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headfullofgalaxies · 2 years ago

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Now that I’ve completed Pokemon Violet, I want to give an overview of my feelings on the game. The first part will be general feelings, such as playability and enjoyment. Then I’ll go into details about the story and characters under a cut to avoid spoiling people who haven’t finished yet or are waiting for the holidays to get their game.

I won’t lie- the game is glitchy. VERY glitchy. I wish they had delayed the release to polish up the game, because it is very rough. Luckily, none of the glitches I ran across were game breaking. They ranged from inconvenient (accidentally selecting the picnic button while surfing will punt you back to the shore) to hilarious (friends’ trainers showing up in cutscenes during multiplayer). There is, however, one glitch I ran across that is troublesome. At certain camera angles, the shadows in the game glitch and begin flashing in and out of existence. The flashing isn’t super rapid, but it is still very annoying. I don’t know if it is severe enough to harm those with epilepsy or similar conditions, but the game should be approached with caution nonetheless.

Music slapped, praise be Toby Fox. Except the glitch that made the first two measures of the Elite Four theme loop for all eternity instead of actually playing the track, screw that. Ruined my Elite Four experience and I am still salty about it. Like seriously, how does a mistake like that even happen?!

Navigation was alright but it wasn’t as good as Legends: Arceus. Riding, jumping, and surfing were fine and functioned the same as Legends. Climbing functioned the same, but the game didn’t give you the prompt to indicate whether or not a wall could be climbed, so there was a lot of me jumping and gliding trying to climb up walls. Not much of a problem, but a little bit annoying. Gliding sucked. It was just bad. Unlike Legends, where you descended at a consistent speed, this glide begins descending rapidly after a short distance, to the point where you just start falling. There is also no speed up or dive option. This means that gliding was okay for a short distance, but couldn’t be used to actually get anywhere, regardless of how high up you started.

I mentioned my frustration at the hair customization options when I was liveblogging, and my complaint still stands. Some new hairstyles are unlocked at the salon, but none of them are long styles. I don’t know why Pokemon can’t make long hair styles. They don’t seem to have problems with them on npcs, and if it’s an issue with the backpack, there are long styles that could easily go around it (like Miku-style pigtails. I loved those in XY). Also, clothing options were atrocious. I hated every one of the uniform options, as preppy just isn’t my style, and I hate how limiting the uniform was. I like my clothes to match, so the colors I had to work with for the accessories were limited to the colors on my uniform. Also I couldn’t wear a hat with the only hairstyle I actually kinda liked.

Picnicking was actually very fun. Sandwiches were useful for catching rare spawns and shinies, although, like everything else in this game, it’s glitchy and a bit clunky. Being able to wash your Pokemon was a fun and quick process. I did find the eggs somewhat annoying. Every time I picnicked with my Eeveelution team I ended up with dozens of eggs I didn’t want. Not extremely inconvenient, just annoying.

There is a lack of new Pokemon? Like, I know that’s not really the case, the actual numbers are about on par with other new gens, but driving through the region I felt like I didn’t see a lot of the new Pokemon. This wasn’t much of an issue in the earlier routes, but for some reason the later ones felt like they lacked any new Pokemon, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because a lot of these new Pokemon were single stage or rare spawns, idk. I’m still trying to figure out exactly why I felt this way.

Writing-wise, the game was very solid. Definitely in the upper tier of Pokemon games for me, although still beneath Gen V. I think a part of it was the split paths forced the games to approach their formula differently. There were also small bits of dialogue between characters that were charming and made the characters feel more present than the cardboard cutouts some of the other gens have provided us.

One final qualm was that there was no voice acting. Every cut scene in this game would have so much more impact if Pokemon would just give it voice acting. I don’t think I need to explain why that is- just think back to Piers “singing” in Sw/Sh and the reason becomes obvious. However, I get the impression Pokemon has no intention of adding voice acting to their games, and I don’t know why.

Next I’ll be going into detail about the story and characters. Spoilers are beneath the cut.

Victory Road was very standard with nothing particularly special or interesting going on plotwise. I did like the gym challenges this gen. They were a bit strange, but I felt they captured interesting aspects about the gym leaders and towns in most of them. These past few gens’ gyms have begun to feel stale to me- just differently decorated rooms where you go through challenging trainers. Each of these challenges felt distinct, and I can easily tell you which challenges and gyms went with each town. The gym leaders were a bit hit or miss. Some didn’t have much of a presence, but there were some that interacted with their towns and felt like a part of the world. Same with the elite four. Being introduced to them earlier in the game, rather than having their first and only appearance be the Champion exam, made them feel like more of a presence in the world.

Nemona was a rather standard rival as far as her role in the story goes. However, the game did some interesting things with her that I appreciate. Having her actually be a Campion-ranked trainer that is canonically going easy on you to help you grow throughout your journey was a unique approach to the rival character and one I appreciate. This made it feel like her confidence was earned. The friendly rival newbie that recent gens had adopted always felt like their confidence was somewhat misplaced- after all, they lost every single battle with your character. This trait made more sense with the older aloof and antagonistic rivals, because overconfidence fit well with their characters.

Starfall Street was a very good twist on the recent rebel-type evil teams. Generally, these people would just be rebelling against society, which is fine but rather nebulous. However, Team Star’s rebellion against ignorant school authorities and the bullies they enabled was very personal to the characters and easy to understand and relate to. The character writing really shone through here. Normally evil teams amount to nothing more than faceless goons, and their admins always seem to dislike each other and constantly bicker- when they interact at all. However, the interactions between Team Star’s leaders really sold their friendship. The short flashbacks demonstrated them trusting and supporting one another, with occasional friendly bickering but nothing malicious. Writing their bonds to be convincing was very important to selling the central conflict of this path, and the writers did a good job.

Penny was my favorite character, and not just because she has a team of Eeveelutions (although it is a factor). Hacker characters have a special place in my heart, so Penny was sort of a shoe in. She also reminded me a lot of Futaba from Persona 5- extremely skilled, extremely socially awkward hacker. Her determination to make her school a better place, rather than simply leaving and allowing the bullies to win, is very admirable. The final scenes of this arc were very cute and I enjoyed the conclusion.

The Path of Legends was the best path storywise, and not just because I’m happy angsty boi got his best friend back T^T. This plot was very tightly tied to Arven’s character and to the postgame plot. Of course, any story about a boy going to such lengths to save his fluffy family member will always feel satisfying. This is the path that most people cried at, and, honestly, I can’t blame them.

Arven is probably the most important character plotwise because of his connections with the professor and the legendary Pokemon. Due to this, they made him a rather solidly written character. His motivations are very relatable and easy to understand, and his reactions to the plot developments feel real and believable. Him gradually opening up to you during the main story makes the postgame plot feel more personal.

The Way Home is probably the best postgame plot I can recall (although I hesitate to call it postgame, as it felt very much like a core part of the story and happened before the credits rolled, but it’s the closest thing we have to a postgame story so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). The slow reveal of the Paradox forms was well-handled, and the small interactions between the three rivals who join you helps fill the space and makes them feel even more like actual people. The mystery of the Professor’s fate was also well paced, at least if you’re like me and interact with everything in a room before leaving. The twist even managed to actually somewhat surprise me, a rare occurrence in Pokemon. I know the games tend to have darker elements hidden in the details, but I didn’t expect the Professor to be straight up dead. I really enjoyed the AI Professor’s character, although the interaction was more brief than I would have preferred (but I’m a sucker for cool AI stuff, so maybe that’s a me thing). Allowing the player to figure out on their own to send out Miraidon/Koraidon in the final confrontation was very nice- normally Pokemon games are very hand-holdy, so figuring out the solution on your own was refreshing.

My one complaint is that there still seems to be missing pieces. There was no third legendary, despite an “egg Pokemon” being specifically referenced in the old book about Area 0. The potential trio legendary (legendary dogs or swords of justice) that is referenced in the book also does not make an appearance. I get that they’re probably holding that content for a DLC, but since this kind of content was never locked behind a paywall before, I find it somewhat frustrating.

Overall, though, I felt the plot and characters were very solid and enjoyed the game despite its (many, many) glitches.

#pokemon #pokemon sv #pokemon violet #spoilers #pokemon spoilers #star*speaks #overall very fun #do recommend #assuming glitchy gamelplay isn't an issue #saved this in drafts almost a month ago so i could spell check it and completely forgot about it lol #posting it anyway poor spelling and grammar be damned

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obae-me · 4 years ago

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Hi! If your inbox is open, I'd like to request a scenario with all (or any) of the demon brothers, + undatables reacting to a blind MC? Like, none of them expected to have a blind human and Devildom and they have to revamp everything to make it as safe for MC as possible. Can be she/her or they/them pronouns for MC. Bonus points if MC is extremely talkative and won't shut up lmao. Thank you!

I’m still learning how I best want to write the Undateables, so I’m sorry if they’re a bit lacking. This was really wholesome to write, thank you for your request! 💜

Lucifer

When first summoned down to the Devildom, MC looked more disoriented than he would’ve expected. “Where am I? Who are you guys?” They hadn’t managed to look at Diavolo yet, even while he was speaking to them. They already put him in a bad mood.

“Didn’t you learn its bad manners to ignore the people that are talking to you? Look at Lord Diavolo while he’s speaking.” Lucifer growled, leaving MC with an exasperated expression.

“I’m BLIND.”

Error.

They were blind?? Humans were so fragile that they could just lose their eyesight?? Permanently?! He’s already got several new grey hairs. He’d have to entirely change up the house, he’d need to have someone with them at all times. How would they read? How would they get school work done?

MC has to explain to him that they’ve been this way for a long time, so they can handle themselves. They’ll have to tell him about things they use to help them out, like a cane for starters. They’ll tell him later how they best do schoolwork, but he’s already busy contacting someone about a cane.

It doesn’t matter what MC says, he now feels obligated to keep them under his watch as much as possible. He’s responsible for keeping them safe after all, and he can’t feel relaxed until he can confirm that they’re okay.

Although he did find out that MC was as talkative and feisty as a human could be. If things went too quiet they’d quickly fill up the empty space with chatter. Not to mention anytime he, or any demon for that matter, went into demon form, the intimidation factor was lost. MC never budged. They didn’t mind standing up to him, which annoyed him greatly, but absolutely blew his mind. How such a tiny human, who didn’t have a major part of functioning, could easily stand up to a demon was beyond him.

When MC first asked if it was okay to ‘see’ him, he had no idea what they meant, but was curious to see where it would lead. He wasn’t aware that MC knew any magic. He didn’t expect MC to come over and gently touch his face, running their fingers gingerly over his features. MC politely asked if he could show his true self, and he agreed. MC drifted their way up to his horns, feeling the texture and shape. They had an expression of awe on their face, probably because they now knew that it was real, he wasn’t human. They struggled to find these supposed wings of his, and with one of his gloved hands, Lucifer took their wrist and guided MC along. They made a little gasp as the feathers brushed against their skin.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, his demon form was supposed to strike shock and fear into people. He was supposed to be respected. He was supposed to be above this. So how was it he was sitting here, MC running their hands all over him, and he was the one who was shocked and speechless. He hated how MC had lost their eyesight, but in this one moment he was grateful that they couldn’t see his reddened face with such an embarrassing expression plastered over it.

Mammon

“What do you mean they can’t see? It’s not that dark in the Devildom. Oi, human, just open your eyes, don’t you know how seeing works?!...Oh...Oooh...”

He had a less than grand first impression when he first met MC, and to be honest, it kept getting worse before it got better. He didn’t know when to shut his mouth. He tried asking Lucifer if they could get a different human, one that wasn’t broken. He must’ve somehow thought that whispering from only about a foot away would keep MC from hearing him.

He didn’t get a different human, he was stuck with them, and he was going to receive a particularly severe punishment that night for how poorly he treated MC. He was in a bad mood, not to mention out of his mind with panic.

“I don’t know what to do with people who can’t see? Can we fix ya? Surely there’s some magic here that’ll make you good as new!”

He tried spells, he tried potions, he even paid a fortune to one of the Devildom’s best doctors. None of his antics worked, and out of all the brothers, Mammon took the longest to process that this was how MC was. It was a part of them. They would be like this forever.

He’ll stay by their side constantly, escorting them by the arm and hand, talking their ear off about this and that to keep them distracted. It causes MC to laugh about it every time. Who needs a seeing eye dog when you’ve got a wonderfully trained seeing eye Mammon. Sometimes he would even pick them up to go up and down stairs if he felt they would be too dangerous.

Anytime they’re at any sort of store, MC will have to touch almost everything, and if their hands brush across anything they like, even if only for it’s tactile nature, Mammon will buy it for them at the drop of a hat. It’ll drive Lucifer a bit crazy over the fact that MC won’t ever have a need for most of the things Mammon buys, but he’ll not bother them about it if he sees it makes MC happy even just to hold it.

MC is super talkative, but it’s typically just to fill empty dark space and make things seem more comfortable, but when they’re with Mammon, they don’t need to say a word. He does all the talking, and MC’s grown accustomed to the sound of his voice. It’s so different from his other brothers, the mannerisms he uses and the slight accent to it. Mammon still doesn’t realize that, for this reason, MC can single him out among the crowds at RAD, or how Mammon can never seem to sneak up on them. MC loves how loud he is. No matter how quiet he tries being, MC can always pick him out of the darkness, for them, he’s always there. Mammon will never say it, but he loves how his human knows him apart from everyone else.

Levi

“Huh, so you don’t watch anime, what a typical normie.”

“I actually can’t watch anything, just for your information.”

Fatality.

He knows the concept of blindness from anime and manga, but it almost seemed as foreign to him as magic seemed to MC. Typically in the stories he saw, it was never permanent, always the cause of some curse or spell or even a fight! MC had gone through none of that, it was what it was.

He almost found it relaxing for a moment, because he felt a bit more confident in himself. MC couldn’t see what an ugly shut-in looked like. However, his moods were quickly dashed when MC tripped over an empty can he had lying on the floor. He caught them from falling but quickly went into a state of despair. He was a dirty trashy shut-in. Lucifer would later find that Levi now had his room clean of trash at all times, his floor spotless.

Levi would absolutely cry, and I mean cry, over the fact that MC would never be able to fully enjoy anime or manga or video games. They could maybe enjoy some Dubbed shows but it wouldn’t be the same. If MC hangs out with him, Levi will give them the full commentator experience. He’ll explain what’s going on in his games or shows in hopes MC can still enjoy his favorite form of entertainment.

The first time in his Demon form, MC stepped on his tail in attempt to get to his wings. He yelped in shock. MC was vastly confused. What was that? Where was his wings? Lucifer and Mammon had wings so where were his? He hated being compared to them like that. He couldn’t fly, he couldn’t look nearly as intimidating. No he didn’t have wings, he just has this clunky ugly tail. MC grabbed his tail, making him turn bright red. They ran their fingers over his scales, petting it, pulling it out to see how long it was. MC endlessly talked about how cool it was, and how it felt amazing to touch. Lucifer and Mammon didn’t have a tail. Levi never felt envious of not having wings ever again.

Satan

He can’t believe his brothers didn’t know that humans were capable of being blind. They were extremely fragile creatures but somehow were heartier and more stubborn than they looked, capable of thriving despite everything they go through.

He didn’t know everything about being blind, since it never seemed to come up often enough for him to need to learn about. So you can bet that in just the first few days MC was there, he thoroughly studied up on anything he thought would help him.

He was surprised to find that there was a form of reading available for people who had lost their sight. He had never heard about Braille before this. As a demon who wanted to learn as many languages and reading forms as possible, he was angry he missed something like this.

He wasn’t as angry, however, when MC offered to help teach him how to read Braille if he helped them with their schoolwork and studies. The Devildom school was surprisingly accommodating but until Diavolo and Lucifer finished sorting things out, they couldn’t read any of their schoolwork.

He usually preferred silence, but he didn’t mind when MC would come in his room and feel comfortable enough to talk in detail everything that had happened that day. In return, he liked when MC would listen intently as his narrating voice filled up the room while he would read his favorite stories to them. He loved the way their face would crinkle when he’d attempt to voice a particular character. They put their hand on his chest and would beg him to do it again with a laugh. He’d attempt the line again, MC feeling the deep rumble in his chest. Reading would now not be the same without them.

The more he got to know them, the more the heat in his chest over their blank non-focused eyes grew hotter. How could they not see? How could someone like them be deprived of something like that? He couldn’t show them art, photographs, the beauty of the Devildom’s stars. MC assured him that it was alright, anytime they wanted to know what something looked like, they would ask him. Anything he described sounded like poetry. With him around, his words would be enough.

Asmo

Blind, as in they couldn’t see anything, see him?! His radiant shine? His picture perfect features? His allure? They wouldn’t see any of that? He was astounded. He was upset. He was dramatically depressed. He got over it pretty quickly, though, he’s very attractive yes, but all of his other qualities were just as attractive.

He’ll help tweak their uniform, he’ll buy them clothes that not only feel amazing, but look amazing. If touch is important to them, he’ll get them lotions, skincare products, anything they wanted to keep them well taken care of. Their hands will never worry about being dry.

He loves when MC touches his face to know what he looks like. He’ll use this as an excuse. “How do you know it’s Asmo? I might have put a spell on my voice, double check.” He’ll put his hands over theirs while they amuse him and feel the details on his face down to the bridge of his nose.

One particularly pleasant evening for Asmo, he goes on and on about new clothes he bought, and then brings MC into it.

“Right right? I think it’ll look ravishing on me, the color matches MC’s eyes.” MC smiles and states that they had forgotten their eyes were that color. Asmo sits there for a moment before shrieking, standing up so fast his chair falls over. “You don’t even know what you look like!”

Of course MC had a pretty general idea of what they looked like, but yes he was right for the most part. They didn’t understand why Asmo was so shocked about it. However, Asmo refuses to let this go, and he takes them to his bedroom describing MC down to the bone. He’ll tell them what their eye color reminds him of, the particular way their eyelashes curl, how their complexion looked under the moonlight. He’ll go on and on and on, not realizing that he’s never ever spoke so long about someone else before, so MC lets him continue. They’ve never cared about appearances before, but the way Asmo talks about them makes them cozy on the inside. He made them feel like the most gorgeous thing on earth.

They’ll then change it up, making Asmo close their eyes as they talk about all the things about him that they love. The way the air smells around him when he comes into the room. The way his tone raises up when he’s excited about something. The way his footsteps sound on hard surfaces. They adore how one side of his hair is longer than the other. They love his presence. Asmo is dumbfounded, no one has ever described him in that way before. He’ll melt and might call a doctor for this strange new feeling in his chest.

Beel

They can’t see anything? Can they at least eat?? Well then it’s not the end of the world. If MC had somehow been deprived of taste, he would’ve really been upset. Food doesn’t have to look great to taste great. Still, the fact that they couldn’t see made the Devildom even more dangerous, and he didn’t want anything to happen to them. He couldn’t let anyone get hurt around him, not again.

He’s among the most considerate of the brothers even though he’s not used to being around someone that can’t see. He’s real worried he’ll hurt MC, so he’s always extra careful. He’ll announce that he’s beside them even though they heard his footsteps near them and could feel the heat coming off of his body. He’ll always ask them first if it’s okay to touch them so he can help them out. He’s even extra wary about hugs at first, what if he just...breaks them even more? As time goes by he learns he doesn’t need to walk on eggshells.

He finds it a fun game to let them try to figure out what stuff he made for them before they eat it, more times than not, they figure it out. Then he’ll eat it with them, unnecessarily guiding the fork to their mouth.

If Mammon isn’t by their side, it’s usually Beel who’s next. If he’s not busy with sports or working out, he’ll stick around by MC wherever they want to go. However, it’s usually MC who stays by him whenever he sees something tasty to make sure he doesn’t run off.

MC knew he worked out, but had always envisioned him to be like a big teddy bear. It wasn’t until MC asked to feel him until they understood just how strong Beel was. Under his soft clothes, they felt his tough muscles. He was built like a brick, no matter where they felt him, his arms, his sides, he was completely different than they had expected. His face was soft at least. His hair fun to play with. In his demon form adored touching his horns, exclaiming that they were perfect for fitting doughnuts. He didn’t need to know that, now Lucifer’s going to have to question why in the world Beel has doughnuts stacked on his horns. His wings felt silky and surprisingly fragile despite how strong he felt everywhere else. They were sure they weren’t as weak as they felt, but it let MC know that Beel was still soft. MC couldn’t stop gawking over how big and strong Beel was, pretending to punch him in the gut even though they could probably punch him for real and he wouldn’t feel it.

All Beel wanted was to tell MC how strong he thought they were.

Belphie

At first, he couldn’t believe that, somehow, they had chosen someone who couldn’t even see to be a part of the program. He felt like this supported his idea that it was a terrible idea to begin with, but fortunately, he thought, this made it easy for him to manipulate MC’s actions. How guilty this made him feel, afterwards.

He’d stay silent and sneak around MC, feeling that it was best if they didn’t even know he was there. They knew where he was, no matter how hard he tried. They could follow his dragging footsteps as he lazily walked through the house. His sighs and breathing were also very distinguishable.

They didn’t start getting to know each other till MC was wandering through the house, trying to still burn the number of steps in their mind in this massive place. Their cane found a strange obstacle in the middle of the floor, something that wasn’t usually there. They poked it, it was surprisingly soft. They got down on their knees and reached over, feeling cozy clothes and skin. They found a face and traced it over. It wasn’t anyone they had memorized, so it must’ve been Belphie. Made sense that he was the only one crazy enough to sleep in the middle of the floor. They loved how soft he felt, softer than any of his other brothers. Even his hair was like a velvety down you’d find in a pillow.

They knew he had woken up from his nap. The little muscles in his face were twitching, and his breathing was strained. He was trying to pretend he was asleep, but MC just kept going. They traced down his slender arms to his hands. They were free of any callouses or cuts. They took his hand and grasped it firmly in their own.

“I forgive you, you don’t need to avoid me anymore, or pretend that you’re asleep.” They heard his breathing go still, and then he sat up.

“You knew?”

“I’m not as stupid as people think I am. I may not be able to see, but I can still figure things out just fine.” They gently whacked him with their cane. “So I know you’ve been sneaking around me.”

Belphie didn’t think they wanted him around, after everything he’d done. He was still surprised his brothers kept him around at the end of the day. He just sighed. Emotions were exhausting.

MC felt for his waist and then gave him a tight hug. They knew what it meant to be ashamed of you you were, of the things you’d done, but it didn’t matter. They wanted bygones to be bygones, and they wanted to learn about Belphie for who he really was, not what grief had made him out to be.

MC now finds a new lump in their bed every so often. A lump that moans when you lie on it apparently. Naps are pleasant with him around. MC loves sleeping with their hands in his hair.

MC can’t dream, not in the same way other people do, so Belphie does enough dreaming for the both of them. He’ll share stories of rippling meadows and drifting clouds. He’ll make sure they hear all sorts of pleasant things before they fall asleep. He hopes he can make it up to them.

Diavolo

Figuring out MC was blind didn’t come as a shock, he knew they were after all. He wouldn’t choose someone without knowing the important things about them, and having no eyesight definitely checked out as important.

Knowing him, he did this as a test. He was testing out how the brothers would react and if they indeed could keep MC safe. If a blind human could make it through an entire year in the realm of demons, it would be more than a major success for his program.

The more he got to know about MC, the more he grew close to them instead of just treating them like a test subject or a campaign plan. He loved how they weren’t intimidated by him in the slightest, and he also loved how he could spend hours with them, MC talking the entire time. It drove Lucifer wild, but Diavolo found it fascinating and fun.

“Is this what having friends is like? Amazing.”

He’ll have things all set up for them in a matter of days, having whatever accommodations they need to make their school life as easy as possible. Of course, this supposed ‘special treatment’ didn’t go well over demons who opposed the program. Some demons who disapproved didn’t have the courage to defy him directly at first, but now they were starting to scurry out of the sewers like rats. They headed straight over to Diavolo’s new ‘pet’.

They would abuse MC’s lack of sight to mess with them, stealing their things, purposefully knocking them around since they wouldn’t be able to tell who they were, but any demon who thinks Diavolo doesn’t see everything is sadly mistaken. MC tried standing up for themselves, but they could feel a tremendous and overwhelming presence behind them, larger than anything they had felt before. The demons would gasp, and the bullying would stop. Diavolo would put a hand on MC’s shoulder and they’d never be bothered again.

MC knew that this was the Lord of Demons, but they wanted to feel him in his demon form anyway, should he permit. He did permit, and at last MC was able to figure out this terrifying form of his. In his human form he was large, yes, but in demon form he was even bigger, impossibly big. Demonically big. His horns and wings were sharp and decorated in all manner of jewelry. The skin that stretched over bone to serve as his wings were littered with veins, and even just touching them allowed MC to feel the power pumping through them. He was intimidating yes, but after running their hands over his features, they were able to see how beautiful he was in his frightening glory.

Diavolo won’t tell them this, but they’re the only human who has ever laid a hand on him without immediately perishing or being subjected to torment. He’ll let MC do it again too, if they ever ask him.

Barbatos

The fact that he could’ve chosen a timeline where MC wasn’t like this is irrelevant. MC remained relatively the same throughout the different branches, blind or not. He does have control over time but mostly he’ll let time decide for itself, and he’ll take whatever MC the thread of fate decides to give him in this universe. No matter who shows up, he’ll take care of them.

He’s their secret shadow. MC’s working eyes. Diavolo always has him keeping tabs on them, keeping them safe whenever the brothers can’t. MC at first didn’t understand the whisper in the wind that told them to move to the side right before a demon blazed past. They were confused about the phenomenon of something wrapping around their leg to pull them down to the floor before an object whizzed above their head, causing something to explode behind them. It took MC until they finally heard Barbatos’ voice before it clicked.

When they asked to associate a form with that soft voice, he accepted, the normally even and calm tone just slightly more enthusiastic than normal. He had very wide shoulders and strong hands. Serving hands. Hands that felt almost familiar in a funny way, almost like they were hands that had pulled them away from an problem or two. His hair was longer on one side than the other, and they loved that. Even his demon form was intriguing. In every way that Diavolo’s presence boldly screamed, his aura clearly there, Barbatos was subtle. His horns were different than any horns MC had felt thus far. They were slender, bony, like two skeletal hands were reaching around his face to rest just above his forehead. Even his tail was different, splitting off near the bottom to have two controllable ends. He almost scared MC more than Diavolo.

Sometimes MC will talk to themselves alone in their room, filling up the silent space with their voice so it’s not as dark, not as dismal. Occasionally MC will feel like there’s someone there. Like there’s something nodding along with their ramble in the darkness as shadows quietly tidy up their room. MC will find their clothes folded in distinguishable piles. The floor clear of any potential obstacles. Their cane is easily accessible right near their bed.

“Thank you, Barbatos.”

Sometimes the shadow will answer MC back, quietly drifting across the room to touch MC’s cheek before disappearing like a whisper. The darkness doesn’t seem as lonely anymore.

Simeon

He’s definitely going to be the kind of person who says “There must be a reason if God intended it.” MC had heard that throughout their life too many times. Religious or not, they hated when someone took their life and their disability and summed it up to God’s works. Their life was theirs alone, it belonged to no one else. They have a hard time around this angel at first.

Like Barbatos, Simeon can be impossibly quiet, which makes it hard for MC to be able to tell if he’s moving around. The only giveaways are the sounds his cloak makes, the little diamond shaped decor making slight clinking sounds as he moves. It’s melodic in a way, which MC sums up to angelic grace.

He’s not all bad, though. Yes he does believe God has his hands in all things, but that doesn’t mean he pities MC. That he thinks any less of them as a being. It doesn’t mean he’s chalking up their life to a charity case. He’s actually very sweet and fun. He’s one of the only people besides perhaps Solomon who believes MC is stronger than what they seem.

MC will admit sometimes they absolutely love how much the demons coddle and pamper them, but it can get too much too quickly. So sometimes they’ll run off and hang out with Simeon. He treats them like a person, not like a disability, not like a fragile little flower, but...normal.

“Hello, Simeon here...yes, MC is here...stop screaming, they’re fine...we’ve just been talking.”

He’ll let them talk and talk and talk. He’s quiet himself but he loves to hear MC’s voice. How happy they sound when they share stories and discussions and things that happened during their day.

MC can’t get enough of him now, they love hanging around this angel. There’s no sun in the Devildom, but anytime they’re around Simeon, they feel the same rays of warmth the sunshine gives.

Simeon will never call MC ‘human’ sometimes God’s Miracle, sometimes a Godsend, more often than not, a blessing, but never just ‘human’.

Solomon

Yes, MC is blind, and? He doesn’t care what disability they do or do not have, he still finds them intriguing, and they’re his sole human companion in this place, a kindred spirit.

He’s also mischief wrapped in mystery, so he does his best to teach MC some simple spells to make their life a little easier down in the Devildom. Letting things they drop come right back into their hands, giving a shock to anyone who touches them that they don’t know, simple things like that. He did underestimate MC’s power, though. He may or may not have had seven demons at his door the next day when he learned that MC had accidentally dragged all the furniture in the living room towards them at a disturbing pace after they dropped a schoolbook. He did find it very funny, but taught them how to control their powers better.

MC also doesn’t realize how much magic Solomon uses for their benefit. Objects they feel around for sometimes drift towards their hand. They will magically walk over holes in the ground. If any little pesky demon even dares try to mess with them, they’ll find themselves cursed. He knows that MC has nine powerful demons and two angels looking after them, but he does his part.

When he finally does let MC touch his face, they’re disappointed to find that Solomon is very much in control of his expressions. They can’t get a reading off of what he’s feeling at all. They love anytime the brothers can’t help but let their lip quiver or their eyes flutter. Solomon stays blank, maybe letting them feel a smile on his face, nothing more. However, they are pleased to find not even Solomon can control his temperature, they can feel his cheeks get warmer by the second as they caress his face.

They run their hands though his hair and find that touching him gives them a strange sensation. It’s something akin to static, but without the shock. It’s wonderfully addictive and strange. It leaves their fingers tingling and their nerves vibrating.

Because of this sensation, MC has to touch him anytime they meet. Solomon doesn’t mind, in fact he lives for this. He’ll look over MC’s shoulder and give a small smirk to any of the demon brothers standing behind them. The expressions they pull make everything so much better.

Luke

He’s ready to fight every demon in the Devildom when he learns they’re blind. Everything bad comes from demons, so it had to be one of them, not even hours they had been there before they took MC’s sight!

MC had to calm down the small yapping angel and tell them that they had been this way for a very long time. It just happened, it was just life. He has a very hard time dealing with this.

“But you’re so nice and sweet and wonderful, why can’t you see?” Was he crying?

MC has to promise him that it is okay, there’s still plenty to enjoy in their life. Humans don’t have it easy but they learned to move on anyway. He still doesn’t understand how MC’s not an angel. He suddenly shakes off their supporting words because he’s supposed to be the protector, not a human! He swears to protect them no matter what, no demon will stop him!

He loves to hang out with them, making sure they’re away from demons every now and then for the sake of their soul. He makes sure they’ve been treating MC okay. Even if the answer is yes, he doesn’t care what MC says, he cannot trust demons. So he brings MC the sweets he made to make sure they get plenty to eat. (No, he doesn’t know they can’t live off of sweets just yet)

If he lets MC touch his face, MC cannot get over how soft and squishy this little angel is. He’s just as cute as he sounds.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #obey me luke

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coolgreatwebsite · 3 years ago

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Cool Games I Finished In 2021 (In No Real Order)

Hello again, website. Been a bit. I’m not gonna get into it too much but this year was straight up the worst year of my life. Will it remain that way with so many years left to come? Who knows, but I’m pretty sure it will at least always be in the running. Sorry to start this off on a bummer but it’s just been a bummer of a year. I have good, tangible reason to believe 2022 will at least be an improvement though. Hopeful for the future and all that. Anyway! One way that this year did not suck was in regard to those lovable Visual Games we all enjoy playing. Good year for those, which means it’s time for yet another one of these. Here’s a bunch of cool games I experienced for the first time in 2021.

Shin Megami Tensei V (Nintendo Switch, 2021)

Shin Megami Tensei V is a cool video game. It is not as cool as Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. I know this applies to most video games created before and since, but it feels relevant to note here, this game being in the same direct series and all.

SMTV's combat and demon management is absolutely on point. There were some changes I initially didn't know if I agreed with, like lowering the amount of times buffs/debuffs stack and the introduction of the Essence system, but in the end the gameplay was basically as engaging and challenging as it ever was so all that stuff won me over. What didn't win me over as much is the move to open areas. In SMTV, the world is made up of a handful of large open areas that you're meant to platform around in and explore to find treasure, sidequests, all that JRPG stuff. It's functional and the platforming is surprisingly decent for being inserted into a turn based RPG, but looking through every nook and cranny for all the treasures and Mimans you're missing gets tiring after a while, and the map being incredibly unhelpful at describing differences in elevation exacerbates that. It also doesn't help that most of the areas just feel like the same desert wasteland with different colored lighting. There's not a ton of visual variety which, combined with the kinda underwhelming characters and plot, do a lot to make the game Not As Cool As Nocturne(tm).

All in all though SMT5 is a good time, and probably the only entry in the series so far where I'll go for 100% completion (mostly because beating the game in New Game+ takes like five hours if you just run towards the main objective markers). I'd love to see what they could do if they expand on this framework with a Maniax/Apocalypse style release in the future.

Metroid Dread (Nintendo Switch, 2021)

Metroid Dread is like, shockingly good. MercurySteam not only finally made a good game, they made a fucking great game. I replayed (at least one version of) the mainline Metroid then-quadrilogy this year in the leadup to Dread releasing and picked Samus Returns as my Metroid 2 experience since I hadn't played it, and I thought that game fuuuuuucking sucked. Slow, clunky, repetitive, annoying, I just did not have fun with that game outside of thinking the post-Queen Metroid stuff was kind of neat. Like I'd genuinely rather replay original Metroid 2 before I touch Samus Returns again, and it majorly tempered my expectations for Dread.

So how fuckin’ surprised was I when Dread comes out and it's the most fluid feeling and fun to play Metroid game yet? Samus controls like a dream in Dread, the combat is snappy and satisfying, just moving around in and interacting with the world feels great. Basically every lame idea they had in Samus Returns is either massively improved or outright gone, and there's a bunch of cool new powerups that are fun to use and feel like smart additions to the series rather than the devs going "I don't know, Samus get machine gun?". The combat is also way more engaging. The basic enemies aren't a slog to deal with like they were in Samus Returns, and the bosses are uniformly great, with the final boss being probably the most fun fight in the series.

I did have one big complaint on my first playthrough (and keep in mind this is a complaint that disappeared in subsequent playthroughs), and that was that progression felt super railroaded to me. Not as in your face "You Will Go Here And Only Here, The Objective Marker On Your Map" as Fusion and Other M were, but it still felt like there was really only one obvious, correct way to go from whatever room the powerup you just acquired was in to the next room a powerup is in, and if you tried any other way you got hit with a door you couldn't open. It felt very hard to get lost or miss anything important (but boy howdy did some people still manage to pull off both of those spectacularly, the discourse around this game for the months after it came out was fucking insufferable), very hard to go anywhere the devs didn't intend for you to go, very limited.

Then I replayed it with the express purpose of looking for sequence breaks and holy shit sequence breaking this game is so fucking fun. Maybe BECAUSE that first playthrough felt so restrictive, finding ways to skip around and avoid shit, both in ways intended by the devs and ways unintended by them, really made me appreciate the world design way more. It's not like Zero Mission levels of masterfully designed to allow you to do whatever if you're smart enough to know how, but they let you get away with some duuuuumb shit if you're trying to. Like, I beat the game without any sort of extra jump ability just to see if I could. I got myself in so many dumb situations that I had to improvise my way out of, got myself locked into boss fights that I was just barely equipped to handle, and it all felt great! You can get so dumb with this game! I beat it like 5 times within the month it came out. It fucking rules. Play Metroid Dread, it's a good game.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Nintendo Switch & eventually PlayStation 4, 2019)

And on the other end of the search action spectrum, I finally got around to playing Bloodstained and man if this isn't the best search action Castlevania game without "castle" or "vania" in the title. Right up there with Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow.

It's not too much of a looker, but it makes up for it basically everywhere else. There's soooooo much weird shit to discover and so many weird systems on top of systems on top of systems. It's just a weird game in the best way possible. The power curve is great too, by the end of the game you're zipping around at 100 miles per hour, warping through walls, stopping time, near-instantly decimating everyone with chain lightning and 8-bit fireballs, all sorts of wild shit. If you like the exploration-focused Castlevania games you owe it to yourself to play this.

Just don't play the Switch version. It's indefensibly bad, like it should be illegal to sell that version. Buggy, crashy, framey, hard to look at, just a total fucking mess. Really wish the full scope of how terrible this version of the game would be was more readily apparent before I ended up choosing the physical Switch version on my backer survey!!

Lost Judgment (PlayStation 5, 2021)

Lost Judgment was another big surprise for me. I enjoyed the first Judgment's story, but kind of hated almost everything about actually playing it, and only hated playing it even more when I picked it up again this year to refresh myself before the sequel came out. Lost Judgment, on the other hand, is the most fun a Yakuza game has been to play since Yakuza 0 with a story that's just the dictionary definition of acceptable.

But yeah holy shit they did it, they finally paid off the Dragon Engine debt and made a Yakuza game that's got fun action combat and a ton of weird optional side activities. Like, really fun combat. Best in the series combat. The new Snake style is super fun, having three styles makes a lot more sense than having two, they all flow into each other way more naturally, you can do funny air juggles, it's genuinely the best it's ever been. The breadth of side stuff reminds me of Noted Best Game In The Series Yakuza 5, there's wayyyy more than you think there would and reasonably should be. Like even more than Yakuza 7, and that already felt like it was mostly back on the right track in that regard. And sure it's all pretty hit or miss, but that's the way things should be with these games, dammit. They should get wild with it and they super did and I'm so happy it finally happened again.

It's a shame the story just isn't super engaging! Not awful, just not that compelling. I really hope the weird business with Kimura's agency not knowing what a computer is doesn't stop a third Judgment game from happening, because an iteration on the gameplay from this one with a story that's more in the caliber of the best this series is capable of could be fucking killer.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Nintendo Switch, 2021)

This is kind of a weird game to talk about. There's a lot of weird aspects to unpack about how it was released.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a collection of two games, "The Great Ace Attorney Adventures" and "The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve", neither of which were released outside of Japan until this year. The first game originally came out in 2015 and was met with, from my outsider view, a pretty negative reception. So much so that I really didn't hear anything about the sequel when it released two years later in 2017. It seemed like a flop that was destined to sit in the no localization corner with Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (Capcom! You dumbasses!! Give AAI2 an official release!!! It's one of the best games in the franchise!!!) until suddenly in 2021 it didn't. Capcom was just bringing them both over here in a compilation, suddenly as that.

After playing through this collection I can say two things: I 10000% percent understand the initial reception in Japan, and I think The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is pretty damn good. Releasing it like this was absolutely the only correct call on Capcom USA's part. If US fans got it piecemeal like Japan did there would've been riots. The fact that it was initially split into two games with a two year gap between each is insane. This is just one bigger than usual Ace Attorney game.

GAA1 is, when taken on its own, SO fucking weirdly paced. The first case is genuinely bad in my opinion. It's your average Ace Attorney tutorial case except expanded out to three and a half hours. Then you get to case two expecting things to pick up and, while not bad, it's entirely an investigation segment. The third case is trial-only (but again, not bad!). The fourth case finally has you do both one investigation segment and one trial segment, and then the fifth and final case is the first and only one that dares to take place over more than one day. And then it's over! And it's over with an almost Halo 2 level "see ya next game suckers" ending! I wouldn't go so far as to say GAA1 is bad, but it is a game that's mostly setup and, when taken as a standalone product, has bizarre pacing that's only acceptable in the context of it being the first half of a larger thing you can immediately continue.

With all that out of the way though, when taken as the one large product it was released worldwide as, Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is the best game the series has had since Ace Attorney Investigations 2. The first half being basically nothing but setup is, coincidentally enough, good at setting up overarching mysteries and characters for the second half to very successfully make good on. Especially the characters. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has the most eminently likeable core cast of characters since the original Ace Attorney trilogy. It was extremely bittersweet leaving them at the end of it all. Herlock Sholmes is the best character of 2021. He is a huge dip shit and he is my huge dip shit. The ultimate lovable dumbass. And then it has all the charming writing, music and animations you'd expect from a good Ace Attorney on top of that. If you're in the mood for an XL AA and you go in knowing that it's gonna be big and take its time, I can't recommend it enough.

Bravely Default II (Nintendo Switch, 2021)

Ok look, I know every single year I have one game where I go "this was objectively good but still disappointed me" and in recent years I've even made a disclaimer similar to this one right here. Bravely Default II is this year's game. But before I get into it I feel the need to stress, emphatically stress even, that this game is objectively good. I played it, I beat it, and overall I enjoyed it. It would not be on this list if I didn't. Please please please do your best to keep this in mind as you read the following rambly wall of text.

Bravely Default II might be one of the biggest disappointments of my life. I love the first Bravely Default. It's one of my favorite JRPGs of all time. Final Fantasy V is my favorite Final Fantasy and they made a shiny new FFV just for me with an insanely good soundtrack. Just that would have been enough for me, but they also went and did one other thing: they made it weird. Bravely Default gets fucking WEIRD.

What starts out as a purposefully traditional "warriors of light please you must save the crystals" story suddenly turns into what appears to be a time travel story after you "save" the last crystal, which then turns out to actually be a multiple dimensions story when you find out your cutesy fairy companion Airy is secretly a major villain, which is signified by the game's subtitle on the title screen changing from "WHERE THE FAIRY FLIES" to a big goofy red "AIRY LIES". You run through multiple dimensions, each one becoming more and more warped and distorted from the original one you knew, until you eventually face the final boss on the edge of all realities, banding together with every alternate universe version of your heroes as represented by your actual friends on your 3DS online friends list. And that's just an extremely surface level synopsis of how the back half of that game just fuckin’, goes for it. Just does a bunch of extremely weird, over the top, unexpected things that make it stick in your mind forever.

I don't like the direct sequel, Bravely Second, as much as the first game but it also Just Fuckin’ Goes For It. Maybe even harder in some respects! Like, the game opens immediately on a scripted unwinnable fight with the final boss and halfway through the game you fail in stopping his plan, and the solution is to use the newly unlocked New Game+ button on the main menu to go back to that unwinnable fight and break the scripting so you can win. The true final boss attempts to defeat you by sending you back to the main menu and literally forcing your cursor to pick the delete save option. The Bravely Series Fucking Goes For It! It rules!! I love it!!!

Anyway, the scene is late 2019. I'm on the last leg of my commute home from work, walking to my apartment from the bus stop, begrudgingly watching The Game Awards on my phone. Suddenly, the announcement I never expected to see on Geoff's dreadful obligation of a show magically appears: fucking Bravely Default II. I honest to god started jumping up and down and yelling on the sidewalk. I cannot remember the last time a game announcement surprised and delighted me that much, let alone one at the fucking Game Awards. It was all I could think about for the next couple of weeks. My mind raced with all the wild directions they could possibly go from the end of Bravely Second. Hell, they were already calling the third game in the series Bravely Default II, what title screen nuttiness would they get up to this time? I was so fucking pumped. They were doing it! They even got the original composer back after scheduling conflicts stopped him from working on Bravely Second! This was gonna rule!

Bravely Default II is a good game. It still has the rock solid core job system gameplay the rest of the series has. Bravely Default II is also the worst game in the series. Bravely Default II Does Not Fuckin’ Go For It, in any respect aside from the music. Revo did his job there. Nobody else did.

For starters, Bravely Default II wasn't developed by the studio that developed Bravely Default and Bravely Second, Silicon Studio. It was instead handled by Claytechworks, the developers of the mobile game Bravely Default: Fairy's Effect. I'm assuming this is the reason a lot of Bravely Default II's gameplay and mechanics feel like varying degrees of a regression from Bravely Second. Bravely Second (and technically Bravely Default: For The Sequel, which is the upgraded version of the original that was the only version released internationally) introduced a lot of interesting new job mechanics, skill interactions, and overall gameplay systems that are either severely pared down or completely absent in Bravely Default II.

It's also just kinda fucking ugly? The first two games were pretty damn good looking for the 3DS, with well-stylized characters and very pretty painted backgrounds. The backgrounds here in Bravely Default II are still nice, but the models look rough and on a technical level everything just looks grainy and blurry and there's a lot of framerate hitching.

The whole thing very much feels like a separate studio that wasn't several iterations deep in a series had to scramble to hammer a game into a shape mostly resembling the shape of those old games while missing a lot of the details. I don't know why this change of studios was made. I hope either Claytechworks gets it together or Silicon Studio comes back for a hypothetical sequel.

But beyond the gameplay shortcomings, my biggest misgiving with Bravely Default II is that it does not have that Bravely series juice, and I was DESPERATELY craving the juice. It makes some meager attempts to provide the juice, but it's just water with food coloring. The story and presentation just does not have it together, and the "wild stuff" they do try to pull mostly falls flat. The final boss genuinely snuck up on me. They do a few fakeouts with the final boss near the end of the game and I honest to God thought the actual last fight was another fakeout until it was over, with only the degree to which how hard the music was going (extremely hard, hard enough for me to look back on the fight as being cooler than it actually was) giving me any sort of suspicion that this was truly supposed to be the climactic final battle.

Even worse than the stuff they fumble is the stuff they just don't do, which is most of it. One of those later game fakeout bosses starts to play a key theme from the original Bravely Default, hinting at some sort of deeper meaning/connection/plot, but there isn't any. Nothing comes of it. That character just disappears after that fight, leaving you to maybe potentially go out of your way to find a hidden lore page to get any info on what her deal was, just like so much of the rest of the game's plot details. I also didn't think the final dungeon was the final dungeon! It's just kind of a lightly altered version of the world map!! Hell, they don't even do anything weird with the title screen!!! They named the third Bravely game Bravely Default II and they don't even do anything weird with the title like the first two games did!!!! Fuck!!!!!

Bravely Default II is a good game. I played it, I beat it, and overall I enjoyed it. It's a shiny new Final Fantasy V just for me with a good soundtrack and, as previously stated, that's enough for me.

Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Series X, 2021)

In a list already full of big shocks, this was the biggest shock. I genuinely kinda can't believe how well they pulled Psychonauts 2 off.

If you asked me what my favorite games were in 2005, as one of the handful of people who played Psychonauts, I would have put Psychonauts pretty damn high up on my list. I spent at least a decade after it came out lamenting the lack of a sequel and cursing the world for ignoring such an incredible game, so much so that eventually all the energy I had behind those feelings was just depleted. When Double Fine finally did announce Psychonauts 2 as a crowdfunding campaign, my reaction was along the lines of "sure, fine, I'll believe it when it's out". The release of Psychonauts 2 ended up sneaking up on me.

I only ended up realizing it was imminent like a week or so before its release date, and in an "oh fuck wait shit I actually am excited about this" frenzy I decided to replay the original to refresh myself, and I'm glad I did because it just made it that much more clear how much they fucking NAILED Psychonauts 2 when I ended up playing it right after. It's like the original game came out 16 days ago, not 16 years ago. They didn't skip a beat, didn't age a day. It's uncanny, like everyone involved with the first game immediately time traveled to 2021 after production finished. The entire voice cast is back and firing on all cylinders (except maybe Cruller, whose voice got much more southern and much less grandpa in the interim), the writing and environments are as wild and inventive and charming as ever, and the gameplay is monstrously refined from the first game. Just wildly better, it's full of smart improvements and plays great (Jeff if you're reading this you're insanely, impossibly wrong (also hi)). I could go on and on about what they got right but I'd have to list nearly everything.

I genuinely think the only criticism I have is that by focusing the story so hard on having a big central mystery, it feels more like you learn how characters relate to that mystery rather than learning about the characters themselves, and I liked naturally learning what made each character who they were over the course of a level in the first game. For instance, I had zero idea why Compton's level was game show themed until I looked at his room in photo mode at some point and saw that he was watching game shows on TV and kind of inferred from there that he's just cooped up watching them 24/7, whereas I feel a detail like this would have more effortlessly revealed itself over the course of the level in the first game.

But I'm nitpicking. Psychonauts 2 is an incredible, almost impossible seeming follow-up to one of my favorite games ever. Just stunning considering the gap between releases and what Double Fine has done/been through in that gap. I'm so happy it happened, and I'm so happy I got to play it. Psychonauts 2 is game of the 2021, just edging out Metroid Dread. Thank you.

These games were also cool, I just had less to say about them:

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania (Nintendo Switch, 2021): This is a good game, but mostly on the merits of being built off two great games. They made a lot of weird decisions with it, and it's an aesthetic downgrade on every level, but for the most part it's still those Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 levels, and those are still good. 100% the best Monkey Ball product released in the last decade and a half. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Nintendo DS, 2008): And in search action Castlevania games that DO have "castle" and "vania" in the title, this is probably the most fascinating of them all. Absolutely the best one mechanically. The glyphs are a cool mix of standard weapons and Soma's soul system, and turning the MP bar into a Souls series-style stamina meter is a cool shakeup. If they managed to make a sequel to this before Konami decided to be Konami, it probably would have been the best in the series. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (PlayStation 5, 2021): This is a better version of a fantastic game and the added Yuffie side mode is very good. Yuffie might just straight up be my favorite character to play as? Super versatile and fast with a real fun ability set. Really looking forward to using her more in the sequel. The story for her campaign is decent too, I just wish they left the Deepground dipshits in the basement where they belong. New Pokémon Snap (Nintendo Switch, 2021): New Pokémon Snap is exactly that. It is a New Pokémon Snap, but bigger and fancier. I was never one of the ones clamoring that there's GOTTA be another Pokémon Snap RIGHT NOW like a lot of people were, but I would have gladly accepted one at any time, and here I am now to accept it. It's extremely similar to the first game, but that 20-something year gap does a lot to mitigate that being a negative. Looking forward to Newer Pokémon Snap in 2041! Monster Hunter Rise (Nintendo Switch, 2021): Monster Hunter Rise whips. Literally, you have a grappling hook you can whip around with. But yeah, it's solid as hell Monster Hunter with very little of what got in the way in MH World. They completely revamped the Hunting Horn, and while I think it's still fun I do miss the old one. Also a little light on content, but nothing a G rank expansion won't fix. Good stuff! Hitman 2 & Hitman 3 (PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5, 2018 & 2021): Grouping this in as one game since it essentially is and I played it all at once. A bucket load of great new levels and mechanical additions to the formula established in the previous game. Not much more to say than that, it all just kinda rules. Hitman just kinda rules. Except Sniper Assassin mode, that sucks. Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo Switch, 2021): I feel a lot of the same ways about this as I feel about Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. A good game carried on the backs of great games with a lot of weird decisions around the edges, but still the best product released in the franchise since the mid 2000s. Some of the items are just too busted, and a lot of the rules changes drain the typical Mario Party tension and stakes out of the whole thing. Great online play though, hope it eventually gets more boards as DLC. Resident Evil Village (PlayStation 5, 2021): I had fun with Resident Evil Village. It's good. When I was done with it I never wanted to play it again. It's going for something more action-y than Resident Evil 7, and what it ends up being is weirdly reverent towards Resident Evil 4 but with none of the mechanical chops to back it up (masterfully demonstrated by its absolutely terrible take on The Mercenaries mode). Entertaining in the moment but instantly forgettable. A popcorn video game, and there's nothing wrong with that. Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown (PlayStation 4, 2021): Virtua Fighter 5 rules and it's nice that they ported it to something other than 360 and PS3. I would have rather had a Virtua Fighter 6. They also should have given it rollback netcode. And put it on the PC. The apparent success of this release has given me high hopes that I will eventually get all of those.

And that’s a wrap on 2021, gamers. What does the new year hold for this neglected website? I dunno man. I’d like to at least get that article about the ToeJam & Earl 3 racism final boss up so that story is somewhere other than a Twitter thread, but beyond that you’ll just have to wait and see. As always, thank you so much for reading to the end of this. See ya next year.

#article #year wrapup

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polarisbibliotheque · 3 years ago

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DMC OC Week - Day 3: Past

OC + DMC Universe

Summary: “After 10 years, Dante goes back to the city of Remény, a place where he left much more than dead demons and thankful humans. He’d finally meet her again.”

Content: Honestly, everything you’d find in a DMC game. But with more existential crisis and exploration of repressed feelings (it’s a wild ride).

Age rating: +16

Word Count: 3.3k

“So… What’s your name, lady?”

On that grim day, when all hope was lost and Diana thought death was certain, that man in a red coat jumped in to help her defend her own life. She deemed it as good as gone, but that man stood by her side when no one else did.

And not only that – when Diana was sure she would get mortally hit, he stood in front of the blade, a scythe piercing through his chest. She screamed in horror as blood gushed from the wound, pooling around her feet and sprinkling on her hands and face. He couldn’t die, not for her. If the only person who decided to help her had to give their life for Diana, she would choose to die – he definitely was too good to go in such a terrible manner.

But he simply took the scythe off his chest and kept on going. As shocked as she was, Diana still managed to get the bloody scythe from the floor and fight. It was heavy and clunky, but she’d do whatever she needed to survive.

When all demons were gone, that man turned around to speak to her for the first time.

“Diana. And yours?”

“Most people call me Dante.” As he answered, Diana could only raise one eyebrow. ‘Most people’? How many other names did he have? “Those people who left you behind, you know them?”

“Hmmm.” Her reply was nothing more than an annoyed hum and it would remain like that. Diana checked her wound to assess how bad it was, but her heart ached more than any physical pain she felt.

What happened that day was only the last drop of water to overflow the cup of hurt emotions Diana had inside. For too long she had dealt with being mistreated by everyone around her – but she didn’t expect to be left to die like that.

Dante kept watching her for a while… She reminded him of someone.

“You think they’ll open those doors now to let you in?” He had to find out what to do next. Dante needed to get the job done, but now she was under his protection. He wouldn’t leave Diana behind, but he couldn’t move on killing demons relentlessly with a hurt human by his side. He needed to get her to safety.

And Diana just stared back at him.

“Perhaps if we ask nicely.” Her statement dripped sarcasm, making him laugh briefly. It wasn’t a laugh of enjoyment, but one that recognized how humans could sometimes be worse than demons. And it also recognized some mannerisms from a company he missed so much in his life.

“What about your family? Do you have someone around?”

“I told them to leave during the first wave. We weren’t together when the demons attacked, and I didn’t want them to die because of me.”

Diana barely looked at Dante, but he felt a pull in his heart with her words. He knew exactly what she meant – Dante himself would get the people he loved to safety first during emergencies and if he died, so be it. At least they were safe.

Especially if it was his family. If he still had one.

“The sun’s about to set, we better find a safe place to spend the night.” He looked at the skies, the color changing to a darker tone. At night, the city would be swarming with demons that lurked in the shadows – and those things would smell Diana’s fresh blood like sharks.

“Don’t worry about me, you have a job to do. I can go on my own.” Diana took the scythe from the floor again, testing the weight on her leg. It hurt more than she expected, and it didn’t stop bleeding.

But she learnt to be alone. It had been a very long time since she couldn’t trust anyone, and that day sealed her belief that she could depend on herself and herself only. Although Dante saved her, Diana also thought the world of the people who left her to die. The people she forgave so much so she wouldn’t be alone – but she was. Left to die. Left to survive.

Dante furrowed his brows. Vergil. Diana had some of his mannerisms: the way she was cold and distant, sarcastic and stoic. A lone survivor – instead of keeping it light-hearted like the Crimson Slayer, she had the cold, polite aura of the Dark Slayer.

Dante couldn’t leave her there to die.

“Well, you’re not going very far with that leg of yours.” He pointed out, making her stare at him. “C’mon. I’d prefer to continue our chat in a place where those demons won’t turn you into their Happy Meal time.”

A faint smile appeared on Diana’s lips, even though she didn’t want to. That alone made Dante a little more content about himself – he knew Vergil was hard to crack, but Dante had his ways to deal with his brother. Perhaps he could do the same with her.

When someone was so used to harshness, a little kindness could go a long way.

The mirrored walls were covered in blood. Chairs and tables were tossed around, broken, blocking the way. The floor had drag marks everywhere, covered in crystals of broken glass, bottles and cups. There were no bodies left – and if there were, they wouldn’t want to see them.

A pub wasn’t the most obvious choice for a safe place to spend the night, but it had only two entrances: Dante and Diana blocked the back door with chairs and tables, making sure no demon could enter. They left the front door unblocked, though – if they needed to escape, that was the route.

Dante knew a handful of demons who could teleport through the barricade, so an escape route was a must.

Diana sat by one of the last chairs on the bar, the scythe resting by her side, close enough to be grabbed in an emergency. Dante stood by one of the blood sprinkled windows right at the other side of the pub, checking if the streets were safe.

But he also checked on her. Diana’s wound was worse than he initially thought, and Dante was suspecting there was some sort of poison that wasn’t allowing her to heal. It kept bleeding and that was a huge problem – not only because it could attract demons, but it was unsafe for a human to bleed so much.

“Hey, Diana. Let me take a look at that.” He decided to approach her, which seemed to startle her. Diana was too lost in thoughts to remember she was there with someone else.

“It’s ok. I’m fine.” She answered briefly, but shied away from him as soon as Dante was close enough to touch her.

That annoying tug on his heart stroke again. What the hell did people do to her to make that woman so avoidant?

He understood Vergil – he really did. Neither Dante or his brother had an easy life and even though Vergil did some stupid ass things in pursuit of power, Dante knew where it came from. He knew why Vergil was so avoidant and so closed up, deeming his feelings as a weakness – Dante could never really judge him.

Yes, Vergil was a pain in the ass to deal with, but he could understand wanting to become full demon and leave all his humanity behind. For his brother to get like that, though, it took a lot. Dante’s heart always got hurt seeing another human with those traits, because it usually stemmed from a great pain.

He had always been the soft-hearted twin.

“Ei, I know a thing or two about first aid.” He sat on what was left of the seat by her side, leaning most of his weight on the bar. Dante didn’t want her to get even more uncomfortable – reaching out was a matter of patience. “But I do know a lot more on demonic wounds. Scythe through the chest, remember?”

Diana let a little smile color her lips, making Dante smile back – a little proud on breaking through that thick coat of ice, even if it was just a little bit.

“That thing isn’t healing, right? We’ll have to patch it up somehow until we find someone who can properly take care of you.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of.” Diana’s response was almost automatic – she even stopped talking as soon as she noticed the words coming out of her mouth. Luckily, Dante brushed it off and didn’t tease her as she expected he would do.

“Oh, I know that. You faced head on a bunch of demons with a metal stick as a weapon.” It was a compliment, and she wasn’t expecting that. Dante took Diana completely by surprise and disarmed her so easily. She didn’t even know what to do with herself. ��Say what. I’m gonna find whatever bottle's left on this joint and pour us a drink. Whenever you get uncomfortable, we stop to have a sip and chat. How do you feel about that?”

Diana still shied away when Dante leaned a little towards her but he took her answer as a good omen.

“If you can find a surviving drink in this place, fine.”

“You have to be quite strong to be able to take a stab through your heart and keep on going.” Diana barely moved as Dante saw what he could do on her thigh.

It was way worse than he was used to see in humans. Diana mentioned a Monk at the Cathedral who could help, but he didn’t want to break the news that it was probably going to take a lot more work than just patching her up. There was something more at work there – Dante couldn’t make out if it was a poison, a jinx, a hex, or whatever else those demons had in their bodies. He just knew she was at a great risk.

But Dante also didn’t want to admit that to himself. He decided to stay in denial and tell himself “everything is gonna be alright”. He probably was being too overdramatic, too much of a doomsday person. Or at least that’s what he wanted to think.

He wasn’t going to lose her. He wasn’t able to save his brother and bring Vergil back to a normal, functioning life where he didn’t have to know only suffering and harshness – but he could do that to Diana. He could save her. He had to.

“Eh, it’s part of the job.” Dante brushed it off, already used to it. He lost count of how many times he was impaled by blades.

Dante immediately stopped what he was doing, though, when Diana took her glass from the table to take a sip of whisky. He leaned back, taking his own broken glass between his long fingers covered by black leather gloves.

“Everything ok?”

“Hmmm.” She just nodded back, taking another sip of alcohol. Dante waited, knowing she’d say something else. At least that’s how it was with Vergil. “I’m not used to that much… Touching.”

“It’s ok. You’re doing fine.” Dante’s lips searched for the part of the glass that wasn’t broken for another sip of whisky, looking aloof to allow Diana to smile briefly. She tended to smile when he wasn’t looking, even if it was a shadow of a proper smile. “We have the whole night.”

And in those sky-blue eyes, she found nothing but honesty. Dante wasn’t human, Diana knew that. But his heart was an open book in his eyes – there was something in there. A kind of pure honesty mixed with loneliness. A longing for kindness in return.

Dante waited patiently until Diana said it was ok for him to work on her wound again. He had a few first aid things resting on the bar that could help – the most he could find on that hopeless place. She didn’t touch her glass for quite a while.

“Scythe through the chest, just like the song…” She muttered to herself, drawing his attention. “Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame…”

“Darlin’, you give love a bad name.”

As soon as Dante sang back to her, Diana smiled. The very first honest smile that lit up her face, making Dante smile back. They were making progress.

“You seem to know my brother well even though you spent years apart.”

Vergil walked gracefully by Diana’s side. Enveloped by the darkness of the night, both moved silently like specters, making almost no noise. They didn’t want to draw the attention of demons during a rescue mission – they could investigate further when people were safe and the whole crew got back together.

“Dante did help me when I had no one else. He isn’t that easy to forget.”

“That you are right.” Vergil’s tone was annoyed, making her smile. “His foolishness is remarkable.”

Diana didn’t want to laugh out loud, but she did – making Vergil raise an eyebrow towards her. He wasn’t used to people laughing of the things he said… Well. People other than his brother. Dante seemed to be the only one who thought Vergil’s dry humor was funny. Having another person outside his family be so… Welcoming to him was surely different.

“It is, but it always puts a smile on our faces, right?” Diana agreed with a sigh, contemplating the bright moon high in the velvet blue sky. “He can always make me smile.”

Vergil wasn’t expecting that remark – but she was right. In all his foolishness, Dante made him smile even when Vergil didn’t want to. The Dark Slayer lost count of how many times they ended up laughing when Dante started to follow him around during an argument to “hug it out” while Vergil literally ran away around the shop’s table.

It was very angry laughing between both, but it always worked like a charm to make them less angry and stop screaming at each other.

“Hmmm.” And Diana furrowed her brows when she noticed Vergil had the same mania she had to hum while thinking. She wondered if Dante also noticed that years ago. “You’re also right about that.”

“Does he follow you around for a hug when you’re avoiding all human contact as well…?”

“…And you keep pushing him away, but that idiot is worse than a hungry koala?” Vergil completed her question, making Diana start laughing immediately.

And even though he didn’t want to, Vergil ended up laughing as well.

#dmcocweek #dmc oc #dmc fanfiction #devil may cry #devil may cry fanfiction #dmc dante #dmc vergil #dante sparda #vergil sparda #devil may cry dante #devil may cry vergil #dante x oc #dmc crew #polaris bibliotheque #I'm sticking with those tags for now

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liugeaux · 5 years ago

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The Master of Blasting

Months ago, once I realized my Retron had a save-state feature, something got into me. I realized I could go back to old retro games and actually finish them. Sure, I played 100s of games in the 8 & 16-bit eras, but I’ve never been that good at anything with a steep difficulty. Most games of the late-80s, early 90s were punishingly tough and typically, without cheat codes I never got to see the end of them.

After playing through all the old Donkey Kong Country games and Sonic the Hedgehog 1, I turned my eye towards a peculiar series I had only dabbled in before, Blaster Master. With the release of Blaster Master Zero on Switch, I was extra interested in diving into the well-regarded B-tier NES original.

With a little research, I found that a total of 8 Blaster Master games have been released...that’s when the classic Sergio completist kicked in. I convinced myself that I shouldn’t play the new Switch games until I’ve completed all of the retro titles. When I began my journey I didn’t realize it would be such a headache. Here’s my run-through of all the Blaster Master Games.

1988 - Blaster Master (NES)

Ah, the original. This little game has a charm to it that most games of the late 80′s don’t have. It was clearly inspired by Nintendo published games like Metroid and Zelda. Blaster Master’s key gimmick is the ability to play as the armored tank Sophia the 3rd or as an on-foot character named Jason, the pilot of the tank. As needed, Jason jumps out of the tank and enters human-sized doors.

Blaster Master is a 2D platformer, but once Jason enters a door, the game switches to an overhead perspective for navigation through maze-like dungeons. None of the mazes are particularly hard to solve, but all of the game’s bosses are found in these dungeons. As a kid, having a game that completely switched perspectives was rad. I never owned it as a child, but I vividly remember my time with it through rentals and such.

This first game is super hard and I found myself using known glitches to get past the game’s harder boss sequences. In true Metroidvania-style, there’s heavy backtracking throughout Blaster Master and if you don’t know where you’re going getting to the next level can be quite annoying. Having played the whole game, I can finally say that despite a super strong first impression, Blaster Master isn’t that great.

It's WAY too hard and by the halfway point the luster had worn off the unique gameplay. For some reason, this is the point where I decided to dive headfirst into the rest of the Blaster Master games. I’m a glutton for punishment I guess.

1991 - Blaster Master Boy (Game Boy)

Prior to playing the original, I had no idea there were so many titles in this series. I definitely didn’t know there were multiple portable entries. Blaster Master Boy is less a Blaster Master game and more a Bomberman game. Technically its a sequel to the Bomberman spin-off Robo-Warrior. A quick trip over to Youtube can confirm that the gameplay and music are lifted directly from Robo-Warrior. To add even more confusion, in Japan, Robo-Warrior was called Bomber-King, Blaster Master Boy was Bomber-King Scenario 2 and it wasn’t even published by the same company.

Because of this weirdness, I didn’t spend too much time with Blaster Master Boy. It also didn’t help that there isn’t a decently priced copy anywhere on the internet.

1993 - Blaster Master 2 (Genesis)

Five years after the original, Blaster Master returned to the console market with Blaster Master 2. It was a Sega Genesis exclusive and the only title in the series released in the 16-bit era. Playing this immediately after the original really made it quite hard. The controls aren’t as precise and the difficultly level is somehow ratcheted up. Blaster Master 2 is a more straight forward platformer without the backtracking of a traditional Metroidvania.

Unlike the first game, when you enter the human sections of the game, you don’t start a top-down sequence. Instead, the pilot levels are 2D platform shooter areas. All of these seem half-baked, clunky and compared to the game’s contemporaries, quite sad. Fortunately, top-down gameplay wasn’t completely abandoned, before the end of each level there’s an odd top-down sequence, where you pilot Sophia. This mechanic never returns in future games, but taking the rest of the game into consideration, it really isn’t terrible.

Unfortunately, there’s not much good to say about Blaster Master 2, It hits most of the design notes that the first one hits but the entire experience feels like it was made by a completely different team. Funny enough, after saying that, I looked it up and Blaster Master 2 was, in fact, made by a completely different team. Ha!

The game’s only saving grace is its vivid color pallet and solid sprite design. Like the first game, the music solid, but unless you’re taking a trip through the whole series like me, Blaster Master 2 can be skipped.

2000 - Blaster Master: Enemy Below (Game Boy Color)

It took Sunsoft awhile to get around to the Blaster Master series again, but in 2000 they came out swinging. Blaster Master: Enemy Below was released for Game Boy Color and of all the games on this list, it is the game that most resembles the original. Much of the art is designed to look nearly identical to the NES games’, even down to a nearly pixel-perfect recreation of the SOPHIA tank.

The top-down Jason segments return as does the extreme difficulty and fantastic soundtrack. It’s hard to really complain about the execution of this title. It was clearly an attempt at just trying to make the closest thing they could to the original and in many ways, it is a tighter and more consistent experience. Unfortunately, that’s also a strike against it. Enemy Below doesn’t bring anything new to the table. The bosses are basic re-hashes of the originals, the levels feel like a “lost levels” DLC pack and the game being portable doesn’t really encourage innovation.

I guess the coolest thing I can say about Enemy Below is that it's still available for purchase. On the 3DS Virtual Console, you can pick up Enemy Below for about $5. At that price, it’s easy to recommend, especially since it comes with built-in save-state functionality.

2001 - Blaster Master: Blasting Again (Playstation)

Also, released in 2000 (in Japan, 2001 in North America), is the weirdest game in the series to date, Blaster Master: Blasting Again. For those of you too young to remember, the Playstation/N64 era of video games was full of 2D series trying their hand at 3D games. Blasting Again is an egregious example of this frustrating industry trend. You still pilot a tank, with all the same features, like homing missiles, and hover, but you’re dropped into a fully realized 3D world with painfully bad anime cut-scenes.

The “Jason” sequences are still here, but they too are 3D and mundanely boring. Also, with this being an official sequel to the original, you play as Jason’s son Roddy, not Jason. Much of the music from earlier in the series is remixed, and rerecorded, so not all is lost in the odd one-off. Unfortunately, the antiquated tank controls and punishing difficulty makes Blasting Again hard to recommend. I was able to play it on PS3 with no issues, but the toggle switch for the digital and analog controls was initially hard to find.

I ended up sinking about 40 hours into finally beating this tragedy. I wasn’t able to use save states and despite it being objectively bad, I grew to love it’s janky and unfair presentation. As a whole, these games have really tested my ability to control my anger, but Blasting Again was the first one to truly get all the way under my skin.

2010 - Blaster Master: Overdrive (WiiWare)

Notice, I have yet to say any of these games are good, that’s because they aren’t. What they have is a charm to them that conjures the aura of the scrappy beginnings of gaming and the forced appreciation of only owning 4 games that had no checkpoints. Thus far, despite initial misgivings, I’ve enjoyed my time on this journey. Blaster Master: Overdrive is where that joy ended. The fun I was having with the series was taken out back, brutally beaten, and left to die in the town square as an example to anyone daring to play this absolute nightmare.

Overdrive starts innocently enough. It does it’s best to try and evoke the gameplay and tone of the original and for what it's worth the art style isn’t terrible. The Sophia and Jason gameplay loops are in-tact and even the gun-upgrades are more important than ever. Where Overdrive falls apart is its difficulty and embarrassing lack of control options.

I’m sure most of you are at least familiar with the Wii-Remote. With this being a Wii-Ware only game, it could only be played with the Wii-Remote. The real downside is that the developer either ran out of time or opted not to explore the myriad of control options the Wii offered. There’s no classic controller support, no Gamecube controller support, there’s not even a way to map buttons to a nun-chuck. You are stuck playing with the Wii-Remote turned sideways.

This wouldn’t be that big of a deal if they had found a better way to implement strafing into the controls. To strafe, the player must hold the B button. That’s the button underneath the Wii-Remote. In a world where the player is using the remote like an old-school NES controller, B button usage is a legit finger-bending-nightmare. Couple this broken control scheme with punishing difficulty and you have the perfect recipe for rage-quitting. I‘m not proud of my behavior during my time with this game and let’s just say I own 1 less Wii-Remote now.

The last thing I want to say about Overdrive is less about the game itself and more about its availability. The Wiiware marketplace is 100% closed, which means there’s no legit way to purchase this game, outside of buying someone’s Wii who had already bought it. This is an ominous foreshadowing of things to come. I would have paid for this game. Hell, I’m deep enough into this BM adventure I would have paid a premium to play this dumb game, but Nintendo’s shut-down of the Wii-Ware shop is a low-key attack on game preservation that us archivist, CANNOT forget. *steps off of soap-box*

2017 - Blaster Master Zero (Switch/Steam)

With the release of Blaster Master Zero, the series got the most attention it’s had since the original game. Most of that attention was because Zero was basically a launch game for the Switch. The best way to describe Zero is to say that it’s developer Inti’s attempt to take the Blaster Master formula and actually make a decent game. For the most part, they succeed. Oddly enough, almost 30 years later, Zero is the first legitimately good Blaster Master game.

Much like Enemy Below, Zero tries its hardest to evoke the look of the original NES game. Some refer to games like this as pixel art, others refer to it as lazy...I float somewhere in the middle on it. It was great playing a Blaster Master game with a proper controller where the mechanics actually work. However, it was frustrating seeing a game, based on a design aesthetic that hit its ceiling in the late 80s, try to beautify itself. Many attempts were made to make the design stand out, but it just kept hitting the ceiling established by its predecessors.

Alternately, by Inti making the game super-playable, the flaws of the older games stand out even more than before. Typically, good Metroidvania’s have an intuitive way of hinting at where you need to go next or a good way of telling you what access you’re new power-ups give you. Due to Zero’s obsession with evoking the original, that intuitive gameplay is replaced with a red box on the map screen. This turns the game into a “drive to red box, shoot things, drive to next red box and shoot more things, experience”, rather than the naturally explorative nature of other games in its genre. The anime story seemed unnecessary from the start, but I’m sure someone will enjoy it.

While playing Zero I honestly asked myself, “Is this game way easier than the older games, or can I finally control this little tank properly?” I’m sure the real answer is somewhere between those two extremes, but ultimately Zero was a blast, albeit WAY too easy. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the sequel improves upon this wonderful jumping-off point. However, I’m positive I’ll be disappointed that more wasn’t done to bring the series into the modern 2D-platforming space.

2019 - Blaster Master Zero 2 (Switch)

Zero 2 is very much a sequel to Zero. In true anime fashion, the story immediately gets super self-serious and consequently superfluous. I’m sure some players will love the dialog between protagonist Jason and all of the various anime-faced characters, but that’s not what I’m here for. Needless to say, the story gets involved in ways other Blaster Master games haven’t. That’s not a strike against it, it’s just a characteristic that may not actually matter.

All previous mechanics are intact here and new ones are introduced almost immediately. If Zero was truly the first good Blaster Master game, then the refinements introduced in Zero 2 make it...wait for it...THE BEST BLASTER MASTER GAME EVER MADE! It controls well, the levels are interestingly built, and where previous sequels in the series lacked innovation, Zero 2 is full of cool and weird, new stuff. The bosses are fresh and interesting, the Jason sequences have been enhanced with a brand new counter mechanic and the space travel segments add a level of depth not seen in previous games.

I hate that I’m being so positive about the game. It’s been so much fun talking shit about Blaster Master games. Unlike the previous game, developer Inti found a way to modernize the gameplay and still make a genuinely challenging experience. I had trouble with multiple bosses, but never did I feel like the game was unfair, or something was broken. Many of the additions to the story also benefited the gameplay. Something as simple as making the Frog from the original game the reason Jason can immediately leave dungeons serves both the story and gameplay.

This has been a long journey, and the real hero is Inti Creates. Hopefully, Zero and Zero 2 have done well. The work put in by Inti deserves praise. They have perfected a formula that’s been pending since 1988. Both titles are only $10 on the Switch shop, and at that price, you are basically stealing them. Anyone with a Switch has no reason not to pick at least one of them up and check it out.

As for the series itself...I have very mixed feelings. There are very few good Blaster Master games. It's a series that trades in loose nostalgia for a widely forgotten NES game. From that, a bunch of often half-hearted sequels were developed trying to capitalize on the little bit of cache the original game still has. I don’t regret my time with the series and I think more titles deserve the Blaster Master treatment, but subjectively, I wouldn’t recommend anyone pick up any games outside of the original and the 2 newest Switch titles.

#blaster master #blaster master zero #blaster master enemy below #blaster master blasting again #blaster master overdrive #blaster master 2 #blaster master zero 2 #blaster master boy

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greencrusader13 · 5 years ago

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All Were Innocent Once: Chapter 9 - The Hunter

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and it’s up there as one of the Cirak chapters I’ve been most excited for (though there are two more that I’m hyped as hell to write). This is the last chapter we’ve got until we skip forward to the year 3653 BBY - people familiar with SWTOR lore will understand its importance. Things are really going to start picking up real soon. These little kids won’t quite be so little anymore.

I also want to give a brief shout-out to @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond and @exeunt-legacy, both of whom have made really awesome art pieces recently that featured Cirak. It means a lot!

As always if you’ve been enjoying these be sure to like and reblog. Feedback - positive, negative, nonsensical - is always appreciated!

Despite his best efforts, the airspeeder remained dead. Cirak huffed in frustration as he slid the wrench out from under the machine and then rolled himself out in suit. Just as when they’d first taken flight the repulsor refused to work, and any hopes Cirak had of flying away remained as grounded as the speeder itself. Though it had taken considerable effort, Cirak had managed to repair the speeder to at least a point of adequate functionality, all save the repulsor. With every attempt at ignition it would refuse to budge from off the ground. He didn’t care how long it lasted. Anything as much as a start was fine by him.

Days ago the Jedi woman had taken Tyar from him, but it felt as though it had been months. Each passing second filled Cirak with regret, anger, and bitterness. He had allowed his little brother – his only living kin – to leave his side, possibly forever. All he could hope was that Tyar was somewhere safe and not stuck like himself.

He was really starting to doubt the claim Kihts always get by.

With a grunt Cirak slumped himself against the speeder, too tired to even bother adjusting himself into a more comfortable sitting position. The heat from the underside of the vehicle had forced him to abandon his shirt as he worked on its repair, and he snatched it up from where it’d been heaped. His legs were sprawled out in front of him, and his arms hung limply at his sides. He felt so tired, and sleep called to him like an old friend, but he knew of whom he’d dream should he welcome it, and it was still too painful. All he could do was work on getting away.

It was nothing short of a miracle that no one had stumbled across him or the wreckage yet, especially one a planet such as Nar Shaddaa. All it took was one gang or errant criminal to stumble across him unprepared, and that would be it. His father’s blaster hadn’t left his side, just in case. As with everyone else who tested their luck on the Smuggler’s Moon it was bound to run out, and it loved repaying in kind. Cirak knew he had to move fast in order to escape her wrath.

Above him the city continued giving off its neon glow. Advertisements flickered in brightly lit signs beckoning him to engage in just about every product, luxury, or vice their purveyor could offer. Below him, infinite black. It struck him for the first time that he had no restraints left. Mom was long dead, and Dad had most likely just joined her. Tyar was no longer his responsibility. When he did finally reach the air, he’d have to ask himself where he’d go next. Offworld was out of the question without credits to spare. Cirak glanced down at the blaster. If need be he could hold up some small store, but that would only be a temporary solution. As unsavory as it sounded, a gang was the most likely was to ensure his survival on his own.

It was an entirely moot point for the time being. He’d first have to get airborne again before he could decide on anything.

Cirak started redonning his shirt when he paused. The only way he’d survive was if he worked. With an annoyed flick he tossed it away and slid back under the airspeeder, wrench in hand. “Okay,” he muttered, tightening the repulsor in place. “You are gonna work for me, or I will personally scrap you and sell you off piece by piece. Got it?” He tapped the wrench against metal, but all he received in return was an emotionless clang.

Sliding out once more, Cirak hoisted himself up and crawled into the driver’s seat for the umpteenth time. With a shaking hand he flipped the ignition again. The airspeeder hummed to life, vibrating gently beneath him. All beginning systems seemed functional. Muttering a silent prayer, he flipped the switch to the repulsor engine.

The vehicle violently lurched upwards, jolting Cirak as it carried him up. The repulsor roared to life, and though it rocked slightly with imbalance, it still floated all the same. He could fly. Laughing, Cirak engaged the landing module before turning the speeder off again. It worked; it actually worked.

Not wanting to waste a second longer, Cirak threw himself from the speeder as he sprinted towards his makeshift encampment around the corner, stumbling as his feet hit uneven concrete and rubble. The Jedi had left him the tent, a canteen of water, and some packages of dried fruit, all of which he’d found hours after they’d left. He’d used all three sparingly. From scavenging the refuse in the surrounding area he’d found a meager plasteel canister of fuel, which he kept inside the tent with the rest. Tucking the snacks and canteen under his armpit, Cirak snatched up the canister with his free hand and made his way back towards his ticket out of Nar Shaddaa’s depths.

Just as Cirak was pushing back the tent flap he heard the roar of an airspeeder overhead. He froze. It couldn’t be his. There hadn’t been anyone else around to take it, and the sound he heard seemed far more stable than the clunky mess he’d just fixed. This was someone else. The planet seemed to have decided that his luck was up.

Cautiously, Cirak peeked his head out from the tent and looked skyward. A red speeder made its descent slowly towards where Cirak’s prize lay waiting for him. He counted four occupants, but couldn’t make out any details from his vantage point. They were probably armed. Everyone here was armed.

Cirak crouched, darting over to the nearby corner of the building, the same one he’d crashed into days earlier. Chunks of rubble and caved-in portions of the storefront provided him some cover, and he ducked behind it. He set down his food and water, switched the canister to his left hand, and then drew his father’s blaster from his side. After taking another deep breath he peered over, finger resting on the trigger.

Now that it was at eye level, Cirak could clearly see the insignia on the speeder’s side, the same one that was painted on the doors of the one he’d stolen. Three goons, all aliens, emerged from it, each wearing some light combat armor more commonly associated with gang enforcers. They spread out in the perimeter of their landing zone, blaster rifles at the ready. Cirak shrunk himself down against the rubble, holding his breath as the footsteps drew closer. He could hear the thug’s bootsteps crunch against the graveled pavement, stopping mere feet from where Cirak hid.

“Nobody here boss,” the goon closest to him called back. His footsteps retreated, and when he seemed a sufficient distance away Cirak exhaled as quietly as he could manage before poking his head out again.

In the passenger seat of the airspeeder sat a portly looking human reclined in the seat, his stubby fingers drumming against the speeder door with a distinct note of impatience. His auburn hair was a single line of short running vertically down an otherwise cleanly waxed dome. What little hair he possessed fanned up at small intervals, giving a spiny appearance not unlike the spikes on a krayt dragon. Although he could only see the man’s profile from a distance, Cirak made note of metallic plating around his jawline that extended upwards to his eyes, masked only by a thin forked beard. Cirak couldn’t imagine getting cybernetics for any reason other than necessity, and given the man’s lack of scars it seemed as though he’d done it by choice.

The man stepped out of the speeder, his long jacket unfurling as he rose. With a gait not unlike someone approaching a long-lost lover he approached the other airspeeder, a single hand outstretched that stroked its scuffed-up hood. Its violet color had been all but scratched away in the landing, and its whole body was riddled with dents. “Oh my sweet girl,” the man said, still petting the vehicle, “What did those kids do to you?” He froze mid-motion and turned back to the closest member of his entourage. “You said there’s nobody here?”

“Uh, well, yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“Tell me then,” the man started. He whipped out a blaster pistol from his side and pointed it at the speeder’s seat. His puffy face turned a deep shade of red. “Why aren’t there two child corpses in the seats? Someone’s been working on it!”

“Y-yes boss, that makes sense.”

“Find them,” he barked, “But leave them alive. Only kill the older kid if you absolutely have to. The little one will fetch a good price with the right people.” He started for his own speeder again, brushing past his lieutenant.

Blast it, Cirak thought. If they fanned out they’d find him in no time, and he couldn’t fight three gang enforcers by himself. Even one would be a challenge. He could try making a run for it and hope to lose them in the alleyways, but there were so many straight shots that he’d only end up with a bolt in his back. And he couldn’t hide. If they found his campsite then they’d know for sure that he was nearby, and they’d find him eventually.

Dad would know what to do. He always had some idea. Mom used to laugh about them, saying how sometimes his dumbest ideas would get them out of the tightest jams during their smuggling days. “Sometimes you don’t need to know what you’re doing,” Dad had said once. “All you need is a way out and a good aim.”

Cirak glanced down at the fuel canister, frowning. Right now he had the element of surprise, and he couldn’t use the speeder anyways if he was dead. They’d shoot him on sight if they detected him, especially seeing him armed. It was a very bad idea, but the only one he had.

Rising, Cirak heaved the fuel canister across his body with a grunt, hurling it towards the gangsters and the speeder he’d spent so long trying to fix. As it tumbled end-over-end through the air, Cirak tracked its path with his blaster. He released a steady breath. The canister landed at their feet, and they had just enough time to look up in his direction.

Then he fired.

The ensuing explosion rocked him from his feet and sent him sprawling to the ground. Fire swallowed the two closest gangsters before they could even cry out, and the charred remains of the third was sent hurling into a nearby alley. Fiery scrap metal spun out just above him, and Cirak felt wind rush past his face as it whirled by, nearly ending his life then and there. A cloud of smoke billowed from the wreckage, so dark and black that he could barely see it against Nar Shaddaa’s night sky.

Cirak scrambled for his blaster and crawled to his feet. Despite his distance from the blast, his ears still rung, and he braced himself on the building’s support beam for balance. Dust coated his hands, and the scrapes on his hands stuck against the blaster’s handle as he readied his aim.

He scanned the area again, heart racing violently against his chest. The explosion had consumed two of the gangsters, and spat the third out in flames, but he hadn’t seen the fourth, the leader. He was quite possibly dead, and Cirak just hadn’t seen him die. Not like the others.

Moving cautiously, Cirak approached the wreckage. Both his hands remained locked around his blaster. It took all the focus he had to keep them from shaking. Heat emanated from the skeletal corpse of the airspeeder. Metal screeched as its frame melted away, its sound like a wounded animal. Cirak gave the speeder a light kick. This is gonna be a lot harder to repair, he thought with a smirk. Humor was all he had.

Before Cirak could react, strong hands gripped him by the shoulders and hurled him back with colossal strength. He hit the ground hard, and his blaster skidded underneath the other, undamaged, speeder. Cirak started reaching for it, but then he was seized up in his assailant’s grip once more, dragged towards the speeder. They slammed him against the door, and the impact denting it. Cirak cried out in pain.

“Do you have any idea who you’re messin’ with kid?” the gang leader roared, his spittle coating Cirak’s face. The flames had taken a significant amount of his face away, revealing the cybernetic implants underneath. They glowed red-hot, and the flesh nearest it sizzled. “Huh? Do you?!” He shook Cirak again.

“You blew up my home!” Cirak shouted. To his own surprise he felt anger, not fear. “You tried to kill my little brother and I!”

“Wrong,” the leader replied, shoving him to the ground. The passenger-side door opened, and as Cirak pushed himself up he realized that his head was right in its path. “I tried to kill your brother. I’m going to kill you.”

Cirak threw himself back to the ground just in time to avoid having his head crushed with the same ease as a rotten gourd. He rolled, scrambling underneath the speeder as he narrowly dodged the gang leader’s grasping hands that searched for any loose bit of clothing he could use to restrain him. Locating his father’s blaster, Cirak dove for the weapon and fired two shots back. They found only empty air, and above him Cirak could hear metallic beats as the leader climbed over the speeder.

He planted his feet on the speeder’s underside and pushed off. The ground scraped his back as he slid, but he didn’t pay it any mind. Without a second thought he fired again just as the gang leader re-entered his sight.

Heavy weight fell atop him, coating Cirak’s view in black. The smell of sweat filled his nostrils. Clammy skin pressed hard against his own. The sensation made Cirak want to retch, and he scrambled out from underneath the corpse, gasping for air. Fresh air was a nonexistent concept on Nar Shaddaa, but that deep breath then felt the closest thing to it. He was alive.

Someone clapped behind him. “Well done!” Cirak spun towards the voice, blaster raised. All he saw was a silhouette against the shadows of the storefront, and he could only make out vague details. Tall and muscular, befitting of his deep voice; thick, broad shoulders put his wingspan wider than most other men, their size exacerbated by the body armor he wore. Cirak could see the outline of a blaster rifle across his back, and the man didn’t even seem to be considering reaching for it. “I’d lower that, kid,” he said, sharing the advice with a tone no more serious than someone suggesting a meal needed more salt.

“Are you gonna try to shoot me?” Cirak yelled back, keeping his aim steady. Enough people had tried to kill him tonight; he wasn’t about to lower his guard to let it happen again.

“If I was planning on that why would tell you?”

Cirak clenched his jaw. “I don’t know, but how’s that a good reason for me to lower my blaster?”

The man paused. “Fair point.” One hand raised cautiously in front of him, the man reached around his back with other a slowly removed his blaster rifle from its holster. He crouched, and in one smooth motion slid his weapon across the ground to Cirak. “That good enough?”

Hesitating, Cirak glanced between the man and the rifle. It could still be a ploy. Who was to say that he wasn’t carrying some other weapon at his side, or concealed beneath his clothing? But he had been standing there, watching long enough that Cirak hadn’t even noticed his presence at all. If he’d wanted him dead, he’d be dead. Cirak let his aim go limp, the dropped the blaster altogether.

“Good,” the man said, stepping fully out of the shadows. Even by human standards he looked pale, the only color in his cheeks being the red from the neon signs flickering above. The hair atop his head contrasted this feature greatly, as dark as the planet’s abyss and trimmed into a clean crew cut framed by pointed sideburns that curled inwards like horns. Sure enough he wore armor, the quality of which was unlike anything Cirak had ever seen. It didn’t have the same gleam or polish that he’d seen of Imperial and Republic soldiers, but twice as effective, its dark color suited for camouflage.

The man strode past Cirak right on over to the gang leader’s body. He rolled the corpse over, clicking his tongue. “Griph Griph Griph, not how you expected to go out huh? Always lookin’ over your shoulder…Bet you never expected a kid would shoot you in the face.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. After blowing a puff of smoke he stubbed it out on the body.

“Who was he?” Cirak asked as he pushed himself back to his feet.

“Griph Rymor,” the man said, casting a backwards glance at him. “The man’s been racking up quite a bounty since Coruscant. Well, he had been racking up quite a bounty.”

Cirak looked the man over again. It all made sense, the weaponry, the armor… “You’re a bounty hunter?”

“One of the galaxy’s best. Which puts me in a bit of a predicament right now.” He rose, leaning against the speeder. “See, I only hung back because I thought you’d make a good distraction. Didn’t think you’d actually survive, but, lo and behold, you did, all while I was busy getting set up. I’ve been chasing this bounty for a while. I find it pretty disappointing that I didn’t get to finish the job.

“And, since I didn’t finish the job, I can’t be the one who collects.” The man gestured to the buildings, tracing his finger from points that Cirak could not grasp. “There are video feeds everywhere along here. If my employer wants this authenticated – and they often do – they’ll be checking those feeds, at which point they’ll see you making the kill, not me.”

“How’s that my problem?” Cirak said, glaring. The man didn’t feel so benevolent, not anymore. He shot a cautious glance to his blaster again.

“I’m getting to that. Kid, I like getting paid. ‘Paid’ is one of my two favorite words that ends in ‘-aid.’ So, I’m left with two options. Option one: I break both your kneecaps, torch this rather fine airspeeder right here, and then get to work erasing any and all footage of you killing Griph Rymor, which will probably take me the better part of a week to get done. Big hassle for me, lots of pain for you.” The man shrugged, then lifted his arm to reveal a blaster pistol concealed on his person. Cirak cursed less-than-quietly.

“What’s option two?” he asked.

“Glad you asked. You, kid, have one hell of an aim and an even better survival instinct. In my line of work there isn’t a more vital combination than those two things.” He raised two fingers. “Option two: you join my team, and we all split the bounty on this one. Just looking at you I can tell you’d make a great hunter. Ah, don’t worry,” he said, waving off his own comment, “I’ll show you the ropes so you don’t flounder out there. So, what’ll be kid? Crushed kneecaps or credits?”

Cirak looked him over. The man’s face didn’t bear any hint of jest and he watched Cirak expectantly. For a moment he forgot that he was even supposed to answer. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious.”

I can leave. Cirak glanced around him, then up at the sky. “Will I get to go offworld?”

“Kid the who concept of ‘offworld’ is going to lose its meaning to you with how much of the galaxy you’ll see.”

Cirak laughed breathlessly, the grin spreading on his face unfightable. The prospect of bounty hunting seemed far preferable to gang life or robbing people. There was nothing left for him on Nar Shaddaa. No home, no family, no Tyar… “Credits. Definitely credits.”

The man smirked. “Good, you have some brains.” He approached, extending his hand. “What’s you name kid?”

“Cirak Kiht,” he said, taking it and giving a firm shake.

“Taelros Obi’sey. Welcome to the team Cirak. We’re going to make a bounty hunter out of you yet.”

#all were innocent once #awio #swtor #my swtor #swtor oc #oc fanfiction #swtor fanfiction #swtor fanfic #cirak #cirak kiht #bounty hunter

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virmillion · 5 years ago

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Ibytm - T minus 26 seconds

Masterpost - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - ao3

Words: 1,965

Logan rubs at a sore spot on the back of his neck and wonders whether the rest of the day will continue in the same manner as the morning promised it could. Virgil, grumbling and annoyed, stumbled out of bed about thirty minutes after they were already meant to be on their way to the dealership. This in itself would be bad enough, but was only worsened when their Uber kept pushing back their arrival time every ten minutes. By the time they finally reached the apartment (and Virgil was finally ready to go), they were well on their way to being ten minutes late to the appointment, and that’s an optimistic view. The reality of the situation dropped them off out front about twenty minutes after the fact. So no, to answer your question, Logan is not having a good day.

He furrows his brow at the droves of new car smell hammering at his senses, wishing he could be like everyone else who actually enjoys the atrocious smell for some godforsaken reason. By an extended arm, he tugs along a very reluctant Virgil, forcing him to move past the shiny displays of brand new cars that they definitely won’t be able to afford.

“We have to make this meeting, love,” Logan is saying. “It’s crucial to follow through on any appointment you make, especially one so important as this, with someone who actually knows what they’re talking about and has the potentially to hold major sway over a significant life decision.”

“And why couldn’t we just do this online at home, where we don’t have to deal with actual people?”

“Because hearing what they can offer in person gives them a sense of physical closeness to the consumer that might tip their offers in our favor, and it will give us a better idea of the type of company we’re working with. Now hurry up. We’re already late, and I don’t want to make a bad first impression worse.” Virgil hems and haws, but he does eventually follow Logan into the pristine white building. Every surface sparkles—no, seriously, every single surface, from the floor to the windows to the ceiling to the glasses around the neck of the lady that strides over to greet them.

“Hey, are you two Mr. and Mr. Sanders?”

“We are,” Logan says. “Can I assume you’re Ms. Poyani?”

“Yep! You can just call me Kathy, though. Pleasure to meet you!”

“I’m so sorry about how late we’re running today,” Logan apologizes, but she waves it off.

“I’ll hear nothing of the sort! Sometimes life just gets in the way, and you needn’t apologize for that.” She clasps her hands together and smiles brightly, turning on her heel. “If you’ll follow me, my desk is right this way. Give me just a moment to tidy it up and pull over another chair, and we can go ahead and get started!” Logan pulls Virgil along to the cluttered cubicle, the walls of which are swarming with pictures of a couple of toddlers—presumably Kathy’s son and daughter.

Kathy takes a seat at the far side of her desk and clicks around on her computer for a minute before turning to face Logan, then Virgil. “Okay, so we’re looking at y’all’s first car, right?”

“Yes,” Logan answers, hoping his practiced eagerness will distract her from the sheer attitude radiating from Virgil. “My workplace moved locations recently, and we’re just looking for an inexpensive vehicle to get me to and from work. Nothing fancy or added on or anything, just your most basic skeleton.”

“We can absolutely work with that!” Kathy pulls a sheet of paper off the mess of folders and binders on her desk—organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless—and points out a few highlighted bullet points with a manicured fingernail. “Based on your preliminary appointment information, I really like this model for you. It’s a little on the larger side, but—”

“We don’t need a big car,” Virgil interjects. “It’s just the two of us, no kids, no carpool, no nothing, so smaller is better.”

“But we’re still open to hearing your pitch,” Logan adds hurriedly, giving Virgil a pointed look.

Kathy blinks, opens her mouth, hesitates, then continues. “Okay, and I thought this one here would be your best bet for your needs while cutting down on gas consumption, so you’ll save money there in the long—”

“If we cared about gas consumption, we’d be looking at mopeds and motorcycles.”

“We are not getting a motorcycle, Virgil.”

Virgil pouts and crosses his arms, sinking lower in his chair as his eyes drift to the pictures on the wall. Kathy surges forward with her pitch, apparently undeterred, and Logan has to wonder how often she deals with people like them. “I tend to suggest new clients start with a two year lease, so you can get a feel for our company and vehicles without being roped in by a long term purchase. Of course, if, at the end of your two years, you like your lease enough to take out a new one, or even purchase the vehicle you’ve been driving, we can always—”

“That’s assuming we don’t change our minds about this company being worth it, too,” Virgil mutters. “Maybe we end up wanting a better place with better deals.”

“Yes, well—”

“Could you excuse us for just a minute, please?” Logan asks weakly. Kathy gives him an understanding nod and scoots out of the cubicle, presumably heading over to greet some people near the entrance. Logan turns to a sullen Virgil. “What is your deal?”

“My deal?” Virgil’s voice is nothing short of aghast as he sits up and points at the papers fanned out on the desk. “This is easily one of the biggest purchases we’re probably ever going to make, something that will literally transport you to and from your livelihood, and you’re just smiling and nodding along with everything she says!”

“She’s hardly had a chance to say anything at all, what with you interrupting so much! At the very least, you could listen to her pitch before you go and shut it down!”

“I already told you what I want, and you shot that down pretty quick, don’t you think?”

“That’s because you wanted a motorcycle, and the only supporting evidence you had for why we should get one was that you ‘really really want one.’ Desire is not a basis for major life decisions.”

“It’s not like you put up any evidence against why we should get one, either.”

“Fine, you want evidence for why I’m not spending our hard-earned money on a motorcycle? How about how they expose nearly all of your person to elements of weather and pollution, as opposed to the trace amounts that get past cracked car windows? Or how they’re more dangerous to operate on busy roads, where most motorists won’t even be able to see you, much less stop in time to avoid a collision? Maybe the little fact that a motorcyclist is thirty-seven times more likely to die in a crash than someone in an enclosed car, and nine times more likely to get injured?”

“Oh, right, like you just pulled those numbers out of nowhere? You didn’t think to share that information when we were at home, where there wasn’t some car dealership full of people hovering nearby to hear how much you want to ignore my opinion?”

“I never ignored your opinion! I took it into heavy and sincere consideration, looked at the facts and statistics, and decided I cared more about our lives than I do some silly dispute about what kind of car we should get, much less an unsafe motorcycle!”

“Is every argument we have now just a silly dispute to you?” Virgil’s voice is tinted with that achingly familiar venom, and it takes all of Logan’s willpower not to let the same toxins seep into his own words.

“Not if you would just keep a level head for once, rather than blowing up every time you hear a perspective that clashes with your own.”

“Name on time I’ve done that before.”

“Try when I last confronted you about your career choice—of which I have been nothing but supportive since, mind you—and you ran out of the house!”

Virgil gets real quiet, real quick. “That’s not fair.”

Logan forces some amount of poise and rationality into his tone, wondering just how much more calmness he can fit in there before he completely explodes. “It is a discussion we need to have, at some point or another, if only to reconcile our differences regarding the situation. Especially when the combined salaries we bring home might not support all the things we both want to achieve in life.”

“Things like what?” Virgil’s voice is soft, tentative, as he still looks off to the side, still refuses to meet Logan’s eyes.

“Well, things like a motorcycle, for one, I guess.” Logan looks at the papers Kathy left behind, scanning over the highlighted bits. “You’d need to get another license specifically for operating a motorcycle, not to mention the price point for all the necessary safety gear that you absolutely will not be leaving the apartment without, and we can’t forget the ticket on the bike itself. I don’t even want to think about how messy the insurance probably is, either.”

“You say all that like you’re actually considering it.”

“Wildly enough, I suppose I could be.” The unbridled hope in Virgil’s face as he turns to Logan is almost more than he can bear. “It’s not our top priority, and I certainly want to first get an actual car, but I’ll admit that I’ve never been one for clunky soccer mom vans. I don’t dislike the simplicity of bicycles and mopeds, but with that simplicity comes a sort of functionality that is just too irreconcilable with my lifestyle. It all really does come down to price, but if we can bend the budget right, maybe we can find a way to do both when we’re at a place where our finances will support it.”

Logan takes Virgil’s hands into his own, running his thumb over the wedding band. “I want us to work this out together, but these are the kinds of real world problems that, realistically, we’re always going to have to face, and keep on facing. From here on out, we’re in this together. We’re a team, and we need to face the world and believe that, not just as an empty platitude, but as a real, true, genuine partnership that strengthens us when we work together.”

“You’re getting pretty deep for an argument about some crappy little hypothetical bike,” Virgil says with a forced laugh.

“Because when we get to the major issues, the ones far more important than some crappy little hypothetical bike, I want us to both be ready for them.” Logan squeezes Virgil’s hands and inhales, wrinkling his nose at the ever-present new car smell still lingering between them. It’s almost like they soaked the building in bleach to give it that finished polish. “I’ll meet you in the middle here, but halfway is a far cry from me coming to you. You need to give a little, because you can’t just keep getting everything you want all the time. You need to be willing to make sacrifices if you want to make this work, and I’ll be the first to do the same.”

Virgil bites his lip, his eyes wobbling dangerously as they rise to meet Logan’s. They sit in silence for a long, long moment before he speaks up. “I’ll meet you in the middle.”

“Good. I’ll go get Kathy, and maybe we can discuss that crappy little hypothetical bike of yours.”

#labhwrites #mine #i'll bring you the moon #ibytm

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kcwcommentary · 6 years ago

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VLD5x01 – “The Prisoner”

5x01 – “The Prisoner”

The Paladins are attacking a Galra moon base because of some intelligence they’ve been given. I still think Blue’s ice cannon is silly, and here Allura uses it to hold off some advancing magma, which I don’t think would work more than a couple of seconds, but whatever. They are in some huge shaft system built into the moon, and they form Voltron. And the animation of them forming Voltron is the same as it ever has been: In space. But they’re not in space, they’re underground. I understand the show is reusing the form-Voltron animation, but I’ve never understood why. Did they do it for the same purpose 80s shows used repeated animation: To pad time and not have to spend money on new animation? Or was it supposed to be some nostalgia thing? Regardless, the use of the form-Voltron animation here is super awkward.

Shiro orders them to “take down the factory machines,” which is a clunky line of dialog, and they blow up some stuff, and somehow that leads to the entire moon exploding. I really don’t think destroying a factory on a moon would destroy them moon, but whatever.

The Castle Ship is parked on Naxzela: I must say, that does not seem like a safe place to hang out. “Going on missions is a lot easier when someone gives you all the information you need before you get there,” Hunk says. Maybe you should have valued what Keith was doing back in 4x01 “Code of Honor” when he was nearly dying while getting you guys information. The show does this unnecessarily cryptic tone, as if it’s building to some unexpected reveal: Surprise, the source of their information is Lotor! But that’s not an unexpected surprise, it’s actually the opposite: It is expected. If last season’s ending was to be resolved any way other than some manner of cooperation with Lotor, then this season premier to this point would have been way too casual in tone.

Lotor states his motivation: “The Galra Empire is completely reliant on quintessence. Serve that need peacefully, and you have a complete paradigm shift. […] My plan from the beginning has been to find a way to harvest quintessence without resorting to the barbarism of the komar. Extracting quintessence from entire planets at the cost of every living thing: I think not.” The thing is, he’s not lying.

In the end, this show reduces Lotor into a cackling, cliché villain. At the end of season six, we’re supposed to feel surprised that he’s been a maniacal villain all along. The problem is that the show gives us stuff like this. His motivation, stated here, is not a villainous one. His wanting to preserve life matches up with his reputation of letting planets govern themselves that the two Galra discuss in 3x01 “Changing of the Guard.” He doesn’t want to abolish the Empire, but he does want it to stop being so brutal.

Upon hearing that Lotor has been trying to gain access to the rift, Allura responds, “Sounds like you are your father’s son.” Well, that’s overly simplistic of her. It’s expected that she would be particularly aggressive toward Lotor though. “This isn’t a zero-sum game,” Lotor retorts. “All I ask is to be judged by my actions rather than your preconceptions of my race.”

There’s a cute moment of Lance trying to be supportive of Allura, who’s worried about preparing for a presentation she’s giving to the Coalition. This is the part of Lance that I like. Allura gives her presentation via teleconferencing to four alien leaders last seen in 3x01 “Changing of the Guard” and to Kolivan (and Keith standing in the background behind Kolivan). Seeing these particular aliens again makes me wish we had seen more of them during the past two seasons. They are interesting character designs, and it would have given some continuity to the Coalition.

Allura ends the conference call with all but Kolivan and background-Keith. The Blades have been able to conduct many successful missions using information gained from Lotor. Pidge makes a very smart comment, “With all these successful missions taking place in such a short period of time, it won’t be long before the Galra realizes we’re using inside information.” That leads Lance to suggest that they should take advantage of what time they have left and hit as many targets as possible. This is some decent strategic thinking, which I’m not used to seeing characters have on this show. I am again bothered, like I was last season, that they have Keith just standing around behind Kolivan. They could have given the dialog Kolivan had to Keith, but this show would rather give dialog to a reoccurring character than to give it to a main character. It’s strange.

Lotor says any additional information he could give them would be more dangerous than the missions they’ve gone on based on his information before. He has information that he describes as “important on a more personal level” for the Paladins about a prison and a prisoner there. You can almost tell that he’s talking about Sam Holt what with the show then cuts to Pidge and Matt. They’re having a conversation with Nyma and bragging to each other about science and improvements they’ve made to rebel ships. I’m not sure I understand the locational logistics of this scene. Where is Pidge that Shiro and Allura have to contact her through the rebel ship’s communication system rather than through Pidge’s Paladin armor?

Shiro says, “We have a lead on Commander Holt, your father.” This is an aspect of episodic writing that has always bugged me. Realistically, Shiro would never have needed to say, “your father,” but the line was written that way to inform any new viewers who would not understand Commander Holt’s connection to Pidge of what that connection is. I understand why episodic writers write like this, but it always feels artificial to me.

It feels like a stretch that the Galra Empire, which has seriously advanced technology and spans the whole universe, would find a human scientist as being advanced enough to match the Galra’s scientific needs, but that’s apparently what the Galra have done with Sam.

Shiro says that “once the teludav is repaired we can all head over there.” Since when was the Castle Ship’s teludav damaged? And, since the Paladins have been going on a bunch of missions, at least someone one, even if not the Paladins themselves, would have had time to repair the teludav already. Someone like Coran. Where is he? Last we saw of Coran in the last episode, he was on the Castle Ship. He’s nowhere to be seen now and no explanation for his absence has been given.

Fitting her blind impulsivity, Pidge wants to go after Sam right now without the rest of the Paladins. Rolo tries to assure Allura that he, Nyma, and Beezer will serve as backup for Pidge. I’m still confused about the locational difference between where Pidge is at and where Shiro is at. The teludav is used to create wormholes, which the Lions cannot do, so for Pidge to be able to go to this prison while the Castle Ship cannot, wherever Pidge is has to be a long way away from where the Castle Ship is. It mostly just ends up feeling like this damaged teludav is a contrived way of keeping the Castle Ship and the rest of the Paladins out of the story for a while.

The prison is on some asteroid, and Green comes under attack by Galra fighters when they get there. Everyone but Pidge, skydives out of Green down to the asteroid. Matt’s jetpack, as a stand-in for a parachute, is a cliché and fails to function. Rather than anyone else using their jetpacks to maneuver to Matt and grab him, Beezer fires cables at Matt to lasso him. Eh.

They get to the entrance of the prison and find Galra guards laying all over the place. Someone else has clearly already been here. Other alien prisoners are still inside working. Sam is not there. Rolo loads everyone into a Galra shuttle and returns to Green, who’s still fighting Galra. The idea that the shuttle’s engines fail because of how many people are on board is nonsensical. Even if the weight of the number of passengers would prevent the shuttle from reaching the altitude where Green is, the engines wouldn’t cut off. And yet, off they go. Pidge comes by with Green and grabs the shuttle though.

Matt goes into the cockpit, Pidge asks if Matt found their dad, and Matt says, “I’m sorry Pidge.” Pidge reacts in an unbelievable way. She tries to run out of the cockpit, screaming, “Dad? Dad, where are you?” It is totally understandable that Pidge would be emotional, but that she would think Matt is lying to her and her father is hiding somewhere in the rest of the ship is not a believable reaction.

Axca contacts Zarkon. She and Lotor’s other generals “have something in [their] possession [they] think [he] would be interested in.” It’s not specified in the scene, but obviously it’s Sam. They want to “trade” him to Zarkon in order to be accepted back into the Galra. This is such a weird development to me. Since Sam was in a Galra prison, he was already in Zarkon’s possession. So, Axca broke into a Galra facility to capture someone to trade him back to the Galra as a demonstration of their worth and be accepted back by the Galra. It’s not like Axca is adding value to the situation, it’s not like Sam was somewhere outside of Galra control, and Axca captured him. This just doesn’t work for me.

The Castle Ship is now in space (so its having been parked on the surface of Naxzela at the beginning of the episode served no purpose). Found Coran: He’s standing in the background. Both Keith and Coran were relegated to barely visible, silent background characters in this episode; that really annoys me.

Zarkon contacts the Castle Ship. He’s offering to trade Sam for Lotor.

This season premier does not hold up for me on repeated viewing. I felt energy off this episode the first time I watched it, but this time, it seems just okay. I think the first time I watched it, I was caught up in seeing the show reintroduce Sam that I didn’t pay attention. Also, the first time I watched this episode was immediately after having finished season four, so the episode wasn’t functioning as a season premier for me at that time. Rewatching it now, I see it differently. The first half of the episode, focusing on the beginning of the Paladins working with Lotor, is appropriate follow-up to how last season ended. But the second half of the episode is so centered on Pidge’s character arc, that it feels like the episode is ignoring most of the main cast. For a season premier, you can’t ignore the main characters like this. I’m left feeling like a lot is missing from this episode, like the narrative skipped prematurely to this plot development. And given what happens in the next episode, these two episodes do not feel like the beginning of a season.

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #voltron criticism #vld criticism #voltron critical #vld critical #vld season 5 #vld 5x01 #commentary

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blogging-phelddagrif · 7 years ago

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Vintage Deck Tech: Totemic Call

[you can see every deck tech here]

Hello & welcome to this weekly deck tech! This week we’re doing something very special by diving into the Vintage format! It’s been a while since I’ve done a Vintage deck tech, probably around a year ago to be honest, you can see the last deck tech right here. I usually don’t delve into this format because it’s very different from any other format, like it’s reaaaaaally different. You’ll see what I mean when we take a look at the deck, but it’s a whole other story and can be unsettling for even the most experienced players. The deck that I’ll be talking about today is actually something that I’ve played for some time! The deck is SUPER fun to play and does fairly well, though it’s outclassed by tier 1 decks for sure. The deck tech might be a little longer than usual because there’s no 4-ofs, so there will be more cards to talk about, so I’ll put the deck tech under the cut. I hope you guys enjoy this deck tech!

Base of the Deck

Okay, right off the bat you’ll notice that the card format is different than what you’re used to, this is because mtg went through a lot of changes over the years (the same thing happened last Vintage deck tech), so just bare with me, there’s a lot to discuss. First of all, this card doesn’t actually have a mana cost because it works similarly to the Conspiracy cards, it starts the game next to you, separate from your deck, and you get to activate it once a turn by paying 2 mana. When you activate it you get to create a random totem token (there’s 4 different tokens, we’ll see them in a second). It gets a bit tricky that you create one at random, but you can’t create a token more than once this way; so let’s say you create the token #2, then next time you create one it will still be at random but the only possible outcome would be 1, 3 or 4. It gets a bit clunky, especially since you’re rolling dice for the outcome, but mtg was a bit weird at some point. In any case, this is the core of the deck, you want to always keep some totems on the board since they have a great synergy with the rest of the deck and can serve as blockers or attackers, and they have good utility. Let’s look at those totem tokens now.

Totem #1 – Healing

For our first totem token we have the healing one, this nice little piece of wood heals everything at the end of turn (except you) so it can really help keeping your creatures alive. I know that nowadays damage fades off at the end of turn, but a lot of Vintage cards actually retain the damage they’ve received, so this card is really good in the right situations! Also, you’ll notice it says it costs 1 mana, but this is because those totem tokens don’t disappear if they’re bounced to your hands like tokens do nowadays, they will actually go to your hand and you can recast them for 1 mana after!

Totem #2 – Searing

This one doesn’t do much, but it’s a 1/1 so it can block or attack freely (most totem tokens have 0 attack so they don’t apply much pressure). In some cases you’ll be happy to get a 1/1, it might be the worst out of the bunch but it’s alright.

Totem #3 – Stoneclaw

Okay, this is going to be a bit weird to explain, but the Taunt ability works very oddly. This card basically forces your opponent’s creatures to attack it before they can attack you. Like I know that usually you announce a player that you attack and then blocks are declared (though in Vintage most creatures are unblockable so it doesn’t apply all the time) but in this case the creatures actually attack this totem directly instead of attacking you, even the unblockable ones. I’m not sure how else to explain it…In any case, this card usually buys you some time since they have to kill it before they can attack your face!

Totem #4 – Wrath of Air

This might be my favourite out of the gang, this totem gives all your spell +1 damage, and this deck plays a fair share of burn spells so it’s really good. We’ll see all of those burn spells at the end of the deck tech, but having +1 damage each time is really strong, especially at that cmc!

Totem Witch

Here we have another card that generates some totems, and probably the most expensive card of the deck, rightfully (especially since it’s hard to come by, seeing it’s limited availability, you had to attend a special event to get it…). At only 4cmc, this can come down relatively early and if not dealt with it can start generating a good amount of totems. It goes really well with the rest of the deck and helps you win the game very nicely. Speaking of winning the game…

Windshear Win Caller

Here we have one of your main win condition, well sort of. This card itself isn’t the win condition, but the card it summons is. It’s still a 5/5 for 5cmc, which isn’t all that great, but it has an amazing effect. Essentially the goal of the game is to play some totems during the first 4 turns, cast this on turn 5 and hopefully win the game from there.

Al’Akir, the Win Condition

Okay, there’s a few things to talk about here; first of all, this card is not in the deck. Similarly to your totemic call card, this is separate from your deck and is counted as a token in a way. When Windshear Stormcaller comes into play and meets it’s requirements, you can create this token card (technically it’s an actual card, but it functions the same as a token in this situation). If it ever gets bounced it works the same as the totem tokens, you can just cast it again for 8cmc (which is less ideal…) but yeah. There’s a few keywords that need some explaining; Windfury is the old way of saying Double-Strike, Charge is the old Haste, Divine Shield means the next time it would suffer damage, prevent that damage and remove the shield, and we’ve talked about Taunt earlier. So this card when it comes down can deal 6 damage on the spot, and it saves itself from the next damage it takes, so it’s fairly resilient. You can often win the game the turn after you’ve successfully summoned this card, it’s really good.

Going Wide

Any magic player knows that relying on a single win condition is never a good idea, and the same is true for Vintage. This card serves as a side-win condition and to be honest I’ve won more games with this than Al’Akir. Since the deck plays a fair share of cheap totems it’s easy to go wide quickly and if you have like 5 totems on turn 5 (which is a very fair assumption) you can straight up win by just casting this. Also it’s good to note that Vintage plays very few counterspells, there’s only a handful of decks that do to be honest, so most of the time your spells will resolve.

More Totem Tokens

This might be my favourite card of the deck, it’s super cheap and very efficient. So far the cards that made you create a totem token at random, but this card let’s you choose which one you want, and you can choose one that has already been played. So this card has a lot flexibility and utility, fitting to any situation you can summon whatever totem will help you the most. Plus at 2cmc this card is insanely well costed and super cost efficient.

Going Wider

A fun little card that helps you go even wider for your Bloodlust to really have a huge impact. It might look not too great, but getting a 1/1 each turn is actually huge, I mean look at how good Bitterblossom is, and this doesn’t make you lose any life for it!

Applying Pressure

Since most of your totems either don’t have any power or just 1 power, this let’s you make them into fairly efficient threats. This can surprise your opponent for a good amount of damage; let’s say you play a Primalfin Totem on turn 2 and this on turn 3, your opponent probably won’t have any blocks and you’ll get in for 5 free points on damage on turn 3! Honestly this card is a removal magnet, but it’s still real good.

Card Advantage

Somewhat similar to Phyrexian Arena, this let’s you draw an extra card each turn for only 3cmc, but it’s on a body so it might get killed…In any case it goes really well with the deck since it’s a totem, it’s fairly cheap, and it lets you not run out of gas!

Totem Insurance

It’s worth noting that the deck is extremely fragile to mass removal. Most creatures have lower toughness so a spell that deals 3 damage to each creatures really screw you over, which is not all that rare in the format. Which is why this card comes in, if anything would happen to your creatures, they get to create a random totem token on the way out, and this doesn’t care about what totem tokens have already been played. One time I got 7 of my creatures killed and got 7 Wrath of Air totems out of the deal, let’s just say that a 10 damage burn spell for 1cmc is pretty efficient at this point!

Big Butts

As just said, mass burn spells can be extremely annoying so this card fits really in this deck, especially since it’s free! It doesn’t say on it, neither on the previous cards, but instants didn’t exist back then, so all these cards are sorceries. In any case, this is still really good since you can just play a few totems, pump them up and then they’ll be really harder to deal with from there.

Not Technically a Totem?

While this card doesn’t produce totems, or isn’t one itself, it cares about them. Honestly, in 99% of the cases, this card will be free to cast, which is insane. You get a 5/5 creature FOR FREE that creatures HAVE to attack before then can attack you. This card can buy you plenty of time and keep your opponent’s creatures at bay for a while.

Ribbit

Now we’re getting to the removal package! Again, all those cards are actually sorceries, but they’re still really good. In this case you get to transform a creature into a 0/1 with taunt, which is amazing. It can deal with MASSIVE threats and render them useless, it can event get around pesky abilities and stuff like Divine Shield. This card is super good, even if a bit high costed compared to other removal spells.

Old Friend

You guys all know this card! (sort of) It works a bit different in Vintage since it proved to be too good for the format, weirdly. It has been errata’ed as a sorcery and on your next turn 1 of your lands doesn’t untap. I know it sounds really bad, but trust me when I say that this card is still extremely good, and that if it stayed the same as it’s regular printing it would’ve warped the entire format (it did, that’s why it got changed).

ZAP!

Similar to Lightning Bolt, this card comes with a clause where one of your lands doesn’t untap on your next turn (most burn spells function like this, seeing as they would be way too good if not) but it’s still a very solid card. Most cards in Vintage are fairly small, in similar way as Legacy, so all these burn spells are super effective. Getting to deal 4 damage to a creature for 2cmc is great (though it can’t target a player).

Overkill

I renamed this card “overkill” when I would play the deck since that’s what it is most of the time. Getting to deal 8 damage to a creature is HUUUUUGE. In most cases it will be plenty more damage than needed, but there are a few cases where people can cheat big creatures into play where this card becomes godly. It has a pretty big drawback of not untapping 3 lands, but trust me when I say that in the right cases it’s well worth it.

Burn Baby Burn

This burn spell can actually target a player, so that’s a huge plus! If you can get a few Wrath of Air totems on the battlefield this can deal a metric ton of damage too! Again, 2 of your lands won’t untap, but 5 damage for 3cmc is amazing, especially in this format.

Electricity in the Air

I mentioned mass burn spells earlier, well this is one of the good ones! For only 3cmc, you get to deal 2 or 3 damage to each creatures you ENEMY CONTROLS. No damage to your minions, it’s a real 1-sided mass burn spell! Granted, 2 of your lands won’t untap and the damage is 2 OR 3 (you have to randomly pick for each creature, which can sometime be good and sometime kind of annoying but whatever) but this card is really good, like really really good.

Wrap-Up

That’s in for this week! I hope you guys enjoyed this deck tech as much as I did, because I really love this deck. I know this might have been confusing for a lot of you, but Vintage is a very weird format where cards don’t function exactly the same as in other normal formats, but I guess that’s part of the appeal of Vintage. Also, this deck is very cheap for the format, the only card that’s hard to get by is the Witchdoctor since you can only get it by attending a special event, but it’s not impossible to get either. Also it’s good to point out that while there’s quite a few cards that prevent some of your mana to untap on your next turn, most of your cards are extremely cheap, so even if you’re a bit tighter on mana for a turn, you can still cast most of your cards as you wish without much restrictions. In any case, if I missed anything let me know! The deck Vintage deck tech should be in around a year from now, seeing as I’m not that well-versed in the format and it’s pretty hard to explain the ins-&-outs of it, but I’ll see you guys next week for a Pauper deck tech!

#mtg #magic #magic the gathering #magic: the gathering #magic blog #mtg blog #deck tech #vintage #april fools #hearthstone

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charliefromtheuniverse · 9 years ago

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Knights of Sidonia Review

This is review number two hundred and ninety four. This is part of the Spring 2014 lineup. The show I’ll be reviewing is called Knights of Sidonia. It’s a twelve episode show of robots and aliens in space. My review is pretty damn long so let’s just read on. I’m tired already.

Story

This anime follows a guy named Nagate Tanikaze as he fights giant alien monsters in space. He was recently enrolled in a school that trains students how to pilot giant robots if giant alien monsters ever invade their ship. Their help is crucial because the ship contains some of the few surviving humans in the entire universe after the alien monsters successfully wiped out the solar system. It’s been a hundred years since the last contact with the aliens though so all is good so far. Nagate lived underground all his life so there are some people ready to ridicule and belittle him. He isn’t that affected but adjusting to life above ground is certainly proving to be challenging. To make matters worse, the first sight of an alien monster has been confirmed after years of silence and now a bunch of inexperienced pilots like Nagate is soon thrown to the wolves. For the survival of mankind, they fight but humans being cornered often brings out the ugliness in all of us.

Taking the Pants Off

Knights of Sidonia did not strike as anything interesting at first. It was a mecha anime and these damn things all look and sound the same. The structure never changes as we let angsty teenagers fight in huge robots for the sake of mankind. This anime pretty much has the same concept. It had a teenager pilot a giant robot so it can fend off some space aliens with tentacles. If you watch a bunch of mecha then they will eventually look the same. I’m at that weird point where the mecha genre doesn’t do much for me. Do you know what I genre I am more than interested in though? Sci Fi. Knights of Sidonia excelled in two things. It had a cast of interesting characters able to carry the disjointed story and it featured a wonderful world of Sci Fi. I have never been so indulged in a rich backstory quite like this anime. It was able to present a society full of subhumans, space aliens, societal and political practices that just captures everything the Sci Fi genre does best. It doesn’t start out good and the story is admittedly clunky from start to finish but I think the concept art alone is enough to keep you watching. Of course, the fully rendered visuals will catch your attention as well. I’ve seen this done before in a Fall 2013 anime called Arpeggio of the Blue Steel. At first I thought Seiji Kishi also handled this anime but soon feared the fact that he didn’t. This kind of style is very hard to pull off because emotions aren’t carried well by the presentation. Knights of Sidonia certainly suffered from that but I think the mangaka’s vision is actually given more justice thanks to this kind of visual presentation. I have complains with the story but this show certainly did a lot of things right. It was able to present an interesting story of mankind’s survival in space against some alien menace while capturing the interpersonal issues among the characters. It also had a talking bear in it so that’s something to certainly admire.

As I said before, the story is clunky from start to finish since it has a lot of components to it. Establishing important plot points while also developing them proves to be a bit tricky for the show. It constantly introduces a lot of new elements to the story while often backtracking on important ones already established. It keeps on developing the characters giving them deeper meaningful roles that often affect the pacing of the story. The familiar mecha structure is intact though to easily follow the show but it really doesn’t start to warm up right away. I’d say the anime only started to get good right around episode eight or so. It’s a lot of narrative and exposition dump to unload so you’ll often be left confused as the show wanders around aimlessly. This show isn’t all about exposition though. The characters carry the show wonderfully and the action is a nice enough pay off to keep you tuned in. The Sci Fi elements hook you as well. The various individuals in the show has contrasting and complementing personalities that make certain situations very interesting and the alien monster battles features some fast paced fully rendered CGI battle that will really delight you. So I guess things really balance out. It has a good amount of scattered plot points brought to focus by the action and the characters that function in it. The first episode is really the only indication you need though. If the visuals and the sci fi elements capture your attention then you will easily enjoy this show. If you think the main character is annoying though to the point it spoils the whole thing for you then you might not like this particular anime. Still, it’s not that hard to like this one as it does gradually get better as it progresses often presenting a satisfying narrative full of action and social drama despite a lukewarm and disjointed overall plot.

With that being said, and as far as I can gather, this anime has three plot points. The show introduced a lot of potential stories left and right but I think majority of them fall under these three plot points. They are often strengthening the plot point’s structure or sharing the same idea. The first one is about the alien monsters. Once upon a time, monsters called Gauna attempted to wipe out the human species and they succeeded in wiping out the solar system. I’m not sure if the Sun is included but that’s not important. The important thing here is that humans were forced to evacuate. Up to five hundred vessels escaped the onslaught. These ships doesn’t make contact with each other though as they aimlessly travel around the universe. If you live inside one of those ships then it’s basically the same as living in a planet. Gaunas still attack various escape vessels and the show follows the survival of a ship called Sidonia. This plot point is basically about the pilots tasked to fight against the alien monsters. This isn’t a cut and dry affair though. The humans don’t just enter the battlefield, fight for their lives then fight harder when their comrades die. It is said that the last time a Gauna attacked was one hundred years ago. Most of the pilots about to re-engage these alien monsters are inexperienced people about to witness the terrorizing powers of the Gauna. If you add the fact that they’re angsty youths at the peak of their life then the whole thing becomes a bit bittersweet. We were given a sampling of this when the best four pilots of Sidonia battled a Gauna. Emotions took over, fear rendered them helpless and the rest of Sidonia soon saw their best hope of survival screaming for their lives. It’s absolutely freaking amazing as you soon realize the main characters are about to have a full serving of this bittersweet experience soon enough.

The Gaunas are also mysterious creatures. Under the first plot point, the anime also tried to establish what Gaunas are. They are still wrapped in mystery though like the origins of those Titans in Attack of Titans. All we know is that they seem to be attracted to humans, they have killer instincts and humans have no way to properly communicate with the alien monsters. Towards the second half of the show, humans were given a chance to understand the alien monsters. During a certain battle, Nagate is able to secure a sample of the alien and the anime mostly focuses on the rather intriguing personality of this sample. I don’t want to spoil much since it’s an integral part of the story but the mysterious alien monsters are given a chance to present a little about themselves. Whether it’s the bloodlust murders of recruits during a skirmish or the attempt to look presentable in front of a human being, Gaunas are tough to figure out but the hints seem to give us an idea exactly what they are. This is one of those scattered plot points in the show though. Notice the hints and examine them because the show doesn’t do much afterwards. It establishes other things so the story about why the Gaunas attack is still kept in the dark. It was fun while it lasted though because the characters made this scattered idea prominent. It featured a relationship between two characters while it slowly unveils certain things about the Gaunas. The show is smart that way. Confusing plots are interesting to a degree because of the characters that gives meaning to it.

The second plot point is about Nagate and his path to maturity. I don’t really know how to properly call this plot point. It simply focuses on Nagate and his rather unenviable position as a target of so many people. Again, it is a scattered plot point which is why it’s a bit hard to describe. Anyways, Nagate started off as this guy living in the undergrounds who resurfaced because his stomach was growling. He was caught stealing food and he was soon summoned to meet with the captain of the Sidonia ship. Why, exactly? Nagate turns out to be someone important to the captain because Nagate’s grandfather, the one who raised him, is closely acquainted to the captain. Instead of being punished for stealing, Nagate is given a chance to become a pilot. He was given a lot of opportunity to fight the Gaunas simply because people are really interested about him. In the captain’s case, Nagate’s grandfather is actually a really skilled pilot who once disobeyed her orders. A council of high ranking immortals are now ordering the captain to make sure Nagate doesn’t do the same thing his grandfather does and make sure he die at the hands of the Gaunas. So he is asked to participate in a lot of battles. Of course, it’s not that simple. Nagate is actually really talented after practicing in virtual simulations all his life. As it stands, he is the best pilot Sidonia has to offer so he is given a lot of chances to fight with mankind vouching out for him. This second plot point follows Nagate’s own personal journey and the things he learns while being on the surface after a long isolation underground.

The second plot points mostly just follows Nagate and his relationship with a bunch of people. By people, I mostly mean girls out to bang him. This is probably the most infuriating part of the show that makes it hard to take it seriously. For very little reason, the anime follows Nagate’s journey into meeting three girls very much interested in him. The show put a lot of importance in it as well. Nagate bonds well with a friendly third gender character that looks out for him. He is also very close to this short haired girl that seems to show fondness and flirtatious gestures towards him. He is also an object of obsession of this green haired girl completely enthralled by his amazing capabilities as a pilot. It even came to a point where the girls started fighting over him and I think it was a bit ridiculous. You have this rich Sci Fi component and you decided to do an accidental harem shtick. It’s seems a bit counter intuitive for such a wonderful anime. The way he builds a relationship with the girls seems to be a huge highlight of the show as they appear to be very integral to the overall plot. They also aid helping Nagate mature. This dude does a lot of sulking and other pathetic attitude that counters his awesome pilot skills. You can chalk it up to his lack of experience talking with other people after being underground for so long. Whatever is the cause, it seems that his personal maturity is also an important part of the story. With that being said, I think being romantically involved with the three girls also plays a big part in the bigger picture. The reasons are still a bit unexplored but the show focuses on his romantic adventures for a reason. I think it’s for emotional growth. A lot of people die in this show and more will follow. Maybe being closely related to Nagate and sharing a bond would make their deaths more impactful. With their death, a more matured Nagate is realized. It’s all up in the air for now since the anime just establishes this harem and nothing more.

The third plot point is about the societal and political under goings of Sidonia. This is perhaps the biggest plot point of all as if features the various important people of Sidonia making political decisions amidst a growing tension with the citizens of this human vessel. This plot point mostly follows the role of Sidonia’s captain, Captain Kobayashi. She is a very cold person because decisions involving humanity’s survival often includes breaking a few eggs. In the show’s case, it’s sacrificing a few individuals for the overall survival of mankind. I think this is best displayed during various battles where she stands a top everyone and she gives the orders that affect the outcome of battle. One very good example involves her decision to move the ship vertically and letting gravity does its work of demonstrating how humans go splat when dropped from a height. She doesn’t regret her decisions and she goes about handing out even more outrageous orders for the sake of mankind. Her decisions aren’t just hers alone though. It is soon revealed that Kobayashi belongs to a council called the “immortals” who actually gives her orders that often benefits just themselves. This is where the beauty of the politics arises. Kobayashi acts for the greater good and prolonged survival but she follows the orders of a bunch of selfish individuals who only cares about their own survival. They don’t make it pretty as well. They simply order Kobayashi in what actions to take so they can benefit from the situation. Kobayashi would often just take everything in stride but it is suggested that Kobayashi know that Sidonia is strong enough not to ask for aid among the Immortal Council. It is explained though that they mostly have knowledge about Gauna and events going back from when Sidonia left earth. Such ancient knowledge is the only reason the council has high authority. Still, Kobayashi is ruthless and it’s really only a matter of time before something starts to give. This woman won’t allow to be ordered by obsolete selfish individuals for too long.

Kobayashi has a complicated relationship with the Immortal Council but she has an even more strained one with the citizens of Sidonia. With the Gauna attack, tensions are rising. Radical idealism is spreading throughout the people and she is slowly losing control. The residents believe that Gauna are actually harming them because of the alien spears Sidonia has on board. They believe that the military should stop using the spears and maybe the Gauna will leave them alone. Unaware of the horrors of the battlefield, the radical movements have grown fiercer. All they see is the aftermath with soldier’s funeral so they remain stubborn with the belief that the Gauna only attacks because they are attracted to the alien spears. It’s a theory people can’t deny or confirm so the radical ideas keep spreading. Coupled with the brash decisions of Kobayashi sacrificing lower residential areas to keep the ship alive, her own people are starting to grow unsteady. In the show, Kobayashi is such a hard ass that she simply allowed people to leave. If you’re unhappy in Sidonia then you are welcome to leave. One of the focuses of the third plot point is actually the journey of the disgruntled citizens travelling to a small planet unarmed with the belief that the weapons only attract the alien monsters. It’s a recipe for disaster but something ignorant people will soon realize is a huge mistake. Much like the rest of the plot points though, this one is just established so far. Are the pacifists going to be alien food soon? No one really knows since the anime doesn’t focus on it after it departed. It does tell me though that tension is only going to build when more citizens are dissatisfied living in Sidonia. Of course, the fate of the pacifists and their role in the bigger story is also up in the air.

So far, nothing really big materializes in terms of story. Really, only the action sequences and the character development carried this show. It’s not as scattered as the plot points since the show needed something stable to rely on. Letting the characters grow and develop is one of the best aspects of this show. For me though, it’s the Sci Fi setting that really made the show worthwhile. The interesting backstory of a bunch of sci fi elements really bring the whole show together for me. Humans have lived for a long while in Sidonia. In the fourth defensive war against the Gauna, two Gauna actually entered Sidonia and almost wiped out the entire race. To help repopulate the masses from I think less than a hundred survivors, humans resorted to cloning and growing babies in test tubes. One of the freakiest and awesome things they also added is the creation of a human being with a third gender. To answer the population crisis, a third gender is achieved. They remain mostly neutral for the rest of their life until they choose a mate and decide a gender. It’s pretty freaky dicky, huh? In a strange way, Hideyoshi lives in the mind of one sci fi fanatic. I shuddered upon learning this strange fact but, really, it only gets weirder/awesomer from here.

Photosynthesis.

One of the reasons humans can live long in space, with an obvious food problem staring them in the face, is for humans to photosynthesize. It’s basically like plants getting nutrition from the sun. With this, humans can only eat once a week to stay alive since they just have to shed clothing and bathe in the sun for the rest of the week. This is really what I like about the sci fi genre. It doesn’t create fantasies and magical ideals. It often uses humans as its main subject and then grows an idea from there. Humans travel in space, humans having interspecies sex time with aliens, humans with advance technologies to fend off aliens, and (in this anime’s case) having them gain food by bathing in the sun. Sci Fi explores the boundaries and limits of humans and decides that it can go further than that. I am in no way a Sci Fi fanatic but I am a fan of good storytelling. Sci Fi is often the result of a very active imagination and the things presented are often ideas others would likely to indulge and share as well. Humans photosynthesizing sounds like a wonderful idea and the show fuses this notion in the anime seamlessly. It gives us fan service and a lot of other great things at the same time as well. The Sci Fi elements don’t end there though. There is also this awesome feature about the suits the pilots wear. It sticks to their bodies and you can urinate in it. It’s a living breathing suit that doubles as the pilot’s skin. I still remember that moment where the pilots all act uncomfortably while the suit attaches itself unto them. It mentioned urinating in the suits and I think the suit inserted itself in a place most people doesn’t want things inserted in. Nothing was explained but the blushing faces tell a lot. Lastly, I love this whole thing about dead people being fed to a biothermal reactor. In Sidonia, when someone dies, they aren’t buried. There is a tombstone with their name engraved on it but the bodies go elsewhere. Gad knows what the biothermal reactor is for but the dead is sent there. I don’t think it’s to be cremated. I think the bodies are being used as fuel for the ship or something. It’s a rather dark concept but something I quite find intriguing. There is a well-rounded idea behind the sci fi elements of the show that really enriches the overall appeal of the show. After all, humans have been in Sidonia for more than a century now so you can just imagine the measures needed to develop all these things. It all relates back to their survival but it also gives us this fascinating look to a dystopian future that I think Sci Fi really does wonderfully.

The characters are the ones that really made this show fun to watch. They started out clunky though like the rest of the anime. Some characters also looked alike so it was hard to get into rhythm with the show. Most of the scattered plot points lead to a character being fleshed out though so they do grow on you as the show progresses. With the story not showing any clarity as of now, the anime was smart to develop the characters to help gain intrigue to the scattered plot points. Nagate is your typical lead. He is the type that sacrifices himself for others, he eats a lot and he has this childish personality that oddly attracts a bunch of girls. He started out pretty much like a wooden plank though. The whole angle of him living underground, getting caught, being enrolled in the pilot school and becoming a student didn’t transition well. It was forced and I personally had a hard time figuring out Nagate. He didn’t really come off as interesting as well. He spent majority of the first half being beaten, acting gullible enough to have others ruin his life and aimlessly wandering around like a lost cat. Naturally, he became interesting in the second half. Oh wait, no, he doesn’t. Nagate did develop but he turned into this whiny b*tch emo that cried a lot and spent most of his times too emotionally beaten up to act as a likeable main character. He only really mattered because of his crazy ability to fight Gaunas despite having no experience. So he is like this badass alien ripping machine wrapped in a gullible blanket unaware of the harshness of the world in front of him. He had his moments of heroism and that’s really the only thing to like about Nagate. He also had some fluffy moments with some girls and I guess that’s also a nice thing about him. Don’t be fooled though. Nagate is a bumbling idiot that doesn’t know his head from his ass for a reason. One of the main plot points involves his maturity. Nagate experiences a lot of difference things new to him. He basically shared the same fascination viewers had with the Sci Fi elements of the show. He shows his vulnerable sides way too quickly, easily gets attach to people easily and experiences the bitterness of losing someone and failing just as quickly as well. It’s not quite a coming of age story but it does have the same approach where Nagate eventually becomes a more well-rounded person thanks to his rather inexperienced self getting a strong dose of life. I think it serves the story to have Nagate act like a cute innocent puppy because he will eventually turn rabid and it’s only a matter of time before we see a battle hardened Nagate overcome his weak self.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this show. All of them were presented pretty nicely as they slowly take their definite role in the overall story. One big stand out is Captain Kobayashi. The cold hard ass that runs the ship shows both her ruthless side and her soft side throughout the run of the show. She usually wears a mask like the rest of the immortal council and this often makes her a cold person but she seems to favor Nagate a lot and treat him like her own son. She also has some amazing conversation with other characters. Her decisions during battles relayed by her second in command are often the most haunting. When overwhelmed by aliens, she would give the order to continue the mission despite the slaughter she is seeing herself. She would make tough decisions on the spot and simply respond with a short breath yes or no. Her decisions often affects Sidonia in a huge way so you’ll often see her second in command questioning her and going wide eyed in shock that someone could issue such an order. Despite being a ruthless person, she also seems to show her regrets and weaknesses when talking to other people. It was revealed in the second half about the things that transpired during the Fourth Defensive War and she personally hold a deep regret with her actions in it. I don’t want to spoil much. One can only wonder where she goes from here though. With the pressure of she experiences and the tension she has with a lot of the characters in the anime, it’s interesting what cold hearted decision she might do next.

There are also the girls that form Nagate’s stupid harem. They all just started hovering around Nagate for all different reasons. The main reason though is his amazing pilot skills but each girl is in love with a different side of his pilot skills. The anime is weird that way. The first one is Izana Shinatose. She’s basically the Hideyoshi of the group who is known to be among the third gender of humans. So I guess I should call her “it”. She still sounds like a girl though who looks flat chested but gawd, one can only imagine if she becomes male. Oh, the things I keep imagining. That scenario is definitely made for hentai though. Anyways, Izana didn’t do much in the show. She was the third wheel when Nagate started having love relations with another girl. Izana is one of those girls that often get the short straw and she rarely gets some time alone with Nagate after being there for him during his low moments. She’s one of those underappreciated third gender characters often being ignored in favor of a more hotter character. Izana grows on you though. She has this endearing quality to her and her supportive attitude is very likeable. She basically becomes Nagate’s rock whether he knows it or not. It was nicely veiled by the story as well but Izana is the only character Nagate shows his vulnerability too. The anime would distract you by focusing on Nagate going emo but Izana is always the shoulder the dude cries on. Her role was nicely cemented though when she was chosen as a pilot. New pilots have higher chances of dying in battle so imagine her poor self being drowned in a sea of misery. Nagate assures her that he is there for her though. Still, one can only imagine what would happen if Nagate loses his rock and he is faced to tackle life without the shoulder he always cries on. Damn good character relationship if there ever is one.

The girl Nagate eventually has a love relation with is called Shizuka Hoshijiro. She personally felt like an eyesore at first. She hung around this arrogant dude in the start of the episode and eventually wafted over Nagate after seeing how skilled he is. Her reasons for liking Nagate aren’t important though because she is a very pretty girl and Nagate is attracted to very pretty girls. He is always flustered whenever they meet and Shizuka just giggles like an innocent flower whenever she sees him act foolish. Their relationship is soon strengthened after a life altering encounter in space that ended with both of them stuck in space while we see Shizuka photosynthesize. I’ll try to control the spoilers but they eventually hit it off afterwards with the next scene is hinting to be a kiss and an official announcement between the two. Sadly, those events did not occur in the show because something happened that involves aliens and Shizuka facing off. Can you guess who lost? If you guess neither then you win a cookie. Shizuka really just symbolizes Nagate’s teenage drive and youthful energy. He was living it up with her as every moment between them is just bright and vivid. The show established somewhat of a safe zone for Nagate when he is with Shizuka and he just indulges in the moments spent with her. The aliens and Shizuka eventually transformed their relationship into a complicated matter giving fuel to another scattered plot point but losing his safe zone certainly triggered something big inside Nagate. This also relates to his maturity. The last girl is Yuhata Midorikawa. She is this really aggressive girl who fell in love with Nagate after discovering how skillful he is at piloting a robot. She is a robot nerd of sorts and she fell in love with his stats during combat. She has since decided that she wants the dude for herself. She is a tactical genius that is even suggested to replace the captain’s second in command if the need arises. She plans in advance and this makes her a formidable opponent when it comes to conjuring up strategies. She is a bit of a nutcase though. She is like a super fanatic oddball and she is a bit of an eyesore. Her role isn’t properly established in the show as of now but it seems like she is primed to doing bigger things in the future. She also had the least screen time with Nagate but really, her presence is overwhelming by itself already.

There are a lot of side characters presented in the show and they seem to have some pretty cool roles to fill in the anime. There is Norio Kunato. He is a fellow pilot who is raging jealous of all the attention Nagate is getting. He wants to be the one on the spotlight and it annoys him that someone who is basically an innocent cat is getting all the prestige he is supposed to be getting. Kunato is one of the well-developed characters in the show. It was mentioned how he fought hard to get where he is and yet all the recognition is being given to a guy that just happened to crawl out of a manhole. Kunato isn’t just a jealous comrade. He is also a scheming villain. With his hatred for Nagate and the glory he is supposed to have being given to someone else, he eventually plots to claim all the glory that was rightfully his. He is a wonderful antagonist for the anime often clashing with Nagate albeit indirectly. For all his bark though, Kunato shriveled up fairly easily after experiencing the traumatizing battlefield he partakes in. He is a really interesting character but he did lose his place in the show come its second half. It’s all thanks to the scattered plot points. It’s established that he is bad but also soft and emo-ish on the inside. His participation for stories to come is promising because he doesn’t play well with others and this might serve as a particular component that will give depth to the overall story. Another great character is the bear. Yup, the bear. She is the dorm master and she spends her time cooking dishes in the mess hall. She also gives some proper push to Nagate when he needs it. The bear, Lala Hiyama is actually an immortal council member and she is a hybrid of a human bear genetic experiment. She has close ties with the captain of Sidonia and her kind hearted nature severely clashes with Kobayashi’s cold one. She seems to mostly act as this wise sage in a time to turmoil but she doesn’t have a big role to play as well. Perhaps the tension among the immortal might give our bear a role to play soon but one can only wonder. There are also a lot more pilots with small roles to play in the show. There are these two budding senior pilots that often lead a squad together. It’s unfortunate that their squads are often slaughtered though. There are also these eleven clone twins that have a minor role to play in the show. The anime gave some of them a time to become somewhat relevant despite often just ending up dead a few episodes later.

But you know what else is interesting? One shot characters. I’d like to point this out. Most characters that die in battle are given a chance to state their case. They’ll often be friendly towards others and some of them would display a somewhat romanticized version of their life story. Such care was given to these minor of minor characters that it does hint how much potential the eventual overall story contains. I particularly love the second episode where the first girl eaten by a Gauna had her life flashed in the screen. Her parents cheering her on and her dreams of making them proud made her demise somewhat interesting. She literally had less than five minutes of screen time before the last image of her swallowed by a Gauna. The anime was mindful of every minor character’s death because it impacts the overall story. Seeing them die in battle after a decent introduction makes them somewhat memorable and you can only imagine how the deaths of more major characters are going to be like with how minor characters are treated in the show.

The main reason this show has a clunky story is mainly because there will be another season. It was announced at the end of the show and the first two episodes are apparently set to premiere in a huge event in Japan. This sh*t is getting hyped and I can only wish that the second season is going to be epic. I think the second season is set to come out in Winter 2015 but I’m not sure. It is coming though that is certain enough. The second season is sure to compensate for the clunky storytelling. Enough has been established to really set the entire thing ablaze. This anime established everything in the first season down to the smallest details so the second season should deliver on a lot of promises the first season made. I am honestly nervous because second seasons tend to suck. I’ve seen a lot of them and most hype is often met by lazy and uninspired continuations. This anime is deliberately split into two halves though so I hope it does give us something beyond epic for its second season. This show is presented by a studio called Polygon Pictures Inc. I have not heard of them before. According to wiki, they mostly do 3DCG stuff so I guess it makes sense for them do produce Knights of Sidonia. They seem to have captured the appeal of the full CG style that Sanzigen first presented in Arpeggion of the Blue Steel. PPI seems to have done a much cleaner version though but it does lack in certain areas. You can trust a studio akin to video game graphics to deliver something satisfying with fully rendered CG. I think they did a great job of it despite my small complaints. This was directed by Koubun Shizuno. So far, he’s a very small time director with a few Detective Conan movies under his belt. Knights of Sidonia might be his first critical stuff and I think he did a great job of it. He captured the vision of the manga quite perfectly and I applaud him for that. I hope he continues his great work for the second season.

Sight and Sound

Tsutomu Nihei’s character design is very dark and gritty. He captures a very mature feel with his work. Sometimes, it’s not about the character design itself but his actual concept art that will dazzle you. He does very little to make a character look special but instead, every panel is soaking in darkness and heavy inking while the cyberpunk elements creep out in every corner. His characters are notably “Japanese” though. They often have characteristics similar to what a Japanese person would look like. The girls often have small round faces with almond eyes and dark hair. Even if the characters might have different hair color and a more bright color palette, the foundation seems to still be the same round face, almond eye combo in different variations. His male characters have a more muscular build but they still have the typical Japanese design that seems a bit familiar. Of course, the characters don’t look familiar because Tsutomu’s manga exudes cyber punk overwhelming everything else. I’m picking it apart but his character design is mostly defined by how cyberpunk it is. The outfits are mostly tight skin fitted, a large percentage is leather, and the heavy inking defined by the empty spaces gives incredible depth to a rather ordinary suit. His cyber punk style is sadly not captured by the anime though. One of the downsides of the fully rendered CG style is that darkness looks dull and everything excels in the details. The manga is outstanding with even the Gaunas looking amazingly created as each panel have lines dancing around, inking mingling, and a dark horror mood is easily established as you stare unnervingly in the empty spaces that he purposely left blank. In the anime, without the cyber punk appeal, you can easily tell how lacking in details his characters look. They often look dull and they look the same without the masterful visual narration the manga does best. It’s a good thing character development eventually saved the show and made the characters interesting once more.

The cyber punk appeal is still decently presented in the anime but I think Sci Fi permeated more. It’s not a bad thing because the visuals still gave justice to Tsutomu’s action heavy manga panels. The background is also outstanding. As I said, it’s the first thing that’ll capture your attention. The concept art in fully rendered CG looks absolutely amazing. The tall buildings and the camera angles seem to celebrate the world of the manga in a magnificent way. The animation is pretty awesome as well. The battle scenes are pretty amazing. The story telling is mostly presented in the cock pit of Sidonia though. The screens act like a video game screen where you see the stats of the pilots as they fight the Gaunas. It gives more detail to the fast paced action of the battles. The robots are nicely rendered and it’s pretty awesome seeing them dart through space and avoiding tentacles. The way a Gauna disperse is outstanding as well. Seeing it dissolve in a bubble like explosion is stunning. The way the robots explode and the various action heavy scenes of the manga are nicely presented in the anime as well. The animation seemed to have perfectly captured the manga’s vision as it marry it with a video game like cut scene form of storytelling. It looks pretty damn complex and I am often caught up in how stunning the animation is. With that being, there are a few downsides. Emotions are lacking among the character interactions. It’s the same downside in Arpeggio. Emotionally charged moments aren’t visually captured by the show and the characters often look a bit wooden. Without the strong plot to support it, it’d be very hard to like the show judging by the stiff look of the characters alone. Some of the fight scenes also seem a bit fast paced. It’s hard to follow the movements of the robots darting through the tentacles because of the employment of a shaky camera and lacking camera angles during certain scenes. It’s a good thing the cockpit shows us what is happening in the battlefield because the visuals often just confuse the fight’s pace. I do applaud the way the Sci Fi is represented but I have to be critical and say that the cyberpunk appeal actually makes up majority of manga’s appeal. The anime should’ve tried harder to incorporate it. With that being said, I must applaud the director for giving life to the panels in such an amazing way. I personally can’t pace a manga by myself so it’s amazing how vivid the panel scenes are in the anime.

The anime’s OP is “Sidonia” by angela. It’s a pretty decent OP. Angela’s voice gives this uplifting and pumped up beat to the song while the lyrics are really insane. It’s about pilots laying down their life for the greater good and it does capture the duty of the pilots but seem to leave out the human component in the equation. It’s a rather thrilling and ominous song. The Op sequence features a few scenes of robots battling Gaunas while it flashes various characters and notable events into the sequence. The anime’s ED is “show” by Eri Kitamura. It has a nice beat to it as it sings a song about hope and Sidonia travelling in space for such a long time. Eri’s voice is pretty cool but it’s the rather moody lyrics and rhythm of the song that really stands out. The sequence is simply a3D hologram version of Sidonia travelling in space.

Overall Score

7/10 “A wonderful story of human survival covered in a wonderful Sci Fi wrapper.”

The clunky story prevented the show to have a solid eight out of ten but I think the second season will easily make up for it. The strong characters and the rich Sci Fi background also made the experience pretty amazing. If you like mecha anime then you’ll enjoy this show. If you like a wonderful story with a lot of interesting characters then you’ll like this show as well. If you enjoyed Arperggio of the Blue Steel’s visual presentation then you’ll enjoy how this anime try to make a better use of it. It has a lot of strong components to easily overshadow its negative aspects so I do think this is worth a try. I recommend it.

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tech-battery · 4 years ago

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ACER ASPIRE 5 REVIEW: A $549 LAPTOP THAT DOESN’T COMPLETELY SUCK

The Acer Aspire 5 is a very functional laptop. I used it as my primary work driver for over a week, including the whirlwind that was Black Friday weekend. It loads the pages I need it to. It handles a heavy share of tabs and apps without burning itself up. It’s not seven pounds. Basically, it’s a $549 laptop that doesn’t completely suck.

There was a time when that would’ve made this the best budget laptop you can buy. But that time has come to an end, and the reason rhymes with “bay-MD.”

This Aspire 5 model has a four-core Intel Core i5-1035G1, the same budget- and midrange-oriented processor that powers Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go. Performance-wise, it gets the job done — but its battery life is disastrous, and its integrated graphics are behind the times at this point. My advice: if you can get your hands on one, buy the AMD model with a six-core AMD Ryzen 5 4500U for the same price instead.

Starting with the design, which is the same across both models. I’d say the Aspire 5 looks fine — it’s no Dell XPS, but it’s still respectable from all angles. It comes in a few colors including silver and black. (I have the silver one, though I think the black looks a bit fancier myself.) Most of it is plastic, but the top cover (the part people are most likely to see) is aluminum. There’s some flex in the keyboard and the screen, but not so much that I worried about snapping the thing in half. It’s neither ultraportable nor overly clunky, weighing 3.7 pounds (1.8 kg) and measuring 14.3 x 9.9 x 0.7 inches. Students should note that while the Aspire isn’t terribly heavy, its breadth makes it a bit of a chore to fit in a standard-sized backpack alongside a load of books and binders.

A few other touches you might notice: Like the higher-priced Swift line, the Aspire 5 has a lustrous center hinge with “Aspire” printed across it, which is a nice bit of flair. The bezels, though, are quite large and very plastic-looking. The top one is particularly hefty.

All fair enough. At $549, I’ll take it. But it is worth noting that you don’t need to spend all that much more to get significantly higher build quality if you’re willing to compromise on screen size. The Acer Swift 3 (if you’ll take a 14-incher) is a nicer-looking, slimmer, and sturdier-feeling machine. Its Ryzen 5 4500U model is only $80 more expensive than this Aspire 5 on Acer’s website (and is even cheaper when it’s on sale).

ACER ASPIRE 5 SPECS (AS REVIEWED)

15.6-inch 16:9 display, 1920 x 1080

Intel Core i5-1035G1 (1.0 GHz with turbo boost up to 3.6 GHz)

8GB DDR4 memory

256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, one available hard disk drive bay

3.97 lbs (1.8 kg)

Ports: one USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 (one with power-off charging), one USB 2.0, one HDMI 2.0, one audio jack, one Ethernet (RJ-45), one DC-in jack

Windows Hello fingerprint reader

$549.99

“Pure silver” color option

The strength of such a large chassis, though, is that there’s room for a useful port selection. In total, we have one USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1, two USB 3.1 Gen 1, one USB 2.0, one HDMI 2.0, and one Ethernet, as well as a power port. That’s comprehensive, though you’ll need to look elsewhere if you’re seeking Thunderbolt support, a typical omission in this price range.

The display is a bit of a dud on paper. I measured it as covering just 66 percent of the sRGB gamut and 50 percent of AdobeRGB. It also maxes out at 220 nits of brightness. Those are both mediocre as laptop screens go, though they’re not terrible for the category; color-wise, the Aspire actually scored slightly better than the IPS panel on the Swift 3, as well as the Asus VivoBook 15.

The viewing experience wasn’t as bad as those metrics might indicate. The matte panel did a good job of reducing glare; even around 90 percent brightness, I could use the machine outdoors without a hassle. And while Netflix and YouTube looked drab next to more expensive screens, media consumption is still very doable. (Especially because the audio is quite good. It has a nice surround quality and can easily fill a room — I’d put it on par with a decent external speaker. I could actually hear the bass and percussion in my music.)

The Aspire has a nice keyboard. It’s backlit and quiet with decent travel. (It’s mushier than it is clicky, if you have strong feelings about that.) There’s a numpad on the right side, which is a nice feature, but it does push the touchpad to the left. This was irksome for me as someone with small hands. The area that was natural for me to touch with my right hand was the right-click area. I had to intentionally stretch over to left-click, and I never really got used to it — even after a week and a half, I was still accidentally right-clicking all the time. There’s also an embedded fingerprint reader in the top-left corner of the touchpad, but its location wasn’t super convenient for me as a righty and I never ended up using it much.

AGREE TO CONTINUE: ACER ASPIRE 5 (2020)

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

The Acer Aspire 5 presents you with multiple things to agree to or decline upon setup.

The mandatory policies, for which an agreement is required, are:

A request for your region and keyboard layout

Windows 10 License Agreement and Acer License Agreement

A Microsoft account for sign-in (this can be bypassed if you don’t connect the computer to the internet during setup)

A PIN

In addition, there is a slew of optional things to agree to:

Connect to Wi-Fi

Windows Hello fingerprint sensor authentication

Device privacy settings: online speech recognition, Find My Device, Inking and Typing, Advertising ID, location, diagnostic data, tailored experiences

Link an Android phone

OneDrive backup

Office 365

Let Microsoft collect information (including location, location history, contacts, voice input, speech and handwriting patterns, typing history, search history, calendar details, messages, apps, and Edge browsing history) to help Cortana provide personalized experiences and suggestions

Enroll in Acer’s mailing list and the Acer User Experience Improvement Program (allowing Acer to collect information on your usage), and allow Acer to share contact details with Norton so it can send you updates about its pre-installed security software.

In total, that’s six mandatory agreements and 17 optional ones.

Of course, performance is what really makes or breaks a budget laptop. The base Aspire 5 configuration, listed at $399.99 on Acer’s website, can come with a Core i3-1005G1 or an AMD Ryzen 3 4300U (both with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD). There are a number of models at different price points, including some with touchscreens. The system we’re looking at is listed at $549.99 on Amazon and has Intel’s four-core Core i5-1035G1, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. A system with the same specs and a six-core Ryzen 5 4500U is currently listed on Acer’s website for the same price (though it’s hard to find and looks to be sold out on Amazon as of this writing).

It’s important to caveat here that I haven’t tried the AMD system yet — but the six-core 4500U is an impressive chip. In the $799 HP Envy x360 13 (which also has 8GB of RAM), it easily delivered the fantastic performance I’d expect from a Core i7, and it could even run Overwatch on its High settings at over 60fps. Make no mistake: the Intel Aspire 5 didn’t give me any problems during my various office work, social media, emailing, and the like. But performance wasn’t quite as zippy as it was on the AMD Envy. And I got the sense that the thing was chugging — I could almost always hear the fans spinning, even when I was just running a few Chrome tabs. I wouldn’t have wanted to try anything more intense (and unlike Intel’s new Iris Plus graphics, its UHD graphics aren’t a good choice for anything but the lightest gaming).

That’s before we even talk about the battery life. This Aspire 5 averaged four hours and 49 minutes of my daily workload (12-15 Chrome tabs, Slack, Spotify streaming, and occasional Zoom calls on the Battery Saver profile at 200 nits of brightness). That’s not good, and it’s especially not enough for students who are out and about all day. AMD processors, by contrast, have been killing it on battery: the 4500U-powered Envy could churn out eight hours of my typical workload while the Swift 3 with a Ryzen 7 4700U got up to seven hours, and the 4800U-powered IdeaPad Slim 7 achieved a monstrous 13 and a half hours.

Final note: there’s some bloatware. I got some annoying Norton pop-ups and occasional notifications from various other programs that came loaded onto the Aspire. These aren’t the end of the world at this price point, but note that you may have to take some time to uninstall if the alerts are bothering you.

So, look, the Aspire 5 gets the job done. It works. It does what you need it to (at least until the battery runs out). There are even a couple areas where it’s punching above its weight class — the audio is great, and it’s nice to have a fingerprint reader.

But if you can get all those benefits plus a six-core AMD processor for the same (or a comparable) price, I see no reason not to go that route instead if you’re wed to the 15-inch system. AMD systems are hard to find, but I recommend digging around or waiting until one becomes available. And if you’re willing to spend a bit more for the Ryzen-powered Swift 3, you’ll see a noticeable difference in build quality and portability as well as multiple extra hours of battery life. For students and on-the-go workers, I think that’s more than worth the cost.

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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years ago

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THAT MIGHT BE WORTH EXPLORING

You can't just say Err to the user of a stove. Though serfs were in principle forbidden to leave their manors, it can't have been the personal qualities of early union organizers that made unions successful, but must have been. And it turns out that was all you needed to solve the problem.1 But investing in concepts isn't stupid; it's what VCs do, and the difference is individual tastes. Maybe options should be replaced with something tied more directly to earnings. A significant number of would-be startup founders are probably dissuaded from doing it by their parents. Money matters are particularly likely to become the top idea in your mind. It's more important than anything else.

Well, yes, but you have to work as if it were inherently stupid to invest in them. Another way to decrease the risk is to join an existing startup instead of starting your own. He knew as well as they were ever going to be negative. For example, once computers get so cheap that most people never seem to make is to take advantage of direct contact with the medium. I have a general idea of the greatest masters did this so well that you envision the scene for yourself.2 Simple as it seems, that's the recipe for success. That sounds right, but is it simply a description of how to be successful in general? Indeed, they're bad in a particular way: they have the same drab clunkiness as anything else that comes out of a garage in Silicon Valley would feel part of an organization whose structure gives each person freedom in inverse proportion to the mere discomfort of wearing such clothes.

One of the reasons kids give up drawing at ten or so is that they decide to start drawing like grownups, and one that most people can have one of their own. Everyone knows computer science and electrical engineering are related, but precisely because everyone knows it, importing ideas from one to the other doesn't yield great profits. Which means for a group of 10 people within a large organization divided into groups in this way, but I found the same problem there.3 But is that more important than that they learn to write well? For competitors, list the top 3 and explain in one sentence each what they lack that you have. Then would-be founders can use this as a checklist to examine their own feelings. You don't need to write anything, though? The Defense Department does a fine though expensive job of defending the country, but they wouldn't now. One is that companies will inevitably slow down as they grow larger, no matter how hard they try to measure, and to him they looked wooden and unnatural. It's hard enough to overcome one's own misconceptions without having to think about how to solve it. This was my reason for not starting a startup. They also know that big projects will by their sheer bulk impress the audience.

Eventually everyone will learn by word of mouth. I got done that day, the answer would have been delighted at first to be bought for $2 million, but are now set on world domination. As we stood there, he said. It's not just a synonym for annoying. The biggest spammers could probably protect their servers against auto-retrieving filters. Which means if you want to hear; an interview with a random alum; a high school record that's largely an index of obedience. Indeed, food is an excellent metaphor to explain what's wrong with their lives, the first paragraph sounds like the sort of place that has conspicuous monuments.

This tells you how much to trust your instincts when you disagree with authorities, whether it's worth going through the usual channels to become one yourself, and perhaps most dangerous, the tendency of such work to become a duty rather than a pleasure. Most large organizations and many small ones are steeped in it. It's this end that gives rise to phrases like those who can't do, teach. Of course the habits of mind to invoke. Though the Web has been around for more than ten people. Experts expect to throw away some early work. Much Renaissance art was in its time considered shockingly secular: according to Vasari, Botticelli repented and gave up painting, and Fra Bartolommeo and Lorenzo di Credi actually burned some of their work. The most amusing thing written during this period, Liudprand of Cremona's Embassy to Constantinople, is, I suspect, mostly inadvertantly so. At the bottom are business, literature, and the weather is still fabulous. Work like a dog being taken for a walk, instead of fleeing as soon as conventional working hours end.

The most valuable truths are the ones sitting back with slightly pained expressions. In the mid twentieth century there was a vogue for setting text in sans-serif fonts. In math and engineering, recursion, especially, less is more. You can sit down with you and cook up some promising project. In math it means that a shorter proof tends to be the one to discover its replacement. Whereas there appears to be great demand for celebrity gossip magazines. Just as inviting people over forces you to think well.4 And this is not a reference work. Unnecessary meetings, pointless disputes, bureaucracy, posturing, dealing with other people's mistakes, traffic jams, addictive but unrewarding pastimes. That's what a metaphor is: a function applied to an argument of the wrong kind of people, I like to work with a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders. What makes the nerds rich, usually, is stock options. This problem afflicts not just every era, but in both cases we suggested their first priority should be to find a cofounder, what should you do?

What would someone who was the opposite of down and dirty would be up and clean. So working for yourself makes your brain more powerful in the same place they come to meet investors. And yet Y Combinator showed us we were still overestimating people who'd been to elite colleges. But does it do this out of frivolity? The unfortunate writer would then sit down to work with you on your current idea, switch to an idea people want to lead in it, and they all said they'd prefer to hire someone who'd tried to start a startup doing something technically difficult, just write enterprise software. Audiences have to be resourceful. But for what it's worth, as a sort of golden triangle involving doctors, Mercedes 450SLs, and tennis. What you want to know whether to recruit someone as a cofounder. The finance guys seemed scrupulous about reporting earnings. It is possible to slow time somewhat. I will get in trouble for appearing to be writing about things I don't understand. It seems that, for the average engineer, more options just means more work for me, because just in the last ten years the Internet has the most effect.

I didn't want as the top one, rather than because they wanted to; they're probably required to by law.5 There are two main reasons. If you'd been around when that change began around 1000 in Europe it would have seemed to nearly everyone that running off to the city to make your fortune was a crazy thing to do, at least, how I write one. Large organizations have different aims from hackers. They're not just beautiful, but strangely beautiful. They would just look at you blankly. It seems obvious when you put it that way too.

Notes

What they must do is fund medical research labs; commercializing whatever new discoveries the boffins throw off is as straightforward as building a new version from which I removed a pair of metaphors that made them register. There are fields now in which internal limits are expressed. But that turned out to be on fewer boards at once, or the presumably larger one who shouldn't? A more powerful than ever.

Look at what adults told children in the world, but less than 1. How many times that conversation was repeated. Till then they had no government powerful enough to supply the activation energy required to switch to OSX.

To do this all the page-generating templates are still a dick move. Become correspondingly more important than the long tail for sports may be to write an essay that will cause the brand gap between the top schools are, which shows how unimportant the Arpanet which became the Internet. The VCs recapitalize the company and fundraising at the exact same thing—trying to figure this out.

Incidentally, this is the way and run the programs on the proceeds of the biggest discoveries in any era if people are like sheep, but they were friendlier to developers than Apple is now the founder visa in a rice cooker, if you don't even sound that plausible. Org Worrying that Y Combinator was a false positive, this is largely true, because for times over a hundred and one VC. If you don't know yet what they're really saying is they want it.

That's the trouble with fleas, they will come at an academic talk might appreciate a joke, they have that glazed over look. Most smart high school junior. The other reason they pay a premium for you; who knows who you start fundraising, because it aggregates data from so many people mistakenly think it was too late to launch.

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