#if i owned skylanders i would just put in my favorite characters

[czcreation]

I had a dream I was playing skylanders late at night and I lost my shit because I saw Dr.nefarious on the villain roster

[sonicasura]

Anyone has any games they greatly miss? Like there hasn't been a new one or even an update about it. That's been me with two particular franchises: Rayman and Spectrobes. (It would be three but Tom Holland practically put Jak and Daxter in possible production with wanting to play in a live action Jak game.)

I gonna start off with Rayman cause this is the first game I play between these two series. A colorful platformer often recognized by their unique protagonist, Rayman. He's a Thingamajig which can be considered an incomplete species as in one set of lore there were simply not enough energy/magic to fully complete Rayman's body.

A kindhearted, whacky and bit snarky protagonist who had a total of one trilogy, a reboot duology alongside various platforms. My first Rayman game was actually the first in the trilogy, aka his starting point in the series. I played both these three games alongside the reboot.

My favorite being Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc. I just love the nutty character interactions, beautifully made environments, awesome music and the best for me is the power ups called Combat Fatigues. Although I absolutely loathe the Desert of the Knaaren stage. Ubisoft knew how to write fucking tension(before the disgusting actions in the office occurred.)

After Rayman Legends came out, the only games we been getting so far are phone games. Since the creator of our Thingamajig protagonist left to open up an animal sanctuary, Rayman got shoved into obscurity. Especially when the Rabbids were made.

I really don't like the Rabbids and not because they practically got my favorite game series kicked the curb. They're just so annoying to the point I want punt them into the sun. So far, Mario + Rabbids is the only game series that doesn't make em so irritating.

Thankfully Rayman is actually making an emergence in Mario + Rabbids Spark of Hope as a DLC character and his own adventure. If it goes well, we might see him back in an official game than a phone app.

Next game is highly unlikely as it fell into Nintendo's forgotten bin, Spectrobes.

A monster collector type game that actually dives off the normal formula. You collect Spectrobes by excavating fossils and awakening them with your voice. Spectrobes can be used to excavate more fossils alongside minerals or battle Krawl, invading darkness type creatures that'll devour anything in their wake even whole star systems.

This game series had a trilogy, a few books and even a web series. The last game being Spectrobes Origins for the Wii. One special thing about the series were the monsters you collect. Like Pokemon they have three stages: Child, Adult and Evolved.

As you can see, some look straightforward like the Koma line (Komainu, Komanoto, Komadoras) yet there are a bunch that would throw you off guard between stages like (Shogyo, Chugyo, Daigyo). First game I played was actually the second, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals. Took awhile to play the first and third games. Like Rayman, these were part of my childhood.

As for why it's unlikely to comeback also comes from the fact that studio which made, Disney Interactive Studios, closed down in 2016. It's death came from Disney's Skylanders rip-off. Although the patent for the Spectrobes series might still be there and we could have a Blinx the Cat situation.

I love to see both these franchises come back one day. Even an HD Collection for the trilogies would be great.

That's it for now! Until next time folks, I'll see you later!

[jessread-s]

The Rose Society (The Young Elites, #2)

Book Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ (4.8)

The following review is spoiler free.

Review: After finishing The Young Elites, I just HAD to pick up The Rose Society. Maeve was mysteriously introduced at the end of The Young Elites, where her perspective written in the third person occupied the last chapter. I was not sure of her role or connection to Adelina, but I knew that thing were going to get wild seeing as The Daggers cast Adelina aside. 

What Worked:

01. The new perspectives. As always, I have enjoyed reading from the perspectives of Adelina, Raffaele, and Teren, but it was nice to get a glimpse of Maeve’s life as the Queen of Beldain. Her additional perspective helped me to understand the lengths of her powers, the tension between Maeve and Lucent, and her familial situation, especially the loyalty displayed by her brothers and the motives behind her mother’s actions. 

02. Adelina. Wow. I am not even sure where to begin. In The Young Elites, Adelina was a scared, abused little girl that her father sold to the highest bidder.  She was flawed, worthless, and fated to die by burning until she developed her ability to create illusions. A lot of things change in The Rose Society. For one, Adelina embraces the darkness inside of her. She no longer is the frightened, worthless little girl from the first novel. Adelina is ruthless, determined to destroy all who have betrayed her. But the more Adelina calls on her power, the harder it is for her to distinguish what is real and what is an illusion. It was extremely interesting to see Adelina’s own power betray her, making it clear that Adelina maybe isn’t the most reliable of narrators. It was also heartbreaking to see how much she relied on her ability to create illusions, how her fears and paranoia made her believe that without her powers she would be nothing. It truly goes to show how much her own past has made an impact on her life. She doesn’t know how to love because her father never loved her. She doesn’t know how to trust anyone because of the countless betrayal she has experienced by her own family and the dagger society. Her greatest fear is to be cast aside by all the people she holds dearest in her life. So rather than developing relationships with others, Adelina chooses to destroy all who encounter her. It is easier to abuse power than control it. What really saddened me were those moments when Marie Lu allowed us to see the care-free Adelina. The Adelina who would smile or even laugh on occasion. The Adelina that just wanted to be loved. 

03. The cliffhanger at the end. Though we did not receive a new perspective like we did in The Young Elites, I was still completely blown away by the way Lu chose to end this novel. Adelina went through a huge transformation throughout  The Rose Society, so the ending was very fitting. I will leave it at that. 

04. The sisterly bond. For a majority of The Young Elites, Adelina’s sister Violetta was held captive by Teren and the Inquisition, so we didn’t get to see much of their relationship. With Violetta at Adelina’s side in The Rose Society, it was interesting how things played out. Though we never receive Violetta’s perspective, we learn more about her through Adelina, like the extent of her powers and why she acted the way she did in the past. Lu makes Violetta out to be as the light combatting Adelina’s darkness and it was refreshing to see the two rely on each other. 

05. The darkness. I never expected Marie Lu to completely plunge into the darkness but I am living for it. Rather than continue on with Adelina being a character that falls into a “grey” area like in The Young Elites, I enjoyed watching her completely embrace the fear and fury within her. She let revenge consume her and did not hesitate to kill anyone in her way. Reading from the perspective of a mad, ruthless villain is a breath of fresh air and I love that Adelina does not apologize for who she truly is inside. 

06. The pacing. I could NOT put The Rose Society down. Each chapter pulled me further and further into the madness within Adelina and I could not wait to see how her story would unravel. I also enjoyed the viewpoints from new characters who were featured within the book and their stories were equally as compelling as Adelina’s. I was constantly on the edge of my seat as I sped through the pages feeling a surge of adrenaline as I waited to see how things would play out.  

07. Magiano. Perhaps one of my favorite things about The Rose Society is the addition of Magiano and his relationship with Adelina. In The Young Elites, Raffaele only briefly mentioned Magiano. He was made out to be a character from folklore almost. I was unsure about whether he would be included later in the storyline, but ultimately I am glad Marie Lu placed him in the second novel of the series. It was so interesting to see this character idolized in the first book laid out as a flawed individual like every other character I had encountered thus far. I loved getting to know more about his backstory and his ability which I found incredibly fascinating. What I love most about Magiano is the joy he possesses. Lu created Magiano to be the light in Adelina’s life and I can’t stop thinking about how he is the one who can save her from her own darkness. 

08. The complexity of the characters. I have always been impressed with Marie Lu’s writing abilities, but The Rose Society blew me away. So many characters have been introduced- Adelina, Violetta, Enzo, Raffaele, Teren, Lucent, Gemma, Michel, Maeve, Sergio, Magiano- and each one was completely fleshed out. I was never left confused as to which character was which or how they came to exist with their powers. Each of their separate storylines were compelling and interesting to follow. It was extremely satisfying to see each character fit with one another almost like puzzle pieces. With each new additional perspective, I was able to see the bigger picture. Marie Lu did a phenomenal job capturing the characters’ relationships with one another as well as their morality. 

09. The diversity. Once again, I applaud Marie Lu for creating such diverse characters. Characters of all different ethnicities, skin tones, genders, and sexualities appear front and center. Adelina and her sister Violetta are both women of color, fairing from Tamoura. To take a step further, Adelina is visually impaired. Magiano, Lu’s newest character, identifies as a black man, who later serves as Adelina’s love interest. We also learn that Raffaele is bisexual and one of the other character’s within the dagger society is involved in a same sex relationship. I greatly appreciated Lu’s efforts to include diverse representations.  

What Didn’t Work:

01. The world-building. In my review of The Young Elites, I took issue with the absence of how the blood fever came to be and had a hard time placing the different cities mentioned without referencing the map. We spent a great deal examining Adelina’s present rather than venturing into the land’s history. I thought that these issues would be resolved as I made my way through the series, however The Rose Society failed to answer my questions regarding the outbreak of the blood fever and how Marie Lu’s world came to be. The map at the beginning of the book details three separate “lands”: The Sealands, The Skylands, and The Sunlands. For a majority of the time, the story presides within The Sealands only making small references to The Skylands through Maeve’s character with little detail surrounding The Sunlands. I began to question why such regions were even included. Hopefully, Lu will allow me to explore these lands further in The Midnight Star. 

Jess Approved?: ✓ Review posted to Goodreads

Buy on Amazon: US | UK

[tiggyloo]

💝

If you could recommend skylanders to others what would be your points of persuasion?

Every game’s starter pack provides the barest essentials to beat the game. You could buy the starter pack and literally nothing else and you could beat the games, it’s only if you want to 100% them where you’ll have to start spending more money

Every single character, of which there are a few hundred (about 350 if you include variants), has a unique walk, run, jump, and attack animation. Every single one. I have literally never seen that before in ANY game. And I can promise you that there are no reused animations in non-custom* characters because I have like, over 200 figures 

*Imaginators reuses animations for player created characters in that each class has its own animations, so two custom characters of the Sentinel class would have the same general animations, but one Sentinel and one Brawler would have their own class specific animations, etc.

The designs of the characters are all really good and unique (even the bad designs are still good) and you can put little hats and trinkets on your characters which is really cute and fun

You only need to buy one Portal for all your games and it’s the Superchargers Portal, it works for every single game, even the very first. Also, if the character existed in an older game your newer gen figure will work in it. Example: my dark Stealth Elf, introduced in the third game, works in the first game as a normal Stealth Elf. Which is good because I have like seven Stealth Elfs. I don’t know why.

Also, on the topic of custom characters, Imaginators has one of the absolute best character creation engines I’ve EVER seen. You can make some awesome looking characters, or some really hilarious ones with proportions fucked to hell and back, all with custom palettes and weapons and armor. And it’s easy to collect the pieces too, you can just run the first level of the game and get most of them pretty quickly 

The music is REALLY GOOD, and it only gets better throughout the games. Kaos’ theme is especially fantastic, here give it a listen (this is s compilation of his theme from all the games) or if you want a shorter one, here’s his theme from Imaginators complete with Dubstep breakdown, or his Trap Team theme, which is pretty fun (and is probably my favorite version of his theme)

Also, all the games are REAL cheap now (like legit the highest they go for usually is like. MAYBE four bucks unless you want Imaginators on Switch), as are most of the figures, so honestly just get them and try ‘em out. Just be sure to grab a Portal too. 

And if you only get ONE game, PLEASE get Superchargers. It’s THE best game out of the series, I had a fucking blast playing it (as I did with all the games but that’s beside the point) and my friend who absolutely despised Skylanders played it with me and he loved every minute of it. 

Or, pick Imaginators if not Superchargers. You can play as Cortex and Crash in Imaginators, or you can make your own characters as I mentioned above once you get some Creation Crystals. For examples of what you can make, here’s just a few of mine:

That’s Pink Lightning (bowslinger), Essence of the Stars (sentinel), Prince Horace III (knight), and Sullivan of Ire (smasher)

You can make custom color palettes or use premades (I always use my own), you can pick their voice, sound effects, etc, mess with sizes and proportions of things, it’s great

And if you get Superchargers on a Nintendo console you can play as Bowser or Donkey Kong which is amazing

anyway it’s like almost 10 PM and I gotta shower, so count yourself lucky because I could go on for HOURS about why you should play these games

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #271

“some of those who work forces are the same that burn crosses.”

Do you cook on the stove at all, or just microwave? I just use the microwave. I'm scared of the stove lmao. Do you ever debate religion with your friends? Bruuuh no. I am so disinterested in debating about something that to me ultimately doesn't matter yet humanity has made so serious. Whatever happens after we die, happens, there's that. Just be a decent human being and go out knowing you did your best to make the world better than when you entered it. Do you keep your shampoo in the shower or someplace else? In the shower. Something your mother said or did that shocked you: Like... recently? Or in my entire life? I dunno about recently, but I guess the most shocking to me was when she vehemently called my sister something I won't repeat. Did your mom go to college? She was before the cancer. Ready to graduate, too, but that didn't go as planned thanks to, y'know, cancer. Which food do you think you have the most cans of in your cupboard? Good question, no clue. I don't really pay attention to the canned foods. Maybe fruits? Do you save fortunes from fortune cookies? No. Are you offended when Christmas is spelled Xmas? Nah. Where do you put your keys when you come home? In my purse. Describe your favorite mug or glass to drink from? I don't have one. That I use, anyway. Sara gave me a Markiplier quote one that's a Holy Item on my shelf and instead of holding a beverage holds All My Love. Your bad habit that you love the most: UGH I hate how much I love soda. Invent a pop tart flavor: STORY TIME!!!! As a kid, there was this contest to design a type and you won like... a fucking huge supply of the newest flavor, which was at the time that wild berry whatever thing. My sister and I made one that I think I recall being pink with heart sprinkles and strawberry flavored, and we won. Guess who fucking hates the wild berry flavor now lmao. Okay but anyway if I was to invent one now... is there a BLUE raspberry flavor? Cuz a bitch loves blue raspberry flavored everything. Do you name your pets after tv/movie/book characters: Sometimes. I don't currently have a pet that is, though. Are you proud of yourself for what you've accomplished? The few things I actually have, sure? I'm more ashamed of what I haven't. Do you own any sexy lingerie? Nooooo no one would want to see me in that, least of all myself lmao. Have you ever caught a bouquet of flowers at a wedding before? No. Has a horse ever neighed at you before? Uhhh I don't think so? Do you prefer ice cream or sorbet? Ice cream. Have you gotten your pets spayed? My cat is. That's like... the only pet we ever have fixed, sadly. My parents/Mom (depending on time period) could just never afford it. The only real reason we managed to get Roman neutered was because our sister directed us to a cheap on-the-go business where it was like... only $45, and Roman was marking the house badly so it was pretty urgent. Would you ever take in a stray animal? HA, that is the STORY of my family with cats. At this current time, most likely not. We don't need another pet right now, nevermind one of a mysterious background with my mom being sick. When is payday? N/A Have you ever walked on a runway before? No. How long is your workday? N/A Is there a walkway or a pathway to your front door? No. What is your favorite color? What is your least favorite color? Pink is superior to all colors. I'm really not a puke-green fan, but I mean... is anyone? What color dominates your wardrobe? Everything is B L A C K. What color are your eyes? Grayish blue. Are you colorblind, or do you know anyone who is? I'm not, but Jason's brother is colorblind to I think red and blue? Do you prefer color photos or black-and white? It greatly depends on the composition and subject matter of the photograph. I find great beauty in both. If I had to pick though, color usually appeals to me more. Are you one of those people who can taste, feel, or smell colors? No. Have you ever seen a double rainbow before? Yes. Do you enjoy coloring? It tends to be my least-favorite part of the art process because that's where I always fuck shit up. Do you know anyone who is racist? Oh my, PLENTY. Welcome to the South. Are your nails painted any color(s) right now? They never are. Can you lift more than 100lbs? I probably CAN, but it would be very hard. What's your opinion on incest? It's fucking repulsive. Morally and negative from a scientific standpoint, anyway. Do you have a favorite color for cats? Orange. What video games did you play when you were younger? I was a massive gamer as a kid, teenager too, so I could put a hell of a lot here. But, I'll just imagine you're referring to when I was quite young. The Spyro games (save for Skylanders) were my LIFE, I loved Nintendogs, the Crash Bandicoot trilogy, lots of games that were based on movies (like Madagascar and Finding Nemo are two I really enjoyed), uhhh... OH! And absolutely weird, but I loved hunting games. Like, I had a whooole lot, despite hating real life hunting even as a child. I think it was because I got to see wild animals, plus it could be calming to wander and scary, too, when things like wolves found you. Oh, and then there were fishing games, too. LOOK I just love(d) games. Would you ever get a tramp stamp? I hate that nickname. Having a tattoo literally anywhere does not equate you to a stereotype. Yes, because I want to be heavily tattooed anyway. Did you cry when Michael Jackson died? No. Not that I didn't care at all, I just wasn't a giant fan. What's the ugliest species of animal? Lmao how mean. The blobfish immediately comes to mind, though. Looks like a ball of mucus shaped into an old man's face. Are you embarrassed about any songs on your iPod? I used to be, now it's just like whatever. I like what I like. What do you use to listen to music on the computer? YouTube. Do people know a lot about you? Places on the Internet sure do lmao. I try to be much more private now online to a degree, depending on where. Irl, no. I'm too easily embarrassed/afraid of being judged for what makes me, me. Who was the last person you slept beside? Sara. Do you like Metallica? They're one of my all-time favorites and I trust NOBODY who claims to hate them. What's your favorite kind of soup? I'm not a fan of soup. What’s your best friend's favorite band? Her all-time favorite is Pink Floyd. Who was the last person you took a picture with? Ummm idr. Do you play Guitar Hero? Not really anymore, but I fuckin slayed that shit back in the day. Whose house did you last visit? My older sister's. Who was the last person to come to your house? My younger sister. What time do you usually eat dinner? Anywhere between 5:30 to like... 7:00 or so. Have you ever searched your own house on Google Earth? Not this current one, no. Does it bother you when people have a loose grip on hugs? No? Some people don't like hugs. Are you looking forward to next year? I don't know. Is covid gonna be history by then? It depends on a lot of things. What have you done so far this summer? *blink blink blink* What's your favorite punk band? Honestly, I don't even really separate bands by genres now because I don't know. There's so so many, plenty overlap, etc. etc, and people - especially those who enjoy rock/metal stuff, I've found - get all snobbish and "WELL ACTUALLY" when you "misgenre" or whatever. Which is better: cold or hot weather? COLD. FUCK hot weather. Anything above ~75*F is disgusting. Is photography something you enjoy? I'm an aspiring photographer so like- What’s the best flavor snow cone? I haven't had a legit snow cone in years... but we have a place called Pelican's Snowballs, which is really just like... snow cones in a cup? They are A M A Z I N G and strawberry is to die for. When driving, are you a speed demon or do you drive like your grandmother? I don't drive because I'm terrified to. Have you ever met someone who just had you at hello? No. Bet you were expecting "Jason," but no, I was weirded out that a stranger just comes up to me in the hall on the way to class and starts talking to me. Have you ever written poetry? Yeah. Do you have any addictions? Technology, ugh. And soda, rip. When was the last time you just laid and looked at the stars? Laid, many years ago one summer when Jason and I were just lying on the trampoline while my dad was grilling. What song reminds you of an ex? A lot. What color eyeliner do you prefer? Black. What was the last thing that you made with your own two hands? Like, made from scratch? Hell if I know. What’s the deepest water you will wade into? Like, shoulder-deep in the ocean. How many blades does your razor have? Three, I think? Highest grade of education you’ve completed? Just one semester of college. Lowest grade you’ve received on a test? Yikes, Fs in college math. He taught in such an abstract way that I failed like... every test, or nearly did. I was too afraid to ask questions continuously. Do you enjoy sitting in the sun or the shade more? There is NO situation where I would rather be in the sun. Do you enjoy going to arcades? Hell yeah. What parades do you like to go to? None. When’s the last time you went on a tirade? I ranted to Mom about the fucking ridiculous anti-maskers that are a big reason this motherfucking pandemic is worsening in America. With my mom being immunocompromised, it is something I take VERY goddamn seriously. It's not a difference in opinion - it's a difference in morality. Do you like to play charades? I loved to as a kid. Now it'd feel weird. Would you ever lead a crusade? I wouldn't want to lead anything. Have your parents ever forbade you from doing something? Aha, so as a kid, I had a game demo disc that showed the preview to Parasite Eve, and my sisters and I would secretly watch it despite it scaring us to where Mom did forbid us to click on it. And all these years later, I've played it and love it... ha ha. Otherwise, my parents have always been pretty open to letting us do stuff, save for things the usual parent doesn't like, like swearing. When’s the last time someone said something degrading to you? A few days back when I got into an argument on Facebook about some asshole teasing their newly-hatched cobra to where it kept striking at the tongs, hood flared and all. Apparently I had no idea what I was talking about, pointing out the snake was clearly stressed out. What’s the last homemade dish you’ve made? I legit haven't cooked a thing since Sara was here and I made her eggs for breakfast. Which was like, a year ago. Do you like lemonade? What flavor(s)? Broooo YES. Pink lemonade is better, but I enjoy just the classic kind, too. Has anyone ever serenaded you before? Fuck this question. Would you like to visit the Everglades? Lemme see them motherfuckin GATORS. Have you ever attended a masquerade ball before? No. Would be dope, though. Have you lost anyone to AIDS? No, thank god. Have you ever been paid for sex? Hell no. Have you ever had a maid in your home before? HUNNY we are too poor for that shit. Do you know how to do different types of braids in hair? No. When’s the last time you wore a Band-aid? Where and why? I have no clue. When was the last time you were afraid? Of what? A family friend was over here a couple days ago and she had this weirdest muscle cramp in her leg that brought her to the floor gasping for like over a minute. I was super scared, and Mom was too, as we had no idea what to do. I almost had to call 911. Crazy woman hasn't gone to the doctor about it, to my knowledge. Would you ever consider growing your hair out to your waist, or longer? NOOOO NO NO. I am probably having short hair for the rest of my life. Is there anywhere in your house that you're scared to be alone in? No. What is your favorite shoe brand? I don't have one. What weird things did you do as a small child? I was just a weird kid in general. I did a lotta stuff that would make people raise a brow. Who puts the most pressure on you in your life? My goddamn self. Do you laugh off embarrassing moments? Hell no, I turn red as a cherry and probably cry once I'm in private. Do you have a favourite actor/actress? If so, who? No. Do you like little kids, or do they annoy you? I feel uncomfortable around them. They're too brutally honest, I feel like every move I make is wrong, and I just generally feel incapable of handling them properly. Do you want a small or a large family when you get older? Well, I don't want any kids, so... Are you a good dancer? If not, do you enjoy dancing anyways? No and no. I'd be embarrassed. Have you ever lied to avoid getting into trouble? Yeah. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for a long period of time? I'd say two weeks is pretty long, and I was supposed to stay an entire month. I only got out of that by going to court. Do you take a lot of pictures of yourself, or are you camera shy? I HATE being in front of the camera. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? And do you prefer gas or charcoal grilling? I just like ketchup, mustard, and pickles, really. A bit of diced onion is fine, too. I prefer gas; I hate the charcoal-y taste. You are chosen to have lunch with the president. the condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask? Fuck that, I'd decline going to begin with. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies? Popcorn, of course. Which do you dislike most: pop-up ads or spam email? Pop-up ads. How long was it from ‘the first date’ until the proposal of marriage? How long until the wedding? N/A What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other? Probably like, wrestling. Golf. Sports in general. How many times did it take you to pass your drivers test? I haven't tried it yet. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose? I always just use chocolate syrup. Would you rather be trapped in an elevator, or stuck in traffic? CHRIST, TRAFFIC. Elevators kinda scare me and I'm very scared of being stuck in one. What are you sitting on right now? My bed. Are you listening to anything? Halocene's cover of "Killing In The Name." Have you parents ever hated one of your boyfriends/girlfriends? No. Who was the last person to give you money? I have no idea. Have you ever dreamed of someone you barely know? Actually yeah. Weird as hell. When was the most recent time, if ever, that you felt “impostor syndrome,” or that you felt unqualified to be somewhere? Hm. I suppose when I went to the doctor by myself for my foot. I'd never done an appointment without Mom at all, and I was veeery clueless to a lot of steps, questions, etc. What are some ways that pop culture has helped you learn historic or scientific facts? Some TV shows, I guess. Or games, even. Have you ever had a job in which you felt that you had nothing to do? What was the protocol in that situation (e.g., surfing the web, taking on the job of co-workers, or pretending to work)? If you have not, do you think it would be lucky or unlucky to have such a job? No. I was expected to always be doing something. I'd consider that to be pretty unlucky, as it sounds boring and pointless. Have you ever intimidated or made another person feel legitimately threatened? If not, do you think that you could ever be seen as scary? I don't know. Mom has admitted me yelling has scared her before, though. I can yell pretty fucking loudly. But she herself never felt threatened. And do I think I could be seen as scary? Yes. Especially given my chronic fucking nightmares that almost always involve confrontation. In what ways do you or would you need to be validated by a partner? (For example, liking your posts/talking about you on social media, or perhaps by doting on you with gifts.) I am VERY much a "words of affirmation" person. I NEED reassurance that I'm adequate and sincerely loved. When you are having a hard time emotionally, what are some of the telltale ways that you act out or that your personality reflects your struggles? I become very snappy and more reclusive than usual. I cry really easily. Do you tend to succeed by weaning yourself off of something or by quitting cold turkey? It depends on what it is, but I've generally needed to wean myself off of things when necessary. Is there a specific type of pet breed/size/etc. that you don’t want? Why not? I am very turned off by animal breeds/types that are subject to serious health issues, such as pugs, dachsunds, Persians, spider ball pythons... Just don't fucking breed them. Ironically, some of these are the cutest, but I care far more about the health of the animal. Have you ever lived in a notoriously dangerous area? If not, would it bother you to do so? Yes and yes. Has a friend’s significant other ever interfered with or damaged your friendship? What about a significant other of yours damaging a friendship? I don't believe so, no. What, if anything, is something that you put pressure on yourself about? What do you imagine would happen if you did not live up to this expectation? Getting a job, for Heaven's sake, and actually managing to keep it. I've proven inept in this area so far, so, I've already failed that. :^) If you have been in a serious relationship, have you and your partner ever discussed lifetime plans that clashed? Did you reconcile them or did you break up? If you have not been in a relationship, what are some issues that would be deal-breakers? Jason and I kinda casually talked about kids early in our relationship, at which time I didn't see myself wanting them at all and he did at some point. It didn't really bother either of us, though; it was something we'd figure out if we actually got anywhere. Then he became the only person I could ever imagine myself having kids with. Life's funny.

[frederator-studios]

Justin Chan: The Frederator Interview

Justin Chan is a Toronto based artist and animator who keeps plenty busy: in college, he designed characters for Nickelodeon and Mattel, and as a post-grad, he still takes freelance animation jobs while working full time as a concept artist on major video game titles. Somehow he still finds time to work on his own IPs, including “Veggiemancer,” created as his senior year thesis at Sheridan College and a proof of concept. It’s a lovely minute of animation, and I - along with the many fans who give TLC to the project as he develops it over Twitch livestreams - can’t wait to watch the idea grow.

When did you decide you wanted to work in art or animation?

I’ve been drawing since I was young. I grew up really into cartoons and video games. So art was a hobby for a really long time. Then in my later years of high school I decided I wanted to go to college for it and do it professionally.

Where did you go to school?

I went to Sheridan College for their Animation program. “Veggiemancer” was actually my thesis project that I made in the final year. We spent 2 semesters working on them: the first was all the planning and storyboarding, and the second was executing the idea. Rough animation, clean-up, compositing.

What inspired “Veggiemancer”?  

I was looking for a simple story idea that I could build a portfolio around. It’s definitely Ghibli-influenced. I wanted to build a world with characters that have magical powers, and that’s what led to these funky vegetable creatures. So I built the idea out of those characters. I had more story planned for the film - the final version is only a minute long - but I had to cut things to finish it in time.

Makes sense - it look beautiful! Are you still developing the idea?

I am: I try to sit down and work on it at least once a month. Add new pieces, redesign characters. I play around with different settings or ages for the characters. And some totally out there ideas: like one where she pilots a mecha robot. So I’m experimenting with a bunch of different ideas right now.

Are there more details about the world and characters in “Veggiemancer”?

The girl is Paprika, and her little radish companion I haven’t finalized a name for yet. I call him Radish Boy for now. I’m still figuring out the world - it changes constantly. But for the short, I imagined there are many kinds of Veggiemancers. Paprika specializes in radish-type vegetables, but there are mancers that favor other kinds of vegetables and fruit, like carrots or tomatoes. There’s magic and bewitchment: Gordon, Paprika’s older brother, she accidentally turned into a radish type, and isn’t yet advanced enough to change him back. 

Do you plan to pitch it as a TV series eventually?

Maybe one day! But I think a more realistic goal would be to make it into a short comic first. Or potentially a pilot, if the right opportunity came up.

Are you working on other ideas outside of work?

Definitely. “Veggiemancer” is one of my larger projects, but I have a bunch of different characters I’m starting to build stories around. I also do Game Jams: the one in Toronto gets about 400 participants annually. I work with a game design friend of mine; he codes and I make the art, and together we plan an original concept in 3 days. It’s a lot of fun, and often people will keep working on their ideas after the festival ends. Some have even become indie games.

That's awesome. Did your path as an artist always skew toward games?

I was fortunate enough to do freelance work during school, and back then my work was more aligned with TV animation. While at Sheridan I worked as a flash animator, and eventually began doing character design for a few clients: Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Mattel. But along the way my interests started leaning toward games more. So after I finished “Veggiemancer,” I was hired at Ubisoft Toronto to do concept art for games.

How did you enjoy that?

It was a great learning experience. My style is definitely more stylized and cartoony than most of the projects done at Ubisoft. So I learned a lot about using more realistic and grounded lighting and colors, and taking advantage of texture more. The year I was there helped my art develop a lot. The game I worked on was recently announced: Starlink: Battle for Atlas. It’s a toys-to-life game kind of like Skylanders, but the setting is in space.

What’d you do after Ubisoft?

I work at a visual development company, Crush Visual, still doing concept art for games. I also still do freelance work for TV, and I teach on the side too.  

How do you like teaching?

I’m still pretty new to it! I’ll start my 3rd semester in June. But so far it’s been really rewarding. The students are all really talented, and it’s nice to kind of give back to the art community in Toronto. It’s fun to watch them progress through the course - it sounds cheesy, but I learn a lot from them too.

What is your biggest career aspiration or goal?

I’d like to have my own game one day. To do the art direction on a game - or to have my own show. I’d like to be able to develop my own IPs; whatever form that might take. Maybe it’s a comic. Just to be able to develop my own ideas and build worlds around my characters.

What sort of things do you do outside of work, to develop your IPs?

Lately I’ve been doing more art live-streams on Twitch. I work on “Veggiemancer” on some of them. People tune in and I’ll ask them questions, and they’ll make suggestions for what I’m working on. It’s a really fun back-and-forth, and it’s nice to have a bunch of people there to help me out.

That’s so cool to have that kind of community.

Yeah, I think stuff like that is gonna be the future of online cartoons and comics. People building a community on platforms like Twitch. And with Patreon and Kickstarter, it’s so cool that a community can directly support a creator to work on their own projects. It’s also great to make drawing interactive; I’ll have a mic on and a webcam on, so people can kind of put a face to the art. It makes it more personal, and I think more relatable. 

What are your favorite cartoons?

If I had to pick one as an all-time favorite, I’d have to say Avatar: The Last Airbender. I love that it has this huge story arc and that the characters develop as the seasons progress. Even just how they change in appearance—it spends time on every character, giving them all their own subplots and growth. And it has fantastic humor as well. To me, it’s just the perfect show.

Have to agree on that! What are your other hobbies, outside of art?

Aquascaping is one of my big hobbies: arranging live plants in a fish tank. It’s creating a totally natural environment for the fish - so no plastic decorations. Only aquatic plants and materials like driftwood. It’s a really nice way to bring nature into the home, and it’s definitely a side passion of mine. Even while I’m working and drawing, I’ll constantly be researching it and trying to learn more.

Follow @justinchan on Tumblr and Instagram (@justinchans)

Thank you for the interview Justin! I’m excited to keep track of your many awesome projects. 

- Cooper

[susiron]

I’m having a hard time putting it into words how absolutely overjoyed I am after seeing the trailer for Spyro Reignited.

The first two video games I ever played-- ever-- were Spyro the Dragon and Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. I’m not sure which game we got first for our original Playstation, but both games took our household by storm and my siblings and I bonded over playing them for years to come. 

I have so many fond memories of playing Spyro. Finally beating hard levels, figuring out puzzles that my child brain had a hard time cracking. Finding hidden spots with gems felt like such a cool accomplishment, and catching an egg thief after listening to its taunts for far too long was a heroic feat that left you glowing. 

I was never great at boss fights-- I often let my brother handle those for me-- but I had enough fun just running around, becoming immersed in the world. When Spyro 2 came out and I could finally swim and explore even more, I remember pretending that particularly cozy spots were Spyro’s home as I wandered around and roleplayed. 

I don’t think that I ever collected everything in any of the games, but I always had fun collecting what I could. Dragons, orbs, baby dragons-- finding a new one was always a treat.

I think that my favorite Spyro game was the 2nd, but I know that I enjoyed all three immensely, each for their own reasons. I loved the memories the first one held and the worlds I’d explored; the 2nd felt so expansive with new characters and moves; and the third offered new playable characters with their own fun worlds. 

All three have held up well over the test of time and I still have fun playing them, but it’s undeniable that playing recent video games with beautiful graphics makes it continually harder to go back and enjoy games that are stuck with sharp polygons. It makes me more happy than I can say that Spyro is finally getting a remake, and the legacy that he deserves.I was worried this would come to pass, particularly with so much investment staked in the abomination that Skylanders turned Spyro into.

I am so happy. I am so excited. I don’t even have a PS4, but I might have to buy one just to revisit a polished version of one of my childhood favorites.

[livefromtheloam]

Nintendo Switch Event

So I went to the Nintendo Switch event today and wanted to share some thoughts with my social media platforms, as has been requested by the afternoon’s gracious benefactors. I also wrote a much more in depth article for a friend’s website, so if you want to know more, I’ll be posting a link to that once it’s published. I’m also going to put the least terrible pictures into a Facebook album.

I apologize for the length, but I had a lot of thoughts. If you have any questions, please ask away!

The Console:

The Switch console is a bit tinier than I was expecting. The main unit is a little smaller than the average tablet, and the buttons and joysticks are also an adjustment. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Joy-Cons by themselves are surprisingly solid, and can be used in a ton of different ways. They’re a little smaller than an NES controller and much more comfortable. I enjoyed a lot of the different styles of play we got to experience. Not all of them are for me, but the fact that they can be used this way is cool. The Pro Controller is a normal size, if you’d prefer a more conventional approach to playing video games. They can support an eight console network over Wi-Fi and it seems that one system can support many players through the use of Joy-Cons and other controllers.

Switching between TV and Handheld Mode is a little fiddly at first, but I’m sure one gets used to it. It’s hilarious seeing a message like “HDMI 1 – No Signal Detected” when you pull the thing out of the dock.

The controllers are shockingly expensive, but after experiencing the HD Rumble, I can absolutely see why. I felt a small plastic controller turn into a wooden box filled with marbles, and the cognitive dissonance was fantastic. I want to see developers do awesome things with this very badly.

I’m interested to see a few things about it, such as whether or not the consoles can connect with each other and some more in depth system specs.

 The Games:

Art and I played eight demos at the show. I’ll give some raw impressions based on the short amount of time I spent with each title.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: ♥♥♥!!! This was the first game Art and I went for. Needless to say, twenty minutes isn’t enough time to digest this masterpiece, but rest assured, it’s a masterpiece. I’m glad I got a chance to try it out, and I think I need to watch that trailer a hundred or so more times.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers: It’s Street Fighter alright! As always, Arthur was better than me, but it runs incredibly smoothly on the Switch so I can’t blame my terrible performance on lag. I detected no latency whatsoever (I’m great at Smash, so there!), and if the pros also find it acceptable, I can see the Switch become the fighting console of choice within a few years.

Super Bomberman R: It’s Bomberman! It’s Bombermen! It’s not good! Sadly, 3D models do not suit this game, and visibility takes a big hit. It’s too bad, as I really do love the little pyros.

1-2-Switch: This is an excellent proof of concept. We were allowed to demo five minigames, all of them fun (quick draw, cow milking, marble guessing, katana catching, and ping pong). It’s a shame this isn’t a pack-in, as it seems to fill that role perfectly. To be honest, it reminded me more of party board games like Cranium than regular video games. Oh, and I got to try the HD Rumble here, which is everything I dreamed it would be and more. Seriously, my brain thought the plastic controller became a wooden box full of glass marbles thanks to uncanny haptic feedback. I can not rave about this enough.

ARMS: Meh. I’m sure this game has its audience, but it’s not me. It’s a spruced up version of Wii Boxing, and as much as I liked that game, there’s not much more you can add to the concept to justify making it a full-priced release. Maybe active children will like this, and I hope they do. All the reps loved it, so maybe I’m missing something.

Splatoon 2: I’m not sure this is a sequel instead of an upgrade, but I don’t care. I love Splatoon with all my heart and will happily buy it again. It’s a bit weird now that the right joystick is on the bottom now, but that’s ok, it’ll just take some getting used to. Oh, and the official guidelines say to mention that it’s a “Demo Version,” but I think that might just be for video content.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Same as Splatoon up there. This isn’t pretending to be a sequel, but it’s a damn good upgrade. It comes with all the paid DLC, some extra characters (two multicolored Inklings), extra stages, and a real battle mode. Even the rep showing this off was like, yep, this battle mode is a lot better now, which is not something we were expecting to hear. As always, I’m awesome in Kart battles, and I’m fairly sure the Splatoon arena was just lifted from the game.

Sonic Mania: I was fully expecting Zelda to be my favorite game at the show. And it almost was. In fact, I had gotten into a great conversation with a rep while Art played this one without me. But a seat opened up, I figured why the Hell not, sat down, completely ignored the rep who asked me to wait so she could show me how to play Sonic (I know how to play Sonic), and was instantly taken to the halcyon days of childhood where Nintendo and Sega were the fiercest of rivals and people legitimately thought blast processing was a thing. This game hits every single tiny little beat. It knows how to be a Sonic game. The pixelated expressions on the sprites. The physics. The speed. The music. Everything was RIGHT about this game. If you’ve ever loved Sonic the Hedgehog, make a real attempt at trying this one, even if it’s not on the Switch (it’s also coming out for PS4, XBONE, and PC). I’m not a nostalgic kind of guy, but no amount of shame could stop me from squealing like a child every fifteen seconds or so (or from taking an extra turn while the rep wasn’t looking).

Honorable Mentions:

The following games were present, but we didn’t try them: Snipperclips – Cut it out Together!, FAST RMX, Just Dance 2017, Skylanders Imaginators, Has Been Heroes, Disgaea 5 Complete, Puyo Puyo Tetris.

 The Event:

This event was the single best of its kind that I’ve ever been to. Compared to the lukewarm presentation the night before, this really got my mind running in circles imagining how the Switch was going to do this and that. Every single official I spoke with was knowledgeable and friendly, and everyone seemed really excited to be there. They invited exactly the right number of people for the space they had, and had exactly the right amount of stations with exactly the right amount of games. No guest had to wait more than ten minutes to play any game, including the twenty minute Breath of the Wild demo. Some games even had their own special areas. Zelda had astroturf floors and plastic ivy covered tables. 1-2-Switch had funky outfits and glass booths that let players listen to the audio cues while providing endless entertainment to onlookers. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was set up like a diner, complete with napkin dispensers and Switch branded ketchup bottles.

It was also the right amount of time, as I think any guest could have played each of the fifteen demos in the three and a half hours we were allowed. Art and I played eight, mainly because we were enjoying the conversations with the workers. We also might have played a few too many rounds of Mario Kart.

Whoever put this together deserves a hefty raise. I hope they’re able to put together more events like this in the future.

 I happened to be lucky enough to be invited by Nintendo, but the general public will be welcome in cities around the world to experience events just like this one. If you’re in the New York area, you can check it out this Sunday, and other cities have their own days and times. http://www.nintendo.com/switch/events/

 I’m looking forward to this system, and I hope that Nintendo can build more hype for it, as I think they’ve got something really special going on here.

[ladala99]

Spyro Reignited Countdown - Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure (Console)

(In this case PS3, as it differed slightly from the Wii version. It won’t affect much of my review, though.)

I have to say I have mixed feelings about this series. On one hand, when it was announced I was so excited. It wasn’t TLoS, which at the time I hated! It brought Spyro back to being colorful and fun! With the figure gimmick, there were endless possibilities of the types of games that would be released!

On the other hand, this series singlehandedly beat the completionist out of me, made me despise Activision, and now I have two shelves full of plastic figures I hardly look at, let alone use. And I still sometimes look at the ones I’m missing on Amazon to check if they’ve become worthless yet since I wasn’t going to pay premium for them then, let alone now.

This was the first game, though. It was when optimism was high. And honestly the last time I played this game the nostalgia hit me hard even though it was only five years old or so. So this one gets a pass.

Gameplay

We have a complete overhaul again. With so many playable characters, things have to be genericized a bit.

We’ve got a fixed camera now. Platforming is only done with Bounce Pads and there’s hardy any of that in the first place. There’s no jumping in this game otherwise. In general, maneuvering isn’t the challenge, combat is. That’s what the game’s built around.

Every character has three attacks, and they all act differently (at least in this game). I’d be here all day describing them if I did, and honestly I don’t have all of them to describe anyway. Because these characters are the ones you buy. With real money. In the real world. But be assured that the combat works pretty well. Some are faster than others, but you can beat the game with anybody and have fun doing so if you like this sort of combat. Like in TLoS, you buy new abilities for your characters as you play, and each character has two ability paths to give some customization options.

But yeah, no jumping, no gliding. Spyro’s moveset is reduced to something more varied than his Classic counterpart but much less varied than his Legend counterpart. No more gems, even, although there is a money system, sort-of.

The Gates

Not going to talk about additional playable characters because that’s overwhelming, but here’s a section on why you’ll want to buy them.

You cannot have a file that says 100% on it without buying at least five additional figures. Each level has a couple/few Elemental Gates scattered around, and you cannot access them without a Skylander of that element. The Starter Pack gives you three, but beyond that you’ll have to go to your local retailer to buy extras.

Is it worth it? Honestly... not really. But without them the game feels particularly frustrating, at least that’s what I found with a later title. In this game, the Elemental Areas are pretty small, but have the more interesting puzzles in them. But honestly they don’t add that much to the gameplay, and your dollar-to-playtime ratio isn’t very favorable if you solely get the characters for additional content. At least when it came out. If you can get a bulk deal nowadays it might be different.

The Collectables

There’s five types of collectables in this game, to various effect.

The most common is Treasure Chests, which are generally scattered around the levels in the main areas, but are also sometimes hidden in Elemental Gates. Yeah. They give you a burst of treasure, which you can use to buy upgrades.

Next we have Soul Gems, which unlock a special ability to the Skylander it features. It also advertises them with a quick video showcasing their powers. Each Skylander has one Soul Gem somewhere in the game, and they’re usually in the main level. The ones that aren’t are only in Magic, Water, and Tech areas, which elements come in the Starter Pack so with just that you’ll be able to get them all.

Next are Story Scrolls, which just give you some flavor text. They’re generally at the end of optional puzzles in the main level. (When I say “main level,” by the way, I’m just talking about anything that’s not an Elemental Area)

Finally we have Legendary Treasures, which are very well-hidden. Some are in the main level, others require you to traverse Elemental Areas, but all of them are difficult to find. On my first playthrough, I thought they were exclusive to something I didn’t have since I found none on my own.

Bosses

Usually come in the form of just a bunch of enemies, but Kaos comes at you with some Skylanders of his own occasionally. I always found the Kaos fights particularly fun, as they go between fighting his Skylanders and him casting spells you need to dodge/use to your advantage.

Kaos himself, the final boss, is this turned up to eleven. It’s actually legitimately difficult, as Toys For Bob did not get to the point of difficulty testing it before release. I say it’s for the better, and it was a fantastic and fun fight, that really puts your skill and collection to the test.

Levels

Feel really dumbed-down compared to Spyro games. You’re shown where to go if it’s not already obvious (and sometimes even if it is). You’re told what to do. Puzzles are literally just push the boulder until you can’t anymore or interact with the light reflector until you can’t anymore. And if you don’t have a full collection of elements, you’re very limited in what you can access, as the best content is all behind Elemental Gates, but again, they’re not worth the price to open them. I did of course, but it just didn’t feel quite worth it. Honestly I got them with the assumption that they’d be useful in future games. In a way I was right, but in other ways I was very very wrong.

Story

Kaos is an evil Portal Master who used his powers of darkness to destroy the Core of Light, essentially render the good Portal Master a ghost, and send all the Skylanders to a different dimension. When you arrive, he has already won.

And it is *you* arriving. You’re a Portal Master who found the Skylanders, and it’s up to you to restore the Core of Light (by finding each individual piece) and defeat Kaos. Characters talk directly to *you* oftentimes (although usually they do speak to the Skylanders).

And honestly, I love the concept. It’s not often you see the villain having already won in children’s media. Usually you stop them before the worst happens, but here it already did.

Okay, TLoS did that too, but it felt like it aimed a bit higher on the age scale. This game overall has a very unique feel and I love it.

Unique in the Series?

As far as Skylanders goes, this is the only game that has specific terrain that only specific types of Skylanders can traverse. There’s water that Water-element and anyone who can fly can fly over, and there’s lava that only Fire-element Skylanders can walk across. I found this concept fun, especially since the game comes with Skylanders than can traverse water, and my favorite level uses this gimmick to a ridiculous degree.

Also, this is the only Skylanders game where the characters don’t all speak in your language. In this game, they each have unique sounds, some shouting in their own language and others making animal noises. A few speak your language, but they’re the exception, not the norm.

Both of these features I missed in later titles, but everything else this game sets the standard for remains for at least one other game.

Conclusion

This game would be pretty good if it weren’t for the fact that you need to buy all the characters separately. If a complete version of this game (or really any game in the series) comes out where you unlock the characters through gameplay, I would be all for it. I might even get it. Maybe.

At the same time, though, I liked the gimmick. It was legitimately fun picking up a physical figure and the character disappears from the screen, replacing it with another one, and that one appears on-screen. This game also has the lowest loading time for that action, and it’s satisfying.

I had high hopes for this series and they only sort-of came to fruition. And because of those hopes I feel positively about this first title because I actually did have hope for the franchise back then. It’s just a bit bittersweet because the series disappointed me more and more as time went on.

So I’m just going to stick with: the story was great, the combat worked well enough, but the puzzles were pretty dumbed-down aside from the Legendary Treasure ones. The real issue is the price, as it’s just not worth what you get for it. If you like collecting toys, this game has no downsides, but judging it as a game it’s not worth it.