me, but I guess she didn’t really liked the game bc both times we stopped with her character around lv15.) and probably BL1 could be a bit boring in comparison to like BL2 or TPS but I personally enjoyed it anyway.

Probably because I was coming from Overwatch as only computer game, that I find numblingly boring and now I play it only for the weekly lootboxes bc I want all the collectibles lol, Borderlands is something really more enjoyable. Also, in the past I almost never played fps games so probably it was also the new thing? Idk.

Me, barely knowing Jack from few things found while getting the games: so this is the baddie, uh? Sounds like a prick. Me, after the nth call from Jack to annoy the VH: HE’S SO FUNNY OMG I LOVE HIM but I hate him... but I love him...but he’s the bad guy. BUT-

Maybe I could try out watching a gameplay, then, if there are lots of cutscened. Dunno.

Even if I didn’t play Tales, I had the feeling too that Rhys and Vaughn (more Vaughn bc I got to met him with the Fight for Sanctuary dlc, while I know only BL3 Dork-CEO Rhys) got a bit numbed down (as other characters from previous games, I was really worried that they would do the same with Timmo and Krieg). Sadly BL3 writers made a lot of fuckups from what I saw and understood reading other people’s comments. Probably they wanted to include tons of stuff, but then they had to cut some things and made a total mess. 

BOI. There is a lot to unpack for TimTam that one doesn’t even know where to start. From the porn movies Jack made him do? Or the fact that he had to deal with Jack’s fans? And that he signed a dead guy for a fan? Or that after what Lilith did in the Sentinel’s Vault all the doubles like Timmy got branded? Or idk the fact that Tim hoped that the casinò gig was finally a way to have a goddamn reward for all the work he had to do back with the tps shitshow and ended up screwed and stuck there for years? (Also, I started writing a what-if for my fic only bc I want to help Timmy and give him the support he needs lol)

Okay, I guess that I’ll have to put Nisha in the list of the characters to try out on TPS. After Clappie I wanted to try out that himbo of Wilhelm, but now I’m tempted to play Nisha only to hear Jack showing bottom vibes on main LOL

Yeeeeah. I guess that I’m kinda a simp for fictional assholes... or fictional people that could break me in half (looks at Krieg). And being obsessed with Borderlands isn’t helping me keeping the horny away from the main LOL

OKAY I was looking into this to see if I could actually write something academic about Borderlands And I realized that Jack is actually straight in canon? Or at least there aren’t any real mentions to him sleeping with men Which means that we all collectively realized this garbage man is so comfy with the cult of himself he created that not only would he constantly hit on his body doubles but he would have no problem sleeping with them And And I’m not sure what my point was but Handsome Jack is a thot, Jackothy is A Thing That Exists, and I’m here for it.

[renwritesstuff]

ren beat me:a

TIME TO HEAR REN’S HOT SPORTS OPINIONS ON IT. Of which there are many. Also gifs.

I generally like to explain my history with a game series first (if applicable), because obviously that can shape my perspective of a game. 

I started the Mass Effect series way back with ME1. I’d heard of it and the second I saw my friend play it, I knew I had to have it. I saved my first-job moneys and plunked down my entire tax refund for 2008 on a shiny new Xbox 360 and ME1 (plus Orange Box and Assassin’s Creed). I was entranced by the graphics and the story, and grew quickly obsessed by the time ME2 rolled out. ME2 blew my mind even more, and I must have beat that game 7-8 times with a bunch of different Shepards. ME3 I didn’t obsess about to the same extent, but I did beat it at least twice on my two favorite Shepards/LIs. ME3 was such a strong mood piece and evoked such a different, somber emotion from me, that it was mentally draining to play. I still loved it, and the Citadel DLC cherry on top is one of my all-time favorite set pieces.

So. Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Did I like it? Yes.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Does it have its flaws? Absolutely.

Let’s get flaws out of the way. This game was buggy. Not oppressively buggy, but inconveniently so. I played on Xbox One (like an idiot. REKINDLE THE XBOX 360 WONDER ...and not be able to play MP with anyone because everyone was on PS4 or PC. Genius).

Here is a list of bugs I got:

Architect on Elaaden: unable to complete. Refused to trigger

More than once: a companion character died (like they do), but I would be unable to rez them. No prompt, no waking up when the encounter ended. I would go back to the Tempest, still a red arrow. They would be dead on the Tempest. I would go back down to the planet: still dead and unable to leave my party. In addition, on the Tempest, my OTHER companion would still be following me. So I had 2 Peebees or 2 Dracks at one point, while poor Vetra was Dead Forever.

Said Dead Forever Glitch occurred when I had almost beaten a particularly difficult boss which required many waves of things to overcome.

The game liked to freeze randomly. Full system lockup. Autosave was generous so I rarely missed more than a few minutes, but several bugs required a mission or two rollback.

I didn’t play MP, but I did throw my drones at the APEX missions for free credits and shit. About 1/3 of the time, the servers were offline and I couldn’t access it, and I would forget and not touch it for 2 days.

The Elaaden vault almost made me quit, it was just that frustrating. 

I’m a smart cookie, and I dunno what the rest of the world’s problem is, but I fucking LOVE environmental puzzles. And it is saying something, that someone who loves environmental FIGURE IT OUT puzzles as much as I do, that I was so frustrated with Elaaden Vault’s setup and lack of context clues.

There was a point where you fight two Nullifiers and a Destroyer in one go. This fight is what almost broke me. I died at least 10 times. This fight had uneven terrain, so there was an upper and lower level, as well as an area behind it that was carved rock. If you venture to the upper or lower portion: the fight resets. If one of your teammates (say CORA OVER AND OVER AGAIN) is knocked off the edge and you need to revive them: the fight resets. If one of your teammates stays dead and forces you to restart the vault: my brain resets.

The fact that I remember these instances, when my memory is generally pretty shitty, is an issue.

Now, I went back and rewatched some videos from the ME Trilogy. Those games? I love the shit out of them, but there is some BAD dialogue over 3 games (as a Shepley fan at least 1/3 Ashley’s dialogue, especially in ME3, irritates me to no end). But even so, I forgive it because I enjoyed the characters so much. MEA had much more noticeable bad dialogue right out of the gate, which is unfortunate. It gets a lot stronger as the game progresses, but cringing right at the beginning is hard to overcome.

My husband’s complaint from watching me (he started his own game on Insanity and hasn’t recruited Peebee or Drack yet), is that there’s no obvious category for each. No Tali the tech specialist or Ashley the soldier or Liara the biotic. He didn’t like that everyone was a hybrid class. I didn’t mind so much, as I assume the expectation was to grab the characters you LIKED instead of the ones who PERFECTLY BALANCED your class, which is expected to be a hybrid anyway. However: VETRA. WHY DON’T YOU STAY ALIVE, VETRA? I had to kick Vetra out of my ground team because she was bafflingly squishy. Peebee doesn’t even wear armor and she’s hardier than the turian with the assault rifle.  

And the fault I’ll touch on that everyone has already brought up a million times is there is a definite sense that nothing I did really mattered. There was rarely an instance of express consequences to anything. Even things that seemed major, that seemed like “Hey, this would damage the relationship I have with this character” ...it didn’t. A character would be pissy for two lines of dialogue, and be back to normal. With no lingering indication that I could expect future issues because of this choice. Where’s my Mass Effect 3 genophage cure sabotage or geth versus quarian conundrum? I also have no idea what I gained for having earned everyone’s loyalty in my crew (or if that was possible to fail by not doing what they expressed they wanted? I DON’T KNOW). 

Relating to that is my personal quibble with the game in it felt extremely muddled. I love games with a straightforward premise. I could not spoil the end of MEA for you because I honestly barely understood what happened. I don’t understand why things were happening, and several characters (Liam, Suvi and Drack) had very strange, unclear motivations to me. 

So now the good parts of MEA!

I enjoyed playing this game. It reminded me of Mass Effect 1, when you were a young, naive idiot trying to figure shit out. Like drive up mountains or break into hideouts. It was just Fun. 

I never felt burdened by the combat. You remember playing Dragon Age 2 when you knew there were 3 waves of Shit coming, right? Enemies in MEA hit just hard enough and are just mobile enough to keep me on my toes, but not burden me with tedium. I’m a sniper, and the punch of my Black Widow rifle is incredibly satisfying. I even ratcheted up the difficulty from Normal to Hardcore because I wanted a bigger challenge, and I NEVER EVER do that. I was having just that much fun that I wanted to earn it a little more.

I liked that my Ryder could be a dork, or a cooler-headed professional. I loved my laid-back, easygoing Ryder, and I liked seeing his little Tempest family learn to trust him. I liked that he had to earn his respect through action. It made those heroic moments feel a little more magical, and I actually really liked that he was just as impressed with everything as I was. Sometimes I’d make some smartass remark, and a second later my Ryder would echo that sentiment. It made me laugh more than once.

I liked the Tempest family. I think they did a good job overall with your crew. 

Cora: My ground team #1. She kept the heat off my sniper like a BOSS. Plus she was hardy as all get-out. I really liked her character development over the game, too. I very much identified with her fish-out-of-water search for answers in things she knows, and being hurt that she was pushed aside as Pathfinder for a Ryder child. I think that could have been emphasized more, but overall her character arc was satisfying to me. Big fan.

Liam: Decent squadmate, decent bro. His characterization was extremely muddled to me. He could be easygoing one minute and bafflingly dickish the next. His one-on-one chats with Ryder were solid, but in the Mako with everyone else (except Jaal), he was weirdly scathing. When he dug into Vetra and Peebee I wanted to punch him in the face. I liked the movie night, and that he was a movie nerd. He wasn’t as good in combat as Cora, so I stopped taking him along for the serious missions.

Drack: Oh space grampa. You lovable grouch. I love that he was a surly curmudgeon and yet got along with everyone. I was disappointed in what should have been a relationship breaker of a story choice, he was angry for one exchange then back to normal. I was also confused by his motives for joining my crew. His was the weakest recruitment, as he talked a LOT of shit and then jumped aboard two encounters later. What? Why?

Vetra: Awesome character, terrible combat partner. I don’t know what it is, but I cannot keep Vetra Nyx alive. I suspect she is a better fit for a more aggressive build to lay down cover fire, but as MY cover fire: she was too squishy. I really like her character arc, though hers took way too long to get going. She was basically the Tali of MEA: shows up promising, disappears, then 2/3 of the way through the game she reappears in a blaze of glory. I headcanon my Ethan Ryder’s sister falls for her hard :) (My best friend’s Sara romanced her, too. She loves them turians)

Peebee: She was my Ethan Ryder’s love interest. It was a tough choice between her or Cora, but I felt like Peebee matched my Ryder’s laid-back, tech specialist personality better. That said, I loved that Peebee was a cagey, commitment-phobic asari who thinks asari do some stupid shit. I liked her silly quips and meandering thoughts. I liked that we got to see her learn to care about people other than herself, and we did that by earning her trust (and she ours). I liked that she befriends Vetra to be the terrible influence that Vetra never got. I’m still confused about where Peebee’s Remnant expertise comes from, or what her actual goal is. Though it’s weird: being muddled actually works in favor of Peebee’s character.

Jaal: Oh, that sweet cat-man. Awesome voice, big heart. His combat prowess was hit or miss, but he complemented Cora’s attack style well, so he and Peebee were my interchangeable #2 squadmates. I think they did a great job throwing Jaal in for a new species learning curve, as both student and teacher for the Tempest crew. While I find the Angara storyline awfully parallel to the Collectors (or Asari) from ME2/3, I did really enjoy the first contact aspect that Jaal added to the game. His loyalty mission was among my favorite.

Gil: I should be predisposed to like Gil as he reminds me a great deal of Alistair from DAO. But his bickering with Kallo really grated on me. I definitely got the frenetic genius vibe, though I am skeptical that one person can do every possible repair on the Tempest without any assistance. Gil and Vetra were one of the few people who came to Andromeda with someone, so I did really like that he and Jill were pioneers together. It made me feel like a world did exist outside of my little spaceship.

Kallo: I really liked the salarian pilot, though Joker’s boots are almost as hard to fill as Shepard’s. His character development was incredibly uneven, and he rarely had anything to say. Dammit man, I wanted you to gossip after every story mission! I loved his gossip. But outside of Gil and one little mission, Kallo got no other screentime. 

Suvi: Now, considering my devotion to Samantha Traynor, Suvi should have been a slam dunk for a favorite. Plus I really like Cait from Fallout 4, the Voice Actor’s other character. But Suvi annoyed me for a weird reason: I did not understand what the fuck she did all day. “Science Officer.” “Making discoveries.” Other than her telling me about probes or stuff on the galaxy map, it felt like her presence on board the Tempest was little more than Not SAM. 

Lexi: I don’t know why, but I kind of found it oddly charming that not everyone on the ship liked Lexi (including Lexi herself). I liked her learning to be the Mother Hen that Chakwas was, plus the delicious irony of a 275-year-old asari being inexperienced about something. It felt like she talked the most of the non-combat crew, both over the comms and to other characters (compared to Suvi, Gil or Kallo). 

Reyes: I think I’m one of the few on tumblr not entranced by Reyes Vidal. Not throwing hate at his fans, his is just not a personality I care for. Personal preference. I’ve never liked smarmy, arrogant confidence. I was reluctant to take his side. 

I enjoyed the game. It evoked a sense of wonder and adventure. I think MEA2 has the potential to build on the missteps like ME2 did, and make something really wonderful. Especially with characters we’re starting to know and enjoy.