#old ps2 games used to be so difficult yet so fun back then

[selfkaiharness]

Something funny that happens in the past No.1

Okay real talk about my past. Several years ago, i remember what happened with my OG PS2 copy of Kingdom Hearts that is kinda scratched to hell and back. From what i remember, its right up that part where during the cutscene where (it was at right at the beginning of the really hard final boss fight) Sora encounters heartless Ansem, right?

Well for some reason i thought little me was frustrated years ago when Sora straights up said "That's not true!" and then silence afterwards just this air ambience from the game and that's it. The game's cutscene somehow it just ceases to function at that moment.

For little me at ten years old (I'm 25 years old now), i thought when it happens i'm resetting the game again. I got so frustrated of me having to witness the cutscene again (Back then the OG game didn't have a skip scene option) and again just to see if i can bypass the cutscene problem.

Well little me found ways to bypass it, but it's random. Sometimes the cutscene plays normally as usual and sometimes it doesn't. Now years later while remembering it from back in 2008/2010, i found myself laughing and reminding myself to not scratch game discs ever again. At the time, there's no game corrupting software back then. All you had was scratched game discs that results in funny/horrifying moments when you tried to play them.

In fact, i have a scratched disc of Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the PS1 and what i remember is that it made it into the title screen but the music is gone. Just dead silent and at least the SFX plays alright. I tried to press start but even with my controller is connected it won't take me to the load screen. The game disc is fucked up on my end, oh fucking well i can just buy another copy of the game nowadays and just play it on a PS1 emulator.

Yeah, just something i like to share about after reminding myself about that hilarious moment i had with the game. I wish i've recorded it but i don't have a camcorder at the time years ago and even if i had recorded it, the quality of that video would be shit anyways.

All in all, what we had in game corruption years ago is fucked up, scratched to hell game discs and that's it. Nowadays, we have Real-Time-Corrupter, Vinesauce Game Corrupter and a few others as well. Scratched game discs are a thing of the past, now we use RTC for funny shit.

[repentantsky]

Top Games I’m Looking Forward To in 2021 (Part 2)

2021 is here! We can finally say good fucking riddance to 2020, and with that thought in mind, it’s time for part 2 of my list of games I’m looking forward to in well...this year. Gawd that feels good to say. Let’s get into it. Unlike the last list which was only 8 entries long, this one might be super long, and could end up as a two part-er on it’s own. For this list, or possible lists, anything that could come out in 2021 is eligible, not just games with release dates. Just like the last list though, these entries are more ranked based upon how much I want to talk about them, more than how much I want to play them, so some games that I like more, are bound to show up before games I’m less excited about. So, with that said, let’s feel the hype, as we look forward to the biggest, and also possibly underrated releases of 2021. 

Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart

I don’t know if I’ve made it clear here on Tumblr, but I am a massive Ratchet and Clank fan. I have been since the PS2 era, when the original’s demo first released. I remember I used to play that demo over and over waiting for the game to release. These days, Ratchet and Clank has become a major part of my gaming preferences, and Rift Apart looks to be one of the most interesting titles throughout all the series’ run. The idea of of traveling from one time to another, from place to place, and doing so in a way that only current gen hardware can make possible, is an exciting idea. Don’t know about about the rest of you who may stumble upon this list, but I’ve watched the demo for Rift Apart over and over, time and time again. I can only hope that the game will find a release date soon, and stick the landing as Ratchet and Clank have always done to this point. No shooter even comes close to as hype for me. 

Gran Turismo 7. 

I am not a massive racing fan, but there’s nothing quite like a good race in Gran Turismo, something that was sorely lacking on the PS4, as Sport was a weak entry in the long running franchise. Thankfully, Polyphony has seen the errors of their ways, and Gran Turismo 7, which is by far the best looking racer I’ve ever seen, is going back to the formula that made the series so great in the first place. The trailer that showed the game really did a number on fans nostalgia, but also reminded me personally, of just how relaxing and fun a Gran Turismo game is. Whenever this game comes out, be it this year or later, I will absolutely enjoy, every second I spend racing in it. 

Shin Megami Tensei III/V. 

It might seems weird to include two games into one entry, but I feel like if I don’t, I’ll rant and rave until these games release. I am a huge SMT fan, and have been for years, so to see not only a remaster of my possibly my favorite mainline game coming to Switch, as well as us finally getting a new entry after what will easily be 5 years is a dark, cursed, blessing in disguise. The SMT games are dark, and difficult affairs, but that’s exactly what makes them so memorable and interesting. Being able to experience an old classic on a modern system, and seeing the new dark turns that the series is bound is take has me more excited than pretty much anything else coming out this year. Almost. 

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.

Surprising even myself, I found that I really loved Monster Hunter Stories on the 3DS back when it released. It’s Pokemon, if Pokemon ever tried to be difficult, with abilities similar to it like flying, made more fun than Pokemon ever tried. Monster Hunter Stories is basically everything that Pokemon could be if it’s management would stop thinking like a Double A developer. Monster Hunter Stories 2, looks like it will be moving forward with that idea in mind, telling possibly a better story than the first. I know a lot of people are looking more forward to Rise, but I’ll be honest, I really think Monster Hunter is suited more for RPG’s these days, than the action combat that it originated from, but that could just be my dumb JRPG riddled brain talking. Whatever it is, Stories 2 is currently my most hyped Switch game of 2021, and I don’t even know what might be able to knock it off that perch, if anything. 

Neo: The World Ends With You. 

Maybe you’ve heard this before, maybe you haven’t, but The World Ends With You is the best game on the DS, plain and simple. Alas the Switch version didn’t quite reach that level if only because the controls were a bit too normal, but despite that, getting a sequel to this game, along with an anime release to boot, is just about the most hype thing that 2021 is doing right now. Neo The World Ends With You is also keeping that fabulous style that on it’s own should have made the original famous. The amazing music of the trailer, along with that even better looking combat, just screams potential. Indeed, very few title will be able to compete with the likes of this game, and most likely, it’s amazing cast to boot. 

Resident Evil Village. 

Like just about every entry on this list, there’s a history for me, and the game in question’s previous entries. That said, Resident Evil has always been a little spotty for me. I enjoy the recent remakes, I loved Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, but I’m not that big a fan of most of the other entries. However, when it comes to horror, the thing I’m looking for most is scares and to that end, Resident Evil Village, looks like it will bring the fire like no other. Warewolves, check, Witches, check, a setting that is naturally unsettling, check, and who knows what else is in store. No matter what is, we are looking at a horror franchise that when it really wants to go in for the scares, goes in hard, and does an amazing job at it. 

Cris Tales 

The reason this one ended up on my Part 2, despite supposedly having a release date, is because it’s supposed, it’s really hard to nail down when it’s coming out, but coming it is, and it to me, appears to be the a contender for personal indie game of 2020. If these two recent lists haven’t made it obvious before now, I am a massive RPG fan, and any game that claims it’s taking influence from old school RPG’s, and adding in their own twists, is high on my radar. Cris Tales is unique in that it has the player looking at the game through the past, present, and future all at once, and will at times have you traveling to all three times to prevent a future event, from causing harm. The idea is engaging, and the demo from last year (That’s still so fun to say, buh-bye 2020) is proof positive that we are looking at an amazing game. 

Kena: Bridge of Spirits. 

While I could probably go on, I feel like this will probably be the last game made for this list, but what a note to end on. Yet another indie game that could potentially be a Game of the Year for me, and likely many others, Kena looks to be an attempt at making some PS2 action games with a more nature themed vibe in the modern era. I really feel like with it’s amazing visuals, fantastic premise, and overall design, Kena could become the Jak and Daxter of PS5, and in fact I hope that it does. Kena: Bridge of Spirts is stunning, and absolutely should be on everyone’s radar this year. 

And that’s it, did I miss anything else? Let me know in the notes below, be sure to follow for most lists like this, and enjoy the start of 2021. It’s about time. 

[thanagariansnarebeast]

Top 15 favorite video games: part 2.

7. Bioshock

I remember first reading about this game in the pages of Game Informer and being fascinated by the story and the environment of what was described. I had no idea how good it was until I launched up the game and finally took that first decent into Rapture. The claustrophobic environment, visual aesthetic of a dilapidated dystopia and the enemies being remnants of once good people were all an amazing experience. The story and characters were amazing, and the idea of an underwater city built to try and be free of any ideology or morality was fascinating, and finding out exactly how the city fell apart and collapsed under its own “greatness” was a very unique experience.

6. God of War (PS2)

This game was a birthday present when I was 15 and I loved it, I love Greek mythology and I love action games, so this was an amazing gift. The opening of the game is one of the best I’ve ever played, and the boss fights are some of my all time favorites. The music in this game is incredible, and I love the accurate representation of the Greek gods being complete fucking assholes and ruining lives because they just don’t care. Kratos is a great anti-hero (or villain, ether one is fair) and the Blades of Chaos are a really unique video game weapon. The sequels are amazing but this one holds a special place in my heart.

5.   Devil May Cry 3

Another birthday present, this one from the year before, this game was a very interesting experience for me; I’d never seen such a difficult game, or one so anime inspired. This game oozes goofy, over the top fun and demon slaying is always fun. The combos and weapons in the game are fantastic, and the story might be a big generic; but the game never takes itself seriously enough for that to be an issue. The characters in the game are great and Dante and Virgil being brothers who are enemies is a fun dynamic. This game also has some fantastic boss fights they really make you have to master your timings and attacks.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

I fucking love Star Wars, I fucking love RPGs, and I fucking love good stories and characters; and this game has all of that. The story of this game is one of my favorites in anything, not just video games but all media, and the Revan twist is something that I didn’t see coming and really blew me away the first time I played this game. I’ve probably played through the story 7 or so times and I still love it, Bioware is at its best here and the character interactions and your decisions effecting everything in the game and you being able to ruin entire planets with your decisions really makes you feel like what you are doing is important to the galaxy. HK 47 calling everyone a “meatbag” is endlessly hilarious, and might be the first sassy Star Wars robot. I was at a con recently and got an autograph of Jennifer Hale (Bastila Shan) and its something very special to me in large part because of this game.

3. Mortal Kombat (2009)

Mortal Kombat 9 was such an amazing experience when it first came out. The past 5 Mortal Kombat games had been 3D, and had really suffered in quality because of it. The stories and characters had become terrible and the franchise was dying. Then came Mortal Kombat 9, or just Mortal Kombat as its actually called. The first 2D game in the franchise since the good old days of UMK3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy, it was a reboot of the franchise that still used everything that had come before to set up the story. Knowing the old games was a benefit to the twists and turns of the story and altered timeline, but not essential to it. This was also the re-invigoration of the tournament scene for the MK games, which was a very welcome return. The roster of this game is damn near perfect, with the dlc adding an old favorite, the only good character from Deadly Alliance, Freddy motherfucking Kreuger, a new character that was a lot of fun, and I had the PS3 version so I also had Kratos which was awesome. Everything in this game represented a return to form and a new beginning for a franchise that desperately needed it. Mortal Kombat X and 11 have both been fantastic as well, but I chose 9 because of not just it being a fantastic game, but what it did for the series.

2. Dark Souls

I love dark fantasy and I love armor and weapons in video games, and this game has that as well as fantastic combat, and some amazing gothic horror as well. The bosses in this game are some of the best in any game and the game may be punishingly difficult, but the feeling of accomplishment when you finally get over some massive hurdle you were stuck on or finally slay a powerful boss that had been using your body as a punching bag is so incredibly satisfying. The sad state of the world in this game is also refreshing, instead of being some amazing savior sent to kill the big bad fucking up the world; your goal is ether to prolong the dying world for a little while longer, or end it and start something new. Killing gods that have been corrupted and used to be heroic adds a tragic twist to fighting bosses and makes killing them bitter sweet. I absolutely adore how you can make different characters and create builds around certain spells and weapons and I really wish more games would incorporate systems like that, even if they aren’t exactly balanced in any Dark Souls game. I also love how when you get past the opening area you can pretty much go where ever you want, the level design is almost perfect, with every location being somewhat connected to the next, often times looping in on each other.

2. (tie) Dragon Age: Origins

The second Bioware game on this list, it has all the roleplaying and great character writing of KotOR and more, a deep universe that they created; this game was in development for a long time to create a rich lore and new twist on fantasy tropes. The world really feels fleshed out and the characters feel like real people, with issues and hang ups and oddities that make them not just archetypes like most games have. Making decisions that effect characters and your companions can often be tough because you really care about what happens to them and how they feel, and how the world sees you. The gameplay isn’t perfect, its an odd mix of turn based and real time, but it still works pretty well. I put Dark Souls and Dragon Age in the same spot because I love them both for the same yet opposite reasons, if someone could take the roleplaying and world building of Dragon Age and combine it with the stats and combat and boss fights of Dark Souls it would create the perfect game for me.

1. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

I absolutely loved playing this game when it first came out, and I really wish I could get it to work on my PC so I could relive the glory that is this game. Skyrim is probably the more obvious pick for most people, but Oblivion was my first Elder Scrolls and first Bethesda game; and Oblivion has better rpg mechanics and a better story in my humble opinion. I love the Dark Brotherhood questline in this game more than any other questline in any game ever, its so fucking good. The game looks like shit graphically now, but back when it came out it was gorgeous, and I remember the first time I played it on an HD tv I was blown away. The rich world and the big name actors being in it was a real treat, and having Sir Patrick Stewart play the king really gave that character the gravitas and importance that was needed to establish a character quickly. Sean Bean being his son was also fantastic, and brings this list pretty much full circle because of him being in Goldeneye. The armor and weapon designs are really good for the most part, and I love collecting all the Daedric artifacts and creating havoc with them. I still get excited when I hear the music from this game, and its orchestral quality really adds to the epic feeling of the game. There’s no one stealing sweet rolls or arrows to the knee in this one ether.

There are a lot of other games that I love and that were hard to leave off this list, but its pretty long as it is; and I’m sure eventually new games will take the place of some of these.

[party-of-rpg-muses]

Mun Plays Kingdom Hearts 3

So, I got Kingdom Hearts 3 earlier today, all while wearing my special Kingdom Hearts shirt that I got from Disney World.

Okay, starting off, I couldn’t help but grin when I saw the full intro while Face My Fears played. Surprisingly, I was able to identify many significant moments in the KH series, despite only playing KH2 and Birth by Sleep. But I do know about important details in the other games.

Anyway, starting in Olympus, it took my a while to get a hold of the controls and possibly longer to get used to the camera, mostly just the vertical camera. But I took to the combat like a fish to water. It really hasn’t been all that long since I played a KH game, only a few years. I think last year when I played more of KH 2 Final Mix. BUT ANYWAY!

Inside Olympus proper, I found myself learning about Flowmotion, but kinda didn’t use it often, prefering to stick to tradition combat. However, I learned that Sora’s default air combat had significantly improved since KH2 and typically my go-to for racking up combos. I later climbed Mt. Olympus and came face to face with the Rock Titan, who, of course, wasn’t all that tough. Especially once I used Attraction Flow. But he was still quite fun.

I continued further to reach the Realm of the Gods and even did a bit of exploring and found a forge where I crafted a slightly stronger shield for Goofy. Shortly after, where I learned how to use Airstep, I found a box blocking a door, which honestly had me confused for a bit before I realized I had to go further up, quickly finding the remaining three Titans.

I started off targeting the Ice Titan, struggling to find some kind of footing, though I did use quite a bit of Fire Magic. He wasn’t so tough, but the Fire Titan was a bit harder. Only a little bit. And after him was the Wind Titan, who was actually a challenge to defeat. Twice, Sora was in critical health during that part where you’re suspended in air and had to fight it. Kinda reminds me of the fight against Leviathan in FFXV. But in the end, I managed to win. Though I can’t help but wonder why Maleficent would want the Black Box the Master of Masters gave Luxu... Well, I’m sure we’ll learn soon enough.

After that I spent a bit of time following Riku and Mickey in the Realm of Darkness, fighting Heartless. It was actually quite fun having a lot of power at my disposal. It reminded me of endgame Sora in KH2 (and yet, I know about the events of Dream Drop Distance), but I can’t help but wonder what Riku meant when he said he was leaving his Keyblade behind for his “other self”.

Next came Twilight Town, quickly finding Hayner, Pence, and Olette after taking care of a few Nobodies. However, they were being chased by a Demon Tower with a HUMONGOUS health bar! I mean, I fought Yiazmat and his 50 million HP in FF12, but this was way too early! It took me quite a while to figure this boss out and for most of the fight, I just wailed on it. But eventually, it just left after I dealt enough damage.

When I was tasked with going to the Old Mansion, I actually got kind of confused, since I was looking for that hole in the wall from KH2 that lead to the mansion, though I managed to find the sewers. I then found Remmy, or Little Chef as the characters later called him. But once I reached the mansion, I couldn’t help but reminisce. For those who don’t know KH2 was my first KH game and the mansion kinda played a big role early in the game. Skipping to later, (though I enjoyed seeing that Sora had no idea how to use technology, no doubt because he’s been busy with other things and Destiny Islands, at least, back when he was a kid, didn’t have much tech) I was momentarily confused when I saw both Ansem and Xemnas together, but figured it had something to do with Xehanort time-traveling, which was mentioned at the beginning of the game. Though I wasn’t expecting to fight both Heartless and Nobodies at the same time.

When I returned to Twilight Town, I found myself getting lost, trying to find ingredients, but at least I now learn I get get ingredients from stuff like takeout boxes and baskets. It also took me a few tries before I got the hang of cooking, but when I did, I made quite a few dishes. I then tried to leave the Tram area, hoping to explore placed like the Hideout and Train Station, but no such luck. Guess those parts aren’t in this game. But it does make sense, since odds are those parts have no purpose in this game.

I then noticed the Toy Story and Tangled worlds and planned on going to the former, but stumbed across the latter because I didn’t mark it on my map. But hey, I was there, so might as well complete that world, despite the fact that Tangled is the only Disney movie I actually hate...

Well, just like with the movie, I didn’t find the characters or humor of that world all that good, so it was just kinda there. The only thing of interest I can mention was that I used the Rage Form for the first time. And the final boss of the area, Mother Gothel’s Heartless, was incredibly difficult, especially that part where she traps you inside these vine-cages while dropping exploding acorns. But I managed to win.

With that part done, I went to the Toy Box, the world I’ve been looking forward to since I learned it was being added to the roster. I won’t like, Galaxy Toys was actually quite confusing and the worst offended went to when I had to find Buzz, though that was more of what I was told to do. I was told to go to Babies and Toddlers to reach Kid Korral, and I was forced to look online and found that I had to go to the Play Place, where I found the 3 aliens.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but grin when I noticed the Mag Blocks assembled to form a Cactuar. A cactuar and moogle are the only FF characters making a comeback, not counting the brief mention of Cloud and Auron at the beginning of the game by Hades. But the boss was... quite easy, especially when compared to Mother Gothel’s Heartless, causing me to think that I was supposed to go to the Toy Box first, then Kingdom of Corona after. Ironically, that was my initial intention anyway. But whatever. For the boss, I was able to abuse Sora’s better air game to easily reach the boss’ head so I could attack. But once I beat it, I saved the game on the world map and turned off the game.

I gotta say, I am LOVING this game so far! I’m having so much fun playing the game and I’m glad I waited this long to play. Though I didn’t wait as long as everyone else, since I didn’t play KH2 on PS2, but on PS3 as part of the KH2 HD Final Remix thing. And I didn’t play Dream Drop Distance. Nevertheless, I’m still enjoying the game quite a bit. And it was worth it avoiding leaks.

[sagamemes]

podiots sentence starters, part i.   contains 143 lines of dialogue collected from episodes one through three of the vidiots’ fortnightly podcast podiots. i’ve edited some lines to fit roleplay better, and randomised the order. contains two mentions of violence against nazis---last two sentences on the list, if don’t want to see it---feel free to change those into your muse’s in-universe equivalents, as well as edit anything else needed to fit your muse’s mouth or life better.

❝ after my dad showed me that, i never trusted him again. ❞

❝ that’s actually an explanation for a lot of ghost sightings, carbon monoxide poisoning. there are symptoms that cause like hallucinations and feelings of dread and fear. ❞

❝ i would be called chocolate thunder, and i’d wear a cape. ❞

❝ would you just get over it? i was a kid! ❞

❝ it was just this weird rag doll girl who happened to be in a bikini just falling, forever. ❞

❝ is there ever not a sexual element to it?! ❞

❝ well, you’ve clearly never met a salaried genie who’s on a retainer. ❞

❝ you’ve had your money taken. ❞

❝ i just want people to pay attention, for fuck’s sake. ❞

❝ you guys are really into your obscure shit. ❞

❝ it’s a bit like class tourism, isn’t it? ❞

❝ that’s what i was saying, this is---this is probably not legal. ❞

❝ you asked to bring weird things. ❞

❝ boy, do i hate facebook! ❞

❝ to be fair, her balloon animals are quite impressive. ❞

❝ jesus, why aren’t you on neopets yet? ❞

❝ you can’t always afford the homemade stuff. and typically, there’s less of it. and sometimes it’s not very good. and you’re paying a premium! ❞

❝ i’m so fucking over [thing]. to be fair, i ruined it for myself. ❞

❝ he’s just some time traveller, fucking with them with a fucking mp3 player. ❞

❝ what the fuck is a ‘num noms’? ❞

❝ so it’s a miracle that [name] didn’t asphyxiate himself as a child, and it’s amazing that i didn’t have some kind of cardiac issue almost immediately in my late teens. what do you bring to the table here? ❞

❝ i’m a big fan of weird gameboy stuff. ❞

❝ i’m like that rabbit from alice in wonderland. tiny, and late, and white. ❞

❝ it’ll make you terrified of ever going to a hotel again. ❞

❝ i like watching it but it’s not teaching me anything. ❞

❝ no, i don’t think there was any bubbles in it. ❞

❝ what do your mums think about what you’re doing? ❞

❝ gho-mophobic. that was a really difficult pun. ❞

❝ should we just start it? should we just go without him? ❞

❝ not that i could out-style you in any capacity. ❞

❝ i shouldn’t have asked for a horse. ❞

❝ our problem was nobody would take us seriously. ❞

❝ i’ve spent months trying to explain the job to her. my old job, she kind of got that, but now... ❞

❝ about halfway into the first [food] i went ‘oh... this is a lot of food’.---/i ate it all/, and then i felt sick for the rest of the sunday. ❞

❝ you were skirting around it, but if you ask me, directly, that’s what i’m going to say. ❞

❝ say a ghost laid a ghost poo on the floor, does it just stay there forever? ❞

❝ do you have an answer to this? because i’ve never given /any/ thought... ❞

❝ i’ve heard somewhere you can do that now. ❞

❝ my mum thinks you’re very funny, [name]. ❞

❝ no, that was all you. every penny, all you. ❞

❝ not the reason i was there, but it was a nice benefit. ❞

❝ stop. i mean---don’t stop. but /stop/. ❞

❝ [name] is the kind of man who’s so rich, he thinks a can of beans costs two thousand dollars. ❞

❝ just before going/coming in, my taxi driver said ‘oh, be careful, people get stabbed around here, bye!’ ❞

❝ be aware that this is /not/ a donation to a charitable cause. ❞

❝ i just do shots of olive oil. ❞

❝ no wonder he’s so fucking weird. ❞

❝ get a big old truck, for all that junk inside your trunk. ❞

❝ you’re not supposed to put cotton swabs in there, let alone a lit flame. ❞

❝ fuck you... [name]. i’m gonna... suck. your dick. ❞

❝ i’ve admittedly grown more bold with my culinary disgusts. ❞

❝ my chocolate shotgun, it’s a legally non-threatening weapon. ❞

❝ you did look very smart. very respectable. ❞

❝ everyone’s pulled the legs off a daddy longlegs, but that’s just like level one, that’s where you leave it. ❞

❝ see, that just sounds like batman. ❞

❝ i forgot that was the origin of this. ❞

❝ i feel like there’s something in the air. ❞

❝ there’s cosplaying and dressing up, and then there’s furries. ❞

❝ obviously, he--i mean i say obviously, like it’s /logical/, but... ❞

❝ if they did that, it’d be a lot more convenient for me. sometimes, it’s not the end of the world, is all i’m saying. ❞

❝ i am a freak. i have hands and feet, and if you’d saw me, you’d be petrified. ❞

❝ they have a meal deal which is like [£40/€45/$55]. and you get like a 25" square pizza, like seven garlic breads, and several ice creams. i could never make a dent in that, but the idea of it sounds very sexy. ❞

❝ well, he’ll be back soon! ❞

❝ you know, like a hammer throw---if i tied a string around it, i think i could throw a ps2 pretty far. properly like, swing it around, lean against it, do a spin. ❞

❝ day to day... i don’t eat breakfast. ❞

❝ we’re trying to be on everything, that’s our goal. ❞

❝ my finishing move would be called the ‘fuck you.’ ❞

❝ but i could never do that, i've got stuff to do! ❞

❝ i like dad rock. ❞

❝ if you’re having a party, i’m going to tell you what to do. ❞

❝ she looks far more normal than i expected. ❞

❝ i asked metaphorically, not physically. ❞

❝ i asked for some ___. we got about fifty. we only needed five. ❞

❝ there’s still time to save this american icon. ❞

❝ there were two [job title]s in there, who were like, super young and sexy men with really nice hair. ❞

❝ it’s read like it’s a documentary, not like ‘haha, and then he died!’ ❞

❝ i don’t want my lampshade looking at me! ❞

❝ give him something to do, he’ll be quiet, [name] and i can go to the shops and talk about where our marriage went wrong. ❞

❝ you don’t need to look at the front. usually, you’re behind ____. if he’s got a nice arse, that’s all that matters. ❞

❝ what’s your favourite cereal? ❞

❝ i’m just saying---sometimes local shops are shit. ❞

❝ i don’t think if you know this, [name]---i think you do, because you told me. ❞

❝ you take kids to a mcdonald’s, they’ll play at mcdonald’s. ❞

❝ you exist and then you don’t. ❞

❝ [name] is going through some financial issues, by which i mean, it’s fucked. ❞

❝ that’s a bit morbid. ❞

❝ i was thinking about ____ earlier. yeah, it crosses my mind at least like once an hour. ❞

❝ i had a great day, we went outside for lunch, i got gelato, it was great! ❞

❝ the tabloids loved the story. ❞

❝ you have to be really confused. ❞

❝ i really wanted to include h. h. holmes in this list because he’s my favourite murderer. ❞

❝ we’re not journalists, we’re just idiots on the internet. ❞

❝ it’s not the kind of name you gloss over. ❞

❝ ‘how did it get there?’ this is a /talking mongoose/ and you’re wondering how it got there? ❞

❝ is he a cat?! ❞

❝ i bought a replacement [name]. ❞

❝ i grew up in a village that didn’t even have a supermarket. ❞

❝ he was just---he was borderline abusive in my own house. ❞

❝ that’s gonna take you forever! ❞

❝ okay, well, i’m uncomfortable, what are we doing? ❞

❝ we’re not like... ‘i think i can make a joke about fighting your mother while playing a game’. we don’t know that well. ❞

❝ he’s like a genie, we only get one wish per day. ❞

❝ you take a drink and then you’re like ‘i don’t wanna drink too loud’ so you end up taking a tiny amount but then you don’t want to swallow too loud so you sort of inhale it a little bit and you’re like ‘i can’t cough, i can’t cough’... ❞

❝ now, [name] just heard that i wanted the attention and instantly decided he needed it instead. ❞

❝ we’re in dire need of new shelves. that money is going straight to shelves. ❞

❝ i never played ____. i kinda missed that train. ❞

❝ i could do the face for free. ❞

❝ it’s immediately feeling very warm in here. ❞

❝ presumably, this guy owns a lot of toys, so num noms is a thing. ❞

❝ i think that’s just a [region/state] thing. ❞

❝ let’s play a game called ‘how many people did they murder?’ ❞

❝ who is getting out of this room alive? ❞

❝ it’s like that song about the grandfather clock. ‘and it stopped, short, never to go again, when the ooold maaan died’. ❞

❝ [in the tune of new york] you’ll get punched in yoouur face. ❞

❝ don’t---don’t entertain his odd nonsense! ❞

❝ i don’t like people! i want my own space! ❞

❝ that’s something i always found really fascinating, like just wanting the username ‘batman’. how early would you have to be just to be ‘batman’? ❞

❝ you can’t complain about something disappearing if you’ve not been using it. ❞

❝ oh yeah, i always go to the dentist and get my brows done. ❞

❝ i loved [old place], and [this place] is also very lovely, it’s just a lot more expensive. ❞

❝ it’s a shame. just a couple of months longer and you would’ve had some employee rights. ❞

❝ there is a very good balloon elmo in this picture. ❞

❝ so, with all of this, what do you think the result is of this kind of upbringing and toxic relationship with your mother? ❞

❝ yeah, think about that. maybe we don’t like you. ❞

❝ they're’s so comfortable, i could almost fall asleep. ❞

❝ could you take this bottle of water, pour it in the sink, fill it again, and bring back to me? ❞

❝ it’s a sex number, i like it. ❞

❝ so what did the police do?---return him to [person]. ❞

❝ i wish /my/ mum thought i was funny. ❞

❝ okay, that’s gonna be interesting, having someone with a blade on my throat. ❞

❝ they can fire me if they want! they can fire me! ❞

❝ i don’t know why i said ‘basically’ like i’m about to explain how the internet works. ❞

❝ before, i had---there’s a shame element, isn’t it? you don’t want to do it because you’re afraid of judgement. ❞

❝ at one point, he had me squatting barefoot in my own bath. ❞

❝ eventually, we’re just gonna have to buy a storage locker for all this stuff. ❞

❝ i’ve got quite a sizeable list, i won’t talk about all of them. ❞

❝ how did we become the internet goblins we are today? ❞

❝ are you allergic to a.i.? ❞

❝ at least this is something you’re self-aware. if it was something other people had picked up on... ❞

❝ we have yellow and black, kind of a barry b. benson inspired look. ❞

❝ i was very disappointed at like eight when i found out they weren’t called ‘the food fighters’. ❞

❝ oh yeah, kicking hitler and shooting nazis is a lot of fun. ❞

❝ i’d love to throw a bop it extreme at hitler’s face, is what i’m saying, and i could do it from a long distance away. ❞

[virginieboesus]

Top 7 PS2 RPGs You Probably Haven’t Played But Really Should

The PlayStation 2 had a tonne of role-playing games released on the console, just like its predecessor. However, also the same as what happened with the original PlayStation, these games were often overshadowed by the likes of Final Fantasy and other blockbuster RPGs. You can find my list of 7 original PlayStation RPGs that you need to play here, and for today, I wanted to give the same love and respect to those PS2 RPG hidden gems that went under the radar at the time because we were all focused on Yuna or Balthier.

So here is my list of the top 7 PS2 RPG hidden gems that you probably haven’t played, but you really should!

7. Shadow Hearts

Okay, so we are going to start this list off with one that is included because of how much I love it, but also one that won’t be for everyone. Shadow Hearts, the sequel to Koudelka, is a seriously dark and gory PS2 RPG. It starts off with the main character’s arm getting cut off by a demon. He then crushes the demon’s skull in his other hand and proceeds to reattach his arm once again. That one scene is a great example of how visceral and violent the storyline and events of Shadow Hearts is.

Because of this, a lot of people may be turned off from the game. However, it is a really good game with a unique combat system and truly memorable storyline. You’ll feel creeped out, disgusted and horrified, which is exactly what you are supposed to feel. If you can handle the gore, adult language and generally dark and depressing nature of the game, it is well worth your time!

6. Wild Arms 3

I recently did two RPG Retrospective videos on my YouTube channel covering Wild ARMS and Wild ARMS 2 for the original PlayStation. The series finally made the jump to being a PS2 RPG with Wild ARMS 3, continuing the Wild West visual and audio theme but actually involving it more in the plot as well. There is a scene on top of an old Western train that will forever be stuck in my memory. That, to me, is the sign of a good game – when it sticks in your mind.

Wild ARMS 3 wasn’t that successful commercially, just like the rest of the series, and that is a real shame. It’s a truly extraordinary PS2 RPG hidden gem that you really need to try if you haven’t already. The characters each have very distinct personalities, backstories and motivations, with a plot that is very well executed.

5. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

Funnily enough, there is one Shin Megami Tensei spin-off series that I am sure most people reading this have played; Persona. However, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (or Lucifer’s Call in Europe) is a very different game. It starts off with your character going to Shibuya and witnesses the end of the World and Tokyo folding in on itself Inception-style to create a new, inside-out world. Oh, and you also get turned into a demon in the process.

From there, you have to fight your way through this new world to stop the big bad evil. Along the way, you can recruit enemy demons to join you, whilst also being able to fuse them as well. This adds a very “gotta catch ’em all” feeling to the game which adds to the depth as you try to get the strongest party possible. The Push Turn Battle System is also incredibly different from other games as your attacks can actually cause enemies to lose their turns, and they can do the same to you!

4. Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

Are you a fan of anime style RPGs? If so, then Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis could by the PS2 RPG hidden gem that you’ve been looking for. The game is a mix between a fantasy RPG and a school simulator, creating one of the more original takes on the RPG genre for the PlayStation 2. The anime style is both cute and well presented, and the general visual and audio for the game is top notch.

I used to own the game but, as with much of my old collection, it got lost years ago. Now the game can be quite hard to find, but if you can get your hands on it and you enjoy anime style RPGs, then you won’t regret it! Mana Khemia is almost the definition of a PS2 RPG hidden gem.

3. Rogue Galaxy

Interestingly enough, I didn’t know about Rogue Galaxy when the PS2 was still the most modern console. This action RPG well completely under the radar for me and I don’t even remember seeing it in the shops. It was released in 2007 in English-speaking regions and recieved largely positive reviews, yet I have never heard anyone ever talk about it. If that isn’t a PS2 RPG hidden gem, then I don’t know what is!

As the name suggests, Rogue Galaxy is a science fantasy RPG that features a plot revolving around saving the entire galaxy. That is a pretty big scope for the plot, but the game backs it up for the most part. It’s a really enjoyable RPG with a nice take on the action RPG formula, still utilising random encounters to find a happy middle ground between traditional JRPGs and action RPGs.

2. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

Now we come to one of my all-time favourite RPGs on the PS2, and my favourite in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise; Digital Devil Saga. As with Shadow Hearts, the storyline is really dark, featuring gangs fighting for dominance over a strange land, who get “infected” with “the hunger”. This basically means that they can turn into demons to help them fight, but must satiate the demon’s hunger by devouring the other gang member’s that they have killed. If they don’t feed like this, they will eventually go berserk and need to be put down.

The gameplay will be very familiar to anyone who has played a turn-based RPG before, but it is really the presentation and storyline that make Digital Devil Saga stand out as a PS2 RPG hidden gem. There is also a direct sequel, Digital Devil Saga 2, which picks up immediately after the first game, so I would suggest playing that as well to get full closure.

1. Radiata Stories

Another action RPG, Radiata Stories is a truly amazing game. Battles play out similar in fashion to the Star Ocean series, in that you are taken to a different battle screen and can then move around that battle screen. It also features a post-game extra dungeon and a New Game Plus option, giving strong replayability, which is something many RPGs don’t offer. There are also 176 recruitable NPCs, meaning that Radiata Stories verges on Suikoden-levels of character numbers!

Add to this a fun and exciting storyline, great RPG gameplay as well as a beautiful soundtrack, and you’ve got a true PS2 RPG hidden gem on your hands. Finding Radiata Stories in the wild seems to be rather difficult, as I haven’t seen it in any retro gaming shops or even at the retro game market events I have been too. But if you do manage to find it, you should definitely pick it up if you’re a fan of RPGs!

And That’s All Folks

So those were7 PS2 RPGs that you probably haven’t played, but really, you need to! These PS2 RPG hidden gems each stand out in their own way, be it through style, gameplay or storyline, and I’m certain that you’ll enjoy at least one of them, if not all of them.

Are there any PS2 RPG hidden gems you think need to get more awareness? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/top-7-ps2-rpgs-you-probably-havent-played-but-really-should/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-7-ps2-rpgs-you-probably-havent-played-but-really-should source https://smartstartblogging.tumblr.com/post/177713201340

[easy-win-games-blog]

STILL GOOD? — GRAND THEFT AUTO III

This is ‘Still Good?’, an editorial series in which I look back at both favourites games of mine and classics that I somehow missed, working out how these titles stack up today and whether or not they’re worth going back to.

tl;dr — has <insert game> aged well?

That said, let’s dig into Grand Theft Auto III.

Originally released in 2001 for the PS2 GTA 3 was hailed by critics and fans as a landmark in video game design. Its core gameplay mechanics — driving, shooting and navigating an open world — had all been seen before, but this marked the first instance of these mechanics being put together in a seamless and (for lack of a better word) good way. Mix this with elements of The Sopranos and the popular gangster movies of the time and you’ve got one spicy meat-a-ball.

Upon its release it received fantastic reviews across the board, sitting on an aggregate score of 97% (Metacritic) for the PS2 version. It was called, "a luscious, sprawling epic,” a, "technological marvel ... that captures the essence of gritty city life in amazing detail,” and "on a scale that's truly epic” (quotes lifted from Wikipedia). From here on out, aided by various other releases of the time, the gaming landscape was irreversibly shifted towards a focus on cinematic storytelling and open-world settings. It’s become difficult to not find traces of GTA 3’s DNA floating around a most modern releases.

It’s also very easy to get ahold of today. A mobile version was released for its 10th anniversary, but if you prefer something more solid it’s also available on the desktop App Store for Mac, Steam and on Xbox 360 through backwards compatibility if you can find a hard copy.

This sure is a celebrated classic, but it really hasn’t aged well.

If you’ve gone ahead and put in the work by reading my About page you’ll know I go hardcore with the GTA series. GTA 3 especially introduced me to mature video games in a way that I’ll never forget, but unlike other classics of the medium like the 2D Mario games it’s really tough to go back. I finished the game in high school on a MacBook using a trackpad, and recently bought it and Vice City on eBay for Xbox (these versions received various graphical improvements over the PS2 version) and have played maybe half of 3 so far since then.

But it’s hard, man. I love GTA but I’m honestly struggling to continue. It’s a weird case because I can look past its dated graphics and the driving is fine, but nearly everything else is just frustrating. My major gripe with playing this game now is that the controls are absolutely shitted. Locking on to enemies is vague, both in the sense that it only sometimes works with certain weapons and that the lock on rectangle is very transparent. Combat lacks any kind of possible finesse and relies upon a lot of dumb luck and blind button mashing, and moving Claude around feels like I’m controlling a marionette puppet.

And the camera…

There’s a strange feature I’ve found both in GTA 3 and Vice City on Xbox, and I’m not exactly sure if it was apparent on PC or PS2 (but I’m probably wrong). The option to rotate the camera around your player, whether you want to focus on enemies or check out the scenery, is gone. Completely. Instead, when you move the right stick, the camera jumps into a first-person perspective from which you can’t actually do anything. No walking, no combat. Its only really purpose is to change what direction you’re looking (duh), which is just slow and painful. Especially in combat because you have to stop, change the camera, and then move or perform some kind of action to go back out to third-person.

Imagine, if you will…

A mission tells you to go into Chinatown.

Easy, you get there.

But uh oh, you’ve been ambushed by gun and baseball bat-wielding Triads!

You pull out your Uzi and pump a clip into one guy at your 12 o’clock, but three more guys on your 6 you have opened fire!

You act fast, and duck into first person mode.

Five seconds later you’ve turned to face your foes, and have lost half of your health in that time. Now, to lock on.

In a daring move, you lock onto Triad #1 on your right, shoot two rounds and wait for another three seconds while you automatically reload (something that can’t be done manually).

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

You got him! Well done! You’ve also got next to no health.

Time to aim at the next pistol-packing Triad.

But uh oh again, you’ve locked onto someone with a baseball bat instead. You can’t switch your target on the fly, silly, and now you have six guys in total all around you shooting and beating you to death.

You’re dead, good luck next time.

As 2K18 gamer bro, this is frustrating as hell. And this happens constantly. A lot of combat scenarios, in my case at least, came down to me trying over and over again and succeeding only by shepherding the AI into a tight pack and using up the five molotov cocktails I’d scrounged to burn them all alive like a pack of zombies.

I was too young to be involved in the original hype of this game, but I imagine there was a big emphasis on strategy and player freedom in the marketing leading up to the game’s release. I get that, and GTA 3 sure is revolutionary on that front, but by today’s standards it just isn’t good. When the game at hand has a focus on combat and action it’s not a good thing when success comes from manipulating the infrastructure of the game itself. I don’t feel like I’m playing it the way it was meant to be played, but I don’t see any other option.

To make my point clearer, take the example of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. There are a lot of points in this game where you’re surrounded by enemies, who mostly all have guns. There’s no cover-based shooting or anything of that sort in San Andreas, but the fluidity and freedom of the movement with the ability to crouch, walk while crouched, jump and vault over obstacles, strafe, free aim and lock onto and attack enemies without having them in your immediate line of sight really make the difference. Just the ability to freely rotate the camera around CJ and switch lock-on targets make combat scenarios infinitely more strategic and playable than GTA 3.

Sure, San Andreas only exists because of 3’s legacy, but in three short years so much of the Grand Theft Auto formula was refined by intuitive but glaringly obvious improvements for San Andreas, making it now so much easier to go back to than 3. I would put San Andreas, a now 14 year old game, in front of any gamer in 2018, tell them to play it and be confident they would have fun and play with a full sense of control.

The other area where GTA 3 really lacks is in its narrative elements.

In the game you play as Claude, a mute blank slate of a man who wasn’t actually given a name until a one-off skippable phone call in San Andreas. At the beginning of the game we find Claude robbing a bank with his girlfriend, Catalina, who betrays him as they make their getaway with the line, "Sorry babe. I'm an ambitious girl, and you're just small time.”

Immediately, there’s confusion. Stylistically, it’s cool for sure. There’s shotguns and convertibles and action, but who is this lady? Why do her ambitions stop her from robbing banks with her lover (something they have been doing together for around nine years)? She must just be psycho or something, because she jumps in a sports car with some other guy, so to her it’s more beneficial to share the money with the getaway driver than with your long-term boyfriend. What’s more, Claude can’t explain any of this because he can’t talk, so these questions linger for the whole game and never get answered.

You can see here by making Claude the blank slate that he is that it’s likely the intention from Rockstar was to let the player use the mute as a vessel through which they could project themselves, personifying the game with their own personal flavour. Only, there are numerous and very definitive displays of Claude’s character throughout the game that the player might not agree with.

Character defining moments for a character who isn’t meant to have character.

For Christ’s sake, it’s implied he shoots a woman point blank at the end of the game because she talks too much.

It’s a weird half measure. It feels like Rockstar were trying to toe the line between an open world RPG packed with player personalisation and a fully scripted cinematic experience like Goodfellas. They’ve learned since, and their campaigns have been largely compelling ever since, but this feels like a big misstep.

Also, a minor issue I have; the cutscenes and cinematic moments of this game look like dog shit. The direction, cinematography and pacing of nearly every cutscene is awful. Claude will walk to someone’s door and knock, only to be answered an instant later by immediate talk as if this other character intuitively knew he was there. The shots will cut out parts of character’s faces, sometimes ending at their forehead or mouth, and as the cutscenes conclude it isn’t uncommon for Claude to start heading for the exit as the mission boss is still mid-sentence, as if he also intuitively knows the conversation is about to end. Even if the mission parameters haven’t been outlined yet. It’s almost as if the residents of Liberty City have been endowed with psychic abilities (but only in 2001 because Liberty City Stories is much more aligned with the rest of the series in this regard [maybe it’s something in the water]).

Coming from later GTA games, this just doesn’t feel like GTA.

The story overall is also just bland. It’s the most generic revenge plot you could imagine, with some out-of-nowhere betrayals such as that of Salvatore Leone — the local Mob boss.

After completing a number of tasks, both extremely dangerous and tedious, the Don congratulates you on your achievements and your loyalty to the Leone family. This feels pretty good, especially since the missions immediately preceding this moment are a hellish cluster fuck full of shoddy AI and stupid mission design. And you know what? He’s right. You have been loyal to him. You’ve done literally everything he’s told you to do and more. As this happens, he asks you to collect a car parked somewhere Downtown. So, like the good little Mafia errand boy you are, you skip down the hill to get it, only to be sent a page from Salvatore’s girlfriend of all people that the car is a trap and that you’re about to be murdered. Surely enough, the car is rigged with explosives, so your only option is to actually betray Salvatore and flee the first island with his girlfriend as you plot your (second) revenge.

It’s simply not good writing. There’s no cause and effect, no setting up of any kind. You are blank man. You work for blank Mafia man. But blank Mafia man turns on you, because he is bad Mafia man after all. You get blank revenge. It’s high school shit.

Just like Catalina. Take that blank man example, but substitute ‘black Mafia man’ with ‘blank girl’. It’s bad writing.

When it comes to games and movies it becomes hard to define what is good, especially in cases where legacy and nostalgia are involved. Super Mario Bros. 3 or World or whatever might be a better game than OG Super Mario Bros., but you might see OG Super Mario Bros. as the better game because it gave birth to what came after it. In my opinion that’s a really weird viewpoint to have, especially since gaming culture is so focussed on iteration and improvement. Some see it as sacrilege to say an old classic just doesn’t play well, but that’s the case because games as a medium inherently get better as we improve the craft and polish the development process.

With this in mind, and everything else I’ve already said, Grand Theft Auto III is not a good game in 2018. It’s not fun and it doesn’t control well. The story is bad and the moment-to-moment writing is no better. From a historical stance, I think it’s definitely worth playing, but if GTA V was your first introduction to the series and you want to explore its past GTA 3 is not the place to start.

STILL GOOD?

Not really, no

Am I completely wrong? Is my subjective opinion too subjective? Did I forget to mention how much San Andreas fleshes out both Salvatore Leone and Catalina and their character arcs in this game? Shoot (pew) me a message up top through the Ask Me Anything link OR hit me up on Twitter @easy_win_games.

Illustration left-to-right: Catalina, Maria, Asuka, Kenji, Donald Love, Toni, Luigi, 8-Ball, Salvatore Leone. Claude in the foreground.

- Editorial & illustration brewed in-house -