#considers herself a gamer but only has the nintendo switch that she has to take breaks from bcs splatoon 3 makes her mad

[jrueships]

NO WAY they're girlfriends 🥰! theyre holding hands! theyre girlfriends 🥰

[mythgirlimagines]

It’s time for a brand new talentswapped Myth for this Tuesday! Brimming with passion,  good sportspersonship, and boundless optimism, is Myth Anon, the Former Ultimate Team Manager!

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BACKSTORY AND TALENT

In her elementary and middle school years, Myth had an unbridled passion for sports and athletics, despite her scoliosis making heavy movement difficult for her, and in her middle school years, she even managed to secure spots in prestigious sports teams. Unfortunately though, all those dreams were crushed once she reached her high school years, when a freak accident costed Myth her legs and thus, her ability to walk and run. But the optimistic Myth wouldn’t let this sudden accident qstop her, for she decided to switch her career plans from improving herself to improving others, and that was how Myth became a team manager. Renowned amongst her students for her optimism and motivational spirit, she’s able to turn a ragtag bunch of amateurs into experts within a single season. In fact, Myth even managed to create Lil’ Ultimates and Jr. Ultimates within her career. Now that she is in her adults years, she is currently working with high school athletes and even created actual Ultimate athletes thanks to her stellar coaching.

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RELATIONSHIPS

Wyre Anon, Former Ultimate Lucky Student

As the reckless childhood friend of Myth, Wyre is always getting into all sorts of trouble and is lucky enough to get out of trouble, with the help of Myth. Unfortunately, when one of Wyre’s little shenanigans cost Myth her ability to walk, Wyre still feels guilty about it, even to this day, despite Myth’s constant reassurance. Wyre acts like a bodyguard of sorts to Myth, scaring off anyone who dares to pick on Myth’s handicap. Imagine Myth and Wyre’s mutual joy when Wyre was chosen via the Hope’s Peak lottery to attend Hope’s Peak alongside Myth. They both act like cheerleaders for each other.

Outfit: Bandages wrapped around her forehead, arms and hands, a green tank top with a darker green clover design, tan cargo pants, white socks and scuffed-up green high tops.

Anon Scar, Ultimate Traditional Dancer

Famous in certain circles for her dramatic stage presence and her beautiful dance moves, it was no wonder that Anon Scar joined the Hope’s Peak roster as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. Myth may not be an expert in choreography, but even she can tell just how amazing Scar is at dancing. Myth quickly realized just how how seriously Scar takes her craft, underneath the whole “Queen of Yokai” schtick she developed for stage performances. The two girls quickly bonded over their motherly natures and overwhelming concern for others. Myth is currently planning on arranging an oendan group to cheer on Scar.

Outfit: A dark purple kimono with a red flower petal design on the bottom and a matching obi, flower decorating her side bun, white socks and brown geta, always carries a fan, has an oni mask on the side of her head. 

Fusion Anon, Ultimate Gamer

While Myth normally views video games as health-sapping distractions for lazy layabouts, she can’t fault Fusion for his hobby. Myth noticed that in MMOPRGs, Fusion usually acts a lot like Myth in the game world, healing his teammates and sending encouraging words via the game’s group chat, and he acts equally paternal in real life. Myth also notices that Fusion gets very hyperactive and passionate when talking about video game lore. Myth thinks that if Fusion applied that energy and paternal nature to sports and had a proper sleeping and eating schedule, he could potentially be an awesome team player and a star athlete. 

Outfit: Black and red headphones on his ears, a hoodie colored like a Nintendo Switch over a black shirt with the GameCube logo on the front, black pajama pants with a white stripe on each side, white socks and red slippers with Pokeballs on the front, glasses from original design. 

Fusion Anon II, Ultimate Animal Breeder

As much as Fusion II tries to act like an apathetic and snarky delinquent and claim the scratches she gets are from gang scuffles, she is actually a regular volunteer at animal shelters and has a particular soft spot for cats, to the point of keeping a chubby black one named Cheezburger. As Myth eventually figured out, all of Fusion II’s snark and apathy are just a cover-up for her less-than-stellar social skills and desire to be seen as cool by her peers. Myth realized eventually that both of them have slightly-similar talents, with both of their talents involving caring for others: athletes for Myth and animals for Fusion II.

Outfit: A red shirt with a pawprint design on the front under a black sleeveless leather jacket, black fingerless gloves, brown cargo pants that hold pet care supplies, red shoes with a paw print design on the soles, scratched up arms and one scratch on her face hidden by a bandaid, sunglasses from original design.

Just Anon, Ultimate Animator

Despite Janon’s chronic procrastination, Janon’s fans claim that his animated works are worth the very long wait. Now this is one Anon that the normally kind and optimistic Myth has a serious grudge against. The lazy and cynical animator, who wants nothing more than to sleep all day long, would of course clash with the energetic and optimistic team manager who wants people to improve. Unlike the other Anons, Janon isn’t even trying to improve himself, and that just drives Myth up the wall. But Myth heard rumors that Janon has a particular soft spot for children, which would make sense, given Janon’s talent.

Outfit: A pink ski cap with cat ears and an adorable cartoon face, a white face mask with a cat’s mouth and whiskers, a blue denim jacket with several patches and pins over a white shirt with Mickey Mouse on the front, colorful pajama pants, pink bunny slippers. 

Sparkle Anon, Graduated Reserve Course Student

Despite being passionate about both acting and puzzle-sloving, neither of those skills were enough for Sparkle to garner Ultimate status. Her rich parents managed to scrape enough money for her to take the test and get accepting into the Hope’s Peak Reserve Course though, and now that Sparkle graduated, she is currently chasing her dreams of becoming a top performer, despite her non-Ultimate status. Never before has Myth ever found someone with an even louder voice than her, but Sparkle‘s loud and dramatic voice made Myth consider starting an oendan group with her, and Sparkle was happy to oblige. Outfit: A white dress shirt and a sparkly pink tie, a skirt that matches her tie, knee-high socks, brown slip-on shoes, glasses from original design.

Egg Anon, Former Ultimate Princex and Wet Sock Anon, Former Ultimate Nurse

Egg is the current crowned princex of Desruc, a cursed locale in the middle of nowhere, and Wet Sock is the skilled field medic and excommunicated/exiled-royal-twin. But it seems their inventive customs don’t cross cultural boundaries, for their odd idioms and sayings just wind up grossing anyone willing to strike conversation with the foreign and cursed twins. Interacting with the Freak Twins may be internally painful for Myth, but she managed to power through and found out that the two are surprisingly caring, despite what their cursed dialogue would suggest, with Wet Sock being especially maternal in particular.

Egg’s Outfit: A green gakuran with golden details and shoulder pads, a red feather cape and matching earrings. 

Wet Sock’s Outfit: A ragged black gakuran with blue details and shoulder pads marked with a Red Cross design, a black cape and hood.

Curious Anon, Jr. Ultimate Swordfighter

As the adopted child of a yakuza family and the loyal bodyguard of a yakuza heiress, Curious has been raised with one and only goal and purpose in mind: prevent Young Mistress Iris from ever getting harmed by foes. Just like with the other athletes on the Kibo-Con roster, Myth feels her maternal instincts kick into overdrive when she’s training them, probably helped by Curious being the youngest of the athlete roster. Despite being famed by Iris’s rivals as an emotionless brick wall, Curious is surprisingly impressionable and gullible, probably due to his less-than-stellar upbringing as a servant.

Outfit: Hair in a small ponytail, a black t-shirt and a red tie with Iris’s family logo on the front, black pants, always carries their sword in a black and red scabbard, shoes from original design.

Anon Nerd, Former Ultimate Musician

Famous for his loud vocals, his vulgar lyrics, and the pessimistic worldview of his lyrics, Nerd is the head of the infamous metal band, “DEBATE”, a band intent on showing people just what’s wrong with the world we live in, using nothing but the bare-bone facts. Just like with Janon, Myth has some serious beef with Nerd, thanks to their conflicting worldviews. Myth can’t stand Nerd’s constant and vehement negativity, and Myth’s stubborn optimism just nauseates Nerd. They get into regular shouting matches, that always have to be mitigated by the Brain Cells, much to the irritation of said Brain Cells.

Outfit: Wilder hair that covers his left eye and hides his scouter, a spiky black leather jacket over a white turtleneck, a red and black guitar slung over his back, black polished nails, torn black pants, spiky black boots.

Eldritch Anon, Ultimate Gymnast

Originally from the wrong side of the tracks, Eldritch taught himself parkour and gymnastics to avoid both muggers and bullies. Eldritch’s small and light form makes executing high-flying flips and rolls a cinch for him. Despite having never entered a single competition, talent scouts have noticed Eldritch’s mad parkour skills. Myth really wants to train this young athlete to his full potential, but for some reason, Eldritch shows a vehement distrust for just about everybody, and given his backstory, who can blame him? But Myth is determined, and she will show the tiny gymnast that people can change and are worth trusting. 

Outfit: A black tanktop, a camo jacket tied around his waist, blue jeans, black ankle socks, white and blue sneakers.

Dream Anon, Ultimate Mechanic

Despite motorcycles being her main speciality, Dream can fix just about any mechanical device you throw at her, with her signature sunny smile. Despite not being an athlete, Myth quickly established Dream as one of her all-time favorites of the Kibo-Con roster. Dream and Myth quickly bonded over their overly optimistic and energetic personalities, and the two girls act like each other’s cheerleaders. Dream seems to show fascination with the mechanics of Myth’s wheelchair, and yearns to tune it up and soup it up with some rocket boosters or something, and Myth surprisingly doesn’t mind.

Outfit: A blue bandana wrapped around her head, a black tank top, orange and oil-stained gloves, a pink jumpsuit tied around her waist, an orange tool belt, tall black boots.

Iris Anon, Jr. Ultimate Yakuza

When Myth first found out that she was going to be chaperoning the heiress of one of the most dangerous yakuza families in all of history, she was prepared to be on her beat behavior, lest the heiress calls her folks to feed Myth to the fishies. But as it turns out, Iris is really friendly and superbly optimistic, despite what her upbringing would suggest. Iris is up there with Dream in Myth’s favorites list, and for the exact same reasons. But as it turns out, for all of her optimism, Iris is also really clumsy and falls, trips and bumps her head all the time. Myth is currently working on improving Iris’s balance and coordination.

Outfit: An entirely black gakuran with a red ribbon and her family logo in the form of a badge, black stockings and red shoes, glasses from original design.

Purple Anon, Ultimate Chef

Purple commonly cooks and caters for fancy high-class banquets, and her food is beloved by every upper-crust family that she serves. Purple’s work is commonly behind-the-scenes, and for good reason, because Purple is supremely timid, and often hides behind bigger Anons, when not in the kitchen. Purple is Myth’s go-to-Anon when it comes to nutritional advice, even if Myth needs help translating Purple’s overly-formal dialogue. Sometimes, when Myth is off to train her students, Purple stocks Myth up with crudités or finger sandwiches to give to the young athletes, in between or after practice.

Outfit: A white chef’s top with a purple cravat, black pants, shoes and beret from original design.

This series centers around an optimistic and hot-blooded team manager, trying to train her con-mates into only the best versions of themselves, and battling a couple of Negative Nancies (read: Nerd, Janon and Eldritch) in the process.

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APPEARANCE

Myth has shoulder-length brown hair with an ahoge on top and black sports glasses. For her clothes, Myth wears a red and cream colored tracksuit over a white tanktop, and matching high tops. Around her neck is a red megaphone, a golden whistle, and a golden necklace with resin in the middle that is colored like the bisexual flag. 

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PERSONALITY

Myth carries herself with a loud voice and motivational words. Myth might just be one of the most optimistic people in the entirety of the Kibo-Con, for she can find the good points in just about anybody, and knows exactly how to weed the good points out of them. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, she has energy that is very contagious, which assists her in pumping up her students. But for all of her optimism towards other people, she doesn’t quite feel the same way about herself, feeling like the accident squandered her own potential and she advances other people’s development at the cost of her own. But Myth refuses to be seen as weak, so she never opens up about her actual feelings.

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I hope you like this talentswap, and please let me know what of this Myth! Don’t forget to watch out for brand-new content from yours truly!

[unnoticedgenius]

Eevee the Gamer: Celeste

(CONTAINS SPOILERS.  Just so you know.)

I’m back!

Yes, I know it’s been a while.  Yes, I know I should update more regularly.  But I’m afraid life has kept me quite busy.

However, in that time, I thought of a great side section of this blog where I can work on reviewing games I think need more attention, which I’ve decided to call Eevee the Gamer!  (I’m super subtle, right? ;)

For today’s Eevee the Gamer I’ve chosen to review the videogame Celeste, which is one of the most difficult and rewarding games I think I’ve ever played.  I’ll link the creator’s website below so you can investigate further on your own, but for those who don’t know, Celeste is available on a number of platforms, including Nintendo Switch, XboxOne, Playstation 4, and Steam.

The basic plot of the game (summed up Reader’s Digest style) is that the main character, Madeline, climbs the mountain Celeste and along the way makes friends, enemies, and discoveries about the mountain’s incredible powers and her own mind.

What makes this game unique is that Celeste is not simply a game where you climb up a mountain.  Celeste is a game which brings you into the mind of someone who struggles with a mental illness; Madeline, as is revealed throughout the game, struggles with major anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.  As you play the game, you are brought into Madeline’s mind through the mountain’s magical powers; you face her fears and have to fight through the mountain (quite literally in some places).  Each level grows more and more difficult, and with the increase in difficulty comes an increase in emotional attachment to Madeline–and the rest of the cast.

In terms of a simple review, Celeste is challenging and rewarding, with a great storyline, unpredictable twists and turns, and some of the most perfect music to accompany such a storyline.  It has both difficulty and accessability with the Assist Mode, which enables the player to essentially change the difficulty so that she can access the game in the way that works best for her.

But I want to say more.

Everyone in the world needs to play this game.  People who struggle with a mental illness need to play this game so they can see that there are ways to deal with these illnesses, to know they are not alone.  People who don’t struggle with a mental illness need to play this game so they can take a glimpse into the mind of someone else, to recognize that these are very real and very dangerous struggles.  Celeste isn’t a game worth passing over just because it’s hard or it doesn’t feature RPG-style battles or slash-‘em-up techniques.  This is something everyone needs.

I’ve always been a gamer.  I played Ocarina of Time when I was a kid and that, to me, summed up what a good game should be: not too hard, accessible to everyone, with a great storyline and music, and a satisfying ending.  Celeste is everything a good game should be, but more than that, it addresses an issue that’s becoming bigger and bigger in our society today: how do we deal with mental illnesses?  Do we try to cut them out of our souls?  Do we take heavy medication to make the pain go away?  Do we try to fend it off unassisted without ever saying a word to anyone?  What is the answer to a mental illness?

Celeste, true to its style, enables the player to extrapolate that answer for herself.  After a Part of Madeline (referred to as Badeline) escapes from an enchanted mirror near the bottom of the mountain, Madeline does everything she can to run away from or destroy Badeline, and in doing so, she puts herself and her newfound friends into serious and very real danger.  Trying to escape or hurt Badeline she faces does nothing to help Madeline, while the creepy-looking Badeline claims to be helping while doing everything she can to stop Madeline from climbing the mountain.  In the end, Madeline realizes that she cannot destroy this Part of Herself.  She must unite with it.

It is then that Badeline begins to run rather than chase, and Madeline must capture her.  When she catches up, Madeline recognizes, for the first time, that Badeline is frightened.  That she wants to run away from everything that’s difficult or dangerous.  And it is only then that Madeline can make true progress up the mountain; she and Badeline work together to climb the mountain.  Their success comes as a united effort between Madeline and her anxiety.

This, I feel, is what makes Celeste a great game, and a worthy purchase for anyone and everyone.  Madeline doesn’t destroy her anxiety in some magical or self-esteem building way; she uses her anxiety to become a stronger, more whole being.  Mental illnesses cannot be banished.  They cannot be destroyed.  They must remain inside our minds, and it is only through learning how to work with our illnesses that we can truly become whole.

HOWEVER.  If someone with a mental illness finds that medication or other safe methods of coping are helping him/her manage the mental illness, he/she should not give those up just because Madeline was able to survive without them.  That’s my caveat: don’t give up on things that work if they’re working now.  But if you don’t have something that helps you cope yet, consider a playthrough of Celeste as an aid to learning to cope.  No videogame or blog post can be a doctor or psychiatrist; if you have need of help, get it now.

That’s something else Celeste does; it shows that those with mental illnesses are benefited by kind, caring, and compassionate friends.  Madeline becomes friends with another traveler named Theo, who-between taking selfies and cracking jokes-creates a compassionate connection that Madeline is able to derive strength from.  Their friendship is one of the greatest things in Celeste; Theo is able to help calm Madeline during a panic attack and stays patient with her through the whole game.  He supports her in whatever efforts she chooses to make and is available when she needs to talk to him.  To those of you who know someone who struggles with a mental illness: be like Theo.  Be compassionate.  Be patient.  Support your friends in their struggles.  They need you more than they know how to express, and your patience with them is a kindness they can never thank you enough for–and they’ll probably thank you a lot between saying sorry for being an inconvenience to you.  Don’t ever put down their struggle or say it’s only in their head.  Remember, they need you more than they can say.  Your friendship is a precious gift to them.  And understand that even when they’re busy apologizing for the umpteenth time that they’ve caused you any trouble or discomfort, they love and appreciate you more than words can express.

On top of the game’s already incredible story, Celeste’s composer (Lena Raine) created a perfect score that matches each moment in the game; the soundtrack that accompanies Celeste is perfect for highlighting the difficulty and pain Madeline is going through.  I’m not well-versed in music theory, but I know what music feels like, and that’s the best part about this soundtrack.  Every piece is a perfect companion to when it occurs in the game; the track that plays during Madeline’s first (in-game) panic attack displays that terrible feeling so well that I was getting anxious and nearly had a panic attack myself while playing.  That is no easy feat for a composer, but Raine did a perfect job in writing music that would stir these feelings in people.  From Madeline’s panic attacks to the moment she becomes one with Badeline to the climax of the story, each piece of the score is a perfect reflection of what is happening in the story and brings out the feelings the characters are experiencing.

Celeste deserves a hundred stars (out of ten) for its gameplay/storytelling/immersive experience.  For me, Celeste was a fully-immersive game that reflected pains and struggles in my life.  I struggle with bipolar disorder; some of the side effects for me have been increased anxiety and occasional panic attacks.  But in some ways, the game hit too close to home for me; I would get frustrated and anxious while trying to beat the levels.  There came a point where I couldn’t continue to progress (and the game was only available to me for a few weeks), so I turned on the assist mode.  Assist mode made Celeste more accessible to me, because it removed the barrier my own illness had created.  For my brother and my sister, the game was perfect the way it was; neither needed assist mode the way I did, and my sister struggles with social anxiety.

One of the greatest things Celeste has done is highlight a brand-new facet of videogaming that I’m not sure has ever been fully considered before: gaming for awareness.  This game is more than a game and shows that there’s a whole new world of videogame storytelling available for creators to use.  Celeste has a perfect balance between gameplay and story and uses both to raise awareness of an issue that millions currently face.  If you haven’t played Celeste yet, give it serious consideration and don’t miss an opportunity to learn–or to share it with your friends so they have a chance to see inside your mind.  To admit that, to ask them to share in your struggle, might feel awkward or even painful; however, we need our friends.  And we need them to understand what we’re going through.  There is no challenge in the world that isn’t made worse by trying to face it alone.  We can’t succeed alone.  There may be times where we have to stand alone, but in those times, we should know that there are friends behind us, friends who believe in what we can do.

Please.  If you’re a gamer, if you’re not a gamer, if you struggle with a mental illness, if you don’t have any trouble with mental illnesses, consider purchasing and playing through this incredible game.  Its story highlights the painful and challenging life of a person with a mental illness, and that story is one everyone needs to be aware of.  We all need to be part of this discussion–and the solution.  For the hardcore gamers in the world, this game will challenge you–maybe not at first, but with the progression of each level, things only get more difficult.  For the non-gamers out there, assist mode is available to make the game accessible so you can experience the story without wanting to throw the controller away every time you fall down.  Buy this game; it’s worth every penny.

Eevee the Gamer’s rating for Celeste: 10/10.

http://www.celestegame.com/

[erhiem]

Reading Time: 4 Minute

Lake is a narrative game from developer Gamius and publisher Whitehorn Digital. You play as Merideth Weiss, who returns to the idyllic Providence Oaks after 22 years, to fill her father’s position. For 14 days, it’s up to you to decide how she spends her work vacation in this cool, mid-’80s lake town.

Here’s the deal: Never bring your planner on vacation. I work something 70-80 hours a week most of the week. This is partly out of necessity and partly out of an inability to say no to more gigs. Therefore Lake, A game about someone who literally goes on leave from his full-time job to work a part-time job at his father’s side, and then is asked to help basically every single person he meets in town, or offers, is extremely related. Merideth certainly doesn’t hate her day job, though her boss is awful and she’s constantly trying to work while she’s off. he is clearly dissatisfied, and in the meantime Lake, It is up to you to investigate that dissatisfaction.

And specifically, you’re searching for that feeling. You are clearly not motivated to use this vacation time to determine the path of your life. It really depends on you who you want to interact with, who you want to help, how you feel about spending your free time after work, etc. It’s clear that Merideth has some ideas about her own life path, and it’s probably easier to reflect on that struggle herself. But there is no pressure on you to do any special work in this game.

But there’s the rub. If you’re like me, overly anxious, bad at saying no, averse to conflict, and constantly paranoid about potentially bad outcomes, then this game is going to be a whole lot of anxiety, not a pretty city. To live in the peaceful, quaint that it looks like it should be. Every conversation is an afterthought about how not to let that person down, especially since the cues can often look more negative than how your sarcastic character actually says them. Every side is a debate as to whether I want to spend my time being helpful or just get on the next thing I want to do really fast.

And metacontextually, it’s a game I’ve spent money on. I just don’t want to blow people up even though I really want to because then I won’t experience everything the game has to offer, or I miss an achievement I could have unlocked, or I Looks like I didn’t spend enough time looking for what I needed for an unbiased review. As my planner filled in more and more, at times, I found myself wishing I had never set foot in Providence Oaks. But its great townspeople, potential romantic entanglements, and repeated occasions to blow up my boss when he called me at inappropriate hours during vacation always brought me back (honestly, a really great narrative mechanic whenever someone called. did). Which reminded me of my own life, where I’m very committed, but still find great joy in the things I spend my time doing. most of the time.

All the features that make Lake This slow-paced and intense experience, such as slow-paced and reconciled mundane tasks, is understandable. Mail delivery is a great medium for exactly that type of game Lake intends to be. My only criticism is that your mail truck has the driver’s seat on the left side of the vehicle like a normal truck, not on the right side like a mail truck. They are purposely built this way in real life to deliver mail faster and safer, so you don’t have to haul around the truck to the mailbox; You just pop out the door on the sidewalk. But then again, maybe it was a deliberate decision to slow you down further? And my reaction is another extension of my concern about playing the game.

Like any good story game, Lake It’s all about the options. And those choices don’t have serious consequences by any means, but they do affect how people treat you and the kind of relationships you may have. Notably, there are two romance options, Robert and Angie. Chasing one or the other takes nothing more than to do their favors and respond to the most flirtatious of them. For a game based on the ’80s, it makes a bit of a hoax about it being an odd choice, which is good. It just lets you chase it, and no character makes the slightest deal out of it.

To me, the game’s many potential endings didn’t feel like a worry, among all other things. Probably because I knew I wanted to pursue the game’s awkward relationship above other options if I could, and I refused to return to my crummy work life pre-vacation at all costs. But in his individual queue reading of the game, it was consistent with the game’s themes that the end of the queue was the most disruptive. “Easy Choice” and “Hallmark Choice”, if I may call them, match the odd standard of many such stories before, even though the latter may not be an easy choice to make itself. They have no shame in choosing anything. But the third way is, perhaps intentionally, radical and risky. It is completely out of the bounds of any expectation of how I could have ended this story before it began, and this, to me, is a testament to the inevitability of fanaticism in choosing the bizarre consequences of my own confused and overexcited life. There is a great reflection.

What Lake There was no peaceful, slow-moving reflection on what matters most in life to me. Instead, it was a worrying and difficult exercise in letting go of the things that don’t bring me joy, even if they may hold other values. And it was a reflection on the fanaticism of choosing what is really best for oneself despite the strange experience and expectations of others. However, while some moments of my time playing were tough, it was because of how I saw my own running experience through Merideth’s eyes. And if a game can make me do that through expertly crafted gameplay, a perfect soundtrack, and engaging characters and relationships alone, you can certainly impress me.

Lake Now available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Mac and PC.

Lake

7.5/10

tl; Dr

What Lake There was no peaceful, slow-moving reflection on what matters most in life to me. Instead, it was a worrying and difficult exercise in letting go of the things that don’t bring me joy, even if they may hold other values. And it was a reflection on the fanaticism of choosing what is really best for oneself despite the strange experience and expectations of others. However, while some moments of my time playing were tough, it was because of how I saw my own running experience through Merideth’s eyes. And if a game can make me do that through expertly crafted gameplay, a perfect soundtrack, and engaging characters and relationships alone, you can certainly impress me.

Pop culture is cool, but have you ever tried to analyze it through a historical and cultural lens so that you not only understand the material more deeply? When Jason isn’t editing podcasts or considering the impact media has on our lives, I’m working to develop a sustainable food system.

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[geeky90-blog]

Celeste: A Review

 Surprise! I forgot to review Mirror’s Edge. Work’s been really hard on me lately, and so I’ve been struggling to find time for my hobbies except for some quick bursts of gaming. 

I’ve spent the last week and a half/two weeks playing through Celeste, an Indie Platformer by MattMakesGames on my Switch. Last night after many tries and roughly 27 hours poured into the game, I’m happy to say I completed all 24 of its levels and am floored by this game. Hit the jump below to see my thoughts.

Title: Celeste Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux MSRP: $19.99 Total Playtime: 28 Hours (Roughly) Status: Main Story Completed, All Levels Completed, ~100 strawberries collected.

Read on below my friends. 

For those that aren’t aware, Celeste is a game that was developed out of a small scale project that turned into a full game. (The original game is actually playable online for free, here: https://mattmakesgames.itch.io/celesteclassic) Players play as Madeline, a young woman with the drive and desire to climb Celeste Mountain, a mysterious mountain that features multiple breath-taking sights, including an abandoned city, a ghastly hotel, and spikes.... tons and tons of spikes. 

The premise is simple enough to hook you in, but the actual story, while not as expansive or in-depth as many of our AAA games today, does... well, it does really well with its subtlety, symbolism, and of course letting fans interpret Madeline’s journey. (More on that in a bit)

Graphics-wise, the game bases itself somewhat on old retro titles, more towards the SNES/16-bit era, while the music keeps a nice synth-retro style to go along with it as well. Fitting, considering how the game originally got its start as a retro game made on a retro (imaginary) console. Aesthetically it fits, and the game’s beautiful backgrounds, details, and more truly shine on any screen.

Gameplay is one of the true highlights of this game. Similar to Super Meat Boy, I Wanna Be the Guy, and other titles in that nature, this game is designed to be hard, precise, and brutally unforgiving at times. While there are some instances of RNG, for the most part success or failure is based upon the player’s skill and reflexes. This is pretty refreshing for the most part, as sometimes RNG can become a bit too common place or critical in the world of gaming. (I’m looking at you, Pokemon!)  You can run, wall-jump, dash, and that’s about it. But where the game starts to shine is the difficulty and precision moves you must make in order to be successful. Each jump, dash, and wall-jump truly matters. One wrong move can find you falling to your doom, getting impaled on a bed of spikes, or getting crushed by a laughing block.  Each step and failure you make along the way allows you to learn the game and master its mechanics. One of the most satisfying moments for this game for me was finally mastering the more advanced abilities that are essential in succeeding in the later levels, and I felt truly accomplished by completing the climb and reaching the Summit of Celeste Mountain. 

The difficulty is something that I truly thought would bother me, if I’m being honest. I’m well-known by my partner for my temper when playing video games. (I once rage quit fighting a Pelipper in Pokemon Alpha Sapphire because it kept spamming recovery moves on me if that says anything) However, when I first saw the trailer for this game in a Nintendo Direct last year, something about it stood out. Maybe it was the aesthetic, the story, or the challenge... but like Madeline, I knew I wanted to climb that mountain. I had no reason why, I just knew I wanted to. I think that’s the appeal of the game... some large challenge that players want to overcome.  Celeste presents itself in a way that encourages the player to keep up their efforts. Each failure becomes an opportunity for success, and I can’t think of any moment I truly rage-quit at the game. Yes, I may have been annoyed, but I still felt empowered to finish the game. Even when I faced the final two levels last night, dying almost 500+ times, I was encouraged by the game as I kept learning the correct actions to take. This ultimately led to my final victory when I finished the game ... at 2:30AM. I felt accomplished. I felt proud. I felt...tired. But overall, I felt satisfied at completing what I set out to do in this game: climb the mountain and complete each level in the game. (Collecting all the Strawberries scattered about the mountain, that’s... a whole other story) This game has perfect gameplay, and I believe it’s one of the strongest examples of refined and easy-to-master mechanics in a video game since Super Mario Bros. It is that good and the gameplay makes it worth the price of admission.

Here there be spoilers after this point, 

But the true heart of the story, that keeps you going, is the Madeline and her internal conflict. The overall narrative focuses on her drive to climb Celeste Mountain while also opening up to the faces she meets along the way. Madeline is relatable: she is determined, insecure, and stubborn. This was why I was able to invest myself in the story and for many players, I think this creates immersion in the game. One of the few faces on the mountain she meets is, of course, her other self brought to life by the mountain. Her fears, her insecurities, and more manifest themselves in her alter-ego, and the journey she has confronting herself and overcoming this makes up the true heart of the narrative. And this is one of the highlights of the game that comes together in a wrenching climax and finale. Many games have done the “evil” rival of a character story before (Sonic & Shadow, Mario & Wario, Samus & Dark Samus, etc.) but this game adds some real emotional depth to their conflict and their reconciliation. 

This is in fact, something, I think that allows the player to make up their own connection to Madline. The game is never outright saying what exactly Dark Madline represents at times. It does allude to her insecurities, her fears, her anger, and other negative emotions.... but there’s no set defined name for what she represents. The general consensus (that I agree with) is that she represents depression, anxiety, or mental illness. However, it’s extremely easy for the player to project onto Madeline their personal feelings. (For example, I read the story almost coding Madeline with queer theory, with her Dark Half representing her repressed, true self, and their reconciliation being Madeline accepting of herself) It’s subtle story telling like this that lets the players fill in the gaps, so to speak, which makes for a lot of fun overall.

That being said, there’s truly nothing I’ve seen like Celeste before. The game takes some basic tropes and ideas from its genre, but presents it in a way that’s like a breath of fresh air. Encouraging notes are given to the player throughout the game, the music is somewhat calming and grand, and the environments are all beautiful despite being 16-bit pixel graphics. I’ve been rambling at this point, but I think you now get the picture: this is one of those rare games that will be defining for a generation of gamers, and I am happy I stuck out to the end and completing the game by what I wanted to do. I put 27 hours into a game with 24 levels for my first play-through alone without even realizing it. I got sucked into the world of Celeste, and that doesn’t happen to me in a video game as much as it used to. I could have kept the fun going by collecting all of the game’s 200 strawberries (I ended up with about 100, getting me the second best ending) but I knew my limits and goals: I wanted to finish every level in the game... and I reached that summit, proud of what I wanted to do.

There honestly is nothing much I can say about this game in a negative light. The only thing I can think of is more tutorials for the advanced movements, but otherwise... there isn’t much I can say about this game negatively. It is that good: believe the hype. I will say the best platform (in my opinion) is to get it on the Switch. I played this game in short & long bursts, putting my Switch to sleep when I needed to go back to work or when something would take me away from the mountain. The game is fabulous on any platform, but I think the portability of the Switch makes it easily the best choice to play on. 

In sum: if you are a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Celeste is unique, fun, and frustrating but satisfying at the same time. The music is catchy and fun, the graphics charming and beautiful, and the gameplay is near flawless. The story is emotionally driven, and I honestly think this is one of my Top Games of 2018 easily. Be brave, approach the mountain, and get climbing.   Final Score: 10/10 

[spicynbachili1]

Cozy up to the dead with these recent Switch releases

Loss of life, dismemberment, and demons, all simply in time for Halloween

In keeping with Irish folklore, Samhain is the day on the calendar when doorways between the land of the residing and the land of the useless and different areas of the supernatural open at their widest. Over time, the day morphed into what we now name Halloween, a vacation the place kids’s minds are stuffed with ideas of monsters whereas they stuff their mouths with sweet that may ultimately kill their our bodies. Additionally it is the night time when the most individuals on Earth might be discovered sporting slutty Luigi. The Yin and Yang, life and demise relationship between teeth-rotting, blood sugar-spiking sweet, and the attractive Mario Bros. are simply a part of what makes this such a particular time of yr. 

For those who’re a Change proprietor and also you wish to rejoice the day in a extra off-beat means, these 5 new-ish video games (most of that are additionally on PC) could do the “trick.” Not like most typical horror tales, these titles do not at all times work laborious to make you concern demise. As a substitute, they permit the participant to interact in contemplative, generally empowering relationships with the tip of their lives, making them an ideal match for Crom Cruach’s large occasion. 

Pinstripe 

I used to be not anticipating a lot out of this sport, nevertheless it actually blew me away with its writing and voice performing. It is not clear that any of the characters in Pinstripe are alive for any of our time with them, however they actually come to life emotionally, particularly Bo, your three-year-old daughter who faces a destiny worse than demise for many of your journey. The sport is about attempting to avoid wasting her from Pinstripe, a shadowy, devilish man who desires her for himself. It is uncomfortable stuff, however by no means exploitative. It is spectacular how shut the narrative involves straight addressing critical subjects like alcoholism and youngster abuse whereas by no means veering into territory that I would conceal from a ten-year-old. 

The sport’s puzzles are extra hit and miss. They vary from quick re-appropriations of Flappy Chook to hidden object hunts straight out of Highlights journal, although they’re all tailor match for the narrative. There are additionally some limited-scope motion sequences, often involving taking pictures one thing with a slingshot or leaping on a canine with a giant butt. All of them vary from fine-to-fun, nevertheless it’s the Burton-esque artwork route, unsettling use of By The Mild Of The Silvery Moon, and underlying themes of paternal guilt and habit that actually make this one work. It is a rated-T 2D Silent Hill: Shattered Reminiscences for the fashionable period. 

The Lacking: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Reminiscences 

As Chris stated in his assessment, there may be much more to The Lacking than you would possibly glean from simply the trailers. I’ve heard some folks say that the sport seems like one other dread-filled 2D platformer within the type of Limbo or Inside, the place grisly shock-value deaths lie round each nook, besides that this time it is a beautiful younger lady who will get repeatedly massacred. That is not solely unfaithful, however one of many issues that makes The Lacking particular is the best way it turns participant motivations on their head, generally actually. As a substitute of desirous to run away from having your cranium caved in or your legs lower off, it’s essential to run into these brutal assaults in an effort to progress, and it hurts each time. 

Hurting herself is the one means for J.J. to avoid wasting somebody very near her. In that means, The Lacking forces the participant to alternate between the roles of protector, victimizer, and sufferer on a relentless cycle, and that is all simply in relation to controlling the sport’s protagonist. It is extraordinarily intense, which makes me all of the extra grateful that the carnage is damaged up by the occasional bursts of surreal comedy and in-game textual content messages that really feel very actual. Regardless of some points with wonky physics and uneven issue curves, The Lacking is a must-play sport for followers of physique horror, survivor tales, and anybody who is aware of what it is wish to be hated only for being your self.

Black Chook 

This new Fantasy Zone-meets-Steel Slug shmup from the thoughts of Yoshiro Kimura (Dandy Dungeon, Rule of Rose, No Extra Heroes, Little King’s Story) can also be a few lady who dies and comes again time and again, however not like in The Lacking, the violence right here is never masochistic. As a substitute of coming again damaged and bloody, the star of Black Chook reanimates as a ghostly raven’s head who wreaks havoc on every part she sees. The message can also be slightly tougher to parse. Do all of the soldier-peasants appear like Mario as a result of the sport is about struggling indie devs who wish to let free on the senseless mascot-worshiping client tradition that usually leaves them ignored? Would the world be higher off if the spoiled innocence of nature rose up in a rage and destroyed mankind and all its environment-poisoning expertise? Which has extra of a proper to exist, the vengeance of a useless youngster that left the world in wreck, or the lives of apathetic bystanders who did nothing however watch as that very same youngster died within the streets?

I haven’t got solutions to these questions, however I do know that Black Chook makes it very enjoyable to explode issues, and its soundtrack is already one among my favourite sport scores ever. It is a gibberish opera sung by passionate Muppets the likes of which we have not heard since LocoRoco, and higher but, many enemy spawn occasions are tied to the choral beats. This inherently enjoyable fusion of sound and motion mixed with non-linear development and a copiously deep combo system makes replaying the eight ranges (4 in the primary sport, 4 in new sport plus) a pleasure to blast via each time. Although the sport is technically fairly quick, it has tons of secrets and techniques, unlockables, and random occasions to assist each apocalyptic spherical of destruction really feel contemporary.

Friday The 13th: Killer Puzzle 

Sure, consider it or not, this makes the fourth sport to launch on Change this month the place you play as some type of a useless individual. This time although, the rotten face you tackle will in all probability look extra acquainted, even though it is hidden behind an cute hockey masks. Like within the movies from which he hails, Jason Voorhees is out for revenge once more, however this time his homicide spree takes place in a collection of human jigsaw-like puzzles. As a substitute of film items round a board, you progress Jason, who’s mainly the Superman of the slasher world; impossibly robust, capable of transfer into your private house right away, and susceptible to only a few obstacles. On this case, his types of kryptonite embrace lakes, bear traps, and even getting arrested by the cops. Jason could also be a mass assassin, however with regards to interacting with the police, he is downright well mannered. 

These issues not often gradual Jason down although. His fundamental drawback right here is, he cannot stroll diagonally, and he can solely cease shifting when he hits a wall or somebody to kill. That may make it laborious to walk up and decapitate a camper who’s hiding in a nook down by a bear entice subsequent to the lake. Whereas the primary 10 levels or so are slightly too straightforward, the following 100+ greater than make up for it with sensible design and satisfying options. The devs additionally labored all of the DLC content material from the Steam construct into the Change port with extra pure, in-game unlocks. Now new variations of Jason are accessed through progressing via varied modes and coming into secret codes. That features the return of the NES’s inexperienced and purple Jason to Nintendo consoles, which is a trademark occasion for anybody who grew up with that individual iteration of our illustrious drowned boy.

Streets of Purple: DDD 

This can be the one sport on the record the place you play as a residing individual, however do not you are worried, it is nonetheless received loads of reanimated corpses to mess around with. In truth, there’s at the very least one boss that bears greater than a putting resemblance to the beforehand talked about Voorhees youngster, although this mama’s boy is extra of a parody and fewer of direct illustration. He is simply one of many many satirical tributes to horror movie icons. You could possibly virtually consider the sport as co-op horror��Smash Bros., because it has equally easy inputs, however with a crossover of sport characters combined in with the lookalikes of The Demogorgon, Freddy, Colossus Titan, and the one who scares me most of all, none apart from Jim Sterling.

We additionally simply acquired phrase that the sport is about to get a complete lot greater. As you’ll be able to see within the trailer above, it is getting a free replace, tentatively set to go reside on Halloween. The patch features a good quantity of recent content material, together with new bosses, language choices, and the implementation of on-line leaderboards, all alongside a brief value drop.

I’ve helped advise the creator of Streets of Purple on varied points of the Change port for some time now, so any reward from me could come off as biased, however hey, I am not the one one who likes it. Whereas all of the video games on this record come extremely really helpful, that is the one one which’s constructed for 4 gamers, so in the event you’re planning on partying this vacation, placing this in your Change is the best way to go. 

Bonus Deal with

This artwork by James “Illmosis” Beaver, entitled Horror Combat 2, is on the market proper now and I am unable to suggest it sufficient. I purchased an 11×17 print of this piece final month, so I can attest to the print high quality and paper inventory, that are each high notch. In case you have time for one final Halloween ornament earlier than the 31st rolls round, do not be afraid to choose it up. 

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The Game Awards 2017 Restored My Faith In Gaming

Let’s face it. For as great as gaming is, there is A LOT of toxicity to deal with throughout. A lot of this comes from a world in we as a whole allowed things like DLC, Season Passes, not all inclusive Season Passes, Microtransactions, and loot boxes to exist. How we got here is not a the topic at hand and is perhaps for another time. To give a clue, said time rhymes with the word clever. I’ll let you figure that out… Enter the 2017 version of The Game Awards, where all the nonsense was dropped, there was multiple signs of EA bashing (because fuck EA), and people focused on simply the very medium we love. Games. 2017 was actually a grand year for gaming, pretty much regardless of where you stand for platform of choice. While not everything nominated came out a winner, the ones that were nominated had sound reason for being nominated, and the ones that won were even more deserving of taking said victory away. There was one key thing however that separates this year from most. While there were AAA nominees, NONE OF THEM won any of the categories, with the exception of Overwatch. I’ll get back to that one. No Call of Duty. No Assassin’s Creed. No Grand Theft Auto. No Star Wars Battlefront II (Not to be confused with the original great Battlefront II). None of it. The usual games that kinda just win at default, didn’t, or weren’t even nominated. This was the year for indie games or lesser funded games overall to shine. This combine with some interesting tributes/categories in the event made for one heck of a event. If I mention ALL of the awesome things that took place here, this post would be really long. So I’m gonna try to only summarize as quickly as possible key points I believe stood out. Spotlight Variety This isn’t just about the varied categories. This is about no matter who’s side you are on, PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Switch, there was a winner on the show for you. What else is there really to say? Even the 3DS got a nod with the well deserving Metroid: Samus Returns. Part of the “Master Race” (there is none, get over yourselves) you have Overwatch/PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and eSports player mentions which of course takes place on PC. Congrats to both Cloud9 and Faker. Sony fan? Persona 5, Nier: Automata, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which took away three awards, were there to shine. Xbox enthusiast? Forza Motorsport 7 took a win and Cuphead took away three awards this year. A great moment indie games and fans of the platform alike. Switching it up? Nintendo delivered with several wins including Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which claimed three awards, including Game of the Year, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Gamers could legitimately be a family on this night. Indies, Students, & Non AAA Studio Winners We’re always hearing about how the cost of gaming rises and the horror stories to go with. This year was a big win for the little guys. Studio MDHR put their heart and soul into Cuphead and to see this studio take away three awards was phenomenal. I had a huge smile on my face for each win they had. There was a student game award this year. People putting their hearts into gaming to try and make it in the world. Congratulations to the folks at Swinburne University for the win with Level Squared. Finally, Ninja Theory comes in with the sleeper hit known as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. A lesser known studio which pissed off some with DmC and never went back to Heavenly Sword, knocked it out of the park with this one. Melina Juergins, who plays Senua in the game, this was her first acting job and she walked away with the award for best performance. She gets one other accolade here, but that’s for another highlight... Save Player One Bethesda may make buggy games but they do make fun ones. Fun ones in which mostly fill a void in a world dominated by profitable multiplayer cash cows. They fill this void with great single player experiences. Lynda Carter, the Wonder Woman herself, speaks to us on behalf of Bethesda about the need for these single player experiences. The need to save single player gamers is a cause that speaks to those that may not want to play online. Like ever. Maybe they have social anxiety? You don’t know. Much respect. #SavePlayer1 Mental Health Awareness One might say of the three games that walked away with three awards a pop, Hellblade was the real winner. It won best game for impact due to its telling, through in-game story of a character (Senua) that suffers from psychosis. Throughout the game, she hears voices in her head and considers this to be a curse. They went all the way with this. To properly represent psychosis, developers worked closely with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, non-profit organizations, and people suffering from the condition in order to get this right. On October 10th, 2017, Ninja Theory would donate all the funds from sales of the game to the Rethink Mental Illness charity group. Melina Juergins when accepting the award for best performance was very happy to have the opportunity be support and honored by Ninja Theory. Additionally, it was for her to have the chance to give a voice to a character which helped spread mental health awareness to others or even the very people suffering from their very own mental health issues. The Industry Icon Award In what is still to some viewed very much as a “man’s world”, this particular award honored a woman. Carol Shaw. Introduced by Felicia Day, she was one of the first female designers ever from back in the Atari 2600 days. Not only was this a incredible and touching throwback but when Carol accepted the award, she talked about how gaming has evolved and that the old ones are still fun to play. She definitely kept up with the scene in the thirty five years since her contribution to the scene and states how there is plenty of opportunity in the industry. ______________________________________________________________ So there we have it. All these factored in with some smaller details are why my faith in gaming has been restored. I’ve never truly gave up on gaming but the future at times looks grim. It is good to know that people seem to have spoken out here. There is much to be enjoyed in the gaming world and sometimes you legitimately get said fun for only spending that initial sixty dollars or less. Also, I was personally hoping for a GOTY win for Mario but the sake of my gaming habits really took off, but what can you do? It still won at least best “family game”...which seems to be a category Nintendo pretty much always exclusively wins anyway. I said I’d get back to Overwatch, so I will as a honorable mention. Love or hate the game, it is fun and has a very diverse cast of characters, wonderful shorts that comes from it, and a up and coming eSports movement known as the Overwatch League. It is no surprise why this game won for best ongoing game...and keeping the consistent theme that was throughout The Game Awards. Games getting respect for being as is without having to play into the toxic parts of the scene. Mostly.

[recentanimenews]

Why Bayonetta and Vanquish Prove PlatinumGames Are the Best at Action Games

  When PlatinumGames first appeared in 2009, gamers didn’t know what to expect, but we knew to expect something wild. Over 10 years out, that legacy continues to live on, as PlatinumGames has become one of the foundations of modern takes on quirky action games, with titles like Bayonetta, Vanquish, NieR: Automata and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance standing out amongst their library of titles for being unapologetically frenzied and challenging. Building on many of the staff’s history with games such as Okami and Devil May Cry, it’s easy to see where the pedigree comes from, and for a time, PlatinumGames were the only people on the block willing to dip their toes into the single-player action adventure genre (can you believe that it was ALSO 10 years between Devil May Cry 4 and 5? Crazy!). 

While PlatinumGames has continually pushed the envelope and explored newer takes on action games, Bayonetta and Vanquish remain memorable as two of their first major forays into the game market (with the Wii’s weirdo Mad World being the third, seemingly lost to time part of the founding trio of games). In time for the 10th anniversary of PlatinumGames' founding and the creation of Bayonetta and Vanquish, our friends at SEGA sent us an early copy of the dual re-release for the PS4, and it was an interesting trip down memory lane, warts and all. 

Starting with Bayonetta, players find themselves again in the tall, tall shoes of the Umbral Witch herself on her first ever adventure. Something that stood out immediately in this version of Bayonetta is that the load times are essentially non-existent; I barely ever found the ability to use the loading screen practice menu at all, actually, which honestly surprised me. What this really did was create the fast, action-packed pace that Bayonetta seems to desire, allowing you to seamlessly attack chapter after chapter, challenge after challenge. 

Visually, the game didn’t get much of an upgrade, but it did get a bit of a facelift, with 4k visuals and 60fps enhancements that really help the game “pop." Even on a regular PS4, though, it still looks and plays great with no slowdown to speak of. While the visuals look cleaner and sharper, the textures do show their age a bit, but generally the game looks and plays smooth, which is where the real focus of one’s attention is likely going to be; it’s probably easy to say that Bayonetta’s never looked as sharp as she does right now!

Control wise, Bayonetta still has that focus on timing-perfect dodges and combo-focused combat, both of which work well and that I generally had little trouble with. I actually found that some of the quick time events were a bit easier too, either because I’ve played the game so many times and just expect them now, or they’ve been retooled to be a little less sudden and game ruining. The camera is, well, still the same camera, and that has all of the frustrations of mid ‘00s era design choices one might expect. 

Obviously, as an update and not a remake, that’s to be expected, but getting used to the fixed-angle perspective in Bayonetta after games like DMC5, Revengeance, or Automata certainly took a little readjustment. In the end, it isn’t a big deal at all, and I never felt like the camera was getting in the way of my succeeding or failing at a section of the game, just that occasionally I’d find myself in fairly inopportune views that I would work quickly to get out of (and, honestly, that first fight with Jeanne and the Witch Walking is still… probably one of the worst parts of the game, mostly due to camera issues). If anything, I found myself surprised at just how clean and snappy the controls of Bayonetta were on the PS4 version, and I started to remember that they were always like this; PlatinumGames has always known how to make great controlling action games, and Bayonetta feels fresh and easy to control in a way that makes it fairly timeless.

Other than that, though, this is basically the same game as it was in 2008; Bayonetta never got any form of DLC, so there isn’t really anything new here. If you’ve played and mastered the game before, you may want to keep that in mind; there are all new trophies to get, however, and as most Bayonetta fans know, the real fun of the game comes from mastering various difficulties and getting the coveted Pure Platinum trophies, so just look at this PS4 version as a brand new way to get your chance to do that all over again. 

As far as a definitive version of Bayonetta is concerned, there are a few things I’d probably offer: this is probably the best looking and best running version of Bayonetta on the market right now, but… Bayonetta 2 and 3 are Nintendo exclusives, meaning if you want the full Bayonetta package, you may want to track down the Switch copy of Bayonetta 2 that comes with the first game, as well. Really, that’s depending on what you’re looking to get out of this game; if you want a gorgeous steelbook and 2 great games, this is a fantastic choice, but if you are looking to get into Bayonetta and play all of it, you may be better off directing your attention to the Switch copy of the game (depending on availability, anyway). Personally, I found myself getting sucked into trying to get my score juuuust a bit better, getting that trophy I didn’t get, trying to push myself against difficulties of a game I’ve played four times now, so, you know how it is!

Moving to Vanquish, I personally feel that this is the real star of this release. While Bayonetta achieved success in a cult classic way that’s helped it get 2 sequels, Vanquish feels like a bit of a forgotten gem of a game. When it was initially released, a lot of reviewers didn’t seem to know what to make of the game, with it’s seemingly short playtime being a fairly large complaint against it. Vanquish remains a bit of an odd bird, but with time comes wisdom, and many gamers may now appreciate the game for what it really is: one of the most frantic, score based shooting games ever made. 

Vanquish is not a game that is going to win you over with a good story, developed characters, or really anything else other than what it presents you: tough as nails shooting galleries based around the slide/boost mechanic and limited bullet-time power. Ostensibly a game about a future in which military battles are fought in space, players take on the role of Sam and his DARPA created super-suit, giving him amazing reflexive abilities to zoom around battlefields, shooting guns in all sorts of crazy poses, and giving you one of the greatest set of “wow did you see how cool I was” gameplay segments possible, mixed with countless, countless deaths and retries.

For those who are new, Vanquish is indeed a game you can “beat” in maybe 5-6 hours, if you’re good, but that isn’t really the point of Vanquish. The point is to constantly get your score up, to get better at each gallery, to try new weapons and strategies while looking as stylish as possible. If Bayonetta and Devil May Cry were games in which melee combat was made to look stylish and crazy, Vanquish is the cover-shooter equivalent of that, and honestly it still feels fresh and exciting ten years later, as very few games present an experience remotely close to what Vanquish does. 

Much like Bayonetta, Vanquish has almost no load times, making the blisteringly fast pace of the game even faster, and between the two titles, seems to have benefitted the most from the next-gen facelift; while cutscenes still look very early PS3, the in-game action looks and feels great, with no slowdown (other than the bullet time feature in the game), and really helps smooth out the crazy firefights going on all around. I’ll be honest: I wasn’t a huge fan of Vanquish when it originally came out, but this updated re-release won me over, making me appreciate a game I maybe didn’t give enough attention to, and hopefully now we’ll see even more fans give this hidden gem the appreciation it deserves on newer platforms.  

For the price tag ($39.99 USD), the physical copy of both of these games is an amazing bargain, essentially $20~ per title with great new graphics and smoothed out load times and gameplay. Even if you’re considering getting them digitally, both games are great, but Vanquish feels like the real star here, a game that maybe most people didn’t give a fair look back in 2009 that would certainly deserve a second chance today. Personally, I’m curious to see what types of crazy combo vids and score based runs people are going to post, but in the meantime, I’ll be upping my own game. As I typed this, I got the PlatinumGames bug again, so it’s time to go work on my scores!  

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Great package of 2 classic PS3-era games with new graphic updates.  

+ Modern tech means lower load times, and both games play like a dream now.

+ Controls in both are smooth and responsive, and feel great. 

+ The start of PlatinumGames' charm, these titles really do hold up to newer games still. 

+/- That said, there isn’t really anything “new” here, so don’t buy in expecting new content. 

  Are you a PlatinumGames fan? Got any challenge-based stories from your time with their games? Let us know what you think of these two and more in the comments! 

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Nicole is a frequent wordsmith for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

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After effects New Las vega Skill Works Locations Manual (PC, Xbox 360, PS3).

The Nintendo Switch are going to land in numerous living rooms on Friday when the Eastern provider's most up-to-date video game console is actually launched to the public, however there is actually one item of advice gamers must know about: do not lick the games. Book four in just what is actually turned into one of my preferred sporting activities passion collection supplied on the pledge along with one swoony, funny, and also delightful read. Beloved or otherwise, the video game should play out, and also the fates from everyone included, from the cast of amazing festival entertainers to the patrons, dangle in the harmony, suspended as precariously as the daring performers expenses. The blog site Youthful Property Love is fantastic if you are actually appearing to plant some DIY skill-sets. If you have any type of questions pertaining to where and ways to use sandefect.info, you could call us at our own page. Concerning Blog site - Making quilts needs to be fun and also our experts offer you effortless making quilts jobs, simple making quilts how-to tutorials, and commentary to maintain you grinning till the extremely last stitch. They don't mind the marketing." Well, at least an impressively huge minority didn't-- in the course of the six-week promotion, 10% from the activity's gamers explored the Microsoft window Cloud for an overall from 6.1 thousand gos to. She additionally established, elected # 2info website around the world over 6.7 million otherinfo sites. And also on Android, you have the advantage from the video game being actually free - a one-off IAP only thinks if you desire to steer clear of watching adverts, as well as have accessibility to different decks to attempt your good fortune as an other character. Strain is substituted by exploration, and also single-screen game delights are lost for a longer video game. This undoubtedly does not seem like much on paper, however Side is an excellent gallery activity. Benediktsson's excursions begin in the city of Akureyri, on Iceland's north coastline, as well as function numerous spots in the region around Pond Mývatn that will be familiar to Activity from Thrones buffs. I'll be actually truthful, between this publication and also Beyoncé revealing she is actually possessing doubles, I seem like the planet is actually attempting to alleviate the impact of Donald Trump's upcoming executive order. It appears too simplified to say individuals don't have as much loan as they used to. (Blame Brexit!) Just what I presume is taking place is individuals don't have the money to validate forking out ₤ 45 on a brand-new video game they might take or leave behind any longer - not when they know this'll be actually more affordable in a few full weeks. It likewise does not appear like the company is visiting create this feasible to add even more activities as there's been no suggestion of on the web connectivity for potential downloads. Games enable trainees to find out at their own speed without steady adult oversight. The FA Cup still uses redemption for Wenger, that gained 7 trophies in his 1st 500 activities and none in his second half-century. Games Editor Brett Phipps got the possibility to play it lately as well as explained this as the best-looking racing video game he's ever before played. If you're trying to find the activity to showcase VR to your far-off family members at a household contest, do not excused The Climb coming from your factors. This has great performance (that operated any kind of game our company tossed at it on Xperia Play), as well as has alternatives to seem and also limit graphics if your phone isn't quickly good enough. I wish to obtain the most effective bargain feasible and also still appreciate video games after playing for sometime. Stephanie Garber is an unbelievably accomplished author and also this is actually a manual that virtually any type of grow older will definitely adore!! Discharge it after you have actually listened to two beeps: one when you at first press, as well as another 7 secs later. Coming from the largest triple-A offerings to the much smaller indie experiences, there was actually a great quantity from games our experts adored this year. I located your blog post during then, and i enjoy to mention that is actually the principal cause i actually delighted in the daniel rapid and also am continuing to eat vegan after it ended. English, French, German, Latin, and also Spanish: Online games for each language that technique vocabulary. UPDATE: Giving that 3 superstars given that this is actually simply been 3 months and also I have actually currently overlooked whatever about this manual. The activity features a blend of survival, stealth, melee and also varied battle, as well as expedition gameplay as a young Lara Croft is forced to push herself past her know restrictions to make it through and unwind the dark history from a failed to remember isle. I likewise created the authentic recipe off the sweettalk blog site and this one is way much better. Apart from listed below's the problem and remedy: they join passion (arrrrr!) This book wouldn't be complete without the romance elements; it fulfils this, regardless of whether it is a little bit of foreseeable. This book would possess been actually a lot briefer without the unnecessary allegories for every little thing. This is actually also a highly unpopular point of view so if you would like to come at me informing me I mistake or failed to understand the book I are going to drill you in the nose from exactly how crazy this book made me. Likewise, there is actually a high volume from promising, which I normally ACTIVATE ALERT: this set slipped my attention while analysis, completely considering that I was actually worn out, however I think that is essential to include that this publication includes parent x child abuse which isn't coped with.