#champions league wiki

[danidoesathing]

Cursed crack idea: Sburb sessions for the Piltover/Zaun Champions. Specifically, the League Versions.

It's a raging disaster. Everything's on fire. Jayce and Viktor's Cosmic Soulmate-turned-Kismesissitude (and them being opposite Aspects of Hope and Rage) almost dooms the session. The only reason they manage to win with no casualties is because Ekko (the Time player) God-tiers and comes in clutch.)

i had to look up what sburb is and sorry to say anon but i have literally no knowledge on homestuck or what any of this stuff on the wiki means or the terminology. however jayce and viktor inadvertently almost ruining literally everything just by existing near each other and ekko coming in clutch and somehow pulling off a miracle is pretty accurate to canon ngl

[jewishpositivity18]

Have you heard of major league dreidel? It's a thing. And the arena is called a spinagogue. According to the Wikipedia page for dreidel,

"Dreidel is now a spoof competitive sport in North America. Major League Dreidel (MLD), founded in New York City in 2007, hosts dreidel tournaments during the holiday of Hanukkah. In MLD tournaments the player with the longest time of spin (TOS) is the winner. MLD is played on a Spinagogue, the official spinning stadium of Major League Dreidel. Pamskee was the 2007 MLD Champion. Virtual Dreidel was the 2008 MLD Champion.[26] In 2009, Major League Dreidel launched a game version of the Spinagogue.[27]

In 2009, Good Morning America published a story on Dreidel Renaissance reporting on the rising popularity of the dreidel.[28] Dreidel games that have come out on the market since 2007 include No Limit Texas Dreidel,[29] a cross between traditional dreidel and Texas Hold'em poker, invented by a Judaica company called ModernTribe.[30] Other new dreidel games include Staccabees[31] and Maccabees.[32]"

Also, the game of dreidel is statistically unfair

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreidel

Obviously I need to spread this cursed information to my fellow yidden

[vikjaycecodex]

BRAND NEW SITE PAGES ADDED:

1.[ SKINLINE MANUAL ] ⚙ (app browsing link)

ALL-IN-ONE stop for HD splash art, Alt Universe summaries, AU bios, wiki pages, skin spotlights, matched champion sets, cross-game information & trivia! If you ever thought the league wiki was hard to navigate, I’ve got you.

2.[  ART REFERENCES ] ⚙ (app browsing link)

3D Models! Fullsize art! Skin Concepts! Design Sheets! Interactive animation players! Everything you could ever want from google when you’re doing some fanart, sans the annoying experience of only finding 100px pictures.

[lesbianjarvan]

I'm glad that the League Wiki moved from fandom, and I think adding a blurb for a champions age, even if it's just an approximate age, is cool. I don't like that I have to see people call Sett "old" because he's like 30 though.

[dragonclaude]

Can I ask what Omega Strikers are about?

I really like those two characters that you drew quite a bit of.

Sure!

Gameplay-wise, it’s 3v3 air hockey where you play as characters with MOBA-like abilities that help them uniquely attack or defend depending on their play style. Also, you can knock out players like if it was Smash bros xD

But lorewise: Imagine a sci-fi future where a new powerful, renewable energy source called “Omega energy” has been discovered and has turned the world into a utopic, hopeful and energetic place. Along with powering floating cities, one way it’s used is by turning a piece of energy into a puck that you can smack around that progressively gets faster and faster which just kinda became the world’s most popular sport. The characters are all currently in the pro-leagues.

Also, I imagine you’re talking about Atlas and Luna so I’ll touch on them:

These two siblings were born to the world’s most famous astrophysicists; they learned about hi-tech stuff at a young age and are quite smart. But at one point during Atlas’ teenage years, their parents went on a long space mission and suddenly lost all forms of contact after a few days….which meant he had to take care of himself and his sister all alone for years :[ 

[all images gotten from the wiki] 

While Atlas believes they are dead, Luna believes they are still alive. They have both come to the pro-leagues to test out their tech; Luna is testing rockets to be able to make a big one to go to space and find her parents herself while Atlas is testing spacetime tech (yes that is possible and he also made it himself) to be able to bring them back either from the past or another dimension. And I think that is really unique, they’re not here for becoming champion like 95% of the rest of the cast is, this game just happens to have a large concentration of omega energy and bodies to stress test that is useful to them :0

And they're my favorites, I love their dynamic :]

[anothertina]

not original anon but another new fan - do you know which of the stories are narrated by ez so i can go read em ? thanks! love ur drawings btw

All of the stories on his profile are narrated by him! There are only three there, his lore hasn't been updated in a while

And temporarily there used to be little notes in the universe map left by Ezreal, if I remember correcctly it was for an event? So they aren't there anymore but you can find them on his wiki, is him just sharing data of his travels

[the-great-knight-gay]

Good starting points in the Pokémon anime

Okay so the Pokémon anime as of posting this is over 1,300 episodes which, if you study math will know, is really fucking big.

Now it may seem pretty daunting to get into it but it thankfully has a simple order and many different starting points to jump into.

(All places which are recommended by me to start from are labelled in bold)

Indigo League: - Start here for the full experience

The first ever arc of the show

Introduces many classic characters

Adventures in the Orange Islands:

Continues on from the story started in Indigo League but the latter half serves as mostly filler while waiting for the Johto arc to begin

Not a good starting place as it requires Indigo League knowledge to watch it

The Johto Journeys:

The start of the Johto arc - New region, new faces

While it is technically a new region, a lot of Indigo League lore as well as some storylines like the GS Ball from Orange Islands is carried over so also not a good start point

Johto League Champions:

Continuation of Johto

Requires Johto Journeys so not a good start point

Master Quest:

Season 3 of Johto

Requires all previous seasons to watch, mainly JJ and JLC but IL and AitOI is also recommended for information on Gary Oak

Advanced:

Start of Hoenn

Technically an OK starting point but references a lot of previous events from Johto and Kanto so wouldn't recommend as a starting point

Advanced Challenge:

Season 2 of Hoenn

Requires Advanced so not a good starting point

Advanced Battle:

Season 3 of Hoenn

Again requires AC and Advanced so not a good starting point

Battle Frontier:

While it is seperate from the Hoenn, Johto and Kanto journeys, they are all required watching for this season as it acts as a sort of finalé to all of it.

It also acts as a season 4 of Hoenn.

Diamond and Pearl:

Season 1 of Sinnoh

Definitely a good starting point as all events referenced from previous seasons are explained well enough that watching the episodes are less of a requirement

From here on out, using the wiki to find out about returning characters is mostly fine as it would be too much to ask to watch 9 seasons for a character that shows up for a small arc

Animation picks up here and battle rules are more standard from here on out

The four move rule is properly implemented here

Plus Sinnoh is overall a highlight of Pokémon

DP Battle Dimension:

Season 2 of Sinnoh

Requires DP so not a good starting point

DP Galactic Battles:

Season 3 of Sinnoh

Requires DP and DPBD so not a good starting point

DP Sinnoh League Victors:

Season 4 of Sinnoh

Requires DP and DPBD

Some returning characters from before Diamond and Pearl appear but from here, using the wiki for information is fine here.

Black and White:

Season 1 of Unova

Sort of a complete fresh start and technically perfect for a new starting point but apart from the first season, the rest of the Unova anime is subpar and should never be someone's first experience with the show.

This is the only somewhat good season of Unova

BW Rival Destinies:

Season 2 of Unova

Honestly you can skip the rest of Unova and just use the wiki for the remaining characters

BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond:

Season 3 of Unova

The only section that requires prior knowledge is Charizard's return and they spend an entire episode explaining what you need to know anyways so no previous watching before Unova is needed but honestly the same rule from Rival Destinies apply. You can skip this one too.

XY:

Season 1 of Kalos

Is a perfect start point for the same reasons as Black and White but doesn't get trash later down the line.

The Kalos section of the anime is widely considered its greatest for good reason.

XY Kalos Quest:

Season 2 of Kalos

XY is required but nothing else.

XYZ:

Season 3 of Kalos

Widely regarded as the best season of Pokemon ever for good reason.

Requires XY and Kalos Quest

Sun and Moon:

Season 1 of Alola

Can start here but is very unconventional to start here.

Amazingly good season but received large negative reception due to releasing after its best season and the animation dipping slightly

Don't let bad reviews fool you. Alola is still a top 3 contender.

Finale does require some Indigo League knowledge but the wiki covers it.

Sun and Moon - Ultra Adventures:

Season 2 of Alola

Requires Sun and Moon

Sun and Moon - Ultra Legends:

Season 3 of Alola

Requires Sun and Moon and Ultra Adventures:

Easily one of the greatest seasons along with XYZ (also my personal favourite)

Journeys:

This was originally supposed to be the start of Galar but with Ash Ketchum leaving the show at the end of this arc, they changed it into a big 3 season memorial for Ash's journey so it became Season 1 of the Journeys arc

Requires basic knowledge of the whole season but nothing too much

It's the earliest available season on Netflix but is not a good starting point because of the content of the rest of the Journeys arc

Master Journeys:

Season 2 of Journeys

Requires a much larger and more intimate knowledge of the rest of the show from Indigo League to Journeys.

Ultimate Journeys:

Season 3 of Journeys

Literally requires complete knowledge of the series characters at the minimum

Or intense use of the wiki for all returning characters which is every other episode

To be a Pokémon Master:

Epilogue of Journeys and Ash's adventure as a whole

Requires knowledge of all of Ash's Pokémon

Horizons:

From here on out, consider this a new show.

All characters are new and all storylines are new

Also it's really good so don't avoid it because Ash isn't there. Give it a chance and you will love it.

[cicicookie12]

Total Drama: Game Challengers!

This took a while... (excluding the stage, I just found a blank picture on the TD Wiki)

Reblogs and likes are appreciated!

This is my Fan-made Total Drama series and it is a sports-themed season where the challenges are based on a different sport, but knowing Chris McClain... he will definitely put some sort of messed up twist for the ratings and for the drama.

Contestants from Left to Right

Standing: Gwen🖤, Scott🐀, Courtney✅, Duncan💀, Dante🥊, Percy💲, Nadia🧣, Lightning⚡, Lucy🐇, Harold🎤, Rio🏍️ and Jo🏃‍♀️

Sitting: Morgan🕵️, Brick💂‍♂️, Dawn🌙 and Eva🏋️‍♀️

(Characters in italics are OCs)

The Pahkitew Island Contestants, Ridonculous Race Contestants and The 2023 Reboot Contestants are not there because it was the end of ROTI when I first came up with this concept and I have made some changes since then and actually thought of what the contestants are like. In universe, the Pahkitew Island contestants are sick of Chris and wants out (LOL), RR and 2023 are more obvious as:

I'm not a fan of RR contestants mixing up with Total Drama's contestants for some odd reason, even though I liked it when it was vice versa!

As wacky cartoony continuities go... 2023 is not out yet.

My OCs!

[phoenixcatch7]

Cap marvel headcanons I Will integrate into a fic one day but also have Zero basis in canon to my knowledge (this ended up being LONG):

The living lightning is an ancient force akin to the speed force, and the 'true' guardian of magic, being possibly the first 'magical creature' ever created.

The rock of eternity only recently became based on earth, in the past several thousand years, with the planet's deities acting as mountains in the rain cycle - funnels to safely channel the magic back into the Champion. It's a fully symbiotic relationship that benefits the planet and its people immensely.

This means previously the rock has been based on alien planets. Previous champions are ancient aliens, many from species that no longer exist, either because the species died out or evolved into something unrecognisable.

The champion of magic may have inspired the oua (?), the creators and high council of the green lanterns. Ooh maybe an oua was selected as champion, which is how they learned of it!

The living lightning, when not in a mortal vessel, rests in the heart of the Rock in a large brazier, with a smoke lid of white edged with gold in a familiar pattern. It is tradition, or perhaps instinct, for a Champion to light the brazier whenever they visit the Rock. It will be lit for as long as the visit lasts, and be extinguished the next time they come.

Should it choose to take form, the living lightning resembles a washed out combination of each of its previous Champions. Its form is solid and clear, strong and made for battle, but distinctly uncanny. It doesn't leave its brazier, nor speak.

The 'ideal form' of a hero varies all the time, doesn't it? Especially if you're a kid still growing and learning about yourself and the world. Headcanon cap ever so subtly changes features sometimes. Gradually. Height and build changes sometimes. One of the league members has noticed but they really can't prove it to themselves and it's driving them crazy. Billy has no idea.

On that topic, the 'ideal form' also includes the clothes, right? The red costume? If Billy transforms with the intent of doing something outside his normal hero things (ie, attending a celebration), the outfit has every reason and ability to change to reflect that! Everyone expecting cap to show up in his normal gear and ready to throw a formal suit at him to wiggle on over his costume and he shows up in a red and gold set with a little one shoulder cape like 'yeah I have no idea either'.

Cap marvel Is An Adult. Billy isn't, but cap is in every single way that someone could count. This is probably canon but in some fics I think the jl forgets lol. It's still the same soul, just, with an adult filter instead of a kid one. However that filter manifests.

Not sure this is canon too, but the idea of the mind/soul/whatever of cap manifesting as this great impossible mass. A storm, or a tiger, or a barrier of lightning. This giant, untouchable, dormant mass of power and implied Danger™. Again, Billy has no idea. J'onn is eying warily from a very safe distance.

His wiki practically waxes poetic about his abilities and skills in strategy, mathematics, nigh precognition from ability to spot and manipulate patterns. Captain marvel is unbeatable at chess. Batman has lost to him. Billy cannot do fractions and it drives him up the WALL.

The champion, and ONLY the champion, can share his powers. If shazam wants a second champion he has to give a new set wholesale or convince the champion to share. Similarly, those patroned by the champion cannot transform unless the champion is also transformed. Because otherwise that would be too easy for Billy lol.

Every time Billy asks, tawky gives a different canon origin story. Billy has no idea which is true.

Billy's parents died accidentally freeing Adam on their expedition. Probably crushed by rubble :(. The wizard is the only one who knows and really isn't inclined to share, and Adam either hasn't connected the dots or never really noticed they were there.

Cap and Billy love each other, regardless of whatever version their whole thing is. They're the only reason the other remembers self care and that kind of self love, even if he's not sure he deserves it, makes a world of difference with how they portray themselves to the world.

Cap doesn't need to breathe to speak but he never remembers that and has repeatedly choked in water and space. Superman empathises but tries not to find it funny after the third time it happens.

Billy has showed the wizard memes.

The wizard internally refers to Billy as the 'sassy, lost child'. He has a pointy hat like any good wizard but refuses to wear one since Billy keeps asking him to, pretty please.

Cap once won an arm wrestle with superman by pretending to lick his hand. He didn't. Billy would have.

Cap marvel CANONICALLY bites but after the first time he regulates his jaw strength. Thankfully it was Black Adam so no one lost a hand. He had him in a headlock so who's fault was it really.

Ebenezer doesn't have a strong opinion on cap marvel either way. Billy thinks that's almost worse.

The living lightning isn't lightning. It was around before lightning. It is living, however. It is that 'living' that forms the main consciousness of the Champion form, in this case Marvel. Its not sentient or sapient itself, that's the vessel, but it is the building blocks of it.

In dc (again no idea if this has any basis in canon) magic is the fifth state of matter, above plasma. Yes this interferes incredibly with quantum physics and theoretical science. No the magic users don't know how it works either. No they will not help you they have their own research (into the exact same thing) to do.

If the Rock is obliterated cap marvel will die (along with pretty much everything else but irrelevant). However, if he manages to save the brazier, he will continue on. Magic as a whole deal won't be very happy and aeons of magical knowledge and history and artifacts will be lost, but cap will live and can rebuild from the ashes. The brazier is Heavy but enough super strength can move it if you don't mind bringing a chunk of floor. And the rock is so weakened it's literally falling apart but those are the right circumstances anyway so.

[kingdomeromega0816]

Here we have THEE Boxing Legend Matt from "Tomodachi Island" in the Metro Kingdom and is known to be the LEADER of the M.I.I. Sports Club.

Matt is said to be stronger than both Mario & Wario COMBINED!!

Matt is not only known to be the Champion of the M.I.I Sports Club, he is the TOP CHAMPION of The Metro Kingdom Boxing League!

He's even one of the heroes of the Metro Kingdom and fights villains if it's needed. For example, Matt took out Katsini's Tyranist Troop at Fort Francis, ALL ON HIS OWN!! Matt lands a punch at Katsini so hard, that he made Katsini fly all the way to Shiveria/(the Snow Kingdom).

Matt is known to use both his boxing and swordplay skills to fight evil.

According to Wii Sports Wiki, Matt is known to have a Champion skill level of "1550 to 1649" in Boxing, has a skill level of "1496 to 1500" in Swordplay and has a skill level of "446 to 450" in Basketball.

(Matt is not my character, he is the intellectual property of Nintendo).

[lamentingocean]

(If jaha had villians wiki)

Full name: Jaha Lee

Alias:

Moonlight Executioner

God of Martial Arts

The master of the Black Rabbit Clan

The owner of Jaha Inn

Crazy Demon

Mad Demon

Master Jaha.

Origin: The Return of the Crazy Demon/ The Mad Demon, 2021 manwha/ JHS studio.

Occupation:

Currently:

The man that will slap the faces of the martial artists.

Member of the Heavenly Generals

Member of the Dark Faction

Anti-hero

The Chivalrous Warrior of China

Power/Skills:

Peak Human Reflexes

Insane Strength

Insane Speed

Insane durability

Genius-Level Battle Iq

High Intelligence

Telekinesis (technically)

Powerful Qi

Ability to Take Qi

Spiritual Connection of Power

Hobby:

Cultivating Qi

Fighting people, masters, and martial artists from his past life that he didn't eliminate.

Protect people and protect ilyang

Take care of the Black rabbit clan and ilyang

Train to get stronger

traveling across China and seeing new things.

Goals:

Take down the league and become the champion of the weak,

Take down the demonic cult and the factions.

Become the mad demon and the God of the martial arts.

Crimes:

Mass murder

Torture

Indirect Killing

Vandalism

Assault

Destruction of property

Genocide

Mass destruction

Arson

Mutilation

Kidnapping

Holding Hostages

Theft

Harassment

Attempted murder

Enslavement

Manslaughter

Identity theft

Homicide

Illegal weapon use and drugging

Aggravated assault

Regicide

Type of Villian: Psychopathic Protector/Anti-Hero

[funnyscienceman]

funniest thing about the singed = corin reveck theory is that if turned out to be true then the wiki and tv tropes pages will have to be edited, the ao3 tag will have to change to singed | corin reveck, and if you go to orianna's league universe page there's a chance you'd see singed's goofy picture in "related champions"

[tartt9]

afc richmond: a guide to the premier league underdogs (contains spoilers of the season 3 finale of ted lasso)

from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Richmond

AFC Richmond is an English professional football club based in Richmond, West London. Founded in 1897, they play their home games at Nelson Road Stadium. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. The club has never won a major trophy.

Full name: AFC Richmond Nickname(s): The Greyhounds Founded: 1897; 125 years ago Ground: Nelson Road Capacity: 25,486 Owner: Rebecca Welton (51%), Richmond fans (49%) Chairman: Leslie Higgins Manager: Roy Kent League: Premier League 2021-22: Premier League, 2nd of 20

Richmond’s history has been notoriously mediocre. They were the last London club to make their Wembley Stadium debut (on April 18, 2021, for the 2021 FA Cup semifinals, against Manchester City). Formerly owned by Rupert Mannion, and (for a short time) Freddie Mercury, and formerly managed by George Cartrick and Ted Lasso, Richmond’s luck has truly turned around since 2019-20, when they were relegated to the EFL Championship. During that 2019 season, ownership changed hands from longterm owner Rupert Mannion, who had owned Richmond since 1987, to his now ex-wife, Rebecca Welton, after a divorce from a marriage in which Mannion cheated on Welton multiple times with multiple women. After Welton's acquisition of the club in January 2020, she hired American NCAA Division II football coach Ted Lasso to be the new manager of AFC Richmond. Lasso's extraordinary lack of knowledge of the game, despite assistance from another American coach, Coach Willis Beard, led to Richmond's relegation.

In the 2020-21 season, their first full season under the management of Ted Lasso, they earned second in the Championship and were therefore promoted back to the Premiership. They also made it to the semifinals of the FA Cup, the furthest Richmond has ever been in that competition.

In 2021-22, Richmond was predicted by literally every pundit who spoke on English football to finish 20th of 20 in the Premier League, and, therefore, be relegated once again. Statistically, it's likely that teams that earn their promotions get relegated again the very next year. But Lasso and his Greyhounds had things to say about that. After a 1-1 tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, legendary striker Zava joined Richmond, spurring the Greyhounds on a 5-game winning streak. It was week 6 of the season, and Richmond was in third place on the table. Their fate had seemingly turned around off the foot of Zava. But, after a devastating loss against West Ham (now owned by Rupert Mannion and managed by Nathan Shelley, formerly Richmond's kit man), they went 7 weeks without a win. When Zava retired in the middle of the season, Richmond went their 8th week without a win, and many people were considering Lasso's capabilities as manager. Those doubts continued through Richmond going to Amsterdam to play a friendly against AFC Ajax, that Richmond lost 5-0. But, upon their return to England and the Premier League, Richmond started playing with a new strategy - total football. Their first match against Arsenal also resulted in a loss, but Richmond was showing signs of life for the first time in months. Richmond ended the season on a 17-game winning streak (the longest streak in Richmond's history), earning second in the Premier League and promotion to the Champions League.

2021-22 starting xi:

14 - dani rojas (mexico, striker) 9 - jamie tartt (england, centre attacking midfield/striker) 12 - colin hughes (wales, left wing) 8 - richard montlaur (france, midfield) 21 - moe bumbercatch (switzerland, midfield) 24 - sam obisanya (nigeria, right wing) 2 - arlo dixon (england, right wing back) 13 - jan maas (netherlands, centre back) 5 - isaac mcadoo (england, centre back), captain 17 - jeff goodman (england, left wing back) 81 - thierry zoreaux (canada, keeper)

terms to know: gaffer: manager - formerly george cartrick, ted lasso, currently roy kent skipper: captain - formerly roy kent, currently isaac mcadoo

[vikjaycecodex]

< SKINLINE_MANUAL >

*This is a copy of a desktop page! We recommend you read this version directly on your browser for better readability, and to always have the most up to date version.

⚙ TL;DR WHAT *ARE* SKINLINES? ⚙

Champion Skins are an in-game cosmetic option present in multiple League related properties! Aside from giving champions a refreshed design, skins can also offer new voicelines, animations, and wholly new backstories set in Alternate Universes – or ‘What If’-style iterations on their canon selves.

A growing narrative element (and “cast” of characters) is a major feature of League’s most popular Skin Universes. While League itself is not a story-progression game, these universes are explored through tie-in material such as champion bios, short stories, music, animations, comics, merch, spinoff games, TV shows, promotional illustrations and more.

This page will focus on champion skins for Jayce and Viktor across all League-related games, with the addition of Blitzcrank whenever an universe is shared.

[ ALL HD SPLASH ART ]

JAYCE GALLERY

VIKTOR GALLERY

BLITZCRANK GALLERY

I do this because I love you. But then again mostly because I hate looking for ref images and finding blurry webps.

⚙ If you’re looking for a full Art References page, click here ⚙

The remainder of this page details Skin Universes, Summaries, and Skin Spotlights. Skin and Universe summaries are extracted directly from the League Client or the League Wiki, denoted by quotation marks.

This page will be updated whenever relevant. (last: JAN/2025)

[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]

1. Shared Universes

2. Individual Skins

3. Spinoff Content

⚙ SHARED UNIVERSES ⚙

CODEX TAG — AU: Full Metal | League Wiki Universe Page

➢ CONTEXT HAZARD:  Current bios attached to these skins were retroactively written, and thus make for an incomplete representation of what they were supposed to convey.

Full Machine Viktor is one of Viktor’s original duo launch skins —the second being Prototype Viktor— and at time of release, the set was a representation of Viktor at different stages of his Evolution in the 2011 canon universe. (You had Default Viktor as his cyborg self, Prototype being the mostly-human self and Full Machine being, well, Full Machine.) Full Metal Jayce was also Jayce’s original launch skin; and at the time taken as a what-if style representation of a Jayce that accepted Viktor’s proposal to work together in the 2011 canon universe. This speculation was further bolstered by internal game files referring to this skin as ‘Sentinel Jayce’, and released concept art featuring a fully mechanized version of Jayce’s default outfit under the title ‘Sentinel Armor Apollo’ —"Apollo" was Jayce’s internal development name.

These skins were mixed in with the ‘Heavy Metal’ Universe as part of the 2016 Narrative Overhaul; though the execution of that move left some fans displeased. Jayce is now an international entertainment robot gladiator, while Viktor’s full evolution has been downgraded to a ‘janitorbot’. Fanwork of these skins may still refer to their original context.

UNIVERSE BIO:

“Audiences gather from all over the world for a chance to witness the greatest robot fighters throw down in RiotCorp’s gladiatorial arenas, eager for the chance to be crowned the Full Metal Robot Fighting League Champion or break down trying.”

FULL METAL JAYCE BIO:

“Backed by RiotCorp as the Full Metal Fighting League’s first corporately sanctioned champion, Jayce has dethroned Pantheon and won the hearts of audiences worldwide—especially those who realize they gain 15 Riot Points every time they cheer his cyclonic blasts.”

(Skin Spotlight)

FULL MACHINE VIKTOR BIO:

“Created from the same circuitry as the Full Metal champion, Jayce, Viktor was cast into the tunnels beneath the robot fighting arenas to serve as a janitoribot—while his twin was groomed for glory, simulcast en español. Upgrading himself with the cast-offs of the destroyed, he has sworn la venganza.”

(Skin Spotlight)

CODEX TAG — AU: Battlecast | League Wiki Universe Page

“Set in a dystopian future where an army of robots with living brains seek to extinguish or convert all life, champions are transformed into cyborg terrors as a part of Viktor’s glorious evolution, while some rebel against it.”

UNIVERSE BIO:

“The glorious revolution is here! Assembling an army of machines with living brains, Viktor marches against the combined forces of his enemies—with only a scrappy human-led resistance keeping him from total world domination.”

CREATOR VIKTOR BIO:

“The creator of the Battlecast machine army, Viktor has perfected the art of transplanting living brains into low-tech, mass-produced weapons. But his work is far from complete, and even now he tinkers on newer, deadlier creations to crush all who oppose him.”

(Skin Spotlight)

RESISTANCE JAYCE BIO:

“While many presumed him dead, Jayce’s sudden return to the Resistance has been heralded by some as a miracle and others as a curse. Burdened by guilt, he still blames himself for his failure to halt Viktor’s rise. Only time will tell if Jayce can turn the tide.”

(Skin Spotlight)

CODEX TAG — AU: Zenith Games | League Wiki Universe Page

UNIVERSE BIO:

“It’s 2122, a year of firsts for the Zenith Games. Robot referees are taking to the field, the sport of Hammerjack is making its competitive debut, and after years of talks, augmented humans are finally allowed to compete. All that’s left is seeing who will win.”

ZENITH GAMES JAYCE BIO:

“Jayce invented Hammerjack as a showcase sport for humanity’s new augmented abilities. Nothing else tested athletes across so many directions and terrain, and with this being its first year in the Zenith Games, he intends to show everyone what THE sport of the 22nd century looks like.”

(Skin Spotlight)

ZENITH GAMES BLITZCRANK BIO:

“Originally a bomb defusal robot, Blitzcrank was made a referee because of their ability to make split-second adjustments to stay ahead of the prodigious athletes. Only later did everyone realize that the bot’s background made them unusually effective in defusing the intense… disagreements that often arise.”

(Skin Spotlight)

CODEX TAG — AU: Death Sworn | League Wiki Universe Page

➢ CONTEXT HAZARD: While technically not part of the same ‘skinline’ both of these skins have been released during League’s seasonal Harrowing events (which feature a different skinline every other year) making them both Halloween specials.

AKA the Spirit Halloween champion variants.

DEATH SWORN VIKTOR BIO:

“On a cold, dreary night, a pioneering inventor was tried and hanged for preaching his glorious vision of the future—a world in which the living knelt before the dead. Death had to admire Viktor’s conviction, and sent him back into the mortal world, blessed with powers beyond imagination.”

Death Sworn Universe Page

(Skin Spotlight)

WITCH’S BREW BLITZCRANK BIO:

“Once nothing but a simple cauldron, Blitzcrank was enchanted, brought to life in order to assist Miss Fortune in her beguiling bewitchments.”

Trick-or-Treat Universe Page

(Skin Spotlight)

⚙ INDIVIDUAL SKINS ⚙

PROTOTYPE VIKTOR | CODEX TAG — Academy Years

SKIN BIO:

Woops! This was one of Viktor’s original duo release skins showing off potential stages of his evolution, so it has no bio. You can read his champion bio instead! Fanwork usually slots this appearance on the timeline between Viktor being expelled from school & forging his current armor, so it goes on ‘Academy Years.’

(Skin Spotlight)

DEBONAIR JAYCE | CODEX TAG — AU: Debonair

Valentines 2015 Skin. Comes with seasonal cards!

DEBONAIR UNIVERSE BIO:

“Power, wealth, and glamour collide in the penthouses and exclusive clubs of Nox Vegas, where truly beautiful people hold the world in their palms. Yet as night falls on the city of lights, the knives come out—influence is the name of the game, and nobody likes to lose.”

SKIN BIO:

“You’re a scholar. You’re an inventor. You’re the man of the hour and the hour is now, yesterday, and tomorrow. Don’t just be the father of invention—be the ivory god of substance, class, and style. It’s you, Jayce. It’s always been you.”

(Skin Spotlight)

FORSAKEN JAYCE | CODEX TAG — AU: Forsaken

May 4th celebration skin. This skin originally had no bio, but it launched with a Star Wars reference based marketing blogpost. It has been since ported to Wild Rift, where it got a visual cleanup and its own biography blurb.

SKIN BIO (WILD RIFT 2022):

“Opposed to balance in all measures,Jayce has gone down a path he cannot return from. He has sworn vengeance upon Chosen Master Yi and all he stands for.”

(Skin Spotlight)

PSYOPS VIKTOR | CODEX TAG — AU: PsyOps

This skin was featured in the Official Psyops Theme, and Viktor himself is an easter egg in the Songbird Cinematic. PsyOps is canonically set 40 years after the ‘Artic Ops’ skinline.

PSYOPS UNIVERSE BIO:

“The crown jewel of military black ops, the PsyOps unit are an elite team of psychic soldiers deployed against rogue militaries and supernatural threats. Officially, they don’t exist. But when conventional warfare won’t cut it and the stakes are no less than the fate of the world, PsyOps answers the call.

A psychic paramilitary unit of fearsome power, the Black Rose Group hopes to create a new global order with their ferocious human bioweapons.”

SKIN BIO:

“Leader of the rogue military known as the Black Rose Group, Viktor is a psychic technomancer whose vision for a utopian world was abandoned when he suddenly departed High Command decades prior. Obsessed with an alien ‘gate’ uncovered during the Arctic Ops event, his experiments into human bioweapons would allow him to breach it and upend the global order.”

(Skin Spotlight)

JAYCE BRIGHTHAMMER | CODEX TAG — AU: Riftquest

TTRPG universe with a meta layer; champions are players who built fantasy characters going on a quest. Dungeon Master Viktor was originally going to be a part of this Skinline, but never made it to release due to the position of dungeon master being considered ‘too niche’. Though not all was lost: Jayce’s skin bio still highlights a playful rivalry relationship with his offscreen dungeon master.

This skin was featured in two comics (off canon) and a rp style short story. (LoR has introduced new exclusive Riftquest skins in 2022, but they focus on a separate DnD group.)

RIFTQUEST UNIVERSE BIO:

“Danger lurks in the land of Runeterra! Powerful monsters, dastardly sorcerers, and mythical creatures roam unchecked! Gather your friends and create your own adventure for 3-5 players, vanquishing evil with each roll of the die. Do you have what it takes to save the world, and become a legend of RIFTQUEST?”

SKIN BIO:

“A noble paladin who has inexplicably mastered science and engineering, Jayce Brighthammer is a stout ally no foul creature can best! Unless that foul creature is a loophole in the rulebook, since Jayce likes to get any advantage over the Rift Master he can.”

(Skin Spotlight)

BATTLE ACADEMIA JAYCE | CODEX TAG — AU: Battle Academia

Shonen superpower school universe. I’m sure you can guess the reference from the title. This skin launched with multiple promos and an animated short for latinoamerica.

GOD WEAPON UNIVERSE BIO:

“Scattered across the globe, the God Weapons morphed society into one driven by power. These sentient monuments call to those who are worthy and bestow their gifts upon their subjects, aiming to expand their conquest in this war-torn world. To be chosen is a badge of honor, instilling fear into any who may oppose them.”

SKIN BIO:

“A prestigious 2nd year whose face is known throughout the wider city of Durandal, Jayce is the class president, head of the world-renowned Luminary Club, and prodigious inventor of miraculous Jayce-branded technologies. He hopes his inventions will prevent the kind of tragedy that struck him in his youth, though he refuses to speak about what that was.”

(Skin Spotlight)

HIGH NOON VIKTOR  | CODEX TAG — AU: High Noon

“At the height of the industrial revolution, travelers begin pouring into the untamed west, searching for fortune and prosperity among the unknown horrors of a cruel and ancient world. It is a time of brave gunslingers and rotten scoundrels, inscrutable gods, and savage demons.”

Weird West AU. This universe has been fleshed out with extensive short stories.

HIGH NOON GOTHIC UNIVERSE BIO:

“Gunslingers and lawmen ride beneath the merciless sun of the high frontier, chasing survival and salvation in equal measure. Heaven is rubble, hell is empty, and all the devils are here.”

SKIN BIO:

“Many a road to Hell was paved with good intent. Dr. Viktor may be the Mechanical Devil’s kept engineer now, but his work began as charity: trying to “rehome” the souls of the dead in clockwork bodies, in order to circumvent mortality itself. Shame that Mordekaiser saw the good doctor’s kindness and struck him a deal he could not deny.”

Alt Splash Concepts

(Skin Spotlight)

ARCANE JAYCE  | CODEX TAG — Woops, we dont cover Arcane.

(Skin Spotlight)

SUPERHERO JAYCE  | CODEX TAG — AU: Superhero

This skin is a Wild Rift battlepass exclusive, and launched with a showcase animation. It is unconfirmed if this skin is part of the Silver Age Universe, though it is listed as such for having a superhero theme.

An official speedpaint of this splash was uploaded to youtube! One of the splash concepts may feature Amaranthine.

SKIN BIO:

“By day, Jayce is a genius inventor and pillar of the community; by night, Jayce dons a costume and patrols the streets of Topside as his alter ego Hextech Man! Wielding his trusty hextech hammer, Jayce will stop at nothing to protect his people.”

(Skin Spotlight)

GILDED JAYCE  | CODEX TAG — AU: Gilded

Legends of Runeterra exclusive. Gilded skins have no conventional universe or character bios; they are broadly set at a lavish Progress Day party in Piltover, though apparently not the ‘main canon’ one. Aesthetic > Lore skinline.

SECRET BOSS VIKTOR | CODEX TAG — AU: Arcade

Wild Rift exclusive. Made for Viktor’s champion launch.

ARCADE UNIVERSE BIO:

“Arcadia: home to the server's most competitive arcade gamers and justice-driven NPCs. Here, the heroes always play to win. And that means overriding the Battle Bosses' corrupted code, even with the odds stacked against them. Victory won't come easy, but seeing the surprise on the bosses' faces after an incredible outplay will totally make it worth it.”

SKIN BIO: “Viktor is a myth of Arcade World. All the heroes who survived his secret stage never fail to speak of this scary boss who constantly has "Glorious Evolution" on his lips. He knows only too well that true justice has never belonged with those myopic heroes who covet more than their due. To him, the only future for the Arcade World is the new world he envisions.”

(Skin Spotlight)

CRYSTAL ROSE JAYCE | CODEX TAG — AU: Crystal Rose

Wild Rift exclusive. This skin was featured in the Crystal Rose cinematic.

CRYSTAL ROSE UNIVERSE BIO:

“In a world of frequently-broken magical alliances and centuries-old grudges, the annual Crystal Rose Festival offers a neutral ground for the powerful to forgive slights and renegotiate truces. Weapons are ostensibly left at the door, and potential new pacts are signaled by picking and wearing the magical roses that grow only during the festival. Romance and joy are in the air at the yearly Crystal Rose Festival, where adversaries meet on peaceful, neutral ground to share a night of dancing, merriment, and making wishes for the future. Everyone is expected to leave their weapons at the door as a promise for a better tomorrow.”

SKIN BIO:

"Jayce earned his invitation to the Crystal Rose Ball by proving himself to be one of the brightest minds of this age, but he’ll need to woo all of the right people tonight if he’s going to secure his research funding. Nothing will stand in the way of his pursuit of progress, least of all formal wear.” (Skin Spotlight)

T1 JAYCE & PRESTIGE | CODEX TAG — AU: Esports

Not part of a ‘story’ universe. Prize skins awarded to the winners of Worlds 2023. Jayce was played by the team’s MVP winner, Zeus - Worlds MVPs are awarded an extra prestige skin.

PRESTIGE T1 SKIN BIO:

“After T1's shocking defeat at last year's Summoner's Cup, many lost hope that they'd ever be able to reclaim their throne. But Jayce's support for these legends never wavered. Sporting a bright white-and-gold glow, he stands tall in the front row and proudly cheers every victory, great or small, against WBG—a symbol of hope for all die-hard T1 fans.”

(Default Skin Spotlight) / (Prestige Skin Spotlight)

⚙ Spinoff Content ⚙

➢ In the comic Punches and Plants: Series 2, Alternate versions of Jayce & Viktor in a modern/fantasy universe have 'retired’ from their hero and villain positions to take up toymaking and other nerdy hobbies.

➢ In a Space Groove short story released exclusively in Chinese channels, Disco Pirate Jayce appears as part of Disco Pirate Miss Fortune’s crew. Both skins remain unreleased.

➢J&V Animated Stickers from LoR

[co-mixed]

Supurbia: Superhero Picket Fences

When you see a Controversy section on the writer’s wiki page, you shudder. Especially if you happened to already love their work. But sometimes it’s not a massive issue at all as was the case with Grace Randolph. Let’s get this out of the way – I only know her through her work, so that’s exactly what I’m going to talk about. 

Supurbia. 

This story is all about what happens between the sheets after your classic save-the-day team of superheroes takes off their tights and capes. A more interesting part is, it’s not even their story – it’s the days of those who wait for them at home and those who pick up the pieces when they fly full speed to yet another battle. Which right away makes it an interesting take. 

What do you think got me interested in the first place? More spoilers below. Honestly, not that many. Even if you read them, you'd still find plenty of new info in the book.

It’s a character-focused book, so it would be impossible to discuss it without dissecting the faces on the cover. 

Meta-Legion is the Justice League of this world. They even follow the pattern: the all-powerful stone-faced hero, the billionaire with gadgets, the warrior-princess, the boy scout leader, the guy with unexplained space powers, and Nightwing. Fine, maybe that’s more of a character salad, who cares. It’s not even them I really want to talk about. 

The All-Powerful Sovereign is your typical domestic tyrant and he picks the perfect victim too, a reformed villain Hella Heart. Her life’s absolute nightmare and that is exactly what makes her interesting. Sovereign has less in common with Superman and more with Dr. Manhattan. While Hella needs attention and understanding. She doesn’t get it from him, and she doesn’t get it from her Wisteria Lane neighbors. Even if they attempt to connect, it always comes down to their own agenda. Is it even surprising that she eventually slips? 

To be fair, I was rooting for her not to. She gives this victim-of-the-circumstances vibe and still tries to do the right thing. Kinda like Harley Quinn if she was locked in a house with laundry and dishes. Most of Supurbia characters are like that, you know who they’re based upon but they are still different enough for you to ignore it. 

We only get to see the beginning of Hella’s full arc before the run gets canceled. So I imagine, she had miles to go. 

Meanwhile Sovereign himself remains a distant figure. By the end, he’s just starting to get in touch with any emotions. So again, canceled too soon. 

The billionaire Night Fox is having an affair with Nightwing I mean Agent Twilight (not that Twilight and not the other one). Night Fox’s wife and business partner Alexis finds out and it’s your typical betrayal story that hurts a whole bunch of people. While the unhappily married couple decides what to do and how to be, Agent Twilight becomes one of the most sympathetic and interesting characters. His love is all bruised and tortured, and he is almost ready to give it up even though he doesn’t want to. Not only I would still like to see how the whole story plays out, I’d like to see way more of his friendship with Tia. 

Tia is the wife of Cosmic Champion (unexplained space powers) and a former superhero. Reminds you of anyone? Yeah, Jessica Jones. She gives up patrolling and fighting crime to raise her daughter. But unlike Jess, Tia misses it and she isn’t afraid to fight about that with her husband Dion. She manages to get her way too, and she ends up in an awesome costume speaking in tricky rhymes. She even saves the day when she goes after Batu.

The Warrior-princess Batu has two kids and a husband, and believe it or not, their lives are far from perfect. So far, in fact, it gets better before it gets worse, not the other way around. Batu is not a Diana-type, she’s quite the opposite and reminds more of Sovereign. If you look closely, most of these heroes lack empathy which is the reason for their domestic troubles. Batu is no exception – her issues with her kids are a good example. She ignores her son when she believes her daughter is the one with the inherited power, but as soon as she finds out otherwise, she forgets all about her. I like how this story in particular developed with a balance of a caring father and a powerful but absentee mother. This is what drives Sara to evil. If only we got a little more of this evil child and could see her grow from a rebellious teen to a real threat… 

And then there is the person through whose eyes you are supposed to be looking at all of it, the newbie on the block – Eve. She’s a superhero fangirl and the wife of new Marine Omega who arrives to the neighborhood with her husband just before the old one passes away. 

Out of all the characters I liked her the least. She had this optimistic desire to get involved that, for the most part, is a foreign concept to a millennial. She wants to help, she’s a nurse, she’s nosy for good reasons. She also saves the day and becomes a hero. But that was still not enough for me to like her. Matter of taste, I suppose.

Art and overall thoughts

The art in this book is vibrant. That’s the best word for it. It’s not my favorite style but the more you get into the story, the less you mind it. In this case, the art fits the story well. It’s a little… mischievous would be the right word. And it sort of lightens the whole mood of the book. It works in harmony with lettering, colors, and really, the more I think about it, the more I like it. 

These days Russell Dauterman is mostly associated with a very specific X-men look, so it’s easy to simply not recognize his work. I didn’t, he certainly grew and changed a lot. 

Covers are another part that’s hard to ignore. They immediately make you think “Desperate Housewives”. And it’s probably very intentional because this story certainly has similar vibes. Less than let’s say, Vision, but more than nearly anything else. 

Supurbia is a good read. It’s emotional as hell if you let it sink in. And you should. It has great characters, complex heroes, and scary villains. Villains might not be the driving force here but they’re formidable and by no means easy to defeat. Supurbia can give you tons of enjoyable content and hours of fun, but I won’t recommend it to you unless you can live with an unfinished story. It has a conclusion, but it’s certainly not over. 

[lordfrezon]

It’s 2025

Video games were absolute fire last year

Let’s go over those.

I played a lot of indie games this year and overall think that’s the best strategy for finding enjoyment now and in the years to come.  The mainstream games industry is absolutely a mess, with new layoffs happening every other week it felt like.  Indie studios aren’t doing much better, but your money is a lot more appreciated there so it also lets you feel good too.  Plus, they’re doing better things than most of the AAA studios.  Case in point...

#1 1000xRESIST

I wrote about this one a few months back, but tl;dr, it’s a walking simulator with some insane themes and incredibly good voice acting.  I again urge you to try it without learning too much about the game because the way it emotionally connects is so satisfying to engage with.  Gameplay-wise, it’s not stellar, but in terms of story and emotional impact there hasn’t been a better game in years.

#2 Armored Core 6

What a triumph of fun.  This is a game that sticks you in front of speed demons, dozens of machines out for your blood, an apocalyptically tall walker, a hundreds of feet long mecha-worm, and you know from minute one it’s your time to shine.  You are the best there is and everyone knows it and when the bad guys realize who they’re messing with the comms are just amazing.  This is effectively an Ace Combat game in story and a frenetic action game in gameplay and it was a blast.  It takes a special game to get me to play it three times in a row but this did the trick.

#3 Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Fromsoft has been on a tear of late, and the DLC to Elden Ring does not disappoint.  It was an incredible experience exploring this new world that felt just as big and mysterious as the original.  It’s not perfect, there’s some glaring difficulty issues, finding things is pretty hard, and the Soulslike issue of needing a wiki open is on full display, but there’s not much bad I can say about how it makes you feel like the god-slaying champion you know you are.  Also, I praised voice acting above, but the English VA for Igon not getting nominated for anything is a travesty.

#4 Signalis

If there was ever a game that was gonna make me trans this would be it.  But beyond that it’s a very spooky horror experience with excellent theming and story, also just gorgeous imagery and an OST that hits hard.  Very good game.

#5 Sucker for Love: Date to Die For

It’s more sucker for love, it’s silly, it’s not as spooky as 1 but it’s a good short time.  Really liked the ending and there’s more gameplay too.

Interlude: Stuff I’ve played before

Like most years I replayed some games.  Some of those were better than others.  Let’s talk about that fast

Project Wingman: DLC came out for PC, it’s good, the final boss fight is absolutely insane.  This is like the 10 Million Relief Plan DLC for AC7 but for a good game.  Highly recommend the base game (obviously) as well as the DLC.

Path of Exile: This year had the absolute best league for PoE ever, for one simple reason: in game trading.  I was able to dump/pick up currency and basic items at a moment’s notice.  I picked up the best items in the game because I felt encouraged to keep playing the same character for over 200 hours.  That’s some real shit right there.  Wish there was a sequel to this game.

Ace Combat 04: I think I just play this one yearly at this point, it’s still incredible, highly recommend emulating it.

ULTRAKILL: P-Ranked Violence, game still great

Katana Zero: I come in intending to do one mission and end up beating the game, still great, DLC never

Warframe: Several new updates that were decent, 1999 which was good.  Warframe remains a perfectly serviceable 7.5/10 game for when you need that.

Last Epoch: The game is out(ish) and still fine.  But PoE was better this year.  I’ll be back when the story is done.

League of Legends: I think I may finally be done with this game.  I haven’t played since August and frankly it’s not looking like I’ll return.  Their monetization has gotten more predatory (somehow), the gameplay is worse, and they show no signs of fixing longstanding issues.  I haven’t uninstalled but I don’t think that’s far on the horizon.

#6 Fallen Aces

An immersive sim set in an alternate 1920s-30s where there’s costumed heroes and villains about.  Think Watchmen pre-Dr. Manhattan.  It’s good, not fully out but I spent a good amount of time playing through the first chapter.

#7 Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau

It is very janky but the story is great and it’s pretty funny.  You’re an exorcist who goes to this village, ghosts appear, and you pull out an M-16.  Good times ensue.  Echoes of Call of Duty and Metal Gear are all over, but the game’s world feels original and it’s a good length at 5 hours.

#8 Severed Steel

Another in the line of SuperHot/Katana Zero/Ghostrunner.  It’s fun, not too long, and has a lot of custom stuff if you want more.

#9 Balatro

This is a fun timesink.  But it’s no Vampire Survivors.  That said, if you often find yourself with some spare time you could use to game, there’s a mobile version and it’s pretty easy to pick up/put down.

#10 Ctrl Alt Ego

I mentioned this last year as something I had real high hopes for, and in general 90% of the game meets that expectation.  But the last level left such a bad taste in my mouth that it dropped my overall opinion of the game significantly.  That said, a lot of fun to be had here in this very British-style humor scifi immersive sim. 

Interlude: Things I tried/Demos

I also tried a bunch of games.  Some I’m waiting for a full release, some I’m waiting for the fancy to strike me to pick up more fully.

Of the Devil: Only the demo is out now but this game looks great, has excellent characters, and can get tense as hell.  Eagerly awaiting the full release of episode 1.

Hades 2:  Most of the game is out but it’s missing the story which is the main reason I played Hades 1 so waiting for this to be done, but if you dig good gameplay this has it in spades.  Also has a spade.

Echo Point Nova: By the same guy(s?) who did Severed Steel, a movement shooter with some real cool world design.  Definitely one I need to finish.

Animal Well: Another one I will need to finish.  Very interesting game, a lot of style, but also kinda confusing?  Regardless, there’s a lot of love here and it’s well worth the low price.

Pacific Drive: Very atmospheric, but not enough to do, and it’s a base builder which I’ve got mixed feelings about.  But if you want to take an old car through The Zone Stalker, this is certainly that.

Children of the Sun: Stylish but didn’t jive with the core gameplay.  You’re a kid escaping from a cult, you also are a sniper with the ability to curve the bullet.

Still Wakes the Deep: An Amnesia-like game, where you’re a very Scottish guy on a very VERY Scottish oil rig that pulled up Something Which Must Not Be Seen from the ocean.  I played an hourish, realized I knew what the game was doing, and was like “ok we good”.  But if you like that style of game this is a good one.

Other stuff I started and will come back to... eventually: Divinity Original Sin 2; BURGGEIST; Void Stranger; Tunic; Return of the Obra Dinn; Picayune Dreams; No Man’s Sky

#11 Nine Sols

I understand why people love this game.  I did for a while too.  But it is far too unforgiving at base difficulty, punishes you for lowering the difficulty, and has a lot of really dumb sections where you’re not fighting enemies but your own ability to interact with the game.  After running into a mandatory stealth section, I closed it up and uninstalled.  If you like Sekiro style combat give it a shot, it looks wonderful and the story/worldbuilding are cool as hell, but the gameplay really can grind.

#12 Path of Exile 2 Sigh... Guess I’ll talk about it.

This was a pretty big disappointment.  The design direction of GGG suggested that they’d be slowing the game down but they just made it feel grindier and less fun.  Combine that with the fact that a lot of core power is just locked away behind super rare resources/insanely difficult challenges and that the game isn’t finished, I played 20ish hours and realized I was not into it.  I’ll finish when the entire campaign drops but for now, I’m not into it.

That about wraps it up.  A lot of very very good stuff got played this year, and my to-play list is still super long.  In the past couple days I’ve started playing like 4 new things that all rock so expect a similarly long list next year.  Hopefully we get Silksong.