#diva games are really unique rhythm games

[net-game-sekai]

i think the biggest issue in the "diva is dead but don't blame sekai for xyz reasons" argument is like yes of course, but literally everything about "blaming" sekai aside. i don't want to play sekai as a rhythm game. it's being put forward by the fanbase as like, some sort of replacement but the story and new characters don't come close to saving it for me and the rhythm game mechanic is not interesting! if you're into tile tap rhythm games then that's great but it's not a diva equivalent!! at all!! project diva is a proper rhythm game, you use literally all the buttons on your controller, it's hard and takes practice and you have to actually learn it. people (myself included) have put hours into learning and playing diva, you can't just be like well sekai is the new vocaloid rhythm game, suck it up and have at it, when that hasn't been the case from the start. if i WANTED to play a tile tap rhythm game i would download literally any other gacha mobage that's idol themed lol. there's no actual diva replacement and THAT'S why people are upset

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 18/08/2023

Rainbow Baroad

Season 7 Featured on: Os Bar​õ​es da Qualidade

Ripped by Pan

An early Season 7 rip? That can only mean one thing - its time to go to Brazil!

A very underappreciated yet always fun part of following SiIvaGunner is just how many different kinds of people are part of the team, and how many of them are able to share their unique culture to the rest of us. A lot of SiIva tends to sway toward pretty "global" experiences, like video games released worldwide or featuring celebrities and memes known all over the world. Yet there's always been exceptions to that, more niche jokes and more culture-specific rips not made to appeal to a global audience. During Season 1, for instance, we had the album Hatsilva Muku: Ripping DIVA, catering specifically to the Japan-centric Vocaloid crowd, and althroughout events such as the two King for a Day tournaments we saw South American music and memes represented through the Dancing Alien Team. Althesame, I don't think there's ever been anything quite like the Felipe Barão's Birthday takeover.

Felipe Barão and his brother form the band Os Barões da Pisadinha, which translates roughly to "The Barons of the Pisadinha". What's the Pisadinha, you ask? Put simply, its a very distinct rhythm of notes that's applied all over Brazilian Forró music, which is what the band performs. These guys, along with Forró music in general, are pretty damn popular in Brazil, a bizarre phenomenon wherin their music seems to be beloved despite being fully acknowledged just how much of it sounds the same.

Part of what made the SiIva takeover in their name so funny was just that effect - that it made EVERY rip sound the same, with the same opening progression of notes, same instrumentation, same jolly tone...yet at the same time, it was really amusing to follow! Everyone already knew each rip's joke to a tee, and the focus now became on discovering if the song ripped would sound good or not in that new instrumentation. For my money, Rainbow Baroad takes the cake as my favorite of the event. Rainbow Road Wii is already quite a nostalgic and happy-go-lucky track, and the kind of summery vibe that forró music brings just heightens those feelings more. Its hard to listen to this one without getting a big ass smile on your face! Every part of the original song is recreated perfectly in Os Barões da Pisadinha's style, with excellent layering of instruments on more impactful parts, great use of backing, and a surprisingly natural implementation of the Pisadinha rhythm.

This entire event and others like it fascinate me with just how unfamiliar I actually am with the source material. In a way, SiIva has always been a sort of gateway into discovering new kinds of music, new games, new everything - its an outlet of every creator on board to let others know whats dear to them. For some its a game franchise, and for some its a silly band from Brazil - hell, for the creator of the channel it was Maroon 5 with rips like Everyday Goodbyes (SiIvaGunner Band Cover). Even if you try describing SiIvaGunner as a celebration of video games and "pop" culture, you're never gonna be able to truly capture everything the channel's able to provide.

[isseichidai-paradise]

i have a lot of opinions about iDOLM@STER Shiny Festa (PSP)

it's fun i like it :)

Pros:

I like the gameplay loop of using the free play mode to build up "memories" and then spending them in the challenge course mode

the actual rhythm game feels REALLY nice, the note timing is a little loose but still strict enough to have the right level of "punch" to it and i am aware that this description will make no sense to anyone but me

the note charting is SUPER good, so even though there's only two buttons, there's a great rhythm flow and it doesn't feel too simplistic at all

I think the use of rails doing all sorts of crazy shapes, spawning on top of each other, intersecting and going back and forth, etc is actually sick, it's so much fun and I wish Project Mirai had been more like this

Cons:

music videos were pre-rendered using what I assume is the iDOLM@STER 2 engine on Xbox, which feels a little lame compared to in-engine renders like iDOLM@STER SP did but I get it. since it seems like the PSP doesn't have the horsepower to show more than 1-2 character models during a performance (see Project Diva), and Shiny Festa mostly focuses on larger group performances

branching off of that though, it would have been nice to have moving models during the visual novel segments! I know the story is Very simple but the jpegs feel lame to me, at least give them mouth flaps or something idk

over-use of anime clips in the music videos makes it really really obvious that this was meant to be an anime tie-in game and not entirely its own fully fleshed out experience. like it's got that "im playing over the hedge for nintendo ds" kind of feel if you know what i mean

I get that this is the "beach episode" but swimsuits always get a downvote from me idk I want cute stage outfits. they only do it in a couple of MVs so this is just me being nitpicky

the song list is short, each game only has like 20-25 songs in it which is pretty harsh for a rhythm game. having all of the games, unique songs from each one bump that list up to like 40-50 total which is more reasonable, but buying all 3 games at launch just for that would bite. imo each game should be a full experience in itself and it's a little bit lacking on that front as far as the number of songs goes

this is also a nitpick but the max note speed isn't high enough imo, it's hard for me to read triples or jackhammer type patterns

I think that like 70% of these complaints probably relate to the fact that each game came with a full anime episode, which probably took up a lot of storage space so they had less space for the... actual game...

Pros from the cons:

the pre-rendered music videos are cute!!! cute!!!!!!!

because the song list is so short, they really had to be choosy about what songs to put in so it's a very good little slice of the iM@S discography

the simplicity makes it easy to pick up and put down very quickly/play in short sessions

in conclusion, 7.5/10 too much water

subscribe today for more irrelevant game reviews

[receptorconsuming]

What games have you played recently and would you recommend them?

i havent played a ton of games lately because i’ve been really busy with school (which is why uploads have been slow), but here are some of my recent ones:

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (2015) $14.99 on Steam.

I love the Hotline Miami series and I played this game on a friend’s computer in high school and really loved it so I wanted to get my own copy after recently replaying the first one.

Left Alone (2016), $6.99 on Steam

I can’t recommend this game unfortunately. The atmosphere was great!! But the game is one that really really should’ve been free or at least a lot cheaper than it was. It’s incredibly short with very little puzzles and the story is kind of lacking. It is very visually interesting though so that’s cool!

Harvester (1996), $5.99 on Steam

A horror classic! It’s incredibly well priced and I feel like it’s kind of a staple for unique horror game fans. I’ve played it a few times over, but not since early high school, so I’ve been trying to replay it.

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (2018), $29.99 on Playstation store

I’m a big Persona fan and I’ve been thinking about buying Royal and Strikers lately so I wanted to also try out this one since I love rhythm games. I found it really challenging compared to other layouts like Project Diva or Taiko No Tatsujin, but I loved seeing the cast again. Especially after I bought the Akechi dlc :’)

PRICE (2016), free on Steam

This game was so awesome!! It’s a short little horror/mystery game with beautiful graphics and music. It’s really fun and the puzzles reminded me sooo much of old school rpgmaker games! I loved this game a lot

[mikumoduleoftheday]

Is the Project Mirai game worth it? It's a lot of money to shell out for something that may not be what I want.

That really depends on what you want out of it, I think. If you are a hardcore rhythm game player and really like a challenge, I have heard it can be too easy. If you want a more beginner friendly game, oh yeah I definitely recommend it.

I think that the song selection may seem slim compared to Project Diva (the 3Ds is a much less powerful machine), but the song choices are really solid and pretty varied. There’s a good chunk of songs that, at the time, were not in Project Diva yet. And some still aren’t. Certain tracks will also change the actual audio when you change the character. For example, there is a version of Sing&Smile for each piapro character where they actually sing it.

You can play in your choice of button mode or tap mode on the touch screen, and I really think tap mode is much more fun. There’s no issues with button mode though. In general, the note timing is much more forgiving than Project Diva.

In addition to the rhythm gameplay, there's minigames in the form of Reversi and a Puyo Puyo spin off. I think the Puyo one in particular adds a lot of gameplay hours. There's also a few other widget-esque functions, like a mini song studio that allows you to play with instruments in a piano roll interface, a dance/pv editor, and feeding/dressing up your choice of piapro characters.

Speaking of that solid track list, you can even listen to the songs from the game when the 3DS is closed/in sleep mode like an mp3 player so long as you use headphones. You can even curate playlists specifically for this function.

The visuals are really well optimized, and I'm so glad they went with the Nendoroid style. I think trying to imitate Project Diva on the much less powerful 3DS would have been terrible. It really gives the series its own identity instead of feeling like a lesser version or knockoff of Diva. The pvs are cute and unique too.

Also Gumi makes a guest appearance if that's a selling point to you, and because of her, there's some really good songs included that have no chance in showing up in Project Diva. The pattern for Invisible is so fun while playing.

I got it back when it first came out for uh, 40 USD I think?, and I feel it was definitely worth it. Gamestop currently has its for only $25 second hand. A fun and casual game that I think feels really cute and packed with character!

[shogikappa]

Rockin’ Pretty (Nintendo DS)

Rockin’ Pretty (Japan: Happy Star Band; Europe: Diva Girls: Making the Music) is a Nintendo DS band/music/rhythm game published in 2009 where you can choose between any of the 4 instruments the band members play and work your way through the different stages which offer new songs that can be unlocked.

I really love this game and there are several unique things about it. I’ve been looking for a game that lets you play as the various instruments in the band and this game delivers that, as well as music that’s instrumental (although the endings hint that the band isn’t actually an instrumental band, though throughout the game the music that’s played is all instrumental). Besides those, it also differs from conventional rhythm games that are in the style of say Guitar Hero, Synthesia (if you could call it a rhythm game), and Bang Dream where, instead of the music coming down as dots/bars down onto the horizontal line where you’re supposed to press buttons, the equivalent of “lines” in this game is spread out at various distances to mimic playing the actual instrument. The gameplay is played entirely using the stylus, and no buttons are used (though you can use the buttons to navigate menus and options, etc.).

The 4 members of the band are Mai (Japanese: Mahiru) on guitar, Kara (Jp: Kanami) on bass guitar, Mio on keyboard, and Reena (Jp: Riko) on drums. Although the US localization changed most of the names, at least their biography and looks remain intact, unlike the previous game, Princess on Ice, which, during localization, had the appearances of all characters completely redesigned for a “Western audience”. Anyway, onto the gameplay.

Just as a note, for each individual song, you can always choose between any of the 4 instruments to play (as well as the characters to dress up/equip instrument skins), so you aren’t stuck with 1 instrument throughout the game and can play the same song using all 4 before you move on to the next song, if you so wish. You get to choose between 3 difficulty levels for each song/instrument. Each song/instrument also has an autoplay mode where you could just watch the song being played.

The Instruments

Mai/Guitar

If you choose Mai, you get the guitar game. You’re allowed to choose your preferred hand so that the game reorientates. Anyway, there are 2 lanes which the music notes come diagonally down on. As you can probably already tell, depending on the colour of the blocks, when you actually pick will be different, so if the block is blue you need to pick when it reaches the blue zone on the lane, and so on. This creates a desirable (IMO) challenge that requires a little bit of calculation when a bunch of blocks of different colours come down in succession, which can happen more frequently when you get to higher stages. To pick, you place your stylus on the double-diamond-shaped thing between the lanes and slide it towards the side the block is on. Getting the precise angle can take minimal practice when you need to tremolo-pick (picking alternatively between the 2 lanes back and forth). The 6 possible zones reflect the 6 strings on an electric guitar, at least in my mind.

Kara/Bass

The bass is similar to the guitar game, except you have a single lane of 4 possible colour zones, reflecting the 4 strings on a bass guitar. Here, the main move, instead of sliding your stylus, is to simply tap the colour zone when the music block hits it, but there are also special blocks that require sliding, which the game calls strumming. Again, same calculation is needed when multiple colours come down.

Mio/Keyboard

Like Synthesia, but, a bit worse. I think this instrument can get quite unfair but good thing this is really just my main complaint of the game (otherwise I do quite love it). Lines come down and well, you tap the keys when the lines hit them. The unfair bit comes from how the lines often, in later levels, cover up lines that are below them (so you actually need to tap the key 2 times in a row but because the top line obscures the bottom line, you miss the 2nd tap). This becomes a game where you probably need some memorization to ace the song, although you don’t need to ace a song to complete it. Sometimes you’ll see multiple lines coming at the different keys simultaneously, which is when you need to slide your stylus across all the keys, similar to playing a glissando sweep on a keyboard.

Reena/Drums

Possibly my favourite to play and the one I do most well in, although I do prefer the guitar one for its creativity. The 4 circles essentially semi-simulate the crash cymbal, the bass drum, the snare drum, and well, that green one is rarely used so I don’t quite remember, might have been the high-hat/ride cymbal or so. Anyway, the notes slide in from the opposite side so that they always take the long way to get to the circles: the yellow and red notes always come from the right. Again, a similar calculation challenge presents itself when multiple notes of different colours come from both sides, although it’s easy (for me anyway) to get the hang of it when you focus more on the rhythm of the drumming than just looking at the notes. Some special notes require you to slide the stylus rather than just tapping.

Plot

Mai is a newcomer to this band Starlight that’s looking for a guitarist because their previous one dropped out. Mai and Kara are schoolmates, although they had never actually talked before. It looks like Mio and Reena are from the same school, but it’s not explicitly mentioned. Mio and Reena though don’t go to the same school Mai and Kara do.

Anyway, now a 4-member all-girls rock band, they start playing at different venues and enter the annual music contest Rockin’ Pretty (RP).

As you move one step closer to the finals, a new venue/stage is unlocked and 2 new songs become available, and you get a bit of progress on the little bit of story, if you wanna call it that (it’s pretty much dialogue presented in a visual novel style about them moving on but hey, it’s nice to see).

Music

The band plays a number of songs throughout the game. These are given by stage number below:

1. See You Again

2a. Heaven

2b. Prayer

3a. Good Morning

3b. Ambitious Ladies

4a. Your Eyes

4b. I Love You!

5a. Fluttering Heart

5b. Happy Sunday

6a. Fiery Glance

6b. Boyfriend

7a. Summer Fun

7b. Fight For Your Love

8. Rockin’ Nova

The music feels a bit mediocre. The tunes are not anything great, but I do enjoy this game enough to want to go back to listening to the music, but less so because the tunes are that great. The gameplay though, I think, makes up for it. The music ranges from softer pop-sounding music to something in the mid area. I wouldn’t say anything in this game falls under hard rock. Maybe a bit hard, but nothing too much.

Endings

There are 3 endings to the game. A good ending (which I unexpectedly got the first time round), as well as 2 normal endings. There’s no bad ending. There’s been various sources talking about how you get the good end. One page claims that you need to beat all songs on hard and do well in the finale which I can attest is not true cause I only played and beat 1 song on hard and yet I got the good end anyway. What is sure is that you need to ace the song in your finale (as any instrument), and just a normal performance would not do. And apparently the clothes/instruments that you bought also affect it, according to another source, but by that point I’ve really bought everything that you can buy so I couldn’t test it out. It’s a good idea to anyway, since your score caps at like 50000 or so. Your score is used to buy the girls new outfits, hairstyles, and instruments. Simply play a song and you’ll earn some points again, depending on your performance. The same source also mentions how you need to “get used to playing on Normal/Hard rather than just Easy”.

So I suppose the best bet is to warm yourself up on Easy, then move on to Normal (which is what I did), and buy outfits and instruments as you progress. After that, you can see all the endings depending on if you ace the finale or simply do average, and you’ll see the 3 endings. Maybe play one song on Hard like I did but I can’t say if it really changes anything.

If you only perform average, you’ll get 1 of the 2 normal endings at random. Good thing about this game is that you’ll see an ending each time you play the finale song, so you can check out all 3 endings at any point, but it does mean you’d have to sit through the credits every time you just wanna play the song.

Well of course the normal endings are well, you don’t win the contest. But as a character points out in one of the endings, making it all the way to the finals still means you put on a great show, even if you aren’t the best! After all, do you ever just listen to your favourite piece of music of all time and think your second favourite piece of music is not worthy? Another quote from the anime Sound Euphonium: music wasn’t originally intended for competition. And really, not to downplay the excitement of winning a music contest, but it’d have been lots of fun just to play music all around the city and make it to the finals, having your music be enjoyed by so many.

Anyway, even the normal ends aren’t too bad and they continue to play and keep on rockin pretty so hey, things are still good.

You unlock a photo studio where you can “take photos” of the band after you beat the game but the 3D models don’t exactly look that impressive. I’d rather have preferred a gallery for the endings I’ve unlocked but oh well.

Overall

Well I do very much love this game, especially since I came across it while on my music craze, hunting for band games and shows. And I got to live the fantasy of playing music with others a bit. My only complaints are that the keyboard game feels especially unfair and that the game’s a bit too short. If you enjoy a unique rhythm/band/music game, I’d say this one is worth checking out. Heck, I don’t really enjoy rhythm games but even I love this game because of the band atmosphere and the simulation (kinda) of playing different instruments. So maybe give it a go even if you don’t like rhythm games but want to play a game relevant to music bands.

[arandomtimeofday]

Honest Otome Review: Collar X Malice

Game: Collar x Malice

Platform: PS Vita

What’s it about?: Collar X Malice (CXM) follows the Main Character (MC) (renamable first name) Hoshino, a rookie cop stuck in the quarantined Shinjuku where everyone has an issued firearm. This is due to the terrorist group Adonis who have been terrorising the Shinjuku ward for the past few months with seemingly random death. One day on patrol the MC is collared by Adonis with an electronic collar capable of both poisoning and un-poisoning the MC and allowing a voice from Adonis to communicate. Through this event you meet the Love Interests (LI) Aiji Yanagi, Kei Okazaki, Mineo Enomoto, Takeru Sasazuka and Kageyuki Shirashi and work towards both solving the case of Adonis to remove the MC’s collar and deepening the relationship between you and the Lis’ (Duh it’s an Otome Game).  

Me route (play through the game as me): No I used a walkthrough as I started this game before I started doing otome reviews

Fave Route: Mineo Enomoto’s route. I just love that big dumbass.

Least Fave route: Aiji Yanagi’s. I’m just not a fan of him, although his route had the most plot development which I liked. I just didn’t Care for his romance at all

Likes:

·        The plot is deep and runs through each route. Each Lis’ route unlocks a new part of the whole story you didn’t know before and you have to pay very close attention to small details to help figure out the story and unlock the best possible route

·        The artwork in this game is amazing and the CG’s are iconic and memorable. I ended up saving so many as screenshots.

·        The personalities of the characters are fantastic. The side characters are all unique and feel as if they could be people you know in real life and the LI’s have so many different sides to them. They go beyond their original character trope.

Dislikes:

·        With the great side characters, I wanted to romance them quite often. Which can be hard when you know they aren’t in the game as LI’s. I can only hope they translate the fangame when they bring CXM to the switch in 2020.

·        The trigger modes are really easy, which I felt was bad when these modes sometimes decided who lives or dies. Also, its so slow. I play rhythm games (go project diva!!!!) so maybe that had something to do with it.

·        Slow skipping. I want lightning fast skipping. I hate slow skipping. Especiall6y when I’m trying to get all my ends and I’m skipping through read text.

Is it worth buying?: Yes. It’s also coming to switch in 2020 so I recommend waiting for that to come out to buy it although the Nintendo tax might make it more expensive. It’s just that the Vita is dead now (rip) and it looks like the otome games are going to the switch now so I suggest investing in that.

Would I recommend you play it?: Hell fucking yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[spinji]

50 Games in Quarantine (Part 1: Katamari and Rhythm)

So one of the things that I have decided to do during quarantine was to play one video game per day for 50 days. I had ended up purchasing quite a few games around the same time just before the lock down and I also came to have my childhood PlayStation 2 in my possession again which gave me quite a few games I wanted to revisit. I figured I would turn this into something productive and give my thoughts on all the games later. I’ve put the games through a randomizer every day for the last month and sorted them into groups of five and I’ll be writing these reviews with every group I finish.

Disclaimer

I am not a huge gamer or a game critic. I do enjoy video games but most of the consoles I own are past generations and most of the games I own are not part of gaming’s most well-known franchises. Also, I am rating these games largely on my own enjoyment so if a junky licensed game gets a high rating than a ten outta ten gaming icon, that is why.

Katamari Damacy (2004/2018)

While I did technically play the switch rerelease of the game, Katamari: Reroll, I did also own an original copy of the game and am quite familiar with it. Katamari was one of my gateway games as a child and it was nice to return to it. While I do think the original is serviceable as a relaxing and fun game, it feels a bit bare bones compared to the others in the series. I played this game AFTER Katamari Forever in my quarantine so at that point the amount of levels felt very minuscule and I beat the entire thing in one night. Still, it’s fun and the fresh coat of paint on the graphics for Reroll is very satisfying to see. My favorite levels were by far the constellation levels (Cancer especially) since they all revolve around collecting specific items instead of getting to a certain size. It’s very fairly priced and I do recommend it if you never experienced the series before. 7/10

We Love Katamari (2006)

Where is the rerelease Nintendo? Are going to announce a rerelease for this one too Nintendo? It’s the best game in the series, Nintendo. Nintendo???? Okay in all seriousness, this may be my favorite childhood game on the PlayStation and it has held up wonderfully. Because of how young I was, playing games was usually a collaborative effort with the adult who owned it. Because of that I have never 100% completed this game by myself. It’s a tough feat but I really want to because the bonus cousins’ level and rose quest is by far my favorite. The levels are a lot more unique in setting and concepts in this game, the cousins are all playable, and the over-world is a joy to just mess around in. And while on the surface there seems to be a similar amount of levels, there are multiple versions for most of the levels. You can get to the credits pretty fast but that is the tip of the iceberg for what is in this game. Get your hands on a copy and keep the pressure on Nintendo to revamp this game as well because it really does deserve it. 10/10

Katamari Forever (2009)

As much as this game is still fantastic, I don’t think it reaches past the second one’s quality, despite the upped graphics. A lot of the aspects I liked were more style choices and smaller details. The monochrome style of the King levels was nice. A few of the new cousins were cute but none of them really pass up my favorites. The new levels were interesting but not a lot of them stood out. I did have fun but there’s not a lot to talk about. If you like Katamari this will scratch any extra itches if you never caught wind of this game before now, but it just doesn’t raise the bar like the last one. The only thing I could really say if that it’s way easier to unlock endless modes this time! I never even knew there were endless modes for levels until I played this game and I have been playing these games for 14 years! I’ll likely be going back for secrets but it’s just not my first choice for Katamari content. 8/10

Groove Coaster: Wai Wai Party!! (2019)

Since I hadn’t been a position to own a rhythm game with Vocaloid music in it until very recently my attention was drawn to this game while I was anxiously squirming around for the news of Project Diva’s next western release. I’m happy to say that this game is unique enough that I’m not going to stop playing it now that Mega Mix is out. A lot of it’s songs aren’t present in the Project Diva series and it also includes things outside of Vocaloid like original tracks that absolutely slap, Touhou music, including Bad Apple and Night of Nights, and even a few anime themes. The ad-lib mechanic and mission system has been very fun to go through to unlock the rest of the songs. The two player mode wasn’t good at all, especially compared to the arcade cabinets but it’s not that essential to the game, so whatever. Creating your own challenges was a nice way to kind of play your favorite levels back to back. There’s even an Undertale DLC which I would totally get if the e-shop page wasn’t just shaped like one big middle finger. This game is a solid $60 with additional DLC packs for $16 each. For comparison, Project Diva Mega Mix is $40 without the DLC, every song pack is $7, and if you know that you want the DLC you can pay $60 for the entire game right off the bat on the e-shop. Unless you are a huge rhythm game person, or you adore Vocaloid AND Touhou despite it now being 2020, the price is a bit too much for what you get. Also, epilepsy warning for this one because there are a LOT of flashing lights and colors. 7/10

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix (2020)

SPEAKING OF MEGA MIX! Or Mega 39s because Japan likes to be cute with titles that do not translate well internationally. This was my first Project Diva game outside of playing the arcade cabinet at conventions. It was great to finally experience it all for myself and I picked up the gameplay really easily despite it being more complicated than Groove Coaster. The Mix mode was interesting but my left joycon was a bit too clunky to play effectively. For whatever reason it always broke about halfway through The Snow White Princess is and I could never finish. I had heard people making a big stink about the graphics before the game released but I did enjoy them just fine. They’re on the same level as Project Diva X for me. Not hyper detailed and gorgeous like Future Tone but the simplicity keeps them slick and satisfying to watch. Considering that this game has to allow for handheld play and a lagging rhythm game would be the WORST, I am totally cool with that decision. I haven’t taken in the full track list but from what I’ve seen they kept all the gems from Future Tone, added a few fan favorites, and most of the cut songs were the more obscure ones with the older and jankier videos which I am totally fine with. The difficulty feels very fair. It’s easy to pass a level just fine but mastering a level and especially challenge segments takes practice but it’s not so picky for perfection that it isn’t accessible for people who aren’t rhythm veterans. I passed every level I played on normal regardless of its labeled difficulty but I have yet to earn a gold metal score. If you’re miraculously still into Vocaloid after this many years, I do recommend checking this one out. 9/10

[nerd-overload-blog1]

In the world of pop idols who become outlandish stereotypes of themselves after being chewed up and reformed by the music industry machine, why not have one that starts out a cartoon? Hatsune Miku, the teal haired, twin tailed anime mascot of a singing synthesizer application by Crypton Future Media has really taken on a life of her own, headlining concerts worldwide. Miku also has not been a stranger to the video game world appearing in a ton of games in both the Project DIVA and Project Mirai series– both of which are rhythm games, but Mirai gives Miku and friends a look based on their Nendoroid figures and is typically for the 3DS. So in the vast sea of existing Hatsune Miku-based rhythm game experiences all over Sony platforms, what makes this Project DIVA game, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone, stand out?

Well, to sum it all up in one word, content. This game has more songs in it than I’ve ever seen in a rhythm game– so many that they’ve split them into two separate packs, Future Sound, which has all the rock and dance songs, and Colorful Tone, where all the upbeat, happy, and cute songs reside. Each pack will set you back $29.99 (or save cash with the $53.99 bundle) getting you a tremendous amount of songs for your money and allowing you to pick one group of songs if there’s more you like there. Although perhaps a Rock Band style song store that lets you pick your Miku songs a la-cart would be the most consumer friendly approach, this way isn’t bad either. The cost of one video game nets you enough songs for like 3 separate games– all pulled from previous Miku games both Project DIVA, Mirai, and Arcade titles. All-in-all you end up with 100+ songs to play of all different types and difficulties.   There are seriously just piles and piles of Hatsune Miku songs (and other vocaloids for that matter) waiting for you to tap buttons along with them.

Speaking of tapping buttons to songs, that’s the entirety of gameplay on offer from Project DIVA Future Tone. There’s no real surprises here and if you’ve played a Hatsune Miku game in the past, or any rhythm game really, you’ll know what to expect. Button prompts slide on screen and you press them in time with the music. Sometimes you just press the button, sometimes you tap it rapidly, sometimes you hold it for a bit. Sometimes the game wants a flick of the analog stick in a certain direction. It’s obviously nothing groundbreaking, but it’s fun, and you can’t fault the game for doing what it says on the tin. All throughout the song, Miku or one of the other vocaloids performs an animated routine in the background, unique to every song. Considering how many songs there are in this game, that’s a pretty impressive feat, especially when you consider the amount of customization options you have. When you complete a song, you unlock currency you can use to dress the different vocaloids up with a considerably large amount of outfits and accessories from glasses to street clothes to bathing suits, to SEGA themed gear (which was my personal favorite– of course I want to dress Miku up in a Sonic hoodie and sweatpants that say “Sonic” on the butt!). Speaking of SEGA themed gear, there’s also a handful of songs based on SEGA arcade classics like Afterburner and Outrun’s Magical Sound Shower which was a delight for me, someone who enjoys SEGA arcade throwbacks.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone‘s downside, though? Well, your mileage may vary depending on how much you like Miku’s music. If you aren’t a fan of  Hatsune Miku’s brand of music (as vast genre-wise as it may be) this isn’t going to do anything to change your mind, and I think the mostly generic, on the nose rhythm game gameplay isn’t going to entice anyone over to the Hatsune Miku fandom. In the end, though, if Hatsune Miku is your thing and you love pushing buttons on a game controller in time to music, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone is about as good as it gets.

8\10 

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone was reviewed using a download code provided by SEGA.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone (PS4) [Review] In the world of pop idols who become outlandish stereotypes of themselves after being chewed up and reformed by the music industry machine, why not have one that starts out a cartoon?

[morningshow-blog1]

5 Ways to Avoid Home-based Business Burnout

Home based professionals, solopreneurs and small business owners do a unique juggling act. There’s nothing like commuting to the room that is next a dress code that includes pajamas, and dealing with kids’ concerts and games. But, the flexibility of working from home has a front and a back. The front is an blessing that is incredible everyone in the household but the back can lead to burnout unlike any other.

As a mother with a home-based coaching/consulting that is international, I coach successful professionals in the same way that Olympic coaches work with athletes. My clients run the gamut from United Nations members, corporate executives to solopreneurs in the US, UK and Canada. Many are parents either based at home or who have created a ongoing work life that highly values family time. They’ve taught me 5 important things about successfully working from home:

1. Expectations:

Discipline is necessary to allow it to be at home but unrealistic standards cause stress. Stay at home moms and dads who aren't running businesses can’t be the standard for those who are. Likewise, people who are on someone else’s payroll can’t dictate work parameters. Too often stay at home workers and the people they should produce full time homemaker results while producing more than full time work results around them believe. People are doing amazing things from dining room tables but unrealistic expectations are a set-up for individual and angst that is social.

2. Boundaries: While home-based organizations break the confines of the standard workweek, they also require constant boundary setting. Many at home workers just don’t set clear ground that is enough like hours of operation, restrictions on interruptions, clarity on whenever it's okay and when it is not to put in laundry, start dinner, do a favor for a friend...

The most successful at home workers allow their inner “diva” to prevail. Family and friends often just don't get it about being self-employed so boundary crossings are an occupational hazard. Women are especially reluctant to say, "even though I'm technically house, I'm not available."

Having the ability to set clear boundaries requires getting enough down and time that is alone; a Catch-22 because it takes serious boundary setting to create that quality of time. Recharging batteries isn’t a luxury. Too few home-based professionals account for cabin fever and the value of fresh air, mental stimulation, and new faces. It’s easy not to know where your boundaries are from the outside if you never get to see them.

3. Scheduling: Especially when kids and/or businesses are young, it's not only tempting but critical to break the work day up - and probably to work extraordinarily late or early hours. Very few jobs in the world require the extreme hat flipping and very few workplaces entail the range of agendas and unique surprises that work-at-home parents handle.

As the kids and/or the company hit subsequent developmental stages, new rhythms have to be established - a task compounded by the number of people in the family. Families and businesses have long range and day-to-day rhythms. It’s important to create leeway in the home-based schedule to account for the inevitable chaos between the times when work and family are in sync with one another. The solopreneur walks a delicate balance between honoring the family rhythm and honoring the rhythm of the diva s/he needs to be to realize professional and potential that is personal.

Since the office is always there, sometimes stay-at-home workers habituate to working whenever they know deep inside that it is the right time to play with a kid or to date their spouse, which leads to all types of social stresses. schmuck basteln zubehoer accessories for ipad It helps to stick with set hours unless specific pre-established requirements kick in, like a large order or a significant deadline, or to schedule time for some extra playtime that is delicious. Publishing a schedule/contract (often done on the refrigerator) and regular meetings with a peer mentor or coach can make all the difference for striking a satisfying balance of priorities.

4. Delegation: one of the primary causes for home-based burnout is the shortage of delegation. Home-based working moms are the superwoman that is quintessential who are expected to do all of it for everybody at all times.

In early years before profits stabilize, most business owners are reluctant to hire enough help to take earnings to the next level. Work at home parents don't hire home and/or business help soon enough and when they do, they spend far time that is too much themselves for getting it. Too little help means not only that the business limps but family needs go unmet. And don’t forget, child labor has a very different meaning in the home-based business household! Let your kids and spouse see just how much they matter - put them on the team. Twenty years of experience tells me that, despite the resistance, you’ll all be glad you did.

5. Support: it could be a tough call between holding firm on your office hours and yielding to a carpool need. On the one hand, you chose your work setup to allow you to say yes to family, but on the other, you have to continually muster what it takes to stand firm for your work. Professional support is the best way to help yourself discern where the lines are and how to negotiate them so everybody wins.

Even they can really enjoy the fruits of their labors if you barter with a colleague for a weekly mutual support call, it’s well worth the time investment because people who coach are better able to frame their unique circumstances so. Home-based professionals/entrepreneurs who use coaches have a grasp that is healthier work/life stability. They not only negotiate distractions a lot more effectively, they work forward so they have a edge that is competitive. Clients who coach develop their visions into reality faster and with more stability than those who don’t. MasterMind group members say the support that is intensive anchor their work and personal stakes and allows them keep their bearings. MasterMind members report a sense of equanimity so that all of the juggling isn’t unsettling.

To prevent or remedy burnout: Rather than focus on failed expectations, weak boundaries, overwhelming hours, the never ending to-do list, etc., take an asset inventory. Take time to list what you’ve accomplished and what assets you bring in terms of talent, commitment, resources, and family that is helpful friends and associates. List what shows up whenever you do, even on a bad day. That’s your real business and personal treasury and it’s easily a few hundred items long!

Also, every right time you feel guilty about not being at work or not being with family, take a moment to appreciate what’s going on and why. No matter how small, find something good about the moment and then expand on that thought, even if you need certainly to start with being thankful for your chair. If you more naturally find gratitude for the big stuff, break it down to articulate just how good it all is. Gratitude will make you more effective in the brief moment and better prepared for what’s next. The act of appreciation has a neuro- and bio-chemical profile that can actually repair burnout symptoms and trigger insight.

It is truly amazing what can be accomplished in shorts and flip-flops, on patios, on the bleachers, and even in beds. At-home business owners and professionals are unsung heroes who are creating brand new social mores, living family that is strong, and accomplishing the American dream.