#i dont like card style fighting games

[hellishgayliath]

Just discovered last night that kingdom hearts union cross had taken out the older play style of the game and replaced it with some freaking card fighting based style and I've never been more disappointed in my life

[dreamsy990]

SPONTANEOUS MINI REVIEW BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT I HAVENT FUCKING TALKED ABOUT FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok so. i actually really liked this one!

so uh. if you witnessed that incredibly long thread i made yelling about kh3 you will know that i. am not a fan of the look of modern kh. i think its kind of uninteresting compared to the delightfully cartoony style and just generally i dont like more realistic looks to games that already had a unique visual identity.

so im here to say that i think it works for 0.2! im a good way through kh3 and i dont think it works well there and ill get to that when i eventually review that game but. in 0.2 i think the new style fits the more dark tone very nicely, and the enviornments are absolutely gorgeous. like i came out of ddd thinking absolutely nothing could top symphony of sorcery in terms of world design and was proven wrong. the realm of darkness is my new favorite kh "world". for my mutuals who havent played kh, look at this!!! its absolutely gorgeous

and the environments are actually my favorite thing about this game. besides being beautiful, theyre also delightfully trippy and unsettling. theres a section where you have to climb up a seemingly never ending staircase, and every time you reach what you think is the top you hear aquas worst thoughts. a lot of the areas are twisted, destroyed versions of worlds seen in bbs. its very dark (fitting, for the realm of darkness) and honestly its a treat to just walk around admiring the view. the visual storytelling is as good as kh ever gets.

i briefly mentioned aquas thoughts a minute ago so ill bring them up again, her commentary adds a lot to the desolate atmosphere, and this game really feels like a character study. it shows her desperation, her worst thoughts, her hope despite everything, and its just genuinely good. i havent been able to say that about khs character writing since like. days. its GOOD.

i am. not a fan of bbs' writing. i think its got a good underlying concept with absolutely terrible execution, and it makes me wonder at times if the things i like about it were intentional or not. but this game takes the best written character of bbs and gives her more depth than they ever could before. i can say with confidence that aqua is one of the best characters in the series, and a lot of it is because of this game.

the tone here is very gloomy, but thats not really a complaint because the game is so short. the depressing atmosphere isnt too much to bear because youre barely in it for more than 2 hours. and i think that run time is EXACTLY long enough. it goes for exactly as long as it needs to tell the story and still give a moment to breathe.

as for gameplay. im not the biggest fan of the updated system. i like to think im open to change with kh's combat. i think the command deck has potential and the card system in com was fun and i actually liked days' panel system. but something about the way this new version of the system feels to play is just. unsatisfying. hits dont feel like they have any weight to me, and spells feel inconsequential despite being more grandiose than ever. its just not as good as it was before, and like its a sort of half assed replacement of reaction commands. the way they incorporated style changes into it was okay, but again its not as satisfying as it was in bbs. but maybe it was just satisfying in bbs because the rest of the combat there sucked

tldr, the things i care about in a game (writing and visuals) were fucking spectacular, but the gameplay definitely had room to improve. also if i ever have to fight a darkside again ill throw up and cry! 8/10, though im tempted to raise it to a 9 for the environments alone

[calamaroo]

Wassup California love!

Do you have any Dashi HC's from any of your AU's or just for Dashi in general.

Also lowkey would love to hear some more pirate AU stuff cause I love it!

THE LIST IS GROWING!!! CALIFORNIA LOVE!!!

(I love beyond words all the absolute absurd nick names/various ways to say my name, I cherish each and every one 🥹)

Dashi Masina Dachshund

Some general headcanons:

She/her, 34 years old, Bisexual (I dont know a lot about different sexualities, but that seems fitting).

Loves fashion (along with Kwazii) and their styles are the most out there compared to everyone else's. They modify their uniforms the most out of the crew, and Dashi has a particularly love for a pink, tropic, and techy aesthetics.

This is how I imagine her general aesthetic and/or vibe looks (Absolutely drop dead gorgeous) :

AfroAmer + Samoan ( original idea from @animalsalvationassociation ) grew up in Australia with her mother, who was a wildlife photographer. They traveled often but always returned home eventually. --- mother is Samoan, and father was AfroAmer

Her middle name : "Masina," mean "moon" in Samoan. I think it's fitting because the moon affects the tides, and having the moon in your good graces would grant you safe passage on the sea.

Was a pilot before the Octonauts, where she continued to travel and took photos of all her destinations. Even now, she sends almost all of the pictures she takes back to her mother.

( @hers-underwraps ) said she would be into meteorology, and that sounds very fitting.

Pirate!Dashi

AU Lore/Headcanons :

Is the Black Ice's Navigatior (like a Skipper). She pilots the ship and is the best at it. She could dock even the biggest warship on a dabloon if she wanted.

Met the Gentleman Blue (+ crew, which was only Tweak and Kwazii at the time) after she tried to steal his ship. Barnacles was impressed by her skills and bravery and asked if she'd like to join them. She agreed.

She is closest with Shellington (the new guy) and occasionally helps him with his alchemy.

Primary weapons would be something focusing on distance. Poison darts, throwing knives, and the occasional flintlock shot. Knives and darts are quicker than guns to reload, so she sticks to that. She doesn't fight often though, as on the rare occasion an enemy managed to get on to the Black Ice, they are quickly removed or killed before they can reach the helm.

Master of seduction and trickery. She knows she's drop-dead gorgeous and will use that to her advantage. (Because she's hot like that, and a pirate. She's gotta be a least a little evil and sexy.)

Nicknamed : "The Black Ice Siren"

Extremely competitive at card games/fun stuff they do on board in their free time. She wins most of the time, and it infuriates Kwazii (who is twice as competitive)

This is what I envision for her pirate design (which I have yet to draw, but have a vision/general idea of) :

That's all I can think of rn, i hope you like it <3

Tried to make it look pretty to impress you 👉👈

[damatically]

Zayne mini rant cuz i really love him and how he is written even tho we only have 8 chapters and current cards to tell his personality bc this game is newly released

Zayne beating allegations of him being emotionally constipated black haired ml one card at the time is such a treat.

Sure he's a man with few words but he's not afraid or shy to openly expresses his feelings abt certain things and his feelings for mc.

His sarcastic side came off really friendly to me and its not obnoxious sometimes when writers write mls who are supposed to be sarcastic those dudes just came off bland or rude in execution but zayne doesnt.

I feel like he's actually based on a real person atp cuz how can you capture such a realistic personality like this??? Its so good.

For now he doesnt have the spiciest cards but the way his cards convey his relationship with mc is such a breath of fresh air. His take is mature and secured. Im so sick of jealous possessive mls it feels tacky rn for me. But it doesnt mean that zayne doesnt get jealous it was hinted in a slightest he does get jealous a bit but he doesnt stay quiet and turn it into a whole fight he addresses it.

Another thing i love ofc iTS HIS VISUAL. Its simple but man im weak lmao leave me alone. aLSO HIS HANDS 🥺🥺🥺 devs knows how to attack me.

The only thing i dont like is how ppl will say he's similar to xyz and xyz ml's are nothing like him. Im not gonna mention the otome games but im just saying Zayne didnt come off problematic unlike those characters you compared him to. Style wise they can be similar but it irks me that they even include everything abt him. I can accept few comparison bc the rest is just me going to side eye from far away.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[spearxwind]

Ever heard of Kaijudo. It's like a digimon show. Kids can summon creatures with karate and use them to duel. It became a card game at some point. But the creature designs are interesting.

This is one. Lots of dragons and elements of creatures. Like a tech based water tribe.

Or this dakrness creature. These are the same thing.

Just wanted to hear your thoughts. Thank you!

Oh I actually hadn't heard of kaijudo before!! That first dragon design looks super awesome its got rly good shapes!! From a quick google the art style is very 2000s too, it feels very vaguely familiar

One of the title images says the title is 'kaijudo rise of duel masters', i dont think its the same thing but "duel masters" WAS a card game that I did have a deck for!!

But yeah summoning creatures using fighting styles to fight with them is also rly dope i would have probably loved this 👍

[darkpunkrocker]

Hey, Mun Do you have any advice in writing Sidney for a fanfic?

//Well first of- Holy shit thank you? I'm glad you like how I write Sidney enough to send this 👉👈🥺 I would also love to see your fic if you do finish and post it!

//Anyway, Well it sorta depends on how you want your version of Sidney to be! I basically take inspiration from ORAS and masters dialogue, which you can actually fine here [Link]. Other than that, because there's not a lot of info on him, I also go HEAVILY by my own HCs, Which I'll put under a readmore! (It's a lot so be warned.)

OOC:

My Sidney is from Virbank, Unova, hence the heavy New Jersey accent (which is fun to write~) I got inspo for his accent from Here, Here (smoking tw), and Here. He's also Omnisexual and technically cis, but doesn't really give a fuck about gender other than that. I also basically channel a bit of Tulio and Miguel from Road to El Dorado. Random, but they're so fucking funny and dorky, yet try and act suave and mysterious. ANYWAY-

He comes off as very boisterous and can have an attitude, depending on who's talking to him, how and why. In reality, he's actually a nice guy, loyal friend, a total dork, and a sweetheart. He's not afraid to stand up for himself and others, and would probably fight someone if they were fucking with any of his loved ones. His battling style is very offensive, meaning he's all about attack and power over buffers and defense, and in away I think this also shows through his personality too.

When he was younger he was a "problem child", mostly because of his... shitty home life and parents, and got into trouble A LOT. Even slept a couple nights in jail as a teen. Much like Grimsley, he enjoys casinos and gambling, although he's not as "addicted" as his friend is. However, rather than card games (besides poker), he enjoys mostly dice and roulette games instead. He also enjoys playing pool at bars (usually against Glacia and Drake) but will also play with whoever wants to.

He's very supportive of young trainers, and will go out of his way to give them advice and give them battling tips. He sees himself in a lot of kids and teens, and is actually very patient and kind towards them, especially if he suspects they live a life similar to his own childhood.

With significant others, he always makes a point to make them feel loved, and is VERY physically affectionate towards them. He enjoys gift giving as a sign of love (romantic, platonic, familial, etc), and likes spending time with them as well. He enjoys flirting with his SOs or any interests, where he comes off as "suave" (either seriously or playfully) and likes to make the other laugh.

Also, much like my Piers muse, he also goes by a punk code, and is respectful towards others and stands up for minorities as well. Unlike Piers however, he can be a bit more aggressive towards authority figures and will fight back if he has to. Course, he doesn't physically fight others as much as he did as a kid, but he'll throw a punch if some asshole is in his face, threatening him. He's also known to be at protests and riots, and isn't afraid to give them his full support and help.

I think... that's it mostly? So sorry about the wall of text lmao, I hope this helps you! And also remember, these are just suggestions! You're allowed to write Sidney as you see fit, have fun with it! He has SO MUCH POTENTIAL, and it's sad that not very many people make fanfics and fanart of him (and dont even get me started on how some of these fics will portray him as a sleezeball and overall shitty person. I won't go into detail, but It's disgusting at times and makes me so disappointed cuz there's so little with him to begin with).

NOW GO FORTH AND WRITE, FRIENDO! And again thank you so much for asking me, this actually made my day. I love talking about my muses (AS YOU CAN SEE), and I'm glad you saw my Sidney fit enough to want to try writing him on your own!

If you ever have any more questions, feel free to DM on my main account @galactic-mermaid! I'll be happy to help you)

[jjkrereadlb]

Ch 222

Sukuna says gojo has the last finger which is entirely plausible but NOT confirmed yet

Theres a mummy which i was told is sukuna’s own mummified body but its actually not confirmed??? If anything last chapter it looked more like tengen then sukuna

Sukuna says “did kenjaku… or rather tengen… do this ironically?” what does this mean. This sounds like tengen and kjk are like the same being under different names (???) or maybe that one of them was the one who wanted to make the mummy and asked the other to do the work for them??? Idk

When gojo says “its just the three of us” referring to himself shoko and ijichi shoko answers “there’s one who hasn’t fully recovered yet.” Id jump on the chance to say its nobara but i think they’re talking of people who went to school with them so who? Nanami is dead for sure bc they confirm it one panel later. Mei mei and utahime were i think both older than them (already professional sorcerers while they were students) and anyway neither of them received any major injuries in shibuya and they haven’t fought in the culling game. Geto ofc is the obvious option but I wouldnt describe his current situation as “not fully recovered yet” lmao unless its a weird translation thing again. Who else is even left??

Im sorry but meimei setting up a livestream of the gojo sukuna fight is fucking hysterical. like that makes sense. Id be watching that shit if i were in jjk world. Shitting myself in fear the whole time too but still. she’s giving the people what they want.

Yuuji is fighting someone(i think that guy from shibuya without a CT but im not sure) and yuujis body(?) calls the other guy itadori. I see now why ive seen an increase in people saying yuuji has kjk’s bodyhopping. Honestly it could be also bc i dont understand what else could possibly be going on . Maybe this is someone elses CT that we havent seen so far (utahime? Idk) and they’re using it to have yuuji sneak up on sukuna/kjk under false pretenses??? Idk

Theres also whatever the fuck this ^ is. Not even gonna try.

Kjk says if theyd left sukuna’s side gojo would have killed them. So theyre sure gojo could easily beat them in a fight. Good to know for powerscaling & matchup predictions ig.

UTAHIME IS BACKKKKK crossing off a bingo card! Thanks gege! Now tell us her ct.

I love that everyone slaps gojo on the back but inumaki kicks him. Like he still has one arm 😭😭 legend behavior honestly. Id kick him too if I knew i could get away with it

MIWA APPEARANCE!!! We still haven’t been told what she was doing in the CG when we caught a glimpse of her. Im betting we will see it in a flashback and it will be important and also i have a feeling some new new shadow style will make an appearance through her.

Sukunas deranged grin in the very final panel… what can i say. Daddy.

[nicollekidman]

podcast anon again. the second i saw you were getting into hh i got excited because i knew you were going to have good opinions by virtue of being a donnaharvey warrior. lucifer being banned from podcasts for feminist reasons is extremely real, bc what do you mean you spent 7+ years dressing up as p.t. barnum instead of spending time with your daughter. like what do you mean you've never met her significant other. do better. vaggie hates his ass and yet alastor is still down there in that hotel every day in a stunning show of freak/lesbian solidarity. like at this point the men of this show should start in jail and have to work their way out.. too many strikes and its public execution broadcast hunger games style. this obviously excludes alastor and sir pentious <3 s2 can also have a storyline where charlie tries to deprogram lute bc anyone who is best friends with adam has strong self-proclaimed darling-of-the-frat-house vibes.

i don’t even really want to add anything to this you are too funny and dialed in for me to improve on what’s going on here. do you know how rarely that happens… love that my donnaharvey laminated stan card is what gave me the pass here.

jeremy jordan cast as lucifer was a stroke of brilliance because my personal unfounded grudge against him made the deadbeat dad vibes even stronger, like wdym you’re tweaking at alastor helping out the daughter you ignored for years….. drop the piano on him again!!!! alastor barely tolerates anyone in hell besides charlie and an assorted array of freakass ladies and THAT’S activism…… dont let the king of hell (who didn’t even know his daughter was gay) get between you and your business partner you’re probably soul bound to protect in some way and will turn on eventually and her girlfriend who hates you

lute is SO hot she needs to be more involved in s2 i don’t care how…. jessica vosk you will always be famous!!!!!! also i am obsessed with the idea that all the citizens of hell are creating their own hunger games scenarios 24/7 like it is murder and crime and debauchery nonstop and all the rings have different vibes & setups…. and then charlie wanders around singing with her big wet eyes and everyone is like There She Goes Again but they love her and Pause as she goes by (need to see her fully hulked out in demon form PLEASE and bonus points if she fights with alastor beside her bc the bodies would stack up so rapidly and the song would BANG)

[tennco]

already gave my thoughts on it on stream but here we go. uhh, yeah touhou 19 sure is a phantasmagoria game.

it was a bit disappointing that there wasn’t anything new besides what was shown in the announcement. which.. sounds kinda weird now that im writing it but idk, they could’ve not shown the available roster to keep it a surprise for the demo at least. but also maybe im too used to the experience of getting 3 new characters right off the bat.

i like the new changes to the gameplay, particulary that you can now hold down Z (!!!) instead of getting carpal tunnel. and bombs are back. there’s also something going on with the way the battles play out, like you gotta wait for the AI to do some special spell card attack to beat ‘em? if there’s some way to trigger it that i didn’t get because, japanese, then sure, very welcome change to make the fights more snappy. if that spell card happens whenever the AI feels like it then, it’s still pretty much waiting for the AI to fuck up which is, the main reason i dont like phantasmagoria games. there’s just no clear indication of when you’re doing things right, or rather no way to do things right.

graphically the game looks amazing, following in the same style of UM. everything just pops out and is so full of color. ZUN has gotten increasingly better at art, im a really big fan of this new style. also goddamn the new boss sprites look so good i love them, kinda reminds me of the sprites from Gouyoku Ibun (i did hear it was a Twilight Frontier artist who did them so, checks out)

i didn’t really expect a lot of music, but what is there is nice. reimu and marisa got new themes which... honestly it’s gonna be pretty hard to replace the ones we already know but, good attempt. i don’t know why they act as regular stage themes too? like they can replace the ones from other characters, i don’t know what’s up with that. also aunn has an arrangement of her theme, while seiran and nazrin have arrangements of the stage theme where they appear, which i found a bit weird. they’re all pretty good tho, nazrin’s i found to be a bit weak? i think i honestly prefer the UFO version of that one but, it’s fine.

anyways, pretty good demo. some bugs here and there which is, to be expected. and p1 is set to gamepad by default which makes sense but uh, no. i can’t talk about the plot because no tl but i kinda doubt there’s gonna be much of that with this few characters. again i wish there could’ve been at least one new face to talk about but, guess we’ll have to wait until the full release for that.

STAY BELIEVING MIMAMANIACS

[thegeminisage]

ok i actually did forget to do my amiibo earlier but i'm doing them now and I GOT! THE FIERCE DIETY SWORD! what am i gonna do there's not enough room in my HOUSE for this........

im finally at the tingle islands and like...they added in the sound of wood creaking in the wind when you walk over these long narrow rickety bridges...thats so FUCKING GOOD was that there in botw???

kinda disappointed nothing else is here tho. no monsters or anything i saw like 2 guys

ok, i temporarily left the island to receive assistance with my KOROK SEEDS!!! that i couldn't get. thank you to CATHERINE<3 for helping me solve not one but TWO block puzzles that were defeating me

first one below hateno and second one over in that little area under zoras domain. so normal. like 3 turns of a block. i couldn't get them. tetris champion title revoked

and ALSO credit to cathy for finding a tiny alcove that i could not see from my bike. i flew all over that fucking place but it was so small i just missed it from the air. thats 3 seeds i never would have gotten w/o her. but also i told her how to do the cork puzzle

the thing is like none of this is online yet right...so it's just like, in 1986, when there was no internet and everybody played the original nes game. like you'd just trade the hints and tips yourself in the schoolyard or some shit, like if you knew where one thing was and your friend knew where the other thing was. we are literally partying like it's 1986. #problemsolving old skool vintage style. quite literally taking the series back to its rooots in every single way as intended

back to my islands...there is a chasm here which for some reason surprised me. like ofc there is lol

today's other tiny tragedy is: when my game first started i picked up this magic ruby rod from some enemy...i don't even remember how i got it, but i know it was nearly at the start of the game, bc i was finding korok seeds in central hyrule with it

and anyway i ONLY used it to start fires. and it's lasted me 135 hours but Now...badly damaged. i'm gonna be sad when it breaks

i can't keep it in my house. no room as we've established.

the weather here is so funny. there's a thunderstorm at the top of the islands, ONLY the very top. when i dip even slightly lower it turns into just cloudiness

well. chasm time.

ugh i dont see ANY lightroots...

ok, i checked my map (cheating!) and there are no lightroots in these little...holes. i'm on my own. i did see what treasure is here tho (cap of the wind!!) so i'm pressing forward >:(

(toon link is my only amiibo card that does not work lol)

i hate it here <3 the tunnels representing the bridges are so steep and narrow...

just had a horrifying thought. this place is suspiciously empty so i checked the map for gloom spawn. guess what i'm gonna have to go through to get my chest.

I DON'T WANNA

i'm gonna. god i wish i hadn't looked. every time i check for them i regret it

well. this is it.

i'll just. run up to the chest and open it and then fast travel out. i can do that. unless i have to fight phantom ganon for the chest...AUGH

i'm saving my game.

WOWWOWOW the only light in this entire system of holes is this cheerfully lit chest!! if i hadn't Known.........

in and out in and out i can do it i can do it oh fuck

OH FUCK THEY SPAWNED RIGHT WHEN I WAS ALMOST THERE I OPENED THE CHEST I GOT THE THING BUT AS SOON AS I HIT THE BUTTON

THEY'RE GONNA GET ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i LLLLITERALLY. fast traveled out. Fuck That

these are horrible islands. im never comign back

oh my god ive been putting gibdo bones on all ym swords bc of the high fusion power but they break after ONE HIT.......lame

ulria grotto my old foe...i fucking hate it here. i ALWAYS get lost or stuck and have to Climb

actually i have to go to bed now anyway so this is a problem for future me!!

[puppy-wife]

okokok i have charged up the social batteries and am ready to yap back @ u!!!!!!

so again, ty for such a big answer 😭 i love hearing ppl yap about their special interests, v cool v nice

questions i have are:

why is 3.5e your fave? im only familar with 5e so i dont know much

playing wit tarot cards instead of dice sounds cool af, which game do u do that in?

for ur world building, how do u personally go about starting such a vast project?

as for meee i havent actually played a TTRPG yet 🤓 i have only watched 5e campaigns on youtube so far! but i love the creativity that goes into this stuff & it has become one of my favourite pieces of media to consume

no YOU'RE very cool very nice I love opportunities to talk about my favorite stuff, so I am absolutely super happy lmao

1.) I really liked 3.5e because it gave a lot more variety and ways to make your character unique vs 5e today (don't even get me started on fucking OneD&D or whatever they're calling it. trash). Firstly, back then wizards was making so many books for that edition that you could make any kind of character you wanted to play. They even allowed official material to be printed by other companies!! you want to play the ultimate evil wizard who gives people cancer? that exists. you want to play the perfect necromancer, and maybe even be undead yourself? you can do that. You could build your characters skills to different levels and choose exactly how good you are at certain things. You could take a Flaw, a permanent debuff on your character but in exchange get a Feat! god fucking Prestige Classes!! those were the coolest fucking part of the game, building a character and leveling them up enough to unlock this special class with wild abilities you can't get from a basic class. this isn't to say that 3.5e didn't have its faults, it could be confusing and the math could sometimes really add up. in some ways it needed a bit of streamlining but 5e basically threw a lot of that away in order to streamline everything. If you want a good example but how fluid 3.5e could be, you should play the videogame Neverwinter Nights 1 or 2, the system they use in that game is taken directly from 3.5e. It just made characters feel so mechanically unique that each character felt different. These days it almost feels too formulaic and too streamlined.

2. I honestly don't know what the name of using it is called, anytime me and my friends have done it, we just use the reference book that comes with a tarot deck and spontaneously decide the outcome based on the way the card could be interpreted. For example, let's say you're fighting a monster, and you want to try and escape from the monster, maybe even lure it away from your friends so they can escape. If you drew the Ten of Swords, I would say that would mean that you successfully draw the monster away, but you fall prey to it in the process. or something similar, yanno? but I don't know if that style of playing has a name given to it lol

3. oh I actually had someone ask me that yesterday! I'll send you the post once I find it, I was very active yesterday so it may take me a minute lol

you're so valid for that!! it can be hard to find a good group to play with, every group I've had has kind of fallen into my lap, but also to be fair I am known for being very into ttrpgs lmao

what are your favorite shows/campaigns you've watched? fun fact somewhere out there exists about 30 episodes of a d&d actual play podcast that I DM'd from somewhere around like... 2019? I think? lmao. technically I have a TON of episodes in a backlog somewhere that I never edited but that campaign kind of fell apart and I never finished it.

[indigosfindings]

updates post-chapter 4:

i like how perceptibly several of the pixls replicate/replace/remix the overworld movement mechanics from pm1 & ttyd (slim being both the paper curse & vivian/bow, thudley being the super boots, etc etc)

imo the ideal for a zelda- or metroid-style upgrade is for it to have both specific circumstantial interactions (ie allowing you to unlock a new section of the map) AND a broader moment-to-moment usefulness (think how super missiles in metroid both open a new kind of door & provide you with a new combat option), & in that vein some of the pixls (eg carrie) have absolutely delivered, while slim & fleep, for example, despite having ostensible generic functions, are really not getting a lot of use from me outside of the moments ordained by the game lmaooo

the variety of items & recipes, while another extremely charming aspect of this game, really hammers in the absence of FP. like the only variables for recipe items are like "restores more or less HP" "gives you 1 or 2 status effects" & "replicates the effect of a different combat item" which is a bit sad. granted, it would not exactly be *easy* to incorporate FP into this game, but it does just highlight one of the biggest ways that spm is simply Less Deep

in a similar vein, i really feel the level-up system could (should!) have been handled differently. its linearity robs it of impact & strategy, and i recall from my childhood playthroughs that it's reeeaaal easy to end up overleveled

also reeeeaaaally feeling the lack of sidequests tbh. inter-chapter activities boil down to "play minigames" & "talk to NPCs". a trouble centre equivalent would have done a LOT viz. producing a sense of Scope & Fullness, encouraging you to spend more time with the characters & setting, etc.

i dont just want to be measuring every trait of spm against ttyd, but it is something that spm kind of begs for in several ways lmao

what drives me crazy is that spm ABSOLUTELY has the *means* to be an incredibly complex gameplay experience. it's practically begging for a difficulty mod lmao

barry was always one of my fave pixls as a kid but now he's a bit of a letdown tbh. reflecting projectiles is almost never a better option than just walking up to an enemy and attacking them lmaoo

the damage multipliers are a little off the wall. when my ATK is 4, it just takes bowser + thudley/boomer + catch card to make it 32, which is FAR more than it really should be. cant help but think "+1" wouldve been a far better pick than "x2"

LOVE the bitlands, especially the theme song with its really interesting & kinetic deployment of smb samples. a masterclass in designing a "retro" level without sacrificing its sense of personality & while also effectively remixing the "retro" material in question

there's a LOT of personality in fort francis which is extremely charming. his petuni action figure lmao

i continue to love the visuals (that literal star background in chapter 4 😍), especially some of the choices in the 3d sections (the trippy visuals in the whoa zone, the vector-game visual when you flip during the brobot fight)

actually on that note, the brobot fight was amazing. it's a shame all those power-ups dont appear anywhere else. im also obsessed with brobot as a whole concept. guy whose whole personality is being someone else's brother to such an extent that it comes out even when he's mindwiped

squirps is sooo fun. i love a zeep zoop alien

"squirp korogaline squirpina" has been swimming in my head like an agitated koi since like middle school

i am OBSESSEDDDD with flopside. i absolutely love the thought of setting up a hub-world with all of its quirky gimmicky NPCs and then having the reverse version where all of the same NPCs have, like, Dark Versions. i really love how the Flop versions are particularly mundane reversals of the flipside npcs--one that got a particular laugh out of me was when the "im going to blow your mind: press 2 to jump!!!" guy's counterpart was like "[describes somewhat granular game mechanic]....... you probably already knew that though :("

the minigames are pretty fun. im unsure if forget me not is actually unduly easy or if i just played it for such an obscene amount of time as a kid that it seems that way. the tilty one is a lot of fun (the item variety is subtle but adds depth!) & the haunted house one is a blast... reminds me of hotd :)

replaying super paper mario, sporadic thoughts post-chapter 2:

very easy so far--& although ttyd was also easy, spm's gameplay is sadly substantially less rich thab ttyd's was

having said that the game design in spm is! unrelentingly charming!! the use of platforming as a framework for a varied stream of stage styles (straightforward levels, dungeons, towns, the entire 2-3 Situation) is creative in a way that imo predicts the sort of things the mario maker community later ended up making. chapter 2's set pieces in particular are extremely quirky (the rooms with traps, the rubee thing, the mazelike basement, the merlee game show lmao)

few platformers have boss fights that feel like genuine Combat, so that's pretty cool

i will confess that as a First Dungeon, yold ruins doesnt have half the sauce of hooktail castle--it's much more linear in layout, with far less of that zelda-y "explore & comprehend the space" principle that made ttyd's dungeons hit

in a similar vein, it's kind of crazy how tippi has like a fraction of the personality that goombella had. it's a bit sad for the character doing the vast majority of the talking to just.... not really have any opinions on anything

the momentum of the chapters likewise means very few npcs ever get to stick out. like, even the "first town crotchety old mayor" character was a total one-and-done, one dialogue and you never have a reason to speak to him again (mostly just speaks to the game structure, which is as mentioned a bold enough exercise that i feel i cant really fault it for that)

bringing up a menu to use items In A Platforming Context is not at all natural to me, so im finding myself just not really using them

this game is a masterclass in visual design imo. the npcs & enemies & pixls being made of primitives that reconfigure themselves into different shapes really elevates the interplay of 2d & 3d, the backgrounds/environments are extremely aesthetically satisfying (the Mathmosphere in lineland, the optical illusion in the sky in gloam valley, all of castle bleck), & i love how the constant "digital/tech" motif (eg the "dragging selection boxes to flip/teleport", the trees & shrubs looking like something youd make in ms paint, etc) is an ingenious progression of paper mario's core aesthetic design

dimentio is so fun

the inter-chapter dialogue flashbacks are surprisingly earnest? for such a tongue-in-cheek game where almost every line of dialogue contains a joke of some kind, those exchanges feel humourless & sincere. that probably contributes to the Space the game occupies in all of our memories lol

i ADOOOORE nastasia

likewise it was really interesting how peach's "escape" sequence after chapter 1 was (while, again, still extremely sardonic) aesthetically & narratively framed with such a sense of Hopelessness. that's not to say like "woahh this mario game is 10x darker than you thought!!!!", more that it's just not a space the series commonly ventures into

the Ancients stuff is being leaned into extremely hard lol. ttyd mostly teases at that kind of "mysterious rpg lore" thing peripherally (the riddle tower inscriptions, grifty, etc) so it's interesting how spm puts it front & centre in contrast, without ever sacrificing the sense of mystique

this game really highlights how interesting the wiimote is as a controller--pressing the A button while holding it sideways (ie removing your left thumb from the direction input to press a button) is something that i cant think of any other controller doing, & it projects onto that button a really interesting sense of, like, Valence

it's the kind of game that seems to beg for one of thsoe posts like "things that ACTUALLY HAPPEN in _____"

[c6lumbna]

herta layouts with stars as headers please 🥹🥹 shes my main and i would really appreciate if you edit her 🥹🥹🫶🫶🫶 (also wdyt of hsr and the turn based fighting😞)

hi babes idk what u meant by stars as headers cause i dont usually change my header's styles for a req i like to use diff pics and not just one specific thing but i did edited her if it's still good for u, here it is!! 🥺🥺 sorry for not doing what u wanted specifically is just i didn't really got it lol (i think the game is cool and the charas are very pretty, i hate the combat cause I'm used to the other.honkai and i like to beat mobs up and not wait for turns, that's exactly why i hate tears of themis and i just enter to pull cards lol)

[autism-corner]

Based on this, I actually want to bring up another gacha game for an idea. Twisted Wonderland has two sets of playing styles not unlike the Dance Battles in Obey Me. They have Twistunes which have chibi versions of the characters running around and doing actions based on story things (chasing a magic pen thief, catching a fire breathing cat monster, running from ghosts in a mine, field day events) and then they have Regular Battles, where you obviously fight whatever characters were troubling you in story. If the game has cards like Original Obey Me, and one's that they don't really need to change from Dance Battles but probably make new rules for, this might work.

It breaks up monotony and also, you don't always have to Dance, Story, Dance, Story, Dance, Dance, Story. Of course, a power creep could hit for bosses and set a precedent that, "Okay, I should have seen that coming, we had a [Twistune] spree just before" moments. A mix, y'know? 👀

(about theories for nightbringers gammechanic)

i unfortunately dont play twst so i dont entirely understand it but two different game mechanics is interesting indeed!! having chibi versions of the brothers

i unfortunately dont play twst so i dont tottally understand but having two game mechanichs would work really well!! im excited to see if they come up with something that sorta matches the serious-vibes weve been getting but i estimate that chance slim =w=bb

hehe having chibi's of them running around does dound really cute tho... i hope they do that =w=bb

[actualbird]

hypothetical fights i want to see between the tot cast cuz it’d be fun to see how they’d fair in a fight to the death (just kidding. i mean a friendly fight as an appreciation of combat skills)

inspired by a convo i had with @samsspambox . i’d like to make it clear that when i say 'fight' here i mean a physical fight, a scuffle, some good ol fashioned "nothing personal just wanna see who would win" FISTICUFFS!!!!

with no weapons allowed, heres who i'd pay good money to see go at each other with only their unarmed martial expertise

-

The Battling Butler VS Agent Raven (aka ogier vs luke)

ogier is so badass. i love a fighty dude and hes dressed to the nines and he hilariously drags vyn every once in a while, whats not to love?

but yeah, clear in my memory is his combat prowess in vyn’s personal story 4. i dont know anything about ogier past that, but given that he was sent as a guard from svart by vyn’s father, i can only assume his training is of the royal guard quality type of level. thats intense!

though we also know luke is ALSO INSANELY INTENSE....

i think a spar between them would be really fucking close, irt who bests who. luke is NSB’s top agent, but i assume ogier is incredibly well trained also, youve gotta be Damn Good to be a guard of anyone remotely of royal importance

so like, what luke has got going in his favor is his NSB training obviously but also

luke has youth on his side

HSKJHFDKVJHGVSD HEAR ME OUT! aside from his illness, hes at the top of his game in terms of prime age range for physical peak, did u kno that the average age for olympic competitors is early 20s? well now u know. body can be in good shape at this point, thats a plus for him and a not-plus for ogier. idk how old ogier is (and i cant find out cuz he doesnt even have a Big Data Lab entry omfg the man the mystery the LEGEND) but he looks Older, a little past his prime. even skill cant negate the woes of aging.

buuuuuut ogier has a trump card: his training was probably completely different to anything luke is used to.

now we dont know very much about luke’s days in the NSB, but i get the impression that his work was Generally Within The Country Of Stellis OR Generally Handling People Who Are Stellans.

ogier is not a stellan. hes svartan. or svartish. or however the hell we decide to conjugate the nationality of svart. additionally, i can see it being a huge advantage for svartan guards to be keeping their training/fighting style under wraps. if opponents dont know how you’ll fight, u can catch em unaware

ogier’s fight style and tactics could be completely novel to luke, which would knock luke down a peg (both figuratively and metaphorically).

still, luke is adaptable and hes got a quick and intuitive mind. while he cant fight exactly like ogier, he’d be able to recover and figure out his own way of countering ogier’s attacks

with all that said, my personal verdict of who would win is.....//drumroll!!

nobody!

it’s a tie!

and luke enthusiastically brings ogier out for drinks later, he hasnt been tied in a match for years and hes kinda giddy about it!

(luke: you have to teach me some of your moves sometime, yeah?

ogier: of course. and perhaps you could encourage vyn to join this class as well? haha.

luke: haha.

ogier: haha.

luke: hahaha.....no. im pretty sure vyn is capable of destroying me psychologically, im not making him do anything he doesnt wanna do, thanks.

ogier: fair enough)

-

The Battling Butler VS The Perplexingly Over-Capable Assistant (aka ogier vs vincent)

remember when luke in main story 7.2 said this in the case files?

yeah. YEAH IVE GOT MY EYE ON YOU, VINCENT KIM!!!

vincent’s investigative prowess aside, i just think it makes sense for vincent to have some kind of combat knowledge for the following reasons:

1) currently, marius has nearly gotten stabbed a total of three (3) times. while marius has his own self defense knowledge, i wouldnt put it past vincent to get some training in as well juuuuusssstt in case knife-magnet von hagen gets into hot water again.

2) it’s unexpected. vincent does not look the type to punch anybody in the face, and thus i want him to be capable of a mean right hook

3) if nobody expects u to throw a punch, that punch can land way easier.

that being said, i dont think he’ll beat ogier at all. my view is that vincent took some classes and that his self defense training is a little bit above marius’ skill level, but it’s nothing that can go against a trained royal bodyguard

still, ogier can be caught unaware. vincent maybe gets like a few hits in before ogier takes him down

so my verdict is: ogier would win but would be very impressed by vincent for managing to fool him

(vincent: oh, i wasnt...aiming to fool you?

ogier: hm. i think that adds points for you, actually)

-

Baldr Civil War (aka howard syter vs william lewis)

ive got no rationale for this

i just think theyre hilariously pathetic and i wanna see them fight in a hilariously pathetic way, like the one scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary

absolute cringefail combat, this is what i WANT

maybe whoever loses has to be the one to face mc in court next, and neither of them wanna be the poor shmuck to have to get annihilated by her again

my verdict: ingrid has to break the fight up (which is happening in the baldr legal office lobby) and everybody involved loses. everybody loses their dignity

[gcrtys]

a review of new tales from the borderlands

so, new tales from the borderlands was ... something! i was really excited going into it, and i can say it was moderately enjoyable. it was not worth $40-50 at all, esp. with the preorder which included three skins in all grey!! woohoo!! that was super cool!!!

anyway,

style

in comparison to the original tales from the borderlands, the game shines in some aspects. the mocapping is wonderfully done. a lot of people are saying its awkward and weird, and at some times, it definitely can be. its not an entirely perfect system but it shows a good amount of emotion. with the funding of telltale’s tftbl, it was clear where they were lacking. odd cuts, janky animations, etc.

gameplay

the gameplay of new tales is definitely more polished. there were a few things that were odd and not well done and some segments were definitely dragged out a lot more than they shouldve been. i wish there were more interactable events in the world b/c i did enjoy exploring. vaultlanders was a unique addition, though overall felt very lacking and didnt make sense in terms of the storyline. it couldve done without it, and im 99% sure this was only added for replay value (collectables?)

they brought in some other new things i didnt necessarily enjoy. the entire system that was created for rating the group dynamic also did not care in terms of the game. i had about two scenarios where it did.

i didnt even know what was changing my group dynamic or how characters felt about one another. i didnt even know if they were on good terms by the ending of the game -- it wasnt made clear by gameplay. my only indication were a few popups stating “fran doesnt respect octavio” (yeah, i wouldnt either) and it was annoying. lou13 has an entire point in the beginning of the game stating teamwork would make the process easier to survive, and yet this didnt reflect one in the entire game. not where i saw, at least.

charm

holy. fuck. they bombed hard with the music choices. one of the BIG big aspects of tales, what made it shine, was the introduction and intros. they were well done, crisp, perfectly timed. its difficult for me to pick a favourite intro from any episode of tales because theyre all so well done -- from a stylish crash onto pandora to “busy earning” by jungle, to the somber crash onto pandora to “retrograde” by james blake. it was clear every song in tales was carefully chosen and the intros were framed around them.

whereas in new tales, its... weird. the introductions to the episodes are odd, weirdly timed and dont expand upon much. it felt like they were trying too hard to mimic the bonding the tales team went through -- but that was natural in comparison to this. even then, there wasnt a single introduction i enjoyed. episode 5′s introduction was the best out of the bunch but even then, the music choice was odd and it felt like there was nothing happening. it wasnt worth watching. whereas in tales, it would hook you and keep you there the entire time.

the name cards are also very oddly timed. a lot of them dont appear when theyre supposed to. typically in borderlands, we get a line or two before a character’s name is revealed. i found multiple times, either name cards did not appear for characters that would be reoccurring, or would just be flat out poorly timed. it didnt feel like borderlands, which is known for the flash of the cards and the catchy one-liners to accompany them.

writing

so... its definitely an improvement from borderlands 3. some would disagree and say its a difficult storyline to follow, which, i understand

i think episodes 2-3 were quite literally worthless and provided nothing. i dont think i even remember what happened in those episodes. the ones that really captured me, were the last two. its where the spirit of the game (quite literally) came out to reveal itself. i didnt expect myself to get emotional but episode four did make me cry, and then immediately sober up in confusion when it jumped to a retro 90s fighting style game with fran.

some of the jokes dont hit quite right and a lot of episode four is... odd. between the std’s joke, the spiderant, so on... it felt unnecessary. the running gag of lou13 “data sharing” (aka having sex) was uncomfortable to watch.

and there were a lot of inconsistencies with the writing, as is usual with the borderlands universe, but:

- anu creates a device to replicate siren technology, which is disregarded after episode 1 and never brought back up again

- octavio’s idiocy goes beyond being an idiot and quite literally just having no brain for the sake of “humour”, which just comes off as frustrating

- characters just stand out in open hallways and get shot and die. its seen as emotional and heartbreaking in game, and incredibly stupid as the player of said game. why the hell did stapleface die from a gunshot to the shoulder? why couldnt anu heal her? who knows, there is absolutely no explanation for it

- when the characters are going on a gameshow and stopped by a bouncer, he says “all contestants are accounted for” and then when you get into the area, there is literally. a single person. and its not a sake of others going before said person -- they literally begin the gameshow, starting with that person, a moment later.

- rhys calls anu to ask her help to stop tediore from opening the vault, and then, never follows up. literally. he is not seen from again for like five chapters or something ridiculous and when he does return, its for a completely separate reason and its never brought up again.

- the writers seemed to have either never played the original tales, or did not care enough to stay true to rhys’ character in general. he’s power-hungry, an asshole, and the type of superior he wouldve hated. the writers chose to ignore every single line of rhys discussing how atlas could be different from the other corporations and went with “actually, theyre ALL bad” which like, yeah, i get it. capitalism, boo. but when it doesnt match up with the characters behaviour its... very irritating.

while there was definitely some of sassy rhys in there ("you’ll be hearing from me, specifically my tears” is one of my personal favourites), it didnt make up for the rest of how they butchered his character. also, i see them hinting at sasha’s return and i DO NOT like it. stay away from her.

they also decided to make athena the ceo of hyperion-- how or why that happened, i have no idea, and frankly at this point i dont want to find out.

characters

the cast is... certainly a cast. but delete lou13.

i really liked anu and i resonated with her. although a little irritating at times, i could appreciate her as a character. it was a real breath of fresh air in comparison to the other borderlands characters we typically receive. octavio was... octavio. i did enjoy fran, but the consistent horniess was overdone after about the second episode.

a lot of the side characters that were introduced just, dont get brought back in. youre introduced to a big group of characters in the first episode by octavio, and then you barely see any of them for the rest of the game. (justice for diamond danielle) its a waste and once again, one of the biggest complaints i have about borderlands games is wasted potential. from bl3′s clay, to athena (who actually makes a reappearance, after the audience reminded the writers she existed), katagawa jr, aurelia, rose, gladstone, and so on...

now we have an additional cast of characters we’re most likely never going to see again, who were introduced as important to one of our protagonists and then never expanded upon. (the fact we saw a literal talking gun more than any of his closest friends was weird)

anyway, going back to my first point, im sorry but i hated lou13. his entire existence was unnecessary. a robot filled with existential dread, oh boy, i wonder where we’ve seen that one before! this isnt familiar and not well done at all.

where loaderbot in the original tales shines, lou13 fails in every. single. category. from personality, to likability, to personal sacrifices for our protagonists... its all lackluster, disappointing, and i could not care less about this character.

anyway, we’re never going to see about 99% of those introduction characters again and while its annoying, im fine with it if it means more room for other, already established characters who deserve some more time in the spotlight.

going back-- we finally saw katagawa senior! they copied katagawa jr’s model entirely, and put a beard on him. fantastic, great work everyone. take a day off, you guys deserve it. mustve been really difficult to come up with that one, especially considering the art we see for him in the next episode is literally not the same man.

overall

if you go into this expecting tales from the borderlands, you’ll be disappointed.

if you go into this expecting good writing, you’ll be disappointed.

if you go into this expecting a few laughs, you might get some! it depends on your humour! i thought badass superfan was hilarious and there were a few bits i genuinely enjoyed. a lot of the humour was enjoyable to me, but after all, this is all matter of opinion. if youre not a fan of reoccurring jokes or bits that drag on for a little bit too long, planned awkward laughter, tension, etc. this might not be your style of humour.

if you go into this wanting good characters to grow attachments to... play tales from the borderlands.

5/10 just want troy baker back plz ty.