#or play paper mario wii and finish it as well since I used to be afraid of playing it and I've gotten better at video games
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I'm having insignificant problems but idk what video game to play :((( I wanna play something but idk what
#this is so dumb but I have access to so many games rn and idk which one to play#Like I can plays sdv on my computer and have fun with the update#or I can play something on my switch#or I can also pull out the wii or my ds which have been hacked so I have access to all the games I would normally play#idk what to play#maybe I'll finish mario thousand year door before the rerelease#or play paper mario wii and finish it as well since I used to be afraid of playing it and I've gotten better at video games#idk man#hush lils
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- Do you prefer the Koopalings (à la SMB3/SMW) or Baby Bowser?
- Did you play any of the Virtual Boy Mario games (Clash, Wario, Tennis), and if so, did you enjoy them? (I had Mario’s Tennis and I remember liking it. I can still remember the music vividly)
- What’s the classic Mario game you wish they’d bring back, either as a remake or via emulation? (I think you mentioned NSMB Wii recently, which I have fond memories of)
- If you were put in charge of Mario stuff at Nintendo right now and had free reign/carte blanche, what would you do?
Did you mean Baby Bowser or Bowser Junior? Not that there's much difference... either way my answer is the Koopalings by a huge margin.
Yes, I'm not big on the Tennis game, Mario's clash is interesting to me as a fan of the Mario Bros Arcade game, and another game where Wario is the Antagonist, I'm always for that. And Virtual Boy Wario Land feels like it's exactly part of an alternate timeline where Wario Land is a series that I would be more likely to enjoy. It's like the first Wario Land, but without screen crunch and with Wario being speedier. I do still need to finish these games. I did get a pair of 3D goggles so I can play on my CRT with stereoscopic 3D using an emulator.
If it's only a remake or emulation, then I guess I'd go with Super Mario RPG... I mean... I can play it on my SNES... but a remake would be dope as hell. But even if it was just a straight up port, I know it's not on the NSO right now so I would like other people to get the chance to play it. Of course if I could have a new entry in a dead Mario series, I want an updated version of Mario Bros. Arcade, with new abilities, new power ups, new characters and enemies, and new modes, online play and leaderboards. That or Wario's Woods.
That last one is a pretty big question.
First off... I would try to have a little more synergy between the different spinoffs, mostly in the Mario mainline series if I can justify their inclusion. Daisy, Wario, Donkey Kong, and the like. To paint a clearer picture of what I mean, if I had control earlier on, Tatanga would have been in Galaxy assisting Bowser and Rapheal the Raven would have appeared as a miniboss since they both make sense in that setting, Nabbit never would have existed and it would have been Wario stealing power-ups that you have to chase down, he'd regularly be causing grief to Mario in the main series, not even necessarily working with Bowser, Daisy would have been in the Sand Kingdom and Foreman Spike would have been in New Donk City... though I wouldn't be trying to cram in anyone and everyone, I'd just like a tad more synsergy when it makes sense.
I wouldn't do this as much for the spinoffs, like I wouldn't have a Donkey Kong Country game where DK is fighting the Koopa Troop, but I would once in a while imply that the Koopas do in fact exist, maybe a little throw away line from Cranky Kong or something.
I'd also try to revive dormant Mario series and bring ones that fell from grace back to a state that resembles what people remember the most fondly, while still trying to inject new ideas. Wario Land comes back taking a cue from WL4, with Waluigi as a player 2, Donkey Kong Country would bring back the Kremlings and make the other Kongs playable rather than make them powerups, Yoshi's platformers would stop all the papercraft stuff and go for a more hand drawn look ( and I mean flat art like Wario Land Shake It, not that garbage on the 3DS )
I'd make a new Mario RPG series that resembles a mix of all the Mario RPGs up until now. You get established Mario characters on your team both well known and obscure as well as new characters made up for the game, yes typical Mario enemies with accessories and hair like the Paper Mario Partners, i'd let the Paper Mario series keep going in it's current direction since it's got it's fans, I think Paper Mario fans would just be happy to have something resembling the first two games again.
I'd bring back Mario Vs. Donkey Kong but I'd get rid of the mini wind up toy things, just make a good puzzle platformer like DK '94, and possibly have more elements from both Mario and Donkey Kong's home series. In a twist, the post game would take a cue from Donkey Kong Junior and allow you to play as Diddy trying to release DK from Mario's chains.
I'd go back to having Mario make odd ball cameo appearances in other Nintendo games, if not straight up appearing like in Punch-Out, then having expies like Talon/Tarin in the Legend of Zelda or Mr. EAD in F-Zero.
And lastly, Mario Kart would turn into more of a celebration of Mario. Characters from any spinoff or any era could appear as racers. A good quarter of the tracks in any new Mario Kart game would be based on existing Mario games and their spinoffs, kind of like the Yoshi's Island track we recently got, but like... more of that.. and yes RPG characters could appear to.
I could probably spend all day on this question my dude so I think i'll end it here.
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OKAY. SO.
I just finished Bug Fables, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!🥰😍💗💝💛💚💙
My older brother played through it like, 2 weeks ago because his friends told him about it since they played it back in December. They are original and Thousand Year Door Paper Mario fans. Meanwhile, my brother liked the original, TTYD and the Wii one. I was okay with the original, but I really only loved TTYD. So when my brother called me after he finished the game and told me I had to buy it and play it, I decided to check it out. I wasn't expecting much, especially since part of the reason I loved TTYD so much was because it expanded the Mario world and put the characters in new settings while also giving us new and interesting characters and species.
BUT OH MY GOD, DID THIS GAME DELIVER!
All the characters were incredibly well written. They were so charming!!! They were funny, adorable and bounced off each other so well!!! Even the NPC's had great dialogue! And the music! AHHHH!!! Every part of the soundtrack was great! And so many songs felt like they were inspired by some other Nintendo franchises, like Donkey Kong. The puzzles in the game are similar to some Zelda puzzles, and I swear one of the sound effects sounds just like a Pokémon one!
This isn't just a fan love project for Paper Mario, it is a dedication to Nintendo and their many legendary franchises.
The story is entertaining as well, though I've heard that some people think the game can be a bit slow until you get to the 3rd chapter, I had no such thoughts however. Either way, with an entertaining story, amazing characters, an awesome soundtrack AND interesting and enjoyable game play, there is literally NO reason for people not to try it.
In conclusion, if you have even briefly considered getting the game, do it. I won't say the game is perfect, but it is delightful nonetheless. I have been pretty stressed and a bit depressed lately, but this game and its characters have been like a beacon of light in the dark times our world is facing. So please, give Bug Fables a chance.
For $25 on the Switch Eshop, you really can't go wrong. Or if you are someone who really likes to have physical copies, I've heard that it is getting one in May. So get excited for that.
I hope you all will give it a chance and fall in love with Kabbu, Leif and Vi, just like I did.
#Bug Fables#Paper Mario#TTYD#the thousand year door#The sequel we all wanted and deserved#We finally got it boys#Leif#Kabbu#Vi#video games#Nintendo why couldnt you have given us this?#We've waited 16 years guys#Finally#A good freaking paper game
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My top 10 list for who I WANT as DLC in Smash
We’re reaching the end of an era. Smash Ultimate’s DLC is going to end eventually, with four more characters to be announced. They could release some kind of ‘Echo Pack’ in the future, which I would be hyped about (They didn’t really do much with the echo fighter mechanic), But I have a feeling that after this, there won’t be any more. So I wanted to post my list of who I, specifically, would like to see in the game.
This is not based off of likelihood, as some of these characters probably don’t even have a chance of making it in. I just think they would be neat.
Full list under the cut, counting up from #10
- Papyrus (UNDERTALE)
Okay, so hear me out.
We got the Sans mii skin, and that was by far one of the most popular mii skins since Geno, probably. People were more excited for the Sans mii skin than Terry Bogard and maybe even Banjo. They probably made a lot more money than expected from it. So why not try it again?
And while Sans is the popular character, he definitely is not a fighter. He’s a lazy, laid back character that just wants to have fun, but he’s far too weak to go into an all-out battle without risking his own safety.
HOWEVER!
Sans’s brother, Papyrus, is the polar opposite. He’s dedicated, hardworking, and can take quite a few hits. He’s got plenty of moveset opportunity. And it would be another indie rep, which is really really good for someone like me, who wants to go into game design.
Another thing: When we got the Cuphead mii skin, we also got Cuphead Spirits. They could have easily done that with Undertale, there’s enough characters. So maybe they’re saving it for a DLC Spirit board? I don’t know, just a theory.
He would be primarily a ground-based fighter, with projectiles that could crawl across the stage like that one sparky item. He could also use his blue attack, which could be good for an easy spike on airborne characters. And, who knows, maybe for his final smash we could finally see his special attack.
I really enjoy Undertale, and seeing Sans as a mii skin made me super happy. Getting a whole fighter from the series would be even cooler.
- Paper Mario (Super Paper Mario)
Nintendo, we’ve got three whole Links in this game, but only two Marios? Preposterous!
With that being said, Super Paper Mario was one of my favorite Wii games (Although I didn’t play it until very recently) And it’s a very popular series. He’s essentially his own character separate from Mario at this point. The games have so much lore put into them, and we already have a Paper Mario Stage in the game, so maybe we could get Dimentio’s dimension, or the Origami Palace or something.
He’s been in enough games and done enough crazy things to earn a pretty diverse kit for himself. He could use Pixils, the 1000-Fold arms, or even summon Paper Bowser, Peach and Luigi for some attacks.
I think he would be super fun to play. I’m terrible at vanilla Mario, but I think Paper Mario would be a good fit for the game AND be a super good-feeling character. However, this comes from a G&W main, so take from that what you will.
- King Boo (Luigi’s Mansion)
I 👏 want 👏 more 👏 villains 👏 in 👏 Smash! 👏
King Boo is a staple of the Luigi’s Mansion series as well as being an enemy for Mario in some games like Sunshine. He’s the Big Bad Evil Guy for Luigi.
And I DEFINITELY want him in this game.
It’s not so much the character himself, although King Boo is really good, I want him in for his kit. Think about it. A large character but with floaty jumps like Jigglypuff and an aerial based moveset AND a teleport? He’d be ruthless. And really fun. And that’s what I’m looking for in a character.
- BOTW Zelda (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
Yes, I know. “But Worm, the Zelda we have now is annoying and awful, and you say you want ANOTHER one?!?!?” Well, you’re half right.
Yes, Zelda is known for her darkness-sealing powers in BOTW, BUT, in the recent Age of Calamity game, her moveset for almost have the game revolves around the Sheikah Slate. She uses it creatively, hopping around on ice and whirling metal slabs around with a magnet. And I think that would be a SUPER cool moveset for Smash Bros.
And who knows, maybe they would call back to older games and allow her to switch to using her powers, like Zelda used to change into Sheik.
She would be very technical, with her attacks being powerful but with some startup, almost similar to Snake of all characters. And for her final smash she could use a Weak Point Smash or they could bring back Bow of Light (Which was MUCH more fair than the current one, by the way). She’d be fun, and that’s what I want.
- Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Maxwell is from Scribblenauts, a game where you have to solve puzzles by writing words in a notebook and those words coming to life. So he’s work in the same way in Smash, although much more randomized.
For his neutral special, maybe he could write a random item and it shows up in his hand. That would be funny AND cool, and it’s possible (because Peach does the same thing with Turnips!). He could use projectiles but also have plenty of close range options, and for a Final Smash he could use the Meteor, which in the game clears the screen of living things. Brutal! He also uses Adjectives on both his creations AND himself, so maybe for some moves he could effect the other opponent with a poison or freeze effect.
Would he be banned in competitive play? Yes. Would he still be fun? Definitely!
- Jibanyan (Yo-Kai Watch)
I may be in the minority here, but I REALLY liked Yo-Kai Watch as a game. It may seem like a cheap Pokemon ripoff, but the gameplay is nothing like it at all. You’re given a map to explore and various objectives within the map, and the battle system is really creative and fun. It’s actually the inspiration for some of my own games. Yo-Kai watch deserved more credit than it got.
Jibanyan is the poster boy for the series (and also has the saddest backstory of any cat-based character ever), and mainly attacks with both his paws and fire attacks. He could have fire-based moves and would almost play similar to Pichu. His final smash could be Paws of Fury, his soultimate move, that would hit like Donkey Kong’s final smash as a flurry of blows.
This series is really well made and thought out, and it deserves more than it got. So please put my boy in Smash, I’m begging you.
- Specter Knight (Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment)
Okay, yes. I know Shovel Knight is the main character of this series. But again, hear me out.
Specter Knight is either the first or second boss you encounter in the main Shovel Knight game, and he’s already got some moveset potential from that alone. However, he also had his own story mode, Specter of Torment, ad let me say, that is a phenomenal game. I’d go so far as to say it’s better than the main Shovel Knight game itself. His controls are quick and easy to pick up. And he has a whole bunch of special abilities you can get as the game progresses, such as a boomerang or even a shadow clone.
His smash moveset would pull most of the specials from the unlockable items he can get, leaving room for an incredible spacing game as well as a good aerial defense, as Specter Knight can both float and do a Dash Slash through enemies for some extra air time.
Shovel Knight is the main character, but Specter Knight obviously has the most soul put into him (Pun not intended). And, again, he’d be fun to control.
- Master Hand / Fighter Hand (Super Smash Bros. Series)
This is mostly me just being mad at the game for giving us a playable Master Hand, but only once. We couldn’t have even gotten a Master Mode in extras, huh?
Yes, yes, I know Master Hand is the staple boss character for Smash Bros. He’s been in every game, for crying out loud! I’m honestly surprised it took them this long to give us a playable Master Hand. But this leads into my idea:
A new hand, made specifically to fight in Smash Bros, called Fighter Hand.
Yes, it’s cheesy. Yes, it’s stupid. But hey, it would be fun.
He would have scaled-down versions of Master Hand’s moves, with mainly projectile-based specials and tilts. He would be floaty, although introducing a flying character would be interesting to see how they balance it. For a final smash, maybe they could bring back Master Core from Smash 4 for a Giga Bowser-esque punch.
- The Knight (Hollow Knight)
Hollow Knight is an Indie Game that I never finished (I’m working on it, okay?) that’s kind of like Metroid in the way it’s played. It's also a very popular game, and I like bugs, so they get the number two spot because I like him.
And the special Soul moves you unlock translate well into Specials. Platformers always translate well into Smash, so he would work very well in the game. I don’t know what their moveset would be (as I haven’t finished the game yet), but I know they would be a small, fast character that mainly uses their nail to attack like a sword.
And my most wanted character in Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate is...
- Beatrix LeBeau (Slime Rancher)
Okay, look. I’m aware this has zero chance of happening. Slime Rancher was never the most popular game, and Nintendo has never mentioned it ever. But it’s one of my favorite games, and I just think Beatrix would be an incredible character in Smash Bros.
She would use her jetpack to recover, she would shoot plorts as projectiles, use he vacpac to suck up both fighters and projectiles, and maybe shoot a boom slime as an explosive and unpredictable bouncing hazard. Her smash attacks and aerials would use the various slimes you can vacuum up and feed in the game, like the Rad Slime and Rock Slimes. She would be really good offstage and onstage with her weakness being her speed.
She could bring a LOT to this series, and it would be another inspirational indie rep. And, hey, Minecraft Steve got in. Who knows at this point.
Anyway, there’s my list. Feel free to argue with me or explain why Geno should be on my list (I will not care) in the comments or reblogs, this list is not changing unless I play some new game that I feel should be represented.
#smash bros#super smash bros#super Smash Bros ultimate#super Smash Bros dlc#Smash Bros dlc#ssbu#papyrus#undertale#paper mario#king boo#luigi's mansion#zelda#BOTW zelda#BOTW#age of calamity#maxwell#scribblenauts#jibanyan#yo-kai watch#specter knight#shovel knight#specter of torment#master hand#hollow knight#Beatrix lebeau#slime rancher#ultimate dlc#ssbu dlc
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“kyoya has been my hyperfixation lately so here you go! I have an hour lecture to listen too and I haven’t and by me writing this, I know I’m going to be rushing last minute to hear it.”
character: kyoya ootori
fandom: ouran high school host club
song recommendation: in your eyes - the weeknd.
being considered a commoner at Ouran was hard, being friends with rich people was even harder. having to live up to the standards that everyone who attended Ouran was something you learned the hard way. it was until you met Haruhi that you felt any shame of being a commoner drift away.
“Haruhi!” you screamed for her. she turned around and gave you a smile realizing it was you, “are we still on for tonight? I know you have arrangements with your club so I didn’t know if we were still going to have the sleepover,” you asked.
Haruhi nodded, “yeah, you can come over around six. I usually leave once Tamaki’s clinginess falters or Kyoya distracts him,” she mentioned. you nodded as you followed her to her class.
“awesome. remember I’m bring the snacks!” you said waving her off. Haruhi couldn’t help but laugh at your loudness, “and I’m buying dinner!” she screamed back before entering her class.
-
once the evening came and Haruhi was home, being the two of you were next door neighbors, you gave her a few minute to decompress before going next door.
“hey, I already ordered our dinner, what did you bring for snacks?” Haruhi asked as you hauled the medium sized bag onto her coffee table, “anything under the son,” you joked as you dumped it onto the table .
Haruhi gave you a look before noticing how many things you actually brought, “Jesus Christ, you realize it’s only the two of us right?” she asked, “yeah? and? Ouran has been stressing me out so much that I feel like I’m going to go into cardiac arrest,” Haruhi laughed as the two of you reached for the snacks on the table.
Friday sleepovers was a usual for the both of you. being that you didn’t have a lot of friends at Ouran and Haruhi tried to escape the host club at least for the weekend, the two of you found solace in each other.
“I stole my brothers Wii so I can finally kick your ass at Mario Kart again,” you told Haruhi as she laughed, “yeah right. I beat you several times last time. give it up already!”
you gave her the middle finger as you stood up, “I’m going to make our shakes. be useful and set it up,” you jokingly said as she threw the nearest pillow at you.
you made your way to the kitchen and started making the Friday night shakes as you liked to call them. Haruhi always preferred vanilla and you always went with strawberry. the two of you usually traded shakes halfway through so you wouldn’t get grossed out.
just as you finished putting the syrup on your, you made your way to the living, dancing to the music Haruhi had playing as she set up the Wii.
“hey, you ran out of milk so unless-,” you realized that Haruhi wasn’t paying attention you as she had a tall boy in her living room.
“oh hey, this is ( your name ),” she told the boy as you gave him a nervous smile, “I know who she is,” he said as you gave him a bewildered look, “this is ( your name ). you’re a second year in the class next door next to mine. you also live next door to Haruhi and have these sleepovers every night.”
you couldn’t help but look at Haruhi like he was crazy. she put her hand up in the air, “how would you know that?” Kyoya chuckled, “I know every thing about our members so I know every thing about their personal life as well.”
Haruhi gave you a nervous smile as you stared down at the ground in panic and a bit freaked out, “don’t worry, I won’t intrude any longer. I just need you to sign these papers for the club and I’ll leave you guys alone,” Haruhi nodded as she looked down at the papers and quickly signed them.
you on the other hand stayed quiet, not knowing what to say or do. you couldn’t fail to realize the looks Kyoya was giving you ever so often. you were a cute girl, he couldn’t deny that but he knew he probably made you uncomfortable when he told you all those fact.
“would you like a shake? there’s probably enough left for one more,” you asked Kyoya. he stayed silent for a moment before silently shaking his head yes, “no problem! It shouldn’t take long,” you said before running back into the kitchen.
“any preference of choice? vanilla, chocolate, banana, or strawberry?” you asked popping your head back out, “chocolate should be sufficient,” Kyoya said before you gave him a smile and going back into the kitchen.
“but senpai, I thought you didn’t like sweats?” Haruhi asked. Kyoya chuckled again, “I don’t,” was all he said before going back to papers he brought for Haruhi.
Haruhi wasn’t stupid. undeniably, she was one of the smartest in the Host Club so it didn’t take her too long to realize that he was, in someway, interested in you, “senpai, you know how we’re hosting the charity event tomorrow?” Kyoya nodded, “is it okay if she comes? she might not have the money to pay for the ticket but she could be my plus one since they’re allowed in for free?”
Kyoya knew what Haruhi was doing but he decided to play along with it, “sure. make sure she’s dressed appropriately,” before he could say anything else, you walked back out from the kitchen, “here you go! I hope it isn’t too milky or too chocolatey!” you exclaimed as you put the to go lid on the cup, “I didn’t know what else to give you the shake in so I hope you don’t mind that it isn’t in my tumblr.”
Kyoya waved off your concern as he stood up, “we’ll see you both tomorrow,” Kyoya said as you gave him a look, “tomorrow? why would I see the both of you tomorrow?” you asked Haruhi.
she gave you a sheepish smile, “well you know that charity event that’s going on at Ouran tomorrow? I kinda said you were my plus one.” you growled as you slumped into her couch, “do you realize I have nothing to wear tomorrow? how fancy is the damn event anyway?” you asked or more like yelled.
“don’t worry, anything business casual should be fine,” Kyoya mentioned before waving the two of you off. as soon as he left, you couldn’t help but chuck the pillow she threw at you back at her, “since when were you going to tell me this?” you asked as she avoided your eye.
“I was going to tell you later tonight, why are you so nervous about it?” Haruhi asked, “I’m not nervous! I would just like to know about events you’re forcing me to attend a few days in advance!” you muttered.
Haruhi shook her head realizing that it was the nervousness from seeing Kyoya that made you scream at her.
the rest of the night involved you asking questions about tomorrows event. every now and again, you would ask about Kyoya. was he single? did he seem interested in any of the girls in his class? did he want to marry a rich person? Haruhi wanted to ask you why were you invested in Kyoya’s personal life all of a sudden but didn’t bother too.
-
you got up the next morning earlier than Haruhi. after leaving a few of the snacks on her table, you went back to your house to tell your mother the news. she couldn’t help but laugh knowing the host club usually put Haruhi into antics she didn’t want to be involved in and it was only time before you got involved.
she let you borrow a dress that she had saved for you for an occasion like this. it was a cute white dress with a black blazer over it. it wasn’t exactly your type of style but you realized that you didn’t have another option.
“hey Haruhi!” you screamed as you banged on her door. she slowly walked to the door and laughed at how you were dressed, “don’t tell me that’s how you plan on going?” you gave her a look before telling her that you were only partially dressed, “how long is the event? I need to know if I need to wear heels or not.”
Haruhi ran to her book bag before taking a paper out, “it’s on a beach so I suggest heels or sandals if I were dressed like you,” she suggested as you screamed a thank you at her before returning to your own house.
it didn’t much longer for you to get dressed and being that you were technically going with one of the members hosting the event, you had to be dressed and ready before anyone else.
after grabbing your purse and filling it with a few left over snacks, you made your way back to Haruhi’s apartment. you didn’t know how rich people ate and you were afraid that you would in some capacity regret eating their food so you brought some in case.
“ready to go? we’re taking the bus all the way the beach so we don’t want to miss it.”
“or we could just tell my mom to drop us off. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
-
after your mom dropped the both of you off at the extremely nice beach, the two of you walked up to where the host club was. you felt a bit intimidated introducing yourself to everyone but it wasn’t long before all the invitee’s started to arrive.
thankfully they had pulled a separate table for the host club to sit at. once they brought the food out and handed everyone their plates, you realized how wrong you were. the food looked edible enough and you were kind of excited to eat such high standard food.
“hey, the host club has to do a few things, do you mind sitting with Kyoya while we get them done?” Haruhi asked. you shrugged as you took your phone out form your pocket and figured you might as well entertain yourself with that while she was gone.
for a while, the table with just you and Kyoya remained silent. it wasn’t until you set your phone done, not wanting to drain its battery when Kyoya finally spoke up.
“how long have you known Haruhi?” he asked as he set his pen down. you thought for a moment, “well, we didn’t go to the same middle school but when I realized that she was one of the only commoners at Ouran, we just kind of became friends. so maybe just two or two and a half years?” you said.
he nodded, “how did you get into Ouran? the same way Haruhi did?” you nodded, “my marks were high enough in middle school that they gave me a scholarship to attend it. the only thing they couldn’t pay for was uniform so I had to pay on that on my own.”
“how come I’ve never seen you around the host club? you’re rather close with Haruhi,” Kyoya asked again. you couldn’t help but sigh, you felt like you were playing twenty questions, “uhm, no one has really invited me and I don’t want to pay for things I don’t have the money for so I rather save myself the trouble of getting myself into the situation that Haruhi did.”
Kyoya laughed as he noticed how busy the event suddenly got, “guests don’t pay for anything,” he mentioned. you jokingly rolled your eyes, “I’ve heard stories from Haruhi. in the end, I’ll somehow be paying for something.”
“would you like to take a walk on the beach? I can tell you’re as uncomfortable as I am here,” you silently thanked him as you grabbed a few of your things and followed him through the crowd.
the two of you managed to sneak away from the party and made it to the more calmer part of the beach, “it’s a wonderful evening, isn’t it?” you asked as you couldn’t help but laugh at the funny feeling of having your feet on the sand.
“it is. I don’t do this often,” Kyoya mentioned as you gave him a sympathetic look, “I know but you should. walking on the beach or just walking anywhere really relaxes me at times,” you admitted.
Kyoya nodded, “I know you rich people don’t really like to indulge in such commoner habits but taking a walk on the beach really eases a persons head,” Kyoya laughed at your little side comment.
“I get the feeling that you think that ‘rich’ people come from another planet or something,” Kyoya said as you shrugged, “basically. my life in comparisons to yours isn’t exactly the same. not to bash on rich folks or anything but you guys wouldn’t know the half of it,” you explained.
Kyoya shook his head understandingly, “well how about a deal?” you gave him a confused look, “we go on these walks once a week and you can come visit me once a week at the host club,” he offered.
you knew that this was Kyoya’s version of asking you out. although he was a rather blunt person, he would never openly admit his feelings for someone.
“deal,”
you shook hands with him as a warm feeling crossed your face and a small blush crossed his. the two of you realized that if you didn’t head back to the party, everyone would start getting suspicious and you would rather keep your future relationship as private as possible. or at least until Kyoya’s best friend, Tamaki, found out.
ALITA
#ouran high school host club#ouran hshc#ouran hshc x reader#ouran hshc imagine#kyoya ootori imagine#kyoya ootori x reader#kyoya ootori
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Introspective and Analytical Paper.
For most of my life, I have been surrounded by many different forms of media. I had the fortunate luck of being born in the early twenty-first century where I have grown with the media world. For my Journalism 101 class, I was required to monitor and record my media usage throughout a normal week and use that data as the groundwork for an introspective and analytical report. As I recorded the time and the effects of my media usage, I became more and more surprised by the quantity of media that I consumed. Additionally, I was more aware of the effects (emotional, physical, psychological) that my consumption of media caused. In this report, I will outline my media usage over the past week and take an in-depth look at the science behind the effects that my media usage had on me.
I started recording my media activity on Monday, March 18th, 2019 and finished on Monday, March 25th, 2019. Once I finally compiled all the data, the only way to describe how I felt was shocked. Every day for the past week, I was averaging 12 hours of media usage. I had no idea that I was spending half of my everyday life interacting with some form of media. If anything, all this data really gives me an appreciation for media and a greater understanding of the effect media has on a person’s life.
Now I want to take a step back and analyze the effects of two different kinds of media that I consumed this week: playing video games and watching a hockey game.
I am going to start with me playing video games. During my week I only played video games for two days (Friday and Sunday). On these two days, I played two separate games and experienced two different effects. On Friday I played Super Mario Galaxy on my old Nintendo Wii. On my graphs, I labeled that playing this game caused my heart rate to increase which can be attributed to the focus required to complete the game’s levels. However, I also labeled that this game made me feel very nostalgic which I decided to look more into. According to an article entitled Video Games as Time Machines: Video Game Nostalgia and the Success of Retro Gaming, “Research on the potential of media stimuli to trigger nostalgia has found that trailers of video games and movies may hold the potential to make people feel nostalgic. Wulf and Rieger found evidence that the parasocial relationships that viewers establish with on-screen media personae lead to increased feelings of nostalgia when people remember past media content” (Wulf, Bowman, Rieger, Velez, and Breuer). As I played through the game more, I started to feel a sense of longing and happiness. Playing my old favorite video game made me want to return to when I was younger playing Super Mario Galaxy for the first time. I believe that this example shows how media can help to create a sense of nostalgia.
The second game I played this week was Dark Souls Remastered on my Nintendo Switch. This is the game I played on Sunday and if anyone is familiar with Dark Souls, they know how rage-inducing it is. Dark Souls is famous for its high difficulty as well as its brutality. After I was met with every “You Died” screen during my session, I felt myself getting more and more angry. As I got angrier and angrier at the game I was reminded of our textbook and what Karen Dill said about media violence. In How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence, Karen Dill says, “There is general agreement in the scientific community that media violence causes aggression…They were reported on the many methods of research to use all over the popular genres of media (TV, movies, video games, etc.) —studies that repeatedly document the same essential message —violence breeds violence” (Dill pg.77). I believe that this example shows that media has a great impact on the tempers and emotions of its users.
The final form of media consumption that I will be analyzing from my week is watching a hockey game. I am a huge Vegas Golden Knights fan and I have been a dedicated follower of their franchise since their inception. I love this team. I know every player, their position, how many points each of them has, and each of their histories with the team. As one can see from my graphs, hockey games took up a big portion of my media consumption last week. Every time I watched a game, I was on the edge of my seat hoping for the Knights to score another goal. I became happy if they had won the game, and sad if they had lost. Eric Simons, who has researched the neuroscience behind sports obsession, sums up this idea perfectly in an article he wrote for the Washington Post. Simons said, “A sports team…is an expansion of a fan’s sense of self. It is not an obnoxious affectation when a devotee uses the word ‘we’; it’s a literal confusion in the brain about what is ‘me’ and what is ‘the team.’ In all kinds of unconscious ways, a fan mirrors the feelings, actions and even hormones of the players. Self-esteem rides on the outcome of the game and the image of the franchise” (Simons). What Simons is describing here is the idea behind para-relationships which perfectly exemplifies my relationship with the Vegas Golden Knights.
From affecting a person’s emotions to establishing para-relationships, media has this amazing power to affect each of use in a variety of different ways. This assignment has given me a new appreciation for the world of media, and I will continue to implement media in my life every day.
Works Cited
Dill-Shackleford, K. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Laer, T. V., Feiereisen, S., & Visconti, L. M. (2018). Storytelling in the Digital Era: Relevant Moderators of the Narrative Transportation Effect. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3156933
Simons, E. (2015, January 30). The psychology of why sports fans see their teams as extensions of themselves. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-psychology-of-why-sports-fans-see-their-teams-as-extensions-of-themselves/2015/01/30/521e0464-a816-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1b3c81ebb71a
Wulf, T., Bowman, N. D., Rieger, D., Velez, J. A., & Breuer, J. (n.d.). Video Games as Time Machines: Video Game Nostalgia and the Success of Retro Gaming(2nd ed., Vol. 6, Media and Communication, pp. 60-68, Academic Article). doi:10.17645/mac.v6i2.1317
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Professor Booty
| Repost: Originally posted by Steve "Slurms" Lichtsinn on December 28, 2009
It’s still hard to type with all these bandaged paper cuts on my fingers from opening toy after toy after toy that my kids received over the last four days. If they were awake this weekend, they were asking me to unbox or play with one of their new additions to the house that has no room for such things. That’s not to say we’re pack rats, I get rid of more stuff than the wife would like, we just have very generous families that love our children more than we do with all their hearts. As I type though, my lady is off shopping to buy some shelves to organize all the goodies.
I can’t complain though, I made out like a bandit. I got a few non gaming toys such as a car cleaning kit from Griot’s, a Nerf Vulcan machine gun, some Blu Ray movies, stuff for my camera, a new coat, and much more. But this is a gaming site, so what did I get that you care about?
½ Assed reviews will be coming for each of these as I get more time with them
Borderlands (PC) – So far I’m really at a toss up if I like or love this game. It bleeds style out of every edge and I love the character advancement and the Diablo-esque loot drops. But while I find it oddly addictive, I also find myself getting bored with it after playing through three or four missions (quests). The boss fights are great and challenging, but everything in-between is pretty meh so far.
Sennheiser wireless headset – My house is not large, it is adequate for two adults, two kids, and a couple small pets. No complaints from me, if it was bigger, that would just be more places where things could be bought and stored and more things to clean. One problem with my size of a home is that my normal speaking voice can be heard easily from wherever. So naturally, a television blasting the sounds of any video game or movie at a volume which I find acceptable is too loud for when the kids are asleep. That’s where these babies come in.
M-Audio AV 40 Studiophile speakers – Studio grade PC speakers. It was a toss up a few months ago if I was going to get these or my Sennheiser PC-350’s. I went with the headset because I really needed a better mic. I’ve not been disappointed in the least, but there are those times when the kids are away that I would love to crank some music, or not be required to cut off all outside noise. I have not got the chance to really test these babies out, but playing a few tracks once I got them hooked up made my ears very happy. There is no sub with them, but only after I get some free time with them this weekend will I be able to tell if it’s even needed.
Logitech G13 Gameboard – It’s from the future! Well, at least that’s what I was told by Jason when I showed him what I went to buy. This thing is slick as hell, and I got it on sale for fitty bones at Best Buy. I’ve been jealous ever since ShadowWar got his n52, but I’m a Logitech man. So with Xmas money in hand (well, wallet, hands can’t be trusted) I ventured off to the big yellow tag to get one. Weird getting used to so far, more on this later once I get more hours on it.
New Super Mario Brothers Wii – While at Best Buy yesterday to pick up my G13, my four (in a month) year old daughter wanted to play some games. After finishing off a couple plays of Madden where she got schooled something fierce (very embarrassing for her in front of all those people), we jammed on Rock Band, and then noticed New Super…Mar….NSMBW. She didn’t want daddy’s help, and actually did quite well given that she’s used to playing various flash based PC games. I thought this was a grand opportunity to introduce her to basic console controls (and I really wanted it to), so I spent the rest of my gifted cash on a copy.
DJ Hero (PS3) – I won’t speak much of this one so far, because it will be the first review I do. I’ll just say opening this on Xmas morning made me want to jump my wife’s bones. But “nooo, think of the children” she always says. We have a play room for a reason I say. Guess it goes back to being able to hear everything in the house.
This is the first time in a long time that I truly enjoyed the holiday, and it wasn’t just because of the great gifts I received; it was mostly because my kids had a blast. It was worth the paper cuts.
So did you get anything that made your day? Bring on the loot in the comments!!
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Yoshi's Woolly World – Episode 14: Big Montgomery's Bubble Fort
Dear Safari Yoshi, how long has it been since I did something like this?! Well, hello everyone, I’m back! And it only took... 14 episodes. Um... I was busy, okay?! These things take time! Well, we’re doing this again, so... Spoilers, I guess...
>This is a good game btw, go play it or else. Give the Wii U something it deserves other than shit about it being a bad console.
>Big Montgomery is back for revenge.
>”We haven’t been playing with big balls lately, so let’s do it.” I pray these weren’t those same balls that one guy gave a good lick in.
>You wrote nothing down about this stage. This is not a testament to the stage’s quality, because this stage is pretty good.
>Oh god, needles. Me no likey needles. They’re not sharp so I can deal with them.
>Yeah, I hated that too. Friggin’ teachers...
>His mating dance reminds me of that move the Jungle Guys have in Paper Mario.
>You could’ve ricocheted that egg to get those hearts somehow, but I don’t know how.
>It’s like how some items are handled in a lot of Zelda games. You barely use them after the dungeon, if you’re lucky.
>Oh yeah, you fit that whole rant in two minutes and didn’t once mention MOTHER 3.
>Emile stop getting sidetracked, tell us about the premature information!
>I’m totally happy with the Wooly World we got. Easily one of the best Wii U games.
>Has Montgomery grow more camp since the last time we met?
>”I’M SMARTER THAN FABRIC!” Same.
>Kamek is just done.
>Montgomery’s battle, unfortunately, isn’t that exciting.
>Poochy took the wind out of Emile’s sails.
>How many Dick Yoshis have been made with Professional Mode, do you think?
>Yoshi is Mario’s giant dinosaur dog who has his own dog.
>”80% Speedrun of Color a Dinosaur”
>OMG YES
>WOOLET BILLS
>WHAT
>hey there doggie
>That’s pretty forgiving.
>Poochy’s a greedy doggo.
>Rainbow Yoshi: “My work here is done!”
>Poochy: “But you didn’t do anything...”
>Poochy is now the dog horse.
>It’s High Noon.
>Emile can’t wait till next time, can he?
>Bullshit. Not one Yoshi Cookie was used and Green Yoshi cheated.
>Don’t feel bad, Blue Yoshi! You crossed the finish line honestly!
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Destiel, With Gabriel
Anonymous asked: Hello, do I was wondering if you could write me a Destiel AU where Dean and Cas are like best friends since Dean moved to the neighborhood. And when they get to highschool Cas has some family drama, so him and Gabriel come to live with the Winchesters. Dean and Cas are always down in the basement doing something crazy and Cas ends up falling for Dean. He tells Gabriel and he constantly teases him about it. Then Gabriel comes up with a game to make them confess their love for each other Thanks!😚
Thank you for requesting and I actually got a little carried away while writing this, which is why it took so long. Hopefully you like it and I encourage you guys to keep requesting!
1,487 Words
Dean and Cas had been best friends since Cas had moved into the neighborhood when they were in middle school. High school started though, and Dean noticed Cas without as much energy as he used to have. He seemed more sluggish and less enthusiastic about things than he used to be. Dean was determined to find out but didn't have to wait long. It was when Cas called Dean on the phone did he know something was wrong. He said in a choked voice, *Dean, I need to come over, can I bring my stuff and stay over for a few days?* Dean was worried, that was an understatement, but he agreed and waited outside on the front steps. Though when Cas came out of the driver's seat and someone opened up the passenger's, Dean was in for it all. He paid no attention to the stone-faced Gabriel and went straight to the care of Cas. He saw tears streaming down his face and quickly ushered him inside. Gabriel followed him in along with his stuff and Dean told him to put it in the basement. Cas began to cry on Dean's shoulder and hold onto his red and black flannel with his life. Dean hugged him and then brought Cas to his view. He grasped his shoulder and said to him, "Castiel," He only used Cas's full name in serious conversations, so he perked up, looking at Dean. "What happened to you?" Cas began to sniffle and tell the story, a few broken sobs making their way through his words. "They, t-they kicked us out, Dean. Michael kicked out Gabriel and me, b-because we wanted to stay." Dean knew this would all he would get out of Cas for a while and just let the tears dampen his flannel, Cas apologized and Dean just hugged him. Cas finally calmed down after a while and Dean made sure he was okay. "Okay, Cas, you and Gabriel can stay in the basement, I can get some extra sheets and blankets, but we only have one bed down there. Sammy already moved out to Stanford, so you can just sleep there. I'll go make some food though, I'm sure you're hungry. Tell Gabriel that too." Cas nodded, seeming much more himself now. Dean began to make some burger's using the limited ingredients he had. Cas didn't mind though as he bit into the burger, he couldn't seem to hold back a moan. Dean chuckled under his breath as Gabriel rolled his eyes. The night ended quickly and Dean laid in his bed upstairs, he had always had trouble sleeping, but not like this. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought of Cas, doing some things that he probably shouldn't be imagining. Little did he know, Cas sat in his bed wondering the same thing, so he talked to Gabriel. "Gabriel, you awake?" Gabriel groaned and lifted his head up from the ground, his eyes squinted from the sleep still covering them. "Now I am, what'cha want?" Cas debated telling him, but since he already had woken him, what was gonna happen? "You know Dean?" Cas saw Gabriel nod and went on, "Well, I might like him, like, like-like him." Gabriel looked up at his younger brother on the bed and with a sigh, he answered back. "I knew you liked him from the moment you met him, I just was gonna wait until you came outta the closet. Now, are you gonna tell him?" Cas knew what he was implying and quickly defended himself. "Gabe no! No pranks, nothing! And no, I'm not telling him yet." Cas saw Gabriel's signature smirk and knew it was all over. He buried his head in his hands and sighed. *This was going to be one long stay* he thought. The morning came too soon and Cas was left in the basement alone along with a note saying that Gabriel had gone out. Cas was cautious but the smell of pancakes brought him upstairs. On the door, before he walked out though, a neon green piece of paper caught his eye. He pulled the post-it note off the door and read it, then crumbled it up and shoved it into his pocket with an angry huff. It read, *Why don't you tell him brother, or else I will...* Cas ignored the threat and followed the scent of food, he ended up in the dining room where Dean was sat munching on some bacon. "Hey Cas, how'd you sleep?" The way Dean said his name almost made him swoon, but he held his breath and answered quickly, "Fine." Dean noticed his uncertainty but ignored him, assuming it was just him adjusting to living here for a while. "Have some food, Gabriel went out for a while and won't be back until tonight. So we can do whatever." Cas got some food and answered back, "I saw some video games in the basement, maybe we could play some." Dean nodded and they finished their food quickly. When they had put their plates in the dishwasher they both went downstairs and Dean started up the Wii. "Okay, what game?" Cas had no idea how to play or what to play, his parents hadn't gotten him much in the category of presents. "I don't know, maybe this one." He picked a random one called *Mario Kart* and Dean put it into the game system. He snuck a look at Cas's confused face and decided to teach him how to play. "Here's how you play, so you take your remote like this," He showed Cas how to hold it but he had some trouble, first holding it upside-down and then sideways, so Dean took both of his hands and showed him. Cas looked dumbstruck and Dean had to call his name several times before he snapped out of it. Dean made a mental note to ask him about it later but continued to play. Dean won the first game in first place. Cas was determined to win though and picked up the controls quickly, he ended up in second place but Dean still beat him in first. Their trash talking went a little like this. Dean usually began with, "Ha! I'm winning!" Then Cas retorted with, "Not for long you're not!" Dean rolled his eyes but a blue-winged turtle went up to his way and soon enough he was in 8th. Cas laughed and finally won his first game. "Dean, I won! I'm better than you!" Cas kept these phrases going until Dean turned off the Wii, leaving his win as just a memory. "Dean! How could you?!" Cas went straight for him and tackled him to the ground, but Dean flipped him over and they were fighting until Cas was on bottom and Dean on top. Dean pinned his arms down and laughed until the door opened and Gabriel came down the stairs. His eyes widened at the scene and he covered his eyes. "Castiel! I knew it would happen, just not here!" Dean looked at Gabriel and to Cas with a confused face and Cas looked at Gabriel with a murderous gaze, Gabriel only laughed. "Gabriel, get, out." Dean cocked his head in more confusion, but then Gabriel put down his stuff and went out again. Dean looked at Cas and saw him blush madly. "Cas, is there something you need to tell me?" Dean felt the tension increase and saw Cas shuffle uncomfortably in his seat. "Uhm," He started, but then paused for a second to gather his thoughts, "You know how I'm bisexual?" Cas had come out to Dean when he was a freshman in high school and Dean had thought nothing of it, now thoughts were racing through his head. "I kinda, like you." Dean heard a whoop of excitement and the door opened, there stood Gabriel with a grin on his face. "Ha! Knew you would tell him! I did that for you brother! I made you pick Mario Kart and everything!" Gabriel walked out the basement corridor with his hands up and whooping with glee. Cas had already gotten mad, but this was much worse. Dean grasped his shoulder and his feelings subsided quickly, just one touch from Dean was all it took for Cas to calm down. "I like you too Cas." Dean flashed a small smile before Cas took his hand to Dean's jaw and leaned in, Dean leaning into the touch and wrapping his hands around Cas's. Their lips touched hesitantly, but strong. Cas and Dean melted into the moment and never wanted it to end, as it had taken years for them both to admit their feelings. When the kiss ended though, Cas said to Dean. "Sorry about my brother setting us up." Dean brushed it off and they went upstairs, to enjoy their newfound love.
#destiel#gabriel#castiel#dean#deanwinchester#supernatural fluff#castiel novak#gabriel novak#love#romance#spn fanfiction#supernatural fanfiction#fanfiction#fanfic#supernatural#spn#x reader#fluff#tooth rotting fluff
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Games I finished in 2021
I guess I'm making this a yearly thing.
I used to buy games and then just sorta collected them and let them collect dust so I sold them all and when I got back into console gaming I made a promise to myself to actually enjoy/finish the games I get.
These are the games I beat in 2021:
New Super Mario Wii (Wii) 🙂: I beat New Super Mario Bros U DX the year before and enjoyed it so I went back to finish this one. I remember both games being good but my brain can't separate either of them so I guess they're pretty consistent. It’s the classic 2D Mario gameplay platforming that doesn’t really age. The tilty motion controlly stuff is there but doesn’t feel bolted on. I played some levels with my son and it was mildly aggravating but still enjoyable depending on the level.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U) 🙂: I missed this the first time around on the GameCube even though I owned it. Like with Windwaker HD it was nice to finally play it in HD with the quality of life updates. Unlike Windwaker it was a very Zeldaish Zelda game that seemed to play it safe.
Pikmin 3 (Wii U) 😍: Super fun but too short. There's nothing else quite like it. A good balance of chill exploration with periods of intense battles. Might be my "game of the year" even though it's an 8 year old game. If I didn't have a Wii U I would for sure get this on Switch.
Super Mario 64 (Switch) 🙂: I've beat this game many times. It kind of holds up but the controls feel rickety compared to modern Marios. The first half of the game is burned into my mind however the last half still feels semi-new if enough time passes between plays.
Super Mario Sunshine (Switch) 🤬: I didn't beat this when I owned it on GameCube because the game is shit. I finally beat it but it was a slog. It's fucking horrible. Glad I finally beat it. Fuck this game.
Super Mario Galaxy (Switch) 😍: I hated this game when I owned it on Wii because I found it disorientating and I still do but I kinda got used to it. There's a lot of quality platforming and the controls still feel as tight as Mario Odyssey. I got 120 stars and unlocked Luigi but I am doubtful I'll unlock the full 240 stars for the "good ending".
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) 😍: Enjoyed the first one so much I continued the series. It’s more of the same (in a good way). Didn’t 100% it - not sure if I will.
Hyrule Warriors (Wii U) 😑: I hadn’t played a Dynasty Warriors game before but since this was Zelda flavoured I gave it a go. It was an okay game but it just made me want to play a regular Zelda game with puzzles etc. I also played the demo for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and I probably won’t get it unless it’s dirt cheap or something.
Super Mario 3D World - Bowser's Fury (Switch) 😍: I beat 3D World before (it’s great) so I got this just for the Bowser’s Fury add-on. Beat it and got all the stars. Open-world Mario (Grand Theft Plassie) works really well and I hope Nintendo does a full-sized game like this.
Minit (PC) 🙂: Such a neat concept and makes me wish I thought of it. Short but seems like it has to be.
Paper Mario: Origami King (Switch) 😄: the feeling I got from online buzz was that the fans of the series didn’t like this one. I’ve played a few Mario RPGs but this was the first Paper Mario I completed. I enjoyed it a lot including the puzzle-based combat (Intelligent Systems made the best puzzle game of all time: Tetris Attack/Puzzle League). I will probably work backwards and play Paper Mario: Color Splash next.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (Switch) 😄: I started this on Wii and got to the first dungeon and then read the news a remake was coming. I promptly shut it down and waited a couple months until this came out and was glad I did. The Wii game felt like it wanted to look good but was handcuffed by 480p graphics so it really shines on the Switch. There’s a lot of quality dungeons and I ended up liking the “chances” that were taken with the story/lore to set it apart from the more samesy Zelda games.
Yoshi's Wooly World (Wii U) 🙂: I beat the snoozefest that was Yoshi’s Crafted World and this was much better (but not as good as the SNES Yoshi’s Island). The game is a lot more forgiving than the New Super Marios so my (at the time) 5 year old son could keep up and have the game still be enjoyable.
Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch) 😑: I gave up on the original Luigi’s Mansion a few times. I started enjoying this one once I could tell myself that it isn’t a platformer and it’s more of a slow/chill point-and-click game with a few fun boss battles. My kids enjoyed watching and it’s a very good looking game even for the “underpowered” Switch.
Metroid Zero Mission (GBA) 🙂: Always wanted to play the original but this remake has nice graphics and additional content/story and streamlined/removed a lot of the painful parts from the original. It’s shortness (under 4 hours) made me want to play through Super Metroid & Metroid Fusion again. Since I’ve now beat Metroid 1, 3 & 4 I might do Return of Samus before I eventually do Metroid Dread.
A Short Hike (Switch) 🥰: After hearing from a few different friends that this was good I gave it a go. Can confirm it’s delightful as fuck. It’s got the exploration vibes of Zelda Breath of the Wild but without puzzles or combat. I had to disable the on-purpose blocky graphics but can’t fault the game for it’s stylistic choice. Didn’t 100% the game but do have a slight hankering to go in and explore a bit more.
The Division 2 (PC) 🙂: Not a big fan of the story no matter how relevant it seems today (deadly virus, toppling governments, etc). It’s got very good looter-shooter mechanics/gamefeel and lots of replayability if you enjoy grindy incremental loot improvement games.
I didn't include any mobile gaming here because mobile gaming is mostly cash-grabby dogshit but I did play a bunch all of the Fire Maple Games point-and-click games and enjoyed them.
Will 2022 be the year I finally beat Grand Theft Auto 5? STAY TUNED!
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ok so i gotta get up at like 6:45 tomorrow morning, so i’m writing in early.
i’m very tired but i had a VERY PRODUCTIVE DAY!!! my head hurts very badly. the doctor ran some lung tests and stuff and said that my breathing trouble is almost definitely a muscle problem, given that my entire back is sore to the touch. along with my neck and shoulders down to the bottoms of my ribs. like i think there was one spot she poked that didn’t extremely hurt.
so i gotta get some physical therapy. i quibbled about prices for a while and got really frustrated that the financial person in the infirmary did not know how the school-provided insurance worked with regards to covering a referral within the infirmary departments. then i went down to the office and worked and worked and worked and then i went to club and did some critiques. i went home and finished a page of the scene and did all my chores and finished my bookkeeping project and wrote a synopsis of my story. raul suggested it. so i’ve got a rough script for a 10-minute presentation now. raul is going to go over it with me on thursday and see if it needs any changes but i don’t anticipate too many. might have to change around the plot summary since i only introduce blue and nas. i’ll post it under the cut if you guys wanna read. if not, this is the end of my post for the day. too tired, my back hurts too much to keep typing.
Filling the void
My comic ‘filling the void’ is a fanfiction based on the Mario spinoff game ‘super paper mario’ for the wii. It follows the life of the villain, who calls himself count bleck. No one else calls him that. He is joined by four others over the course of the story- nastasia the vampire secretary, o’chunks the grizzled war veteran, dimentio the spooky jester, and mimi the baby shapeshifter.
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The count’s actual name is blumiere. I think it’s three syllables. He started off life as a member of the tribe of darkness, which is a race of floating blue monster people. When we first meet him he’s in the aftermath of a suicide attempt, in which a girl named timpani found him at the bottom of a cliff and has dragged him to her home. They start seeing each other regularly, and over time timpani decides to shorten blumiere’s name to blue. blue’s life is ruled by prophecies and magic. He shares with timpani that he’s fated to destroy all the humans in the world and timpani tells him he should only do what he wants. They dodge threats from blue’s father and eventually blue decides that he and timpani should leave their world and find a safer one to live in. timpani has always wanted to travel and is enthusiastic about the plan.
Blue is in the process of preparing to leave when his father sends timpani somewhere else. This sends blue spiraling into a violent depression. After a fight when his father discovers that blue is still planning to leave and find timpani, blue decides to open a book of dark prophecies called the dark prognosticus. The book tells him his name is count bleck, and he will kill his father and then destroy the world. it shows him shortcuts and glitches in his world that will allow him to destroy it before he can stop and have second thoughts.
Destroying his world rips open a hole in spacetime called the void. Blue flees the scene and begins his search for timpani alone and with no survival skills, only the book.
Nastasia is from a colony of vampires all working under one boss. She was killed and turned undead when she was a small child. vampires grow until they reach adulthood and then stop, so she was raised in the meantime by her fellow slaves. Most vampires have one super power, and nastasia’s is hypnosis, a rare power that puts her at a high rank in her colony. One night her colony is attacked, and in a desperate bid to save her and a few others, she’s sent away from the castle, which is when she is saved by blue.
Acting out of self-preservation and a developing crush, nastasia immediately pledges her life to the sick and injured stranger. They travel together for a while and become close friends, which is when blue confides in nastasia that the book has shown him that he’s fated to destroy the universe. Shortly afterward, his mental illness abruptly becomes completely unmanageable. Unable to keep track of time, remember where he is, or recognize nastasia, and unable to recall any details about his life, blue eventually becomes unable to interact with the world around him in any meaningful way and has to depend on the prognosticus to tell him everything he has to say and do.
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The title ‘filling the void’ refers to two voids. For people who have not played the game- the plot is that a monster called count bleck has summoned an object called the ‘chaos’ heart and ripped open a void in the sky that will shred the entire universe. The only way to stop the destruction of all the worlds is to collect a bunch of ‘pure’ hearts and kill him. Mario is joined by a fairy called tippi as a sidekick, along with peach, bowser, and eventually the weeg himself. The count has convinced some minions to join him with the promise that they are building a perfect world without evil in place of the destroyed universe. When they find out the truth they take it pretty surprisingly well, all things considered. my comic follows the earliest chronological cutscene in the game to a few days after the game’s events, with the large majority spent in a time period the game does not cover except for a few sentences.
Blue holds a unique place in the Mario rogues gallery in that he’s the only spinoff villain who is not killed as a final boss fight (or at least, strongly implied to be dead). He and his team are a very charming group of characters and I wanted to write a story exploring what goes into a forgivable villain, especially one who forces the highest stakes of any Mario game.
With this story I wanted to spend time on developing character relationships and the process by which a kid goes from ‘crazy starving hobo’ to ‘most dangerous man in the universe with four goofball friends’. It’s a slow process; my story is about 300 scenes split up into 9 chapters, or ‘arcs’. Most of the arcs are about 20 scenes, but arcs 6 and 8 clock in at 180 scenes put together. during arc 1 I was still working out the major strokes of the story, and during arc 2 I was still ironing out the details, so the beginning is a little sparse and rocky compared to later chapters. I ended up having way too many ideas for this story, so I relegated a large percentage of them to ‘extras’ that only take a little time and I can publish between full scenes. they are canon and can elaborate on things happening in the story, but I made sure that none of them are critical for understanding major plot developments.
For the vast majority of the story blue is stuck in a void between his incompatible goals; finding his fiancé and destroying everything, both of which he keeps mostly secret from the others. He also has to learn to manage his depression and particularly the strange comorbid symptoms that have developed. On top of that he has to come to terms with finding a family of weirdos out there in the universe and his extreme trepidation in acknowledging and communicating his feelings. Said four weirdos also are making their own journeys alongside blue, and I spent a lot of time in the story looking at how these different parallels and traits and threads would tangle up with each other as they traveled.
What fell out of all these collisions was a story about the ways we treat each other and how that affects us. Blue struggles and often fails to hold on to his personhood, and this is strongly influenced by the way others- and especially the book- have treated him. This story is largely about growing out of abuse, and how that can tie in with forgiveness and redemption, given a willingness to change.
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3DS: Time for Playtime
It's been fun getting a Wii U lately, but I wanted to look back on all the use I've gotten out of my 3DS in the last year by running down my most played games.
Super Smash Bros. - 154 Hours
This is still my most played game after recently getting back into the 3DS, despite playing zero Smash in that time. I played a lot of this game when it came out and then leading up to the release of Ultimate. This game was a godsend for someone like me who didn't own a Wii U but wanted to stay involved with the series.
Pokemon X - 56 Hours
Again, this is from when I first got my 3DS. I played this one over a whole summer vacation off and on! I still can't decide how I feel about XP Share.
Pokemon Ultra Moon - 51 Hours
Okay, this one is this high because after beating the game, my girlfriend tried to catch all the Pokemon and collect all the totem stickers. I really enjoyed this one, but the Ultra Necrozma fight kicked my butt.
Link Between Worlds - 49 Hours
I actually own the special edition Triforce 3DS which came bundled with this game! As my first game on the system, it is no surprise to see it so high, even though I got stuck on the final boss. I consider this to be one of the best Zelda games.
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - 41 Hours
This one makes a lot of sense. When I played all that Smash Bros before the release of Ultimate, this was the one other game I played during that time, to the point of actually beating it and a good chunk of the daily puzzles! I even missed a college lecture because I was so wrapped up in the climax.
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire - 27 Hours
Finally, a game I played recently with no shenanigans or excuses. This was an interesting "book ends" with Omega Ruby, as OR was the first Pokemon game I played in my recent endeavor to play them all, while AS was towards the end. Backwards of their names, huh?
Pokemon Omega Ruby - 26 Hours
Fitting that this game should be so close to Alpha Sapphire. I would think that one of these two games would've been left running overnight or somehow had the playtimes differ more, but it somehow makes me hapy to see them side by side. I appreciated Wally's Theme much more the second time through.
Pokemon Y - 23 Hours
Considerably less than the time I spent in X all those years ago. This was one of the last Pokemon games I played in my recent playing of all the games, since I had already technically beaten X. It was a lot of fun to revisit though, and I love Sylveon!
Ocarina of Time 3D - 21 Hours
This one also makes sense, since I owned it during my original teenage years of owning the 3DS. I can't believe I paid 40 bucks for this just to get stuck on the Forest Temple for years! OoT doesn't resonate with me the same way as everyone else seemingly.
Pokemon Red - 19 Hours
Again, this makes sense. I think this was the third game of my recent Pokemon marathon, right after Alpha Sapphire and Ultra Moon. It was a short run thanks to an overlevelled Venasaur and the three legendary birds. I enjoyed crushing this game.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy - 16 Hours
This is the game I just finished. I love the series and it was nice to finish it out. I think the ending was silly but the presentation value was nice to see.
Pushmo - 14 Hours
This was my go-to breakfast game for weeks, but phone-scrolling has replaced it as my morning activity while eating.
Shovel Knight - 14 Hours
This used to be the premiere downloadable title on 3DS. I think this game still holds up, but it has lost the sheer novelty of being a Kickstarter retro success over time.
Shin Megami Tensei IV - 13 Hours
I liked Persona 4 so I thought I would like this. It was too difficult for me back then, but now I don't have the patience. This was one of the games I actually paid 15 bucks to download back in highschool.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - 13 Hours
The first of my several attempts to get into Monster Hunter. I bought, played, quit, and sold this game all back in high school. I would later go on to buy, try, and sell Monster Hunter World as well. It just isn't for me.
Metroid: Samus Returns - 12 Hours
I tried and hated this game on PC emulator, but it has a lot more charm on the actual system. I still generally dislike the melee mechanic but I generally enjoyed this game. It helps that I even beat the original first! Hopefully Dread fixes the few things wrong with this game.
Kid Icarus: Uprising - 12 Hours
I don't know if I ever fell in love with the "unique" control scheme of this game, but I definitely fell in love with all of the characters! This was a great one to play with my girlfriend watching. It's also great to have more of a context for Pit, Palutena, and Dark Pit in Smash now!
Pokemon Sun - 11 Hours
I haven't beaten it yet, whoops.
Rhyhm Heaven Megamix - 11 Hours
One of the last purchases I made before the Switch came out and killed my 3DS playing nearly permanently. I paid 30 bucks! As much as I love this game, I don't know if it was worth that.
Super Mario 3D Land - 10 Hours
A rare game that I played before AND after the rift of me playing 3DS. It's...fine. Definitely Mario.
Picross 3D: Round 2 - 9 Hours
I have always loved Picross and this is no exception. I really should dive back in sometime!
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 8 Hours
I just can't get into it, I've tried but I can't.
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright - 8 Hours
This was actually a birthday gift! I was very excited for the concept but hugely turned off by the time travel and setting. I need to give it another shake, perhaps after replaying some of the Ace Attorney games.
Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D - 7 Hours
One of my few highschool digital purchases. I played a lot of Mercenaries in 6 and 5 (which this is based on, seemingly). It's...fine. But I should have just replayed Revelations on 3DS instead.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy - 6 Hours
It was 7 bucks at GameStop used, so I guess I almost got a 1:1 ratio of hours to dollars. I would've enjoyed this game more now, after playing FF7 Remake.
Pokemon Picross - 6 Hours
Free AND Picross? Yes, but also grindy and scummy. I wish you could just buy a physical copy of this game with everything unlocked.
Paper Mario Sticker Star - 5 Hours
Ten dollars on clearance was too much for this game. Maybe I will try it again sometime knowing ahead of time that it is a joke of a video game. I spit on this game's grave.
Mario Tennis Open - 5 Hours
A lot of the games I acquired within the last year have much lower playtimes, so I was not expecting to see this game this high. I guess I played a few tournaments. I feel like I quit because Waluigi cheated, then played just the tutorial of Mario Golf before quitting that too.
Elite Beat Agents - 4.5 Hours
This game rules.
Tetris Axis - 4.5 Hours
This game drools.
Kirby Planet Robobot - 4.5 Hours
Cute game, but I only play it with my girlfriend.
New Super Mario Brothers 2 - 4.5 Hours
I am surprised it is this low considering I got stuck on the final boss in single player and beat around 2 worlds in coop.
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - 4 Hours
I need to play more!
Super Smash Brothers Demo - 4 Hours
Hell yeah this was such an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan! Trying to get ahold of this demo was like getting a Willy Wonk golden ticket. I was so excited to play as Mega Man, Villager, Mario, Link, and Pikachu even if just on Battlefield.
Kingdom Hearts 3D - 3.5 Hours
A surprisingly competent action RPG. This game kind of reeks as part of the PS4 collection, but it really shines on the original version.
Layton's Mystery Journey - 3 Hours
I like the idea of playing as Layton's daughter, but I don't like having a talking dog and an insufferable simp as sidekicks. I hope the next game just returns to the original crew.
Mario Kart 7 - 3 Hours
It's...Mario Kart. Not a ton more to say.
Mario Party Island Tour - 3 Hours
I have trouble keeping the different 3DS Mario Party games separate in my mind, but anything that's not Top 100 is fun with friends. Top 100 only has one, miserable board! Why???
Ultimate NES Remix - 3 Hours
A great game for pick up and play, but not for long sessions.
Art of Balance Touch - 3 Hours
Recently got into this. Tons of fun until the difficulty gets a little too high!
Warioware Gold - 2.5 Hours
I completely beat this game and it is still this low. Fun, but hard to recommend at any price but free.
Luigi's Mansion 2 - 2.5 Hours
Cute game....but feels hard to play for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Dead or Alive Dimensions - 2.5 Hours
Again, all I did was beat the game and then quit. Surprsingly competent for a 3DS fighting game, but too barebones with content compared to Smash.
Boxboy - 2.5 Hours
I feel like I played this game way more. It's cute and fun, but now I have a hard time picking up the puzzles where I left them.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Demo - 2.5 Hours
This tricked me into buying the game! Dangit
Mario Party Star Rush - 2.5 Hours
Oh god, I can't keep this one and Island Tour straight.
Pokemon Shuffle - 2 Hours
I feel like I played this one way more, but that is probably because the phone version also exists.
VVVVVV - 2 Hours
Beat the whole game! Not a bad way to spend time, but this makes it worth only 2 dollars according to my 1:1 ratio of dollars to hours.
Final Fantasy Explorers - 2 Hours
I like some things about this game but I just cannot play anything related to Monster Hunter.
Tri Force Heroes - 2 Hours
This suffers from "Overcooked syndrome" where you have to rely on your teammates so much that it becomes a total chore.
Theatrythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call - 1.5 Hours
I played that much just to unlocked multiplayer.
Super Street Fighter IV - 1.5 Hours
I think I paid for this game full price back in high school and then barely played it. I've always tried to delude myself into thinking that I can play real fighting games that are not Smash.
Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX - 1.5 Hours
Again, I feel like I played this game for days and days. I suppose rhythm games feel like time slows down when you play them. Thumbs up for including Puyo Puyo! I am surprised this game released in the West at all.
Rune Factory 4 - 1.5 Hours
I got this far as a favor to a friend. I just can't play any game where there is an optimal way to act that sounds exhausting but possible to me. I know I could easily talk to all the NPC's every day... but I do not want to.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 1.5 Hours
This was exclusively played with friends. Not a fan.
Pokemon Rumble World - 1.5 Hours
Free games. Novelty as a kid. No time for them as an adult. Nothing about this game is appealing beyond the price point.
Attack of the Friday Monster - 1.5 Hours
My biggest memory of this game is playing it on the schoolbus when a little kid asked if he could play/watch and I told him I was playing a boring game that he wouldn't like. As cute as this game is, yes, it is boring and not very fun.
Sonic Generations - 1.5 Hours
I somewhat enjoyed this game until the Shadow boss fight. Can't figure it out. Not fun.
Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn - 1.5 Hours
Cute, played it with girlfriend.
Super Mario Land 2 - 1 Hour
I think I got this with Club Nintendo points?
Rage of the Gladiator - 1 Hour
Medieval offbrand Punch-Out.
Mario Party: The Top 100 - 1 Hour
ONE BOARD?!? At least it has the storybook minifame from gamecube Mario Party.
Trace Memory - 1 Hour
Bought used from GameStop. I was told it was a hidden gem, but I didn't have the patience.
Mario and Sonic Rio 2016 - 1 Hour
Cute game to play with friends but some of the minigames suck. Thumbs up for less common Sonic characters.
Azure Striker Gunvolt - 1 Hour
Not bad, just helped me realize that I don't really like Mega Man style games all that much. The genre of "Mega Man" just feels like a Metroid with no exploration or meaningful progression.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - 1 Hour
I tried to get into this franchise but it is so booooorring and slow and unappealing to me.
I've been rounding to the half hour, so the next game is Zelda Oracle of Season at 44 minutes, which would round down to half an hour. I will take that as my cue to finish here.
In conclusion: games I owned longer tended to be played longer. Shocker. This was all just an excuse to ramble about Nintendo games anyways.
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Paper Mario: The Origami King
I loved Paper Mario: The Origami King. A lot. It's my first Paper Mario game and it is an understatement to say that I adored it. Enough so that I want to write a full review on my thoughts for the entire game. o-o It’s been so long since I’ve felt the need to do that and it feels good. It feels so good. T-T
So let’s do this. :D This is going to be a long one, and I’ll probably put the cut right before I start talking about individual chapters. Hopefully before that there are no major spoilers, but afterwards its’ a free for all discussion. So spoilers will be present! :D
A Brief History of my Relationship With Paper Mario
I saw an Arlo video talking about it when I was randomly browsing videos on his channel (I found him for something else believe or not) and I think that was the first time I even realized this franchise existed. Lol. (Which is funny because I have a Wii U and Paper Mario: Color Splash was like the last big game for that console).
I was curious so I browsed the Paper Mario Reddit and watched his Color Splash reviews and got interested in the series.
I ended starting to watch play throughs of Thousand Year Door (where I am mostly through the game? The players just finished the area where you get Vivian) and Color Splash (where I am halfway through the game maybe?).
My opinion on both games: They both look fine. TYYD has it’s good points. Color Splash has its good points. I feel like I would be irritated by random battles in both of them, no matter the combat methods. Lol.
But honestly I leaned more toward Color Splash because I love the Paper Aesthetic. Good story + Paper Themed World = My jam.
Which means that first Origami King trailer smacked me in the face because it looked like I’d be getting both. I preordered the game as soon as I saw the trailer and it did not disappoint. Lol.
General Stuff
The Good: The characters! I adored all of them. Every character, whether generic minion or unique, was bursting with fun dialogue and moments that made me smile. Olivia was precious. I want an Origami Olly to put in my room (I love him so much) and the Legion of Stationary was surprisingly fleshed out. They were easily my favorite bosses in the game, which was a surprise after all the teasing they got in the trailers. Lol.
Plus: LUIGI. Oh my gosh. He’s amazing in this game. XD
The Music doesn’t need my praise. Everyone has praised the music in this game and it deserves it. Every. Single. Track. Is the greatest and I love this soundtrack. I’m listening to it right now (Where can I buy this Nintendo. TELL ME).
I also really enjoyed the battles. It had a nice blend of Turn Based & Overworld Action, keeping things mixed up and fresh. I wasn’t great at some of the combat (Which I’ll talk about below in the chapter by chapter section) but the game makes stuff easier if you fail too much...which I appreciated. LOL.
Oh. And the Confetti thing. I liked it. Filling holes with confetti was satisfying in a nice completionism way. It was kinda soothing, too, and it was nice to physically repair the world in addition to trying to save it in general.
The Critique: The game needed more time with Olly. I’m not just saying that as someone who loved him, I’m saying it as a story miss. We see Olly at the beginning. And we see him for like two seconds at a time between chapters to half-handedly ask Olivia to join him, and then...the final boss fight. One or two cut-away scenes showing what Olly and Peach were doing between the Streamer Banners would have been great and done wonders for fleshing out the story.
The Combat: Opinions on this have been highly mixed. Specifically, I have noticed a large crowd saying the combat is too easy; they line everything up on the first turn and kill everything on the first turn and then they’re drowning in coins so there’s no point to battle.
And then there’s Me: I rarely got the puzzle right on the first turn, which means I didn't get the bonus coins, and I usually burned through weapons and faster since I didn’t get the “Great Line Up!” on the first turn bonus. So I was...constantly fight enemies for coins (Stuff gets expensive in this game) and using them to get help from the Toads.
So when I got puzzles right on the first turn, I felt super accomplished. Lol. I did eventually get better at them (and used one of the help items from the Battle Toad) and was beating them in one turn 60% of the time. So while I really enjoyed the puzzle turn-based battles, I can see how some would get tired and bored of them.
I think a difficulty setting might fix the wildly different experiences with this. The puzzles get much tricker later, so if you’re solving even those too fast--the game could have given you harder stuff to solve.
Though it is sort of funny. If you do well at puzzles, you get a ton of extra bonus coins. But if you’re good at the puzzles, you don’t need those coins since coins are mostly spent on “Getting help for puzzles.” Which the people who are bad at puzzles need but don’t get...fun times.
Boss battles, however, were mostly scripted and I’ll talk about those in detail in the spoiler section below. XD
The Game
Okay! Let’s get into the meat and talk about each Streamer Section individually. o-o Whoooooooo. I’m glad the Game8 Wiki has a nice layout for me to reference. XD
Prologue
This is when I knew I was going to love the game. Luigi is adorable. Origami Peach is every bit as creepy as the trailer promised. And Olly stealing the castle was great. :D
The Red Streamer
This entire streamer is a tutorial. I can see how that could get irritating if you don’t like Olivia holding you hand (and I have seen many complain about it), but this is the only chapter where she does that.
Which I understand. Every streamer follows the same sort of pattern (explore two or more themed areas to open up a path to a temple, beat a temple, beat a Vellumental, go clear the boss building/area, fight the Stationary Boss). Giving the audience a clear how-to guide to get through an entire Streamer Chapter isn’t the worst.
Plus Olivia is adorable and I used X to talk to her all the time, whether I needed the hint or not. Lol.
Whispering Woods
The mini story with the trees and the the little Toad camp ground are cute. I was surprised that I had to back track here later in the game a few times. XD
Toad Town
The hub world! Here you can find the Museum (which has all the fast travel pipes), the Battle Practice area (which if you visit 3x will give you items to make the Ring battles easier), and the shop (please remember to actually use your membership card you get from here and don’t be like me who paid 24,000 coins in the late game for a collectible when I could have had it HALF OFF but I forgot to equip the membership card).
It also features: A cool Graffiti area I need to visit again because I heard it gets more art as you progress through the game, many Macho Gumbas to beat, the Docks, a Toad that’ll tell you what Power Up Hearts you are missing, more fast travel options, and a great scene with Luigi that kick-starts his sub-story as he hunts for Princess Peach’s Castle Key.
Picnic Road & Overlook Mountain
So many hidden Toads. Everywhere. XD It’s a very lovely area, but again, since this is a tutorial-ish Streamer there isn’t much there aside from enemies to practice fighting and a lot of examples of how Toads hide (including in the ground, in walls, as folded origami, on the other end of small over world puzzles, etc.)
Earth Elemental Temple & Fight
I loved the lead up to this Temple. The fake Koopa one with the small tour boxes was so great. It was funny, cute, and I loved that the fake Temple Tour ended with a real Temple.
The fight was easy (again...tutorial streamer) but I still messed up a few times. Lol. It took me a while to get the hang of the boss rings (and I kid you not, it was like five streamers in before I realized you could move the boss ring panels front and back in addition to rotating the rings).
Olivia turning into a Vellumental was a huge surprise. I’m not sure how I feel about it as a whole, but they use her transforming powers the entire game, so it’s thematically appropriate.
Overlook Tower & Colored Pencils
Fighting your way up the tower to get to the boss was fun. I loved the elevator bits & the drawings everywhere (Colored Pencils drew Olly!!!).
It was a very nice introduction to the future “Boss Building before the Fight” that you’ll face in every Streamer.
Also Colored Pencils having a personality was such a delight that I couldn’t help but grin. Legit, the Legion of Stationary are some of my favorite characters and I’m amazing at how much life and personality they shoved into these office supplies.
I’m sad they die afterwards though. T-T
But with the Red Streamer done, the game stops holding your hand and the game really gets going. :P
The Blue Streamer
One word: Bobby.
It’s fun having the second world be your favorite in the game. Lol. But it just hit all the right beats and made a great impact.
Autumn Mountain
Very pretty area. Lets you get to know Bob-omb (aka “Bobby” as Olivia likes to call him) and his personality as you explore a gorgeous, autumn area. Lots of warm colors and great music tracks. It had a few frustrating areas with the stupid falling Chestnuts (oh my gosh how long did it take me to figure out I needed to hit the wall to break it lol), but overall a good area.
Water Vellumental
I cheated on the slide puzzles. I’ll admit it. I paid the coins to have the Temple solve its own puzzles. LOL.
Years of playing Zelda made me terrified of a Water based Temple but it wasn’t that bad aside from the slide puzzles. A very lovely temple with a great design.
The boss fight was one of the easier ones, but I was still getting the hang of figuring out the pathing for boss fights so it took me a while to figure out how to execute the things I wanted to do (I figured out early I had to use Olivia’s Earth Vellumental form to avoid the Water Attack, but I wasn’t so good at lining u the On Button and the Magic Circles to do it lol).
Eddy River
Lord this was annoying. I missed one of the Holes to fill with confetti and that was the moment were I was like “I will never 100% this game” because the thought of going down that river again made me go “No.” XD
Shogun Studios
I loved running around this amusement park. There were puzzles and character interactions everywhere. (So many item trades between NPCs lol) and the Ninja Mansion was fun. Even if I had to do it twice because I missed Luigi the first time around...
Big Sho’ Theatre & Rubber Band
This was amazing.
Riding the up the tower in the audience seats. The captured Toad audience. The paper Macho actors. The different stage plays. Rubber Band yelling in the background before showing up as the Diva they are.
The Rubber Band fight was also a blast. I figured out the trick immediately and had a great time wrecking that boss. XD
It was fun. The Rubber Band Tower & Fight are easily my 2nd favorite Boss Area and Fight in the game.
Sweetpaper Valley to Breezy Tunnel
I know this area is technically part of the Yellow Streamer, but it feels like an interlude section, so I’m putting it in its own section.
I will admit, I had this part of the game spoiled for me. I knew about what happened to Bobby and I was like “Really. The game’s going to go there.”
And it did.
When you get to the Valley, Olly drops a bolder on Olivia and Bobby’s like “I know how to fix this.”
He takes you on an awesome adventure through the Princess Peach Cruise Ship that involves an incredible Macho Battle on the boat and the retrieval of a special item, and then when you get back...
Bob-omb saves Olivia.
The death of Bobby itself wasn’t the sad part. Honestly it was a little funny because the bolder explodes into a bunch of confetti that Mario picks up as he walks through it.
The sad part is Olivia.
When she realizes what happened to Bobby and runs away. Ug. Sitting with her in the dark as she sobs. Her grief. It’s so sad in the best way. And then Bobby! Bobby tells you to cheer her up and man.
That tiny “That’s not fair” she says to Mario when he makes her laugh? That’s the spot that got me teary eyed for the first time in the game.
It’s so good and it solidified this game as an all time favorite. Even if the rest of the game was horrible, it can’t take that scene away.
The Yellow Streamer
The. Music. This area has my favorite music. Every track is such a jazzy, awesome beat and I could hang out in the Snif City Hotel Pool Room all day to listen to that song. XD
Scorching Dessert & Snif City
Driving through the Desert areas felt a little like padding since you had to keep backtracking everywhere, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the Purple Streamer later, so in hindsight it’s less annoying. Lol.
Snif City has a fun design and I loved exploring it, along with the desert area. The Luigi cameo was pretty fun (as was the intentional game over I triggered to see the animation lol).
Professor Toad is a fun partner character, though I will admit I got stuck for a while because I didn’t realize you could use him to dig in spots that weren’t glowing (oops).
Olivia singing to raise the temple was a treat.
The Fire Vellumental
This temple is how I found out the game makes stuff easier if you fail too many times. There was a jumping area where you have to only jump on blocks that light up and I failed so many times it dropped all the blocks you couldn’t jump on. Uh. Oops. XD
The Fire Vellumental has my favorite design. It’s basically Moltres and Olivia looks awesome as a fire bird.
The Temple of Shrooms and Hole Punch
This might be my favorite Stationary Lair & Fight. The temple was great to explore. The Faceless Toads were fun and creepy. And oh my gosh the DJ dance room caught me so off guard I couldn't help but laugh.
Great music. Great Boss.
The fact he wouldn’t come out unless everyone was partying was fantastic. The fight itself was also pretty fun with the guy hole-punching Mario and having to find your pieces on the grid. The Hole Punch’s theme “Disco Devil” is also so good I can’t take it. Who gave a song a right to be that catchy?
I loved every second of this temple & fight.
Captain T.Ode
And then of course everything ends with Professor Toad finding the Toad he was looking for, finishing out his mini story arc. And using your fire powers to free him (And after the Shangri-Spa Toads worked so hard, too!! Lol).
The Purple Streamer
This is the only area of the game I didn’t like. It had a few good moments (Luigi and the Mushroom Island, a few of the puzzles islands) but overall I wanted to get through it as fast as possible and almost rage quit at one point.
The only saving grace was the ending with the Stationary Boss.
The Great Sea
It took me way too long to realize I had to take the boat out into the mist before it would prompt Captain T.Ode getting his submarine. WAY TOO LONG. I was sailing around aimlessly and screaming in the Museum wondering why the guy didn’t come get the Marino yet for like a solid thirty minutes.
Everything about this area was slow. Swimming from Island to Island. The loading screens between the Submarine sections. The small Island puzzles.
Just. Ug.
And of course when I find out I can upgrade the boat to go faster I didn’t have enough coins. So I had to go to another area to fight baddies to get coins and come back. XD
Even meeting Olly’s creator on an island (with a great Luigi sequence) was a disappointment. It was so short and all we really learned was that Olly is the one who made Olivia (which makes him more her Dad than her Brother...which I have talked bout before but will let the topic drop here for now). And that was IT.
Give me a flashback to Olly being made. Give me more of a hint to what the Origami Maker wrote to make the kid go nuts. Just. Something. Anything! *throws hands in the air*
The Ice Vellumental
This temple was annoying. The sliding ice puzzles were just...no. They aren’t actually that bad. I was just really burned out from all the sailing when I got to this temple and was in a bad mood. I’ll be fair--the temple itself was fine.
(Except for one area where you had to climb the stairs while dodging falling boulders and I kept messing up my jumps and having to do it over and ARRRGH).
BUT THE BEAR.
I hate the bear. I had my first game over with the bear. I nearly rage Quit with the bear. And I beat him EVENTUALLY with 10 HP and because the game had pity on me and stuck the 1000 Arms Technique panel on the outer row.
I was fine up until the “Memorize the path and recreate it” section. The path would look easy. I’d remember where it was. But then the rings would get shuffled and I could not recreate the path for the life of me. I tried it so many times. I failed so many times.
*stares into the distance*
I watched a Youtube Tutorial that beat that boss in five minutes. It took me like an hour. There is a special type of frustration that comes from “I know what I need to do and I know the trick but I can’t seem to make it work.”
The Three Trials
I paid coins to make these easier. I was so done with everything by that point, that failing the stupid Strength Trial twice in a row was enough to just. End me. XD
The Sea Tower and Tape
A shining light in a horrible Streamer. Lol. The Tower was fun to climb and I got excited for the Tape boss.
Who did not disappoint.
His greaser Punk personality and calling Olly “Boss” was the first thing that made me really grin this entire streamer. Even Tape’s fight gimmick taping the panels down was almost a relief and a much easier fight than the Ice Vellumental.
I loved the Tape fight. XD
The Green Streamer
Aka “Kamek is awesome and bless the Bowser Minions.”
Shangri-Spa
I liked this area more than I thought I would. When I first got there and saw the theme of Angel Toads I was like “Why” and then I saw Bower’s fallen Castle, met all the minions paying off their debt cleaning, and Olivia thought Kamek was a housekeeper.
Bless all of it.
And then Bowser Jr. gets cut into pieces by a pair of scissors and it was like “Oh, shit.”
You fix him of course, but the implications were like “Dude, those scissors killed Bowser Jr.” I honestly think one of the reasons they leaned so much harder into the “paper” aesthetic was to get away with more violence/darker content. The entire Scissors lair and fight is the perfect example. It sort of follows TV and Cartoon logic - if it’s not human, you can get away with a LOT more violence (like robots getting ripped apart or derezzing characters in Tron).
It’s not actual gore, but if you think about what it symbolizes, it really hits you (and why Mario Game Overs getting cut in half instead of reviving with his Green Mushroom).
You get a small break after that exploring all the Spas and their mini puzzles to fix Bowser Jr. The Jungle Area is the longest of which and has some nice scripted Game Overs that are fun to trigger and Olivia, Kamek, and Bowser Jr. have a good “Pick me!” scenario that gets repeated.
The boss of his area is also Macho Chain Chomp which is a win in my book because Chain Chomp is Best Mario Baddie.
(I love Chain Chomps. I have a Chain Chompette on my Keychain.)
Bowser’s Castle & Scissors
I noticed a lot of people saying Scissors was their favorite Stationary Boss and I didn’t quite get why until this Castle & Fight. He’s not knocking Hole Punch out of the way on my own list (Seriously that Boss fight music), but he is up there on the “Dude” factor.
Scissors is creepy. He is a literal sadist who tortures everyone he gets his hand on. His shadow paper minions are creepy and have cool Ring Battles.
The mutilated minions he used to make up a paper Macho Buzzy Beetle was dark if you thought about it too long - but it was a great Kamek moment. XD
Scissors himself had a great “I want a challenge!” attitude and his fight was intense.
I also screwed up and broke the blade guard on the first turn and uh. I died very quickly. XD That note that says “DO NOT BREAK THE GUARD” wasn’t kidding. I’m not super at timing action commands, so uh, jumping over the blades didn’t work out so well (especially when Scissors started cheating...).
Second time went much better. I figured out how to time attacks to avoid hitting his guard. I got to see the awesome cut scene where he took the guard off. I actually dodged a hit. I had fun. XD
And then Bowser enters the scene for the final areas of the game. Whoooo!
Finale
Bowers’ Air Ship appearance was epic. Very cinematic and I loved how he was like “I might use this against you later.”
Mario and Bowser team ups never fail to disappoint, honestly.
The air battle was messed up.
After that entire scene with Bobby in the Blue Streamer...I am now firing Bob-ombs at planes freely and in mass numbers because I have bad aim. I just. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry. XD
The crash landing and the race out of the volcano were fun, though.
Peach’s Castle & Olly’s Castle
Luigi finally brought us the right key. I haven’t talked about Luigi much, but every single one of his appearances brought a smile with them. I loved how he had a key in every chapter like clockwork, and even now, he came through.
Bowser talking about Luigi was also pretty great. XD
But most importantly:
I love Olly. His few appearances here desperately made me wish there had been more of him earlier. He’s a dramatic little brat and I want to hug him.
The transformation of Peach’s Castle to Olly’s Origami one? Amazing. One of my favorite cut scenes in the game.
Fighting the Origami Castle itself? Eh. Aside from the great music tracks, it was a little tedious. It lacked the cool levels of the earlier Boss Areas and was mostly “use 1000 folding arms” to progress. I didn’t hate the area, but it was a bit of a let down.
Stapler was nice though. He was a good dog. That I crushed in combat. o-o
King Olly
His throne room covered in Paper Cranes is my favorite designed room & man, I wish I remembered to take more screen shots. It was so creepy and so dark and it looked so good with this tiny paper King sitting alone next to an empty throne since Olivia “Betrayed” him.
I loved how his castle still had Olivia everywhere. Like they were meant to be together, but still separated. So good. T-T
The Princess Peach reveal was also so creepy and great.
But also made me wish for more cut scenes. Why did Olly want to make her into the wall? Why did he want her quiet? Did she annoy him? Or What? Tell me, game. Tell me!
Aesthetically it made the room look perfect though as his creepy little room. XD
As far as Olly's motivations go...I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, yes, it’s a little shallow. “A Toad wrote on me so now I’m going to destroy all flat paper beings and make them origami!” is sure...a thing. But I’m also a fan of Evil Characters that are just...evil. Maybe Olly really did just want to make everything Origami so they were like him. He was the first “Living” Origami creature and maybe he was just lonely. That’s why he made Olivia and wanted everyone to be like him.
But that’s also reading into it...and makes me want to write a fanfic exploring it, but this is a review. XD
I’m fine with “Olly was looking for any excuse to go nuts and take over the world and the writing will just have to do.” Even if it does make his little “I guess I lost so now I’m redeemed” moment feel forced. XD
The Fights
The Bowser Origami Sumo vs Giant Olly thing was...okay. I get what they were going for, but it kinda missed the mark with me.
The Actual Olly fight? Oh lord. I had to do it like 10 times.
I failed the Action commands...a lot. Which meant a lot of game overs since I went into the fight with like 40 health (I may or may not be bad at jumping and the Sumo fight throwing stars may or may not have wrecked my health) and didn’t doge Olly's attacks.
Thankfully the game made the ring puzzle easier each time so I could actually finish it.
And it only took me 4 times to get the action commands right? XD Something like that.
I DID IT which is the point.
(This is a case of “If I was better at gaming I would have loved the fight” but my poor skills made it longer and more tedious than it should have been - only’s awesome speech at the beginning loses its bite after the fourth time hearing it.)
The Final Cut Scene
Olivia saying Goodby to Olly had me teary eyed. Her holding his little hand. Reading the message their creator left. Olly’s request for her to make him into the last crane.
Olivia’s freaking WISH. Knowing that She, herself, was one of Olly’s creations.
The cut scene was beautiful. The cranes. The light. The castles’ return.
The party at the end. The two little empty thrones.
I was sniffing through the (very well done and great to watch) credits.
Olivia was such a good girl and I miss her and Olly so much.
This ending was the perfect example of “Wouldn’t change it because it made me sad in a good way but Bless Fanfics and their “Everyone Lives” alternate universes.”
THE END
The game had a few hiccups but overall? I loved it. I can very easily see how “Your first Paper Mario is your favorite” is going to hold true. Wonderful game.
I might have to actually go back and try to 100% the game to get that extra ending I’ve seen spoiled.
#Paper Mario#Paper Mario The Origami King#Nintendo#I loved this game.#I could talk about all of it even more#but this is the condensed version.#Review#Long Post
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A Count’s World Retrospective, part 1
You know, working on The Count’s World anniversary has got me thinking about how I got started in fanfiction in the first place. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this, but Super Papes wasn’t my first foray into the wonderful world of fanfiction. In fact, I wouldn’t have written TCW at all if I wasn’t already aware of the ff.net community, setup, system, etc. With my 10-year anniversary coming up at the same time the DuckTales reboot is already showing its premier movie and on schedule to launch in about a month, I’m reminded that what really got me into fanficcing was... Darkwing Duck.
The Disney Afternoon aired on TV when I was little, and I have memories of playing at DuckTales and Darkwing with my brother, as well as having toys and storybooks of those series. But, like most things from my childhood, they faded away as I grew older. I have no idea what brought it up, but I didn’t think about Darkwing Duck again until 2006, which is forever known as The Year I Moved to Disney World.
This was a transitional period in my life: I was on my own for the first time, learning how to function with my disabilities, and for the first time doing something I loved in a place I loved and getting paid for it. But still, it was lonely at times. For the first half I didn’t get along with any of my roommates, I had trouble making friends at work, and things were all-around rough.
This coincided with an interesting period in Internet development. 2006 was a unique time in Internet, as it was after the time when having internet access in your home was approaching ubiquitousness, but the structure and scoiety still had that old “wild west” feel. People had things like MySpace, LiveJournal and other platforms for creating content and connecting with like-minded individuals. However, this was all incredibly new and nobody really knew what to make of it yet. The “old fandom,” which I had not taken part in, which was mostly tied to bulletin boards, old terrible fansites, mailing lists, etc., were all falling to the side as things like LiveJournal groups and fanfiction.net began to make it easier to bring fandom together.
Also back then, you couldn’t go online and look up any episode of any cartoon you want on kisscartoon or watchcartoononline. I only had access to a handful of episodes on dailymotion and that’s it. The first DVD hadn’t even been released at the beginning of this escapade. So a google search for Darkwing Duck doesn’t bring up the show’s wiki or its illegal episode torrents. It brings up old fan sites, which later rehosted their works on ff.net where a whole new generation of content creators was using it as a platform to share their works.
So I, being on my own and lonely, began to read. And read. And read. And when I finally made a friend who would watch the show with me on the DVD that came out while I was down there, we speculated. The speculation tied with my new discovery of fanfiction, and I began to write.
None of these works have ever seen the light of day. They have not been published or even finished. One of them is so embarrassing I won’t even tell you what it was about if you begged me, but the other one was something special. It was going to be my magnum opus. For all of 2007, the year I came home and crashed hard, it kept me going. Fanfiction made the post-Best Job Ever blues pass by so much more easily. I was really excited about this being my grand debut on the internet.
However, life had other plans.
My brother got a Wii for Christmas in 2007, and with it Super Paper Mario. I played it and loved it, but what I did not love was the ending. I was so upset that Blumiere and Timpani's ending was so... unsatisfying! They just disappear and that's it? I couldn't even bear to watch the credits, I just went to my room and cried. (The knowledge of the post credits scene helped soothe the burn somewhat, but I still felt cheated.)
Like I did two years previously, I handled the vacant gap with fanfiction. Like before, it fleshed out a world that I wasn't ready to leave. The one that took most of my attention was "Odium and Love," by Lazlo Pizzazzlo (then named Lazlo Titan.) But there were so many good ones. I had already set aside my "Magnum Opus" because I was too removed from the source material to do a good job, so I thought, "Why not write about Super Papes?"
All these ideas came to me: instead of writing one big fix-it fic, I would instead break it down into small, managable chunks. Since I was even back then a huge animation enthusiast, I thought about making it like a Saturday morning cartoon, except with more continuity. I took inspiration from a lot of other sources, which I will dicuss later, weather permitting, but the two shows that had the biggest impact in terms of setting were Aladdin: The Series and All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series, both TV series that took pace after sequels to great movies that played around with the setting to make the show work. I figured I'd do three, maybe five, and then move on.
I did not expect people to respond as they did. I actually did not expect people to respond at all. I expected my first fics to go unread and unnoticed. But people liked it. And I found that I liked it, too. So I wrote more, and more. Five became nine, which led to a movie, which led to more. I lost steam not too much later, so I started branching out to other fandoms. But every time I thought I'd moved on, I wanted to go back. So I did.
Now here we are, ten years, twentyish shorts and a "movie" later, and I'm still here. I never did finish that debut story, and all my notes on it are long gone. Maybe I'll tackle it someday. Maybe not. Maybe I'll branch out more to other fandoms, or maybe I'll stay here. I never planned for any of this to happen, and I haven't planned for anything after this. But I'm still here, and if you're reading this you are, too. Or maybe you just got here. If so, you're welcome to stay. I appreciate the company. I know I have trouble interacting with my readers, but this is why I got into fanfiction in the first place: because I was lonely, and I liked a thing but there wasn't enough about it.
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TOP 5 Games of 2018
5. Octopath Traveler
Despite all of its shortcomings and lack of depth, I was entranced by this jewel. I wrote a full review here.
4. Spider-Man
Another one that took a lot of my time this year -- to the point where I platinumed it. But I haven’t returned for any DLC. I wrote a full review of this one as well, and it touches on why I probably won’t be back to web-slinging until a proper sequel.
3. Red Dead Redemption II
I still haven’t finished RDR II, but it really is the most polished game I’ve played all year. And maybe it’s unfair to judge this game before I’m done with it, but that’s part of why it’s both so high and so low on my list. The previous game sank claws into me that I couldn’t escape for the better part of a year. This game wants to be more cinematic. Rockstar wants to push the art in the art form, and while that’s admirable and we should have A-list games striving for the very best the medium can produce, it also seems to have come in the progression of gameplay. I’m in the absolute minority on this so I won’t say much on it -- at least not until I’ve completed the main story. And the game still plays well. Quite well. But I dunno. The last game was still a game. This sometimes feels like the most boring parts of a film.
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
I don't know if I need to recalculate my score for Smash Wii U after this, because for all intents and purposes, Ultimate IS the better game. It's like the Mario Kart 8 of the franchise: refined to the point where improvement is impossible. The roster is madness, the single-player modes are grindy but better, and it feels like there's nowhere left to go. But I'm sort of okay with that. I'm ready for this franchise to retire. And maybe my score reflects that more than anything.
1. Into the Breach
Into the Breach is deceptively crystal in its presentation and gameplay. Every possibility, option, and strategy is communicated to the player at all times, and failure to exercise the best method is always your own fault. The amount of abuse I allowed this game to inflict on me is lunacy, but I felt like I gained new knowledge and motivation with each failure, and if I started over then I could finally win. I am no battle chess player, but this sucker is so simply addictive.
Something different:
I’ve been making personal GOTY choices for a very long time now and I got curious about the stack of them -- what possible stats or preferences I could glean from seeing them all together. They’ll also fluctuate more commonly than my favorite films of the year because games are expensive, I often wait for them to go down in price to try them, and by then we’re in the next year and my list has already been made. So, I wanted to look back through my choices, make any appropriate changes if I’d played anything else since those lists had been made, and see what I’ve chosen. Here’s what I found:
1998: StarCraft 1999: Super Smash Bros. 2000: Paper Mario 2001: Super Smash Bros. Melee 2002: Super Mario Sunshine 2003: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2004: Halo 2 2005: Mario Kart DS 2006: Gears of War 2007: Halo 3 2008: Grand Theft Auto IV 2009: Batman: Arkham Asylum 2010: Red Dead Redemption 2011: Portal 2 2012: Journey 2013: Grand Theft Auto V 2014: Mario Kart 8 2015: Super Mario Maker 2016: ABZÛ 2017: Super Mario Odyssey 2018: Into the Breach
Obviously, some of these I reviewed in retrospect. I wasn’t makin’ GOTY lists way back in 1998, I can tell ya that much! No sir! What a lame hobby for a child! Ha ha!
Wins by exclusives: Nintendo - 8 Microsoft - 3 Sony - 1
Wins by franchise: Super Smash Bros. - 2 Mario Kart - 2 Halo - 2 Grand Theft Auto - 2
Wins by genre: Action - 4 Shooter - 4 Platformer - 4 (5 with Mario Maker) Strategy - 4 Racer - 2
I feel pretty well-rounded. More so than I used to consider my tastes to be, anyway.
Personal surprises: I thought I chose Nintendo far more often, but 8/20 isn’t too dominating. True enough, there was a near ten year gap where I barely played much Nintendo had to offer. The Wii U might have been a financial crater, but the Wii was a creative one, and even when Nintendo cracked it (Super Mario Galaxy), there were still better games on the market.
2001 is a funky year. I flip back and forth between Melee and Combat Evolved all the time, but I think I’m happy to leave it here. I can’t fathom how much time I spent on either of them. And speaking of time spent, that appears to be my number one criterium for determining what’s worthy for top spot. Other things can factor in when it’s close (this year, for example, I had spent far more time on Octopath and Spider-Man, but neither of them had moved me to sit down and play them like Breach -- they felt more like personal obligations I’d given myself). But it’s a fair, I think: my strongest memories of games are going to become stronger with more game time. The only reason I stopped playing Halo 2 (at 2800 matches) was because Halo 3 released, and I left that game at almost 2950 matches. Compare that to Reach, which struggled to reach 1000, or even the MCC (914), and there’s an argument for playtime = GOTY. Also, we’re not gonna talk about the INSANE stat my Xbox says about my Halo Wars 2 playtime: 233 hours. What a load! Ha ha!
My affection for Nintendo is no surprise, and neither is my love of certain franchises, but I’m surprised to see the pattern shaken up with regularity. I’ll be shocked if my GOTY for this year isn’t Mario Maker’s sequel, and thus the Nintendo/franchise love will continue, but you never know. Little gems like Journey, ABZÛ, and Breach keep popping up these days. I know my tastes are very mainstream, but I love to be surprised by excellent indie ventures. I consider Journey to be the best game of the previous generation, so we’ll see how my tastes continue.
#GOTY 2018#GOTY#spiderman ps4#red dead redemption 2#smash bros ultimate#octopath traveler#into the breach
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UK LINK / US LINK
Being active on Twitter means you come across lots of creative and talented people. Recently my eye was drawn towards Chimo (@chimo55jimbo) who creates retro inspired shadowboxes in his spare time. We think they look stunning and would look great in anyone’s gaming area. Here we have a chat all about the man himself and what inspires him to create the work he does.
Hi Chimo, thanks for joining me today to chat about your work. For starter why don’t you tell our readers a little about yourself?
Hello! My name is Chimo and I have been a video game fan since I was a little kid and I played for the very first time in my hands a NES. The first game I played was Super Mario Bros 1, and for this reason it will always be my favourite video game ever.
Nowadays I still love to play several consoles and of course to keep informed about gaming and retro gaming news and articles.
How long have you been creating your art?
First of all, I don’t like referring myself as an artist, because I think the true artists here are the designers who created the original video games 30/20 years ago. I’d rather to be considered an artisan who enjoys cutting pixels and mounting shadowboxes in his spare time, translating to the “real-life” the scenes and characters which form part of my past as a player.
I started cutting silhouettes in 2015, and as I loved them so much , I took pictures of them and shared them with my Instagram friends. Soon after that, I thought it could be a great idea to put these sprites in shadowboxes, recreating moments and scenes of the games. My Instagram followers started to grow and they encouraged me to open an Etsy shop, which I didn’t do until six months ago (I took my time hahaha).
Where do you draw your inspiration from to create your pieces? I can see you are into gaming but are there any specific genres that inspire you to draw or is it a case of recreating iconic or memorable pieces?
My major inspiration are my favourite video games, which are obviously the Nintendo ones, because I’ve spent my whole life collecting its consoles and games. Sometimes I recreate iconic scenes, but other times I like to reinterpret a moment, adding characters which aren’t really there, for example. I also appreciate when my followers and friends give me their opinions and thoughts about any game in particular, which I try to do for them, because I don’t want to do only what I love, but what the other people want to see.
Your style really stands out and is quite unique, where has this style come from and why do you choose to use this for your art?
Oh, thank you so much Stephen for these words. Well, as I’ve told you I’m a bit embarrassed when someone call me an “artist”, but there is something I’m really proud of, and it’s that I always pay extreme attention and care of all the details, although it means that I may spend hours in a single shadowbox. But it has to be perfect in every tiny aspect. I’m aware that my shadowboxes are a bit different than others in the market because I work with a material so very different than paper. It is a rigid plastic material which is so hard to cut, but I love the final result because the colours are so vivid and the material is long-lasting and resists humidity so well.
I’m very much a perfeccionist in every part of the process of creating the shadowboxes: I even package the item the best I can to assure that it will travel safely overseas or whatever they go, because one of my top goals is that my customers receive the shadowboxes in their best shape, and feel 100% satisfied about their purchase.
Would you mind telling me how long it takes to create a piece and a rough outline of how you do it?
Well, I think I’ve revealed a bit in the previous answer, hahaha. Basically there are 3 big steps in the work: first, I use the computer to emulate the videogames and I use photoshop to design the scene. The second part is to print all the material into the rigid plastic, which is easy for me because I own a print shop. The third part is the most complicated of all, because it includes cutting out every single pixel of the sprite manually with a cutter and a scalpel (I couldn’t sell an item if the borders weren’t perfectly cut), to paint carefully the borders, to screw every sprite to the vinyl printed backgrounds, and to mount all of it into the deep frame.
It’s a slow process, and that’s why I only put a single shadowbox at a time in my Etsy shop, it’s not a serial production but a handcrafted process. I want my customers to know that what they have in their hands is a unique piece, manually made and only for them. There aren’t a hundred or more copies of my shadowboxes around the world, but only a few of each design.
Nintendo features heavily in what you create, is this something that inspires you from your gaming background or is it because of the bright and bold worlds that they create?
I am a proud Nintendo fan since I was a kid. Nintendo has provided me with hours and hours of entertainment and joy, and I’m so fond to this company. 95% of my video games are Nintendo’s, for example. Anyway, I try not to focus exclusively in the NES and SNES games because the other companies have also many great titles in their catalogues which I’m trying to put in my shadowboxes.
What systems/games did you grow up playing and does this play a part in deciding what to create next?
Although NES and SNES has had a big influence in me, I try to give some space for other systems, so I read old magazines, I follow Twitter accounts focused on retro gaming, and I also have periodical meetings with retro gamers to play their old consoles. All of that inspires me every day.
What games and console do you play today?
Nowadays I’m hooked on Zelda Wind Waker HD (Wii U), and I always carry with me a GameBoy Color to play a quick game in the short moments. I also enjoyed playing Red Dead Redemption and I’m looking forward to finishing the sequel.
Your art is heavily retro based, why is that?
I think the nostalgia is a deep feeling, at least it is for me, and I love to pay tribute to those games of our pasts. It has also to do with my way of working, because it is impossible for me to to cut polygonal designs in my material.
Is there anything you haven’t made that you would like to create? Are there any modern genres/titles that you would like to recreate?
I’m constatly thinking of new shadowboxes. I’m focused right now in retro gaming, for example I’m going to make an Alien one and a Super Contra one, among others. Regarding the modern titles, I pay so much attention to those which are retro-based.
What do you do day to day (i.e. the day job)
Leaving aside the printing work and focusing on the chimo55jimbo shop, first thing in the morning is to check Etsy and to answer the comments in all my social media. My girlfriend, who is the best Donkey Kong player in the world, does this job. I basically spend the time making the shadowboxes which have been ordered, and creating new designs in the computer (the best part of that is that I have to play the games to get to the right scene :D).
What are your aspirations for your art? Where would you like to see yourself a few years down the line in terms of creating art?
I am a very simple person, without big aspirations. I only want to be happy and have a quiet life with my girlfriend, to see our favourite movies and tv shows, to read a book while sunbathing, and to play videogames. Making these shadowboxes started as a hobby and now I’m combining it with my main job, which is the print shop. I don’t have any hurry, I like to go step by step, and just see where the life leads me.
Thanks for joining us Chimo and giving us an insight into your work, all the best for the future! Heres a link to Chimo’s twitter and his Etsy site as well as more examples of his work. Make sure you check him out!!
Twitter: @chimo55jimbo Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/chimo55jimbo
Creators Corner: An interview with Chimo UK LINK / US LINK Being active on Twitter means you come across lots of creative and talented people.
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