#specially those who are the same animal or similar to play around with design choices

[molvilkas]

Furstars because cringe is dead and I like making them look like plushies

Ritsu is a Vampire Bat, Shinobu is a Sugar Glider, Hiiro is a Red Fox, Makoto is a Hamster, Wataru is a Bat-Eated Fox (aka. plompy in internet slang), Mayoi is a Big Brown Bat and Hajime is a Holland Lop Rabbit.

[genshin-scenarios]

Going to Build-a-Bear with them!

This is headcanon commission for platonic Hu Tao, Yoimiya and Baal! Tysm again for the support 👉👈 💗 it really means a lot!

Commissions are still open, DM if interested!

Hu Tao

What’s living if not trying new things? Hu Tao is more than willing to accompany you to build-a-bear! 

In fact, before you started she suggested that the both of you design a stuffed animal for each other to take home. It’d be a nice token of your friendship, right? She looks forward to seeing what you’ll pick! “It’ll also be a way to figure out how you see me, fufu.”

While butterflies do remind you of her, you chose a more mobile animal’s design, like a bird or cat since you think it could keep up with her more easily! When you said as much, she couldn’t help but playfully nudge you; trying to be poetic now, are we? Well two can play at that game!

Hu Tao’s choices range between deeply considered and just a matter of instinct - though rest assured, she’s enjoying herself to the fullest and making sure the both of you will have no regrets! When she sees you contemplating what scent to use, Hu Tao draws your attention to the accessory on her hat.

“Plum blossoms have quite a nice fragrance, but anything similar would be good too~”

Thankful for the hint, you nodded and managed to find the scent in question - it wasn’t too strong, and had a hint of sweetness. Hu Tao continues to hum a tune while she picks out yours, asking you if you had a preference too. All in all, hanging out with her is fun, even if she likes to tease you at times!

Yoimiya

You’re never too old to appreciate a good plushie, in her opinion! Yoimiya likes spending time with you, so when you mention this to her she’s all for it!

She really enjoys the customization part, since it really lets you turn this into a special memory for yourself. Yoimiya had fun playing around with the different sound effects, adding both cute and funny ones to her stuffed toy.

She also adds something extra to hers; a wish written on paper, to be put in with the stuffing.

What did she wish for? Haha, why don’t you guess? It’s a wish she holds close to her heart. (She’ll tell you later! For now, best not to voice it out in case that causes it to not come true-!)

You’re definitely naming them by the end of this. Yoimiya insists, though she has trouble deciding on one. She goes through a bunch of potential names instead whilst you stroll around after your session. Perhaps you could get a snack during this!

She might also get sidetracked and start telling stories about where those name ideas came from; though she’s been doing the same when you were building your plushies, rambling whenever she was reminded of something. You don’t mind though! If you ever get confused about who or what she’s talking about, Yoimiya is more than happy to elaborate!

Baal

Baal really wasn’t used to this, but upon your encouragement, she decided that it wouldn’t hurt to try the workshop with you. Seeing your enthusiasm when you explained what this was helped make things feel less intimidating and foreign.

She listens to the staff’s instructions and recommendations attentively. Baal may not be wearing a smile at the moment, but that’s only because she’s taking this seriously! It’s her way of treating the matter with respect, and you’re touched that she’s approaching this with such an open mind.

Seeing her do the hug test may just be your favourite part - it’s not something you see every day after all! By then Baal has loosened up enough to treat this as something fun rather than a thing to perfect, and she looks at you to ask if you were satisfied with your plushie. “Shall we move on to the next part?”

Oh, she enjoys the outfits and accessories part a lot. Baal is someone that appreciates beauty, and her eye for it isn’t something to overlook. She even picks up items that she thinks would look nice on your stuffed toy, letting you know of her suggestion before going back to hers. At the end of the day, she’s quite satisfied with her plushie - one that carries a relaxing, floral scent, and a matching ribbon with yours.

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

[bronyinabottle]

MY LITTLE PONY: A NEW GENERATION (G5 Movie) THOUGHTS

It’s finally here. The beginning of Generation 5. Though before I get into the movie in some detail I’m going to reiterate one more time what G5 means for my content and a non-spoilery summary of the movie.

Again, I will say that the movie nor will the G5 series coming later have much of an effect at all on any of my blogs. The revelation in Secrets of the Dragon’s Tear that life itself is also magic means that a world that implied to have no magic for years would mean the extinction of all life (Perhaps resulting in the wasteland we saw in the Season 5 finale). There may be something I’ll probably do at some point on a certain different blog. But even then, that may likely be a one-time thing and probably come around the time the series is starting to air.

That said, just because I’m continuing with mainly G4 content doesn’t mean I disapprove of G5. In fact, my non-spoilers thoughts on the movie is I think it is a good start for this new generation. There are questions I have that I’m not sure will be answered (Though many of those questions are the same ones I had in my Trailer/Preliminary thoughts) quickly enough. But the movie is structured well enough, in fact it’s probably a better movie as a whole compared to any of the movies G4 had (The 2017 movie, Rainbow Roadtrip, and all 4 Equestria Girls movies). As the 2017 movie was fun, but it jumped around a lot, sometimes scenes transitioning too fast. And while Rainbow Roadtrip may have been this on purpose, the entirely slice-of-life story taking up a long length… made it something of a less interesting plot to follow. It feels like some of that special could of been cut to at least a two-parter length and keep the same beats they hit. And while i have a soft spot for the 3rd and 4th Equestria Girls movies, I’ll always say a full-length pony adventure feels better suited for what I want to see out of MLP then spin-off movies with high school movie cliches and weird pony/human world shenanigans.

So movie-wise I’m not a G4 purist. It’ll take some time to see how Gen 5 compares to Friendship is Magic when we get to the series. As I feel it’d take a lot for it to surpass G4 in my mind. But I’m going to try to be as fair as possible and judge on it’s own merits. The implied connection to G4 by referring to G4 being ancient Equestria is going to naturally get the staff and hasbro pressured by fans to tell us what happened in-between the generations. Because that’s the trap they put the writers in when they made it so they want to try to say it’s in the same universe. That’s the double-edged sword Hasbro chose to have, trying to appease the G4 fanbase and keep at least some of them around. But at the cost of questions both nitpicky (Such as character design being inconsistent) or actual honest questions that need to be known (Why did magic disappear, and what happened to the Alicorns) for some of us to truly see this as the same Equestria.

After the break, I’ll have more spoilery thoughts

Even for a brief moment, it was nice seeing the Mane 6 and 2D animation. The former because of course those are the ponies many of us that saw all of G4 loved. And the latter, because while the animation wasn’t bad in this movie. I’m one of those who’d prefer to have 2D animation in an animated film. As in most cases aside from Pixar, it’s just a strong preference of mine. If this had the animation of the 2017 MLP movie but otherwise everything else was generally the same here, I feel that would of have been great.

I wish they didn’t have to have Sunny’s dad die off-screen, as he seems like he could of been a compelling character. And not to mention if perhaps he has any connection the “ancient” days in any fashion. But *sigh* I get it, it’s an old trope where part of the character’s offscreen growth is not having their parent(/s) around.

On a side note there’s quite a few times during the beginning of the movie that somewhat foreshadow what happens to Sunny later. 3 times where she had a fake horn and wings on her. Once in the flashback, then 2 separate times when she’s doing her protest where she has her own costumed wings and horn. As well as the helmet and mechanical wings.

Also, there’s no way around it. Some of the discussions this movie are going to get quite political. (Namely one part of Sunny’s song that could be seen as having a double meaning of a jab at Trumpsts regarding “Building your wall”) From the very premise in the early times, we know that the inspiration for the story was last year’s Black Lives Matter protests. Which honestly, I do support the message they’re going for. Having an anti-racism message to tell kids from the very beginning and making a focus on it is important when in G4 it only got briefly touched upon in Bridle Gossip and the Heath’s Warming Eve play. Although it certainly rose up to some form of prominence with Season 8 and onward. Still, while you can argue if G4 executed the anti-racism message well. it does come with something of a problem that the series finale left Equestria in the least divided it’s ever been.

And personally, I feel it’s a terrible interpretation of time to say “Well, it’s a realistic take. Racism has existed for years in our world. Same should go for the ponies” and while yes, racism is still rampant in today’s world. That said, that ignores that if we went from The Last Problem to the start of G5. There’s a huge difference between our world and Equestria. There is no ancient civilization that we look at like “Yeah, those were the golden days of world peace” when normally the “Golden age” was reserved for the high classes of Ancient Greece or Rome. It was most decidedly not perfect, with slavery rampant and wars for the sake of expanding an empire. While if you look at The Last Problem’s Equestria, you not only have peace between the three main types of ponies. But you literally have non-pony citizens in Equestria. You can see a dragon handing off a flower to a pony which can imply cross-species romantic relations. With the Friendship school still going strong, and was the reason that the world was saved in The Ending of the End. While perhaps it may be too glowing to say that future is perfect for everyone even in-universe. It’s certainly a hell of a lot better outlook then comparing to how we view even the so called Golden age of ancient civilizations. The Last Problem’s Equestria implies it looks to ally with every country outside of Equestria, not conquer them.

So it should still be a valid question on just how this world collapses to the point it gets to where G5 is at the start. I at least assume that it’s not the fault at all of any of the Mane 6 nor Twilight. Or at least I hope it isn’t, as I’d rather the MLP fanbase not have to deal with a The Last Jedi Luke Skywalker situation. (Where after the joyful end of the original trilogy, things go wrong as Luke almost murders the son of one of his best friends and his sister despite trying to hard and succeeding at redeeming his father who at that point in the canon was a galaxy-wide known ruthless mass-murderer.) I assume we’re at a point where everyone of the Mane 6 sans maybe Twilight are presumed dead. And even in Twilight’s case, there’s a chance that G5 decides to say that G4 overestimated the whole Alicorn immortality thing. Though I wouldn’t put it past Hasbro to have some event where the Mane 5 of G5 meet the Mane 6 in some special event whether that’s a a Season finale or a sequel movie/special. Where either the Mane 6 return in a limbo situation similar to the Pillars at the end of Season 7 or Time travel gets involved. They may even string us along on answering just what in the heck happened until they involve a meet-up with the Mane 6 in that way. Though I hope they don’t, I’d really like the beginning of the series (Or I guess this supposed special coming up in Spring supposedly?) starts to answer some questions. G5 should get a chance to stand on it’s own, but I hope the writers are actually well aware there will be so many questions people have and address them in the show. A cynical part of me feels like they’re likely to string us along until at least the Season 1 finale.

Onto the characters for a bit. I think Izzy Moonbow was absolutely the most stand-out character in the whole movie. She was energetic, funny, and aside from “The pegasi are bad news” she along with Zipp and Sunny were the most averse to the way the world was. She was already the most popular due to the tennis ball memes. But now it feels like she legit stands on her own and most certainly deserves to be the most popular character of G5 thus far. Behind her in a bit of a surprise to me was Zipp, who I thought would be mainly a Rainbow Dash-expy. Though she really helps out Izzy and Sunny in Zephyr Heights. Despite having Twilight be my favorite pony from the very beginning of G4 all the way to the end, I didn’t feel as strongly about Sunny for some reason. So she’s in the middle of the pack, she could grow on me later. I just don’t know if I click with her as much as I did with Twilight. As for the last two, while I don’t hate either of them. Either one could be the lowest of the 5 for one reason or another. Pipp (Although I will say she's probably my favorite character design out of the 5) feels like she doesn’t do a whole lot in the movie and it takes until she’s forced to be an outlaw because the other choice was to get imprisoned like her mother was. So she may come off as quite pretentious, though it’s arguable Rarity was the same way early in G4. But she definitely grew later. Could be the same case for Pipp. And as for Hitch, he has shining moments in the film. But what might hurt him is the fact he was such a bad friend to Sunny up until the campfire scene. “I’m the last real friend you have. You really want to lose me too?” is not a healthy friendship. Hitch may have been Sunny’s friend the longest, but it definitely feels like Izzy connected immediately. I don’t know if this show will get into shipping any of the main characters between each other mid-show, but if they do. I hope it’s between Izzy and Sunny currently, cause Hitch and Sunny just gives bad vibes even with Hitch getting better later.

None of the songs I felt were particularly too special. Though I think the closest was Sprout’s “Danger, Danger” song that has similarities to Smells Like Teen Spirit in some parts of the song since I tend towards more rock/metal-esque music.

I touched upon it earlier, but there’s perhaps a stand-out reason for why the G5 movie outdid the 2017 MLP Movie. They have the typical “Our heroic group splits after a sad moment before coming together again for the climatic good end” in Sunny seeing that that the two crystals don’t instantly bring magic back, and when Twilight left the group after an argument that happened with Twilight trying to take a pearl. They perform the same purpose in the movie. But the crystals not working, crushing Sunny’s hope for a little while works better into the story. Where as Twilight’s part frustratingly brought the sea pony scene to an end too quickly and/or doesn’t feel right of Twilight to have done that. It felt forced in the 2017 movie, but works out in the G5 movie. Especially since a part of it is that it’s not the crystals themselves capable of bringing magic back. But it’s the journey going after the crystals that brings the ponies themselves their magic back.

Just a small note on dictator Sprout, he tries to cause a war. Though admittedly the film seems to treat him as a joke the entire time despite his seriously evil ambitions. With the only repercussions is he gets a wishy-washy answer on if he was a good sheriff from his mom. I don’t quite know how I feel about that yet, but I wonder what they’ll have in mind for Sprout given his actions. He and his mom are the only ones that feel like a true antagonist. Though they seem to be ok with things fast when the magic comes back.

But anyway on to the ending, we see that Sunny becomes an Alicorn. Which I guess with no other real Alicorns around, I guess it makes sense to alicornify her since she’s the real leader behind what united the leaders of each type of pony again. Though there is of course this weird thing where her horn and wings don’t seem like as much a part of her body compared to very obvious connected wings on Twilight when she got hers. Sunny keeps her horn and wings to the end of the movie, and has colored streaks in her hair. Though I do wonder if that;s truly permanent. If it is permanent, I suppose at least they got to have a headstart and have it established at the end of the introductory movie rather then have it shock people at the end of a shortened 3rd season. I still feel like Twilight had well earned her alicornhood considering that besides what she did in the series. She has a whole childhood and time as a teenager learning under Celestia. Which had to mean something, and I’m not sure Celestia just leaving her to live the rest of her days with her friends in ponyville was that. Sunny has no doubt been trying countless time to try to spread friendship throughout her life even after the tragedy of her father’s passing. So there’s no doubt she’s been through a lot, and may indeed be worthy of being an Alicorn at this point. Though in terms of screentime before Alicornhood it's definitely a lot less then Twilight had. And it is at least nice to see that it is possible for non-unicorns to become one. (The only case of that we sort of got was a children's book that may or may not be canon that implied Cadence was a pegasus before she ascended)

Though you have to wonder if the visual differences such as Sunny’s alicorn horn and wings, the cutie mark only on one side (Yes I know that’s how it was normally in the MLP generations before G4. But a distinct visual difference between shows is still noticeable even if the context of G4’s cutie marks on both sides of the flank was about it being easier on the puppets for Flash), and how animals can have wings or weird round shapes such as those bunnies when G4 has normal looking animals. There’s enough striking visual differences for any nitpicky G4 to say “This isn’t the same Equestria”. And if someone tries to say maybe some sort of evolution happened. That’s still trying to put a little too much real world logic on this fantasy world. And evolution tends to take millions of years to have such dramatic changes. Not 1000 years or so, there should still be normal looking animals at this point and time. And these small details are probably going to be the things most ignored but nonetheless can build a case that this isn’t the same Equestria. Even if they touch on the important questions like how magic disappeared and what happened to the Mane 6, there will be details they make different that will add to the case that this is it’s own universe if it doesn’t quite matchup with what was remembered about G4. There will be fans who will be that nitpicky to call G5 out of continuity for small details like that. That is again the trap they put themselves in when they decided to try to say it’s the same Equestria.

All-in-all though, I think that’s at least a good enough chunk about my thoughts on the movie to end off here. If there’s something I missed or something from the movie you’d like me to give a particular opinion about or elaborate on something feel free to ask me here. G5 is indeed off to a good start, just I will be along the many hoping some questions get answered sooner then later. And I’m not sure I’m confident in getting anywhere until a Season finale or a 2nd movie. And it’ll be a year before the series starts proper (Though again I guess there’s a 44 minute special coming in Spring to try to hold us over). But I could definitely see G5 finding it's own following, now there's just the inevitable clashes between some of the more vocal fans of each generation bickering at eachother. But hoping there will be enough that take the movie's lessons on divisiveness to heart and be able to enjoy both even if there may be preferences.

[hithisisleon]

RESIDENT EVIL COMING TO DEAD BY DAYLIGHT POST

Hey I'm coming back from the dead as Leon The White to talk about the best part of the Resident Evil showcase : Resident Evil coming to Dead By Daylight !

Yes yes we all saw the trailer, we can't wait to attach that sweet Umbrella Corp charm to our survivors and our killer's hooks but I want to talk to you about the possibilites regarding Survivors, Killer and Map !

SURVIVORS :

Yes I know we all have our preferences as to who we would like to see introduced as survivors and since it's a special occasion, Resident Evil's 25th Anniversary, we'll probably get 2 survivors like the Stranger Things DLC ( which can also mean that we could get other characters skins on top of said characters like Heather Mason getting Alessa Gillespie, Cybil Bennett and Lisa Garland skins ).

Our number one pick is the most obvious, at the end of the showcase, Matthieu Côté delivers this line :

Look, you have two choices here : kill or be killed. It's your call !

Does it sounds familiar ? I hope it does because it's coming directly from this :

So it's safe to assume that our number one character is going to be Claire Redfield !

As for number two, they'll probably pick a male character and huh... Yeah yeah you know what I mean, it's going to be Leon Kennedy.

It makes perfect sense : he's the other part of the duo from Resident Evil 2, the most popular old school RE, and the main protagonist of Resident Evil 4, the game who revolutionized the gaming industry and which brought fresh air to the franchise.

Another reason why it makes perfect sense for this duo to be in this game is that around the same time we will get Infinite Darkness, which features Leon and Claire ! Perfect promotion.

Also don't lie, if they get alternate costumes, you're going to love to play as Leon in his RE4 outfit with the jacket and Claire in her Let Me Live outfit... And the Cleon shippers will be happy.

As for those who would have prefered others like Jill or Chris, or even Rebecca and Billy why not, I'm sure they will be available as Legendary Skins.

KILLER :

Now this one is a particuliar case, and I'm thinking the same thing regarding the map.

They can go the way they did with the Silent Hill chapter and pick something different from the best games : Midwich Elementary School from Silent Hill 1 for the map, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2 as the killer and Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3 as the survivor.

If we go by popularity it would be either Mr.X or Nemesis ( No I'm not counting Lady Dumitrescu because the game isn't out yet and don't lie, her popularity is 100% due to how horny on main you freaks are )

Mr.X will have to be punching survivors as his main attack but as for his secondary I dunno... Maybe mutated Mr.X instead so he could do more damage ? And that way you could have the classic Tyrant from RE1 as a skin ?

As for his Mori it'll probably be a head grab and him crushing your head or he might impale you with his mutated hand/claw before tossing you aside.

( Also you know his chase music is going to be modded into "X gonna give it to ya" )

Nemesis will punch and/or use tentacles to whip you good or catch you, either way he's going to do some damage and you know you will shit your pants when you hear him scream "STAAAAAAAAAARS !" from a distance.

His mori will probably be an oldie but goldie and by that I mean he will grab survivors like Brad and tentacle-throat them to death.

BONUS :

The characters I want for killers here are just ideas I came up with and whom I know will probably not get picked but it's worth mentioning them because you'll agree that they would make great killers.

1/ Nosferatu ( Code Veronica X )

I don't think I have to remind you the fucking bone chilling screams he make when you see him for the first time as Claire in Code Veronica, nor how creepy is his theme during the boss fight ?

Now imagine that in a game where he chase you around with a new rendition of his theme and his tentacles swinging around and attacking you while the others hear him screaming at you in the distance.

Not to forget he could also poison you with the spores he just released so like The Plague he could make you go around the map to find a way to cleanse yourself and here we could see blue herbs being used !

His mori could be one of the death animations from his boss fight in Code Veronica where he brings Claire close to him and impale her with his big tentacle before giving her the "This bitch empty, YEET" treatment.

2/ Alexia Ashford ( Code Veronica X )

Oh boy look at that, another character from Code Veronica, who would have guessed ? ( It's in my TOP 3 RE games so my bad )

Alright Alexia has always been one of my favorites bosses from the Resident Evil series and I think she's honestly one of the best, her design is nasty, her mutations are disgusting and her orchestral theme is just GORGEOUS ( "Ironic" Palpatine said )

Imagine her normal attack being bitchslaps like she gives to Wesker in Code Veronica, nice right ? But for her secondary attack like in the game she throw her blood in a direction and trace a fire line with it, something that can work in DBD since Pyramid Head does something similar with his great knife.

Her mori will probably be her summoning those tentacles from the ground to impale you or grab your leg and smash you on the ground on repeat until you die, or if we stay classic, she can grab you by the throat and light you on fire, burning you alive.

MAP :

As I said earlier during the killer part, they might follow the Silent Hill chapter formula, picking one bit of each game so here are some neat locations to pick from.

1/ The Spencer Mansion

a) The Mansion

It's just too iconic.

b) The Arklay Lab

I will shit myself if I see a Tyrant coming at me while I'm on a gen.

2/ Raccoon City

a) The streets of Raccoon City

You think you can hide but he will find you.

b) The RPD

Nothing better than exploring the corridors of the RPD and seeing a licker passing by a window while trying to sneak around to avoid the killer right ?

3/Rockfort Island

a) Prison Camp

Perfect for the sadistic pleasures of the Entity !

b) Private Residence

I really want to hear another rendition of "The Suspended Doll" when I join the map 👉👈 ... Special mentions to other maps that I can't show because tumblr doesn't allow more than 10 pics :

RE1 Guardhouse, RE2 Lab, RE3 Clock tower, RE Outbreak Jack's Bar, RE Code Veronica Antartica Mansion, RE4 Village, RE4 Castle, RE4 Island

[clonewarsarchives]

Inside 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'

By: Gerri Miller  (original article link on howstuffworks)

Sources

George Lucas interviewed August 4, 2008

Dave Filoni interviewed September 11, 2008

The sci-fi phenomenon that began more than 30 years ago with a movie about a galaxy long ago and far, far away has expanded exponentially ever since with sequels, prequels, books, games and animated spinoffs. Although the animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" movie, released this summer, has to date grossed a less than stellar $34 million, it was an offshoot of creator George Lucas' mission to create a TV series, and it served its purpose as a promotional tool for the weekly "Clone Wars" episodes that premiere on Cartoon Network Oct. 3, 2008.

Focused on the conflict briefly referred to in the original "Star Wars," the galactic civil war takes place in the period between "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." The Clone Wars pit the Grand Army of the Republic led by the Jedi Knights against the Separatists and their Droid Army, led by Count Dooku, a Jedi turned Sith Lord aligned with the evil Darth Sidious. Many of the characters from the "Star Wars" universe are involved, including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and young Anakin Skywalker, before he was tempted to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader.

"I was lamenting the fact that in 'Episode II,' I started the Clone Wars, and in 'Episode III,' I ended the Clone Wars, and I never actually got to do anything on the Clone Wars," says Lucas. "It's like skipping over World War II."

To remedy that omission, he tapped Dave Filoni, an animator (Nickelodeon's "Avatar: the Last Airbender" series) and passionate "Star Wars" fan, to bring "The Clone Wars" to TV.

Ensconced at Big Rock Ranch, near Lucas' Skywalker Ranch headquarters in Marin County, Cali., Filoni and his team of artists and computer animators are making 22 episodes in season one and have nearly two more seasons written.

"We're way ahead. We've been doing this ever since I finished 'Revenge of the Sith,'" says Lucas, who hopes to do at least 100 installments.

He and Filoni collaborate on everything from story to design to execution in translating the "Star Wars" universe for television. It's a daunting creative, technical and logistic task, as we'll explain in the following sections.

Building the Universe

How do you scale down an IMAX-size spectacle for television and still have it make an impact, especially on a small screen budget? That's just one of the problems Dave Filoni has to solve.

"'Star Wars' is very famous for the scale of it, and how convincing it looks. So when you're doing a weekly television series, you have to figure out how to do things on that level," he notes. "Sometimes it forces you to be creative and come up with solutions that are better than if you can shoot everything you want," he continues, preferring to consider budgetary constraints a creative incentive rather than a limitation. "The team here is challenged to come up with these giant battles. We haven't shied away from anything."

While he did some of the initial character design, subsequently, Filoni has spent most of his time supervising other artists and animators, who number around 70 in-house and another 80 or so at facilities in Singapore and Taipei.

"Everything is written here, and the story and design and editing are all done here. The animation and lighting are done overseas, and sometimes some modeling as well," he outlines.

­"I meet with George to talk about the episodes and he hands out a lot of the storylines and main ideas for the stories. I'll draw while he's talking and show him the sketch," Filoni continues. "That way we communicate right off the bat about what something might look like."

At any given time, the director notes, episodes are in various stages of completion, "from designing to working on a final cut, or adding sound and color-correction. I have four episodic directors to help me, who each have an episode they're managing."

Rather than use computer animation to duplicate the live-action films' characters or continue in the very stylized vein of the 2004-2005 "Clone Wars" micro-series, "We kind of shot for the middle," says Filoni, who endeavored to blend a 2-D esthetic with 3-D technology.

"The 3-D model makers and riggers who worked on the prequels dealt with the height of realism to create convincing digital characters. I knew that we weren't going to be able to do that for the series. And we wanted it to be different than a live-action feature, to get away from photo-realism. It was a choice to simplify something in the character models, the same way we would do things in a 2-D show."

So how did Filoni stay true to the "Star Wars" legacy in this newest installment? Read on to find out.

Clone Style

Taking some inspiration from the earlier cartoon series, Filoni

approached the characters as a 2-D animator would, "but stylized the face a little more. If you look at Anakin, he has certain edges and lines in his face. I would draw an edge or a line that might be unnaturally straight or curved, and that would play into the lighting of it. I tried to sculpt in 3-D the way I would draw or sculpt an image in 2-D, with shadow and light. I wanted it to look like a painting -- you see a textured, hand-painted style on every character. I have texture artists who literally paint every single character right down to their eyeball, because I wanted that human touch on everything."

Advances in computer animation have allowed Filoni to accomplish much more than he would have been able to in traditional 2-D. "For eight years I worked just with a pencil. I never touched a computer. But working with George, we try to look at computers as an incredibly advanced pencil. The technical side helps the creative, artistic side," he says.

Battles filled with huge numbers of soldiers can be rendered faster than ever before, but they still have to be created, along with every other prop and character in an enormous universe. "'Star Wars' is so complex in that you're building a whole galaxy. We go to many different planets," Filoni reminds. "So every rock, tree, blade of grass, native vehicle -- every asset -- needs design. We had to create a whole bunch of assets for each episode, and the budget goes up for each element you have. Once you build it, you have it, but we can't go to a different planet and have the same chair there," he laughs. "On a schedule where we need those things right away, it's difficult to get it all built."

Since "The Clone Wars" is chronologically sandwiched between "Clone Wars" and "Revenge of the Sith," it has been a mandate for the creators to stay consistent with the mythology. "That's probably one of the trickiest things," admits Filoni. "We always have to keep in mind what the characters are thinking and feeling at the beginning of this and at the end. You have a lot of room to play with when you're in the middle, but you have to remember what people say in the third movie. With characters like Obi-Wan or Anakin or Padme, I have to pay very careful attention that it will hook up. And then there's the expanded universe of "Star Wars" novels and video games. I try to be aware of it all and work it in, because fans really appreciate it."

Filoni hopes to attract existing fans and create new ones, especially among the younger generation, but admits doing the latter may be easier. "One thing we have that's different from any movie that came before is we're an animated series. But there's an instant reaction to the word animation that it's for kids. How you get around that is with the stories you tell. We'll have our snow battles and we'll also have our lighter 'Return of the Jedi' moments. Some episodes lean older, some younger. But in the end it has a broad appeal," he believes.

The recent "Clone Wars" movie (out on DVD Nov. 11 ) served as a stand-alone prequel to introduce the characters at this point in time. In contrast, "The series has its small arcs and shows you the war from across a broad spectrum of episodes. It's not just Anakin Skywalker's story," Filoni underlines. "We can go left or right of that plot and deal with characters we have never seen. There's a lot of material. It's a three-year period in the history of the 'Star Wars' Universe, and there are so many stories to tell. The longer it goes, the more chance we get to tell fascinating stories in that galaxy."

Character Study

"The Clone Wars" shows a different side of some of the film franchise's most iconic characters. "In a series, you can do a whole episode about a character and learn more about what they were like, which makes what happens to them a lot more poignant," explains Filoni. "We know Yoda is powerful, but how does that power develop? How does he use it? We get to go into more detail that you just couldn't do in the live action films, because they're mainly focused on Anakin."

While few of the actors from the live action movies agreed to reprise their roles in voice over for "The Clone Wars," Anthony Daniels, the original C-3PO, is the exception. "One of the special moments for me was hearing Anthony on the telephone, discussing C-3PO with me and his experiences. That really helps us round out the characters," says the director, who enjoyed similar input from Rob Coleman, the animation supervisor who worked on Yoda on the prequels.

Of the new characters not seen in the live action series, there's the alluring but venomous Asajj Ventress, a disciple of Count Dooku. "She is, of course, a villain, and fits into the structure of the Sith," Filoni elaborates. "Darth Sidious -- Senator Palpatine -- is the main bad guy, and his apprentice is Count Dooku. Dooku is training Ventress in the Dark Side. She's getting more powerful. I wanted to make her intelligent, deceptive and also kind of sexual. She's kind of a forbidden fruit -- Jedi are not supposed to get involved with the more lustful aspects of life. She adds another dynamic to the series."

On the other side of the good/evil coin is newcomer Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's teenage pad­awan, or apprentice. "She's Anakin's student and helps us see him as more of a hero," says Filoni. "Once he gets over his initial reaction, he takes pride in her. He's unpredictable and the Jedi know that, but he has compassion and that is used against him and it later brings him to the Dark Side."

Ahsoka was created, says Lucas, "Because I needed to mature Anakin. The best way to get somebody to become responsible and mature is to have them become a parent or a teacher. You have to think about what you're doing and set an example. You look at your behavior and the way you do things much differently. The idea was to use her to make Anakin become more mature. We've made her a more extreme version of what Anakin was- - a little out there, independent, vital and full of life, but even more so. He gets a little dose of his own medicine."

"She's been a really fun character to develop," adds Filoni, who likes Ahsoka but admits that his character tastes tend to run a bit more obscure -- his favorite is Plo Koon, "a bizarre Jedi Master. It's been fun to develop him and show his personality beyond the fact that he's bizarre looking and carries a lightsaber."

Fan Fare

Just three years ago, Filoni dressed up as Plo Koon to see an opening night showing of "Revenge of the Sith," so it's not surprising that the 34-year-old fan is still pinching himself that he has this job. "It's a very creative atmosphere," he says of Big Rock Ranch, where the lakeside setting is "meant to inspire us artistically and definitely does. A lot of the people I work with grew up with 'Star Wars,' so we have a great time. It's hard, intense work, but George is very engaged in what we're doing. What more could you ask for? I have the guy who created the 'Star Wars' universe excited and interested in what we're doing. We couldn't be happier about that."

Asked why he thinks "Star Wars" remains a fan favorite today, three decades later, Lucas says diversification is the key. "We were always able to deal with different aspects of the story in various forms and I think that keeps it alive. It is a lot of fun and it's a universe that has been created to inspire young people to exercise their imagination and inspire them to be creative, and I think that always works."

"The original 'Star Wars' had broad appeal to everybody, and it holds up so well," adds Filoni. "I think there's a timelessness to it, even though Luke looks like a kid from the '70s with that haircut. Luke is a farmer boy and Han is a cowboy. Jedi Knights are like the samurai of Japan or the knights of Europe. Those archetypes work the globe over. It's a world phenomenon that speaks to everyone. There will always be a character you can relate to."

[astro-break]

Quick first thoughts on the first ep of the Hypmic Anime. Spoilers beware (and im writing this as I watch so :p)

Otome’s speech is.... questionable from a persuasive point of view. Manga did a great job of introducing her (which you can read here) but they really cut out the more terrifying parts of her speech and how she uses force to show people that she's not to be messed with

Its cool seeing everyone in their respective environments though. thats cool. Though they could have added Sasara and Kuuko (shhh i know why they didn’t let me dream)

I love how poppy the typography is. Its amazing how the visuals just leap out at you. The OP does a great job of this. The first few seconds before the title really gives me Persona 4 OG OP vibes with the influx of information given. The rest is a clear concise and streamlined way that still gives character. Animation is sparse but still carries across a general idea of each character and shows off each character object. Rendering is really nice and pays a bit of homage to the posing artwork thats done for the MVs. They also do their division hand signals and thats cute

Love how the OP has blatant HifuDoppo and DRB matchup foreshadowing

so far I really like what theyre going for. BB is about brotherly familial bonds and they show the goods and the bads. Jiro and Saburo bickering right out the gate really cements the fact that they get along like cats and dogs but you can still see that they love each other, working together when the situation calls for it

Now the 3d models. Theyre... not great but usable if you don’t look too hard. They serve their purpose and don’t actively detract from the viewing experience.

Visual typography in the rap itself are fun and poppy but they dont.... speak to me? like theyre there yes and I appreciate them but the only ones that got me excited were from Ichiro’s rap

I take my words back the group portion was kickass and I apologize

I love how they interpret the Hypnosis Speakers though. Esp. Saburo’s organs. That was super creative and I love it! If there was one thing that I felt was missing from the franchise was a deeper exploration of the speakers but the anime puts a new and fresh spin on it! Love it, especially with their attack patterns!

If the production team ever feels inclined to, Id love to see those info sheets on Otome’s desk released. There seems to be very interesting info and stats written out about each member (like capabilities, personal status etc.) They all seem unique too so I really really really hope they release images of those sheets

OOOOOOOOKAY MTC. I have such a big biased for them so Im very torn to see what unfolds

Rio striking out on his own is interesting. Out of everyone in MTC hes the biggest team player yet here he trusts his teammates to go ahead. This either displays Rio’s willingness to trust his teammates or it becomes very OOC if the anime wants to set him up as a lone wolf like character

I love how they specify its a drug deal. It means that Jyuto surely will show up and it also shows that Samatoki knows Jyuto’s motives and willingly gives black market info that he knows aligns with Jyuto’s goal. Thats A+ detail writing there and a great establishing characteristic for both of them

OOohhhhhhhhhhhhh man Asunama-san’s voice acting is god tier his work as Samatoki is phenomenal. He pulls of Samatoki’s threatening voice so well with those almost calm words before his voice becomes loud and confrontational. Those rolling syllables in contrast to Komada-san’s almost lyrical and airy speech and Kamio-san’s strict and enunciated words is such a delight to hear. It just speaks to how amazing and great these Seiyuu’s are in order to pull of such amazing work

Im so biased but MTC has such a better rap than BB im so sorry. Just by watching Samatoki’s part, the imagery is amazing. Even the arrival of his Hypnosis Speaker was awesome and sent a shiver down my spine. using the lyrics to form blades and blood was such a great thing to do. Theres so much more variety that just him standing there and shots of his hypnosis speaker. The old fashioned vignette shots, the four panel spread, the nods to old Kurosawa era films are great and I love these small details. Even the typography looks better.

Again, the interpretations with the speakers is fresh and new. Its great and I love the different imagery and attack patterns. Each one is so unique but carries across each different style of rap.

The 3d modles aren’t any better tho lol

(Hi this is Astro who is reading over their assessment again and making a note. Yeah I’m a bit harsh on BB’s rap. I’m not going to change it since I still stand by it and this post is supposed to be a documentation of my first impressions. I think one of the reasons why I’m so harsh on BB is because of their dynamic as a trio of brothers. They Have to have a more uniform approach than the other divisions. Which in of itself isn’t a terrible thing, it just doesn’t catch my eye as much as MTC did. Thats all! I definitely don’t hate BB, they’re maybe my 3rd favorite division out of the current lineup [not including TDD era teams like Kujaku Posse, MCD, and Naughty Busters] its just that their rap was pretty meh)

Samatoki crouching like a real gangstar and the cigarette kiss killed me

sadjkhfjkasdghsadjkcsdjhsdfsjhf im dying i love these trio of dumbasses so uch oh y fod someone save me aaaaaaaa (Astro note here! yeah i died when the jyuto and samatoki’s stomach growled im weak please. Samatoki’s face is just so precious and funny I might set it as a profile pic somewhere)

But also my initial assessment of Rio possibly being characterized as a lone wolf is very much jossed and im very thankful for that. It seems that Rio was simply trusting his teammates to carry out their part of the plan while he carried out his own. I like that, it really shows how much of a team these three are and that they genuinely trust each other. He’s also comfortable enough around them to invite them to dinners after work casually and not just for special occasions.

I really love MTC guys

Oooh! we get Ramuda on his design process which is really cute. the inside of his studio is super cute and retro and i love it. the poppy old music you would hear in a cafe or 90′s resturaunt is also really cute (astro note: yeah i know that in ARB you see the interior of Ramuda’s office but its kinda different seeing it animated)

the translation i have has gentaro speaking in early modern english (Shakespearian english for those who aren’t english nerds like me) but from what I can hear, he doesn’t speak in a particularly old fashioned way? Its more formal than old? and hes speaking without any of his character persona lying thing that he likes to do (as he refers to himself as “Shousei” throughout the segment where hes in Ramuda’s office which is kind of his default pronoun of choice). so its kinda odd for the translation to go in that direction but im not complaining

Gendice banter is gold but it feels... flat? a little? it doesn’t have the same impact as in the drama cds or in the manga? i feel? Also Ramuda using gratuitous english is??? idk how to feel about that

kjshf thats against the rules Ramuda omgggg,,,,,,,, (astro note again: while watching i was under the assumption that using your hypmic for monetary gain such a as buskering [which is what FP is doing] is against the rules. May not be the case but whatever)

FP’s rap might be my favorite in terms of tune and lyrics though. It’s a nice laid back bop and really gives of chill vibes. the integration of 3d and 2d is really nice and i love how they play off each other in the rap. The wordplay is so fun with little nods here and there and the beat is poppy too so it really energizes me.

Ramuda’s rap concerns me slightly since he makes very subtle and small nods towards his past (being created in a laboratory, warfare, and his overall very unpleasant life experiences) but spins it into something cutesy. It could be a coping mechanism, it could be me overthinking it. But it does make me worry a bit. Gentaro and Dice’s rap really play off each other with Gentaro sticking to stories and Dice taking up the baton by carrying on that same imagery but putting his own spin on it.

the self awareness of how scattered they are as a team is interesting though. It doesn’t seem like something you’d speak about in a rap? but i guess since its not really a do or die situation they can afford to be looser on things like this.

Right off the bat, i don’t like how they handled Hifumi and Doppo in relation to Hifumi’s fear of women. Slug made a post once talking about this and I echo many of his sentiments. Hypmic has never been very tactful about tackling this particular issue and while I didn’t have high hopes that the anime would be any better it hurts to see Doppo take away the one thing that allows Hifumi to function within society.

Doppo’s breakdown mirrors a lot of my own mental state when I spiral though its shown a lot quicker than what happens to me oof. that hits close to home. though Jakurai’s advice is. Questionable. Its not the best advice to give to someone but we have no idea what kind of doctor Jakurai is so ill let it slide

Jakurai’s pose looks like hes going to do a mahou shoujou transformation lmao

I don’t have many thoughts about the rap though again. How they visualize the rap is interesting. the different imagery is quite interesting for each of them and the typography is nice a distinct but im still on the fence about the visuals here

The sound is in the same boat. The sound effects either drown out the rap or are too quet but some parts are nice at least. When they talk about Tokyo’s beating heart, the heartbeat sound is a but distracting especially since its only played once. But the imagery is at least nice

I wonder if for the eds they’re going to take a similar approach to what Enstars did and have a four different endings, one for each division. I love the blend of styles here and it really accentuates that although they’re different they mesh well together.

Ramuda’s silhouette though is hilarious. Love it.

:p and thats it. Uh not bad for a first episode. Established all 12 characters really nicely and their dynamics. I had some problems with it but then again nothing is perfect. I look forward to what they show us next week

[rhc777211]

Annotated Bibliography

Game Title: Beat Blader 3D

Genre: Music

Target Demographic: Everyone

Monetization: Free App

To be honest I got addicted to this game from the start. It’s like a combination of Guitar Hero and Temple Run with also addictive music. The design of the game is bright and kind of cyberpunk looking where the player has two swords and slashes cubes to create music. The idea is very original and was implemented by using ideas from other games and putting them together. The mechanics are simple to understand and the UI is easy to navigate. The main issue is not being able to stop the game and that really bothered me because songs are long and the only way to stop is by crashing against and object and watching an add to try again. There are also ads everywhere which makes the game a bit frustrating due to multiple stops every time you end or start a song. The game needs to remove the number of ads and add an option to stop the game anytime. The player can also unlock new player skins and weapons and the three-star goal keeps the game simple but enjoyable.

This is one of the titles that I would like to use as an example for my capstone project. I really like the implementation of the IU and the mechanics of the game which feel fluent and easy to recreate. I would probably take some ideas for the character creation that is futuristic and original.

Game Title: Color Roll 3D

Genre: Puzzle

Target Demographic: everyone

Monetization: Free App

The game is simple and easy to understand. It is about rolling this colorful roll and create the image that is above the rolls. The player also has the option for hints. Every 3 puzzles the player beats an ad will play but you also have the option to buy the game for $3.99 to remove all ads.  It is a very original concept for a puzzle that I have never seen in other games and I can continue where I left off anytime which is great. The slide mechanic is well implemented, and the design of the game is simple with icons that help the player beat the puzzle.

Game Title: Do Not Fall.io

Genre: Arcade

Target Demographic: Everyone

Monetization: Free App

This game is different from any other mobile game I have played. Its about moving this character around platforms and to avoid falling while playing against other players. The game is simple and only requires the player to move around. The character jumps when close to the edge of the platform. Very interesting concept for a competitive game. Every two games an add will play and the player collects coins for unlockable skins. I would prefer if it had better graphics because the design is not appealing and could look better.  

This would be my second choice for capstone ideas because after playing the game I realized that its fun and challenging but also rewarding. I would probably try to implement the character movement mechanic and the auto jump on edge for my project. This also gave me an idea for a multiplayer game about jumping on platforms and shooting the enemy players with movement mechanics.

Game Title: Foil Turning

Genre: Puzzle

Target Demographic: 6+

Monetization: Free App

So, the game is quite interesting because it is about creating objects from foil paper. First you shape the object and then you hammer it to make it more realistic. The player has the option to paint the object and to add textures before using it. The minigame are easy to play and once you beat them it will give you a trophy that also has the object created on it. I played a couple of mini games like bowling and throwing a hammer but after that I got bored because it is all about creating this object and throwing them against stuff. Also like the other games tested this game is full of ads everywhere which is very annoying. The mechanics are well implemented by using multiple gestures to create the object but very fluent. I would keep playing this game if it wasn’t for the number of ads.

Game Title: Scribble Rider

Genre: Action

Target Demographic: Everyone

Monetization: Free App

This is a racing game where the player builds its tires by drawing it on a canvas before the race stars. The player can continuously change the tire while on the race to avoid obstacles and to move faster to beat the opponent. It seems that it’s an online game and the player needs to win to ear coins and stuff like skins and collectibles. Fun concept but the drawing mechanics has already been used in mobile games. I did enjoy the game and was not bothered by the ads because they only appear before the race starts and there is an ad banner on the bottom. This game has a simple UI that is easy to understand and the graphics are not bad. I would add more options for races and maybe a racetrack builder to make it more interesting.

This is my third choice for a game example because the mechanic for drawing your tires is vary amazing and unique. I would totally try to implement something similar for the players vehicle, but I also would have to find more information for this mechanic as I have no idea on how to code this drawing tool. Also, I like the platforms implemented which are very animated and I could use them on my game.

Game Title: Emoji Puzzle!

Genre: Puzzle

Target Demographic: 10+

Monetization: Free App

This game is about dragging a line to connect images with the one that makes more sense. Its only about dragging lines and connecting image and there are also special levels where you drag the image and place it next to the ones that are similar. The game is not challenging and needs more than just connecting images to make it more fun. The design of the game is boring and does not offer much for the player to keep going. The lack of content also makes this game not appealing because it does not offer much other than going forward on levels. I don’t like the fact that its an emoji game and felt that games like this would fall short due to the lack of imagination. Its just a game that will never be great or taken seriously because of its main design.

Game Title: Who is?

Genre: Puzzle

Target Demographic: 10+

Monetization: Free App

The game gives you two similar options to choose from to answer the question. The player gets 50 hints that can be refilled by watching ads. I had a hard time selecting my answer because apparently the touch gestures are not well implemented or maybe the developer forgot to add a tutorial for selecting the option if its either touch or swipe. The game is fun, and the UI is simple but also has a good level of challenge which kept me going. Even after struggling with the controls I found this game fun and interesting and would add a tutorial but also a fix for selecting the answer. The game does not have much content for me to talk about and the mechanics are broken making it a less appealing game than the others I tried.

Game Title: MultiCraft – Build and Mine!

Genre: Adventure

Target Demographic: 10+

Monetization: Free App

This is basically a free to play Minecraft game with less to offer and terrible virtual controller. The game suffers from frame drop even thought I am playing on a Galaxy note 9 that can handle heavily intense games. The game allows you to destroy, build, fight monsters, and collects items or weapons. The difficulty is random and depends on the monster you encounter, and the player can go underwater but needs to avoid for the air bubbles run out because if not the player will die.  The player has a bunch of hearts to start off to fight monsters but also the player starts in a very random areas when creating a new world. There is nothing telling me what to do or any type of objectives, so it’s rather confusing because I don’t really know what to do.

Game Title: 6six9ine Runner

Genre: Music

Target Demographic: Teen

Monetization: Free App

This game is like Beat Blader 3D which is a runner with music but less appealing and has a creepy looking character. The player has the option to play with others and to collect skins and weapons, but the game contains less content than Beat Blader 3D and has ads everywhere on the screen. The UI is confusing and getting new music is harder because money takes forever to collect unless the player watches ads. Mechanics are good and easy to control also its less challenging then Beat Blader 3D and graphics are just not good. The game should improve the actual design and fix the UI to make it more understandable.

Game Title: Puppy Town

Genre: Casual

Target Demographic: Everyone

Monetization:  Free App

Not sure what the purpose of this game is but its about unlocking dog breeds. It works by dragging two dog images of the same breed together to create a new breed and to keep waiting for the timer to go off for unlocking more dogs to combine. It’s about leveling up but there is no challenge or main side objectives other than watching ads to unlock dogs faster. The game is addictive even though it lacks many components of a game and reminds me of the examples we got from comparing toys against games. This game is nice, but it does not feel like a game or puzzle which could be improved if adding mini games of something else other than just combining dogs to get new breeds. Also, this seems to be one of those make money games that are fake.

This would be my fourth choice because I did like the rewarding feeling when getting a new breed on the game. I could implement some type of collectible that would require fusion to create and used for either armor, weapons, or both. I feel that the idea for this game falls more into an extra mechanic for a bigger game and that would keep the player interested on the item system of the game.

Game Title: Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

Genre: Puzzle

Target Demographic: Everyone

Monetization: Free App

Game is like Candy Crush and it’s all about moving pieces of the same color and putting them together. This one has a Harry Potter theme with lots of content and items to purchase that will help you unlock more levels. This type of game is fine but not my type as it feels endless and repetitive. The animations and the design of the game are great with excellent UI and very clear icon descriptions. The game also has multiple powers that help destroy multiple crystals faster but the player needs to watch out for the limited number of moves. There is challenge and excitement when unlocking new levels due to the great art and animation of the game.

This would be my fifth choice because of the UI being very appealing and it give the player the feeling to see what is available in every option. The game incorporated a great reward system for exchanging coins to get power ups and use them on levels. Also, the transition between panels is great and keeps the player interested due to the great design of each element on the screen.

Game Title: Toca Life World: Build stories & create your world

Genre: Educational

Target Demographic: Everyone

Monetization: Free App

Unique game where the player can enter buildings by selecting them and once inside there is multiple objects to interact with. The player can create its own characters and collect skins around the world. I like that the map can be moved around, and the design is very appealing with a Japanese look. You can also build around the world and add stuff to houses or buildings. It reminds me of the Sims but in a 2D form with many interactable objects. Everything is self-explanatory with an easy to understand UI and simple mechanics. Overall, I enjoyed playing this game and created around seven characters. Also, playing around the level is fun because you can combine stuff and change characters appearance which makes the game fun but also the design of everything kept me interested on the game.

[aion-rsa]

Ghost of Tsushima Review: A Beautiful Homage to Akira Kurosawa

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Ghost of Tsushima is a daring departure for Sucker Punch, who since 2009 has worked solely on the Playstation-exclusive Infamous series. While those games were steeped in modernity, offering sprawling cityscapes players could explore from top to bottom via superpowered “conduits” Cole MacGrath and Delsin Rowe, Ghost of Tsushima’s open world is set in feudal Japan. It’s here that we meet young samurai Jin Sakai, who must defend his homeland, the titular island of Tsushima, from an invading Mongol army.

Right off the bat, the shift in time period and milieu to 13th century Japan is notable because Sucker Punch handles it so brilliantly, especially for the team’s first foray into the samurai genre. Japanese history and culture are woven into every single facet of the game so elegantly and organically that you’d think the team had been developing games set in feudal Japan for the past decade, not sci-fi superhero romps. More than anything, Ghost of Tsushima is a moving homage to Japan, its history, and its people.

The story opens with a massacre. A massive Mongol army, led by the cunning Khotun Khan, storms the beaches of Tsushima and is met by the island’s woefully outnumbered samurai contingent. When the leader of the samurai challenges Khotun to a one-on-one, fair fight, the Khan renounces the honorable gesture in gruesome fashion, literally setting the courageous samurai on fire in front of both armies. The rest of the samurai are obliterated on the beach, while Jin’s uncle, Lord Shimura, is taken prisoner by the Khan. Jin is also fatally wounded but is miraculously nursed back to health by a new ally, a thief named Yuna who needs his help in return.

These opening moments set the tone for the rest of the game. The philosophical conflict between honor and deception is the beating heart of the story and permeates the gameplay in riveting ways. As you fight to take back Tsushima from the Mongols, you can approach enemy encounters in two ways. You can choose to fight honorably, like a true samurai, and challenge enemies to a “standoff,” a quick-reflex mini-game of sorts in which you and one of the baddies face off one-on-one and see who flinches first before one of you slashes his blade through the other. You’ll then have to take on the rest of the enemies all at once, which is no easy task.

The other option is to fight like a “Ghost,” sneaking into enemy camps, killing the bad guys in their sleep, poisoning them, using intimidation tactics to scare them into fleeing battle. It’s an effective way of evening the odds between you and your foes, but it rails against everything the samurai stand for.

Countless games offer the player the option to approach combat either stealthily or head-on. This is far from a novel concept, and in this respect, the combat in Ghost of Tsushima offers little innovation. But what is innovative here is how Sucker Punch has taken the classic device of stealth vs. frontal assault and given it new life by expertly integrating it with the themes of the story.

Jin meets a handful of allies on his journey, each with their own multi-chapter story arcs that delve into their respective backstories. There’s sensei Ishikawa, a master archer whose protege has gone rogue and joined the Mongols. Lady Masako is a warrior and grandmother whose entire family was murdered by the Mongols, though she suspects they may have died after someone close to the family conspired with the enemy.

Each of the characters explores the honor vs. dishonor theme in unique and surprising ways. The dichotomy is most starkly represented in the clash of ideals between Lord Shimura, who is unshakably honorable and would rather die than gain an unfair advantage in battle, and Yuna, who understands that, to beat an enemy who fights dirty, you may have to put honor to the side for the sake of saving your people. Of course, Jin is caught in the middle and struggles to decide what kind of man he wants to be.

Aside from the ties to the story, the gameplay is fun and engaging. The swordplay combines parries and dodging with a more strategic approach to melee, as you try to find ways to build up your enemy’s stagger gauge. You can also use “ghost weapons” to give you an edge in battle, like kunai (throwing knives), smoke bombs, arrows, and more. There are also four stances to master, with each being effective against a different enemy type. Switching between stances is integral to combat and becomes second nature over time. There’s also an insanely cool fifth stance that I won’t spoil here, but it’s spectacularly badass.

Stealthing is strikingly similar to what you’d see in an Assassin’s Creed title (this is a compliment), and the game gives you myriad ways to kill enemies without raising alarms, like throwable wind chimes and firecrackers that allow you to manipulate their positioning or hallucinogenic darts that turn them against each other. Again, this is all stuff we’ve seen before, but it’s pulled off well here.

Release Date: July 17, 2020 Platform: PS4 Developer: Sucker Punch Productions Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Genre: Action-adventure

Unfortunately, there are little gameplay flaws that needled at me, especially in the later hours of my playthrough (it took me around 45 hours to finish the game). The swordplay requires quick reflexes, and mastering parries and dodging is absolutely pivotal to your survival. The problem with the swordplay is subtle, and a little difficult to explain, but I’ll say it like this: in most games that are particularly challenging, when I die, I feel like it was my fault because I made a mistake, I just wasn’t fast enough, I hadn’t mastered certain skills. But on many occasions in Ghost of Tsushima, I felt like I died because the game didn’t give me a fair shot, like it was the game’s fault that I failed, not mine. It’s possible that I just wasn’t very good at the game, but it felt at times like I wasn’t given a choice in the matter. Your mileage will vary with the game’s difficulty level.

There are other things that bugged me, too, like the unreliable climbing mechanics (I swear, sometimes hopping onto a rope or branch that’s literally right in front of you is way, WAY too difficult). But overall, I had a great time playing the game and felt super powerful by the time I’d filled out my skill trees, which is no surprise considering the game was made by the same folks who made Infamous.

On a nuts and bolts gameplay level, Ghost of Tsushima doesn’t feel all that unique — there is some very familiar open-world stuff here. But on a presentation and storytelling level, the game is out-of-this-world amazing. Visually, the game looks stunning. The late-stage PlayStation 4 graphics really deliver, and coupled with the strength of the art design, Ghost of Tsushima is a true head-turner. The character models look fantastic and can emote on a level that supports the drama of the story. And while the different suits of armor that Jin acquires offer unique gameplay perks, I honestly just collected and upgraded them almost exclusively as an aesthetic indulgence. They look so freaking cool.

But the real stars of the show are the environments, which look picturesque from every conceivable angle. The wind-swept, verdant hills of Tsushima are intoxicatingly pretty, to the point where I’d get caught up ogling for minutes on end at the smallest of details, like the way the moonlight bounces off blades of grass or the way Jin kicks up crimson-red leaves that have blanketed the ground over time. I could go on forever about the dynamic day/night cycle, the beautiful rendering of different fabrics and materials, the horse animations. But instead, I’ll just say that this is the most breathtaking game, visually, that I’ve seen in recent memory.

A lot of love also went into infusing the game with Japanese cultural references, particularly in how the developers pay homage to the samurai genre. Each mission, for example, is bookended by cinematic intertitles that evoke old samurai cinema, Japanese characters, and all. But without a doubt, the most obvious/most amazing homage is “Kurosawa Mode,” which presents the game in black and white, with one of the best film grain filters I’ve ever seen in a game, resulting in an experience that looks almost exactly like a film from the iconic Japanese auteur’s oeuvre, right next to Sanjuro and Seven Samurai. If you’re a long-time fan of Kurosawa, turning the mode on may even elicit an “I’m not crying…you’re crying!” response — it’s that pretty.

I initially intended on playing the entire game in Kurosawa mode but quickly realized that it would be problematic to do so for a few reasons. Some missions require you to “follow the (insert color) flowers,” which is obviously impossible in black and white. And in combat, blockable enemy heavy attacks are signaled by a blue glint, while unblockable ones have a red glint. Combat is tough enough as it is, so…yeah. I only turned the mode on when I was riding on my horse through the countryside and I felt like treating myself to some eye candy.

Taking time to smell the cherry blossoms and have a respite from the game’s many missions and side missions is crucial because Ghost of Tsushima is a long, long game. The missions aren’t overly repetitive — most of them feel really special actually, like when you climb a mountain in freezing cold weather and must race from campfire to campfire on your ascent, or one armor quest comprised of several one-on-one duels with straw hat swordsmen scattered about the map, each with a distinct personality. But 40-plus hours is 40-plus hours, and while the main tasks of infiltrating enemy camps, liberating farms, and searching for special gear can lead to questing fatigue at the tail end of the game, the nice thing is is that you can always slow things down and just enjoy the scenery to break things up. There’s even a nifty photo mode to play with, and if any game warrants a photo mode, it’s this one.

Jin’s story isn’t just a means to an end, or a lazy excuse to drag the player from gameplay scenario to gameplay scenario. The story is incredibly well written and profound in its messaging and imagery, so much so that I believe it’s one of the best modern entries in the samurai genre, regardless of medium. All of the characters you meet and the little tales that unfold across Tsushima are filtered through Jin’s inner struggle with what honor really means and whether or not it’s worth dying for, which gives the story an incredibly strong narrative backbone. Despite the game’s epic scope, Jin’s journey actually feels quite intimate and personal. The same could be said of Kurosawa’s best work, and that’s just about the highest compliment I can give.

The post Ghost of Tsushima Review: A Beautiful Homage to Akira Kurosawa appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[battlersexual]

Board Game Showcase #1: Tragedy Looper

Introduction:

Tragedy Looper is a treasure. I’ve talked about it before, but not in enough detail to actually give a sense of what the game is like (Thanks for setting me straight, @ryo-maybe​), so I’ll do my best to give it the praise it deserves. However, I’d like to say this at the top: If this game sounds interesting to you, please let me know. I am always looking for more people to play Tragedy Looper with, and it’s one of the simplest games to play without a physical copy that I’ll be covering on this entire showcase. I have seen this game played via forum posts, and have played it through Discord myself. It’s incredibly easy to remotely play Tragedy Looper.

So, out of every board game I’ve ever played in my life, Tragedy Looper remains at the top, simply because there’s nothing else quite like it. The game can have two to four players, but no matter how many players there are it’s a 3-vs.-1 structure. The players don’t have pieces they move around the board, and instead use their cards to influence “NPC” characters who move and perform actions for them. There’s no ultimate end goal you’re working towards, besides “don’t lose.” It couldn’t be a stranger game if it tried, and yet every aspect of the game has so much care poured into it that it’s impossible not to get sucked in every time you play.

I’ll make a post to define certain terms I use at some point, but until then, I’m going to define two terms for you here: flavor and mechanics. Flavor is a game’s narrative element, the role you’re inserting yourself into as a player and what your actions within the game world represent. Mechanics are the design choices, rules, and numbers governing how a game actually functions.

Story:

The story of Tragedy Looper is as follows: You and up to two other players are time travelers. You’re able to go back in time to redo your actions, making different decisions and changing the result. The setting is a more realistic anime town with all that entails; a high school, several blocks of city, and a lonely shrine near the woods. The town is also full of people you might see in an anime: the students at the school, the shrine maiden, the police officer, the local idol, the Yakuza boss. Any of these characters could have terrifying secrets; perhaps one of the students spends her nights murdering her fellow classmates, or maybe that idol is secretly a cult leader bent on summoning a dark god into the town. And since you’re time travelers, you know that some things happen on certain days: a murder one day, a disappearance the next. The culprits of these strange incidents are also hiding among the innocent-looking people of the town, ready to snap at any moment if they become just a little too paranoid.

Your goal as the players is to keep the tragic events you know are coming from happening. But unfortunately, you’re not the only time travelers present. Another player plays the Mastermind, who opposes the players and wants nothing more than to steer the town towards tragedy. The players and the mastermind spend the game locked in conflict, with the mastermind initially at an advantage due to having knowledge of all the secrets the town hides. But the players will learn those secrets by rewinding time whenever something goes horribly wrong, and they have one advantage over the mastermind: as long as the players can avoid tragedy in any loop, only once, then they’ve won.

Mechanics and more under the cut.

Mechanics:

Tragedy Looper is played on a four-section board that looks like this.

It’s designed as a 4-player game, with every game featuring three “Protagonists” and one “Mastermind.” In a 2 or 3 player game, one or two players control all three Protagonists. Each protagonist has an identical hand of eight “action” cards, which allow each protagonist to perform one action on a given turn, or day as the game calls it.

Each action is applied to one of the “Characters”, cards on the board that represent people in the town.

Players can move these characters to different spaces on the board, manipulate three different kinds of counters on them, or prevent them from moving or gaining certain counters. The Mastermind has a similar hand of ten cards, different from the cards the players have, that lets them manipulate the characters in similar ways.

The characters each have a name, a set of traits (like “boy”, “student” or “woman”), a starting location on the board, a “paranoia limit” (I’ll explain that later) and a set of abilities with hearts next to them. These are “Goodwill abilities” and can be activated once a turn once the character has enough Goodwill counters (one of the three types mentioned earlier) to unlock the ability in question.

Each character also has a secret role: either a regular “Person” with no special rules beyond what they have visible on their card, or one of the special roles listed in the Mastermind’s secret information. The players have access to a list of all the roles in the game (among other information) via the Player Aid sheet.

A “script” (I.E. a game setup) for Tragedy Looper consists of a set of “Plots”; one Main Plot and a certain number of Subplots depending on which Set you’re using (more on that later). The plots both add special rules and dictate which secret roles are present in the game. Script Creation is a great aspect of Tragedy Looper for the mastermind, and allows you to go beyond the setups contained in the actual game and design your own scenarios to challenge your players with.

A script will also have “Incidents”: certain things that occur on specific days every loop. Each Incident has one of the characters on the board as a Culprit, separate from the secret roles. Once the culprit of an incident has Paranoia counters equal to or exceeding their Paranoia Limit on them, they will carry out their assigned incident on the appointed day, unless the players somehow intervene by decreasing their paranoia or moving them somewhere harmless first.

Finally, a script has a day number and loop number. Each game of Tragedy Looper consists of a set number of Loops, with each Loop having a certain number of Days, or turns. If a Loop ends with the players having lost, the board is reset to the first day and they start over. If the players reach the end of any Loop without losing, they win, and the mastermind is defeated. Otherwise, if the players are beaten by the Mastermind in every loop, they’re allowed to try to name every secret role and which characters had said roles. If they get it all right, they win. Otherwise, the mastermind wins.

Mechanically, the game is very simple. Each day, the mastermind plays three cards, then each of the three protagonists plays one card. The cards are turned over, their effects are resolved, then the mastermind is allowed to use any secret role abilities they have available, and the players are allowed to use any Goodwill abilities they have available. The rest of the game is entirely automatic, but the real game is the game of deception, bluffing and logic going on in the players’ heads, mastermind and protagonist alike. It’s not uncommon for a single bad play to end a loop prematurely, or even cost the mastermind the entire game, so there’s a huge emphasis on predicting what your opponent wants to do and countering it. Movement can be deadly; if a character is in the same location as characters with certain roles, they could be fine, or they could be dead men walking. Overall, the game has a low skill floor, but the skill ceiling is incredibly high, and involves getting a good sense for what every role and character can do, and how to use them to your advantage and gather information efficiently.

Flavor:

This game is dripping with flavor. Every incident, every role, every ability, they all help bring the setting to life. You might have a situation where you want to keep a certain character alive, but you know they’re going to commit suicide in two days and you have to keep their paranoia down, but the Mastermind has a conspiracy theorist whispering in their ear and pushing them over the edge, so you talk to the local doctor and increase his goodwill towards you so he’ll agree to help calm the person down, but he turns out to be an assassin the mastermind hand-picked to kill the character, and you just put them in the same room together... those stories are the heart and soul of Tragedy Looper, and it’s an amazing game to make a narrative from.

Replayability:

Tragedy Looper comes with 10 pre-existing scripts for the players to try, but as I’ve mentioned, it also features instructions for creating your own unique scripts, making the game infinitely replayable despite scripts being non-reusable (at least, for the same players.) In addition, it features two “Tragedy Sets.” A tragedy set is a group of roles, plots, and incidents on a Player Aid sheet. I’ve already shown you the first basegame set, “First Steps” which is designed for new players. The other basegame set is “Basic Tragedy”, which is the most standard set.

It’s not that different from First Steps; rather, First Steps is a simplified version of Basic Tragedy designed for teaching players the game. For more game-changing Sets, we’ll need to visit...

Expansions:

Tragedy Looper has two expansions: Midnight Circle, and Cosmic Evil.

Both expansions added four new characters per expansion (The Illusion, Scientist, Forensic Specialist, and A.I. for Midnight, and the Teacher, Soldier, Transfer Student, and Black Cat for Cosmic) as well as two new Tragedy Sets each and ten (12 in Midnight) more pre-made scripts featuring the new characters and Sets. The new sets were the main feature, changing the genre of the stories entirely. Midnight Circle had Midnight Zone, which introduced more zany things like ninjas, wizards, and immortals, and Mystery Circle, which cut all the supernatural elements of the setting and focused on more Agatha Christie-style mystery setups. Cosmic Evil had Prime Evil, which turned the setting into a classic horror movie chock-full of vampires, werewolves, and a zombie apocalypse or two, and Cosmic Mythology, which injected the game with a healthy dose of Cthulhu. Both expansions are great additions to the game, and well worth trying out.

Criticisms:

I have very few major criticisms of Tragedy Looper, and those I do have aren’t really about the game itself, but I do have a responsibility to be completely upfront with you.

First, while as I said this is a game with a low skill floor, it can be difficult to learn and difficult to teach. Often, it’s more useful to play an example round than to read the manual; a solution which is actually suggested in the manual, so at least they were aware of it.

Second, the game can be very un-fun if one of the players is too bossy, and starts telling everyone else what to do. I highly suggest turning “table talk” off, and only allowing the players to speak freely with each other between loops. Again, this is suggested by the manual, but it’s a genuine issue many people have. My solution may not work for a starting game, so remind each other that everyone deserves to have fun.

Third, and this is a more serious problem: Some versions of Midnight Circle have some printing errors and translation mistakes in the player aid sheets. In a game where the abilities and how they function are so important, that’s a killer. Luckily, you can just use newsaidin’s player aid sheets instead (you may have to sign up for a BoardGameGeek account, but both that and the files are totally free.) Newsaidin has also made files for the base game and Cosmic Evil sheets. There are still a few small errors, though: The Alien character must have a role and cannot be a Person, and the Spreading incident does not move two goodwill from one character to another, it removes two from one character and adds two to another. (This is important because if no characters have goodwill, triggering Spreading still adds two goodwill to a character.)

There’s one more issue with getting into Tragedy Looper, but it’s more appropriate for the next section.

Availability:

Tragically, Tragedy Looper is out of print and there don’t seem to be any plans to bring it back any time soon. You can no longer order it from its western publisher, ZMan Games. It’s still available on Amazon and Ebay, but stock is limited. However, it’s fully available on the Steam Workshop for Tabletop Simulator, at no cost beyond Tabletop Sim’s $20 price tag.

Alternatively, as I mentioned up top: If you don’t want to spend $20 on tabletop simulator but still want to try Tragedy Looper, shoot me a message. You won’t be able to play as the Mastermind, but I can run a game of Tragedy Looper anywhere, as long as I can post images and talk to you. I promise I’m friendly, and I will do my best to teach you the game as well as I possibly can, because I love Tragedy Looper and desperately want more people to know about it.

Conclusion:

Tragedy Looper is my favorite game of all time. Full stop, no exceptions. Not only is it well designed, the flavor appeals to me as someone who loves both mystery and time loops, and is a fan of Zero Escape, the When They Cry series, and Steins;Gate. I have never played anything as narratively rich and mechanically solid as this game, and it breaks my heart to see it languish in obscurity. In my wildest fantasies, enough people learn about the game to justify another print run and revitalize the community around it, but I doubt my little blog can possibly reach that far. But as long as anyone is getting newly introduced to this absolute masterwork of a board game, I can be at peace.

[aspiestvmusings]

TMS S3: GROUP A

THE MASKED SINGER SEASON 3  GROUP A/ GROUP 1: (contestants 1 - 6)

EP 3x01: CLUES & MORE: RECAP for remaining 5: 

SPOILERS BELOW!!!

KANGAROO

CLUES: 

Location: Outdoors: “Australia” 

Location: Next to a /in a yard of a “peach coloured” building with arch/vault-style architecture 

VISUAL CLUES:

Sign: OUTBACK (with the U being in the shape of horseshoe)

Sign: Yellow “road sign” with an arrow pointing down (”spiraling down”) 

MIB as papparazzi/press following her - taking pics, media attention (for “the wrong reasons”) 

Gramophone on a tree branch 

Boxing bag -  the kangaroo boxing/hitting the boxing bag 

Jump rope - the kangaroo jumping over a jump rope (made of a vine...held by MIB)

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

”Like most of you watching, I’m a survivor.” 

“I recently lost a person, who held my familys heart together. Then, by my own admission, I found myself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.” 

“But I’m here to do what kangaroos do best - bounce back.”

“I have to fight for my family. And show them that bullies never win.”

“I am beyond terrified - I’ve never done anything like this before. But I’m not about to lose the chance to realize the dream I’ve always had.” 

“To all the survivors out there -- This one’s for you.” 

 ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn 

Look/Costume: The kangaroo has a pouch (indicates female), but also has a red/silver boxing outfit & gloves (indicates male). Outfit colours: red & silver. Important: there is a crown on the back of her robe. 

Stage: hexagon-shaped mirrors (5 of  them) surrounding her/behind her [if my other guess is correct, then that stage design is a “clue”] 

Height: Tall-ish...almost the same height as host Nick. A bit shorter, around 175cm, probably.

Mic hand: Right 

Talking:  “One of my greatest fears is being vulnerable. And this year I’ve had no other option than to be vulnerable. But...with this kangaroo costume I feel like I can get my superpowers back.” +  [breathes in/sighs heavily before the song starts]

GUESSES: 

I HAVE NO NAMES OF MY OWN. -- I thought she was this certain female artist, because the voice kinda seemed familair (sounded like hers to me), but none of the clues and other things seemed to fit. And after checking the clues it seems to confirm it cannot be her, cause nothing matches. Also... to me she doesn’t sound like any of the singers I thoughts she could be based on the clues, so... I havent actually figured her out...

I think people online are correct, and it’s a certain “reality star” (gramophone = reference to her dad being a sound engineer on a well-known past TV show) Though I am considering a few more options - mostly other reality stars/youtubers/family members of celebs... particularily one name. If my guess here is correct, then just like Llama, she would have a connection to a previous TMS contestant...but since I am not that familiar with her singing voice, I cannot be sure. But she has lost family members in the past few years, she has been in a media scandal, and you can even explain the australia thing kinda... so...until I hear more of her, I’ve got one name mainly in mind. But I wont name it until I’ve heard her sing at least once more.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

Survivor = the title of a “Destiny’s Child” hit song

Lost a family member recently = either her family member (parent, grandparent?) died or they parted ways (were cut ouf of each others lives)

Gramophone = possibly a reference to a Grammy nomination/win. Or just music/sound/audio

Outback = possible connection to Australia

“spiraling down” road sign + papparazzi following her = she’s been in a media scandal “recently”

Crown = King/Queen 

LLAMA

CLUES: 

Location: Radio station/Mixing studio - mixing console (close up) 

Location: Pottery making “class” 

VISUAL CLUES:

Mixing console - close up of a studio/radio station mixing console 

23.3 The Wool (name of the radio station/show) 

Red lightbulb in the studio 

Photo of a bull (the animal)

Playing cards: Ace of Spaces & Jack of Spades). Two black suit cards showing (Jack Black)

Sounds of Seattle - title of a vinyl album 

Romancing a llama: pottery 

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

"Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi-Mix it up!”

“Good morning, Nerd herd! You’re listening to The Wool. Where we’re all cool. No Bull.” 

“I’m here for one reason only - to have a laugh. And what’s funnier than a Llama? (laughs at his own joke)”

“You may call me a joker. But I’d like to get serious for a minute. The song I’m singing tonight is my favourite track for celebrating love with that... special someone. There’s nothing like being swept up by it’s deep, profound lyrics. It’s a tune that really gets me in the mood for romance. I can’t wait to sing it for you tonight.”

“Llama out!” 

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin 

Look/Costume: Dressed as a tourist - “hawaiian” style shirt,, photo camera around his neck. Llamas tongue out of his mounth, on the side. 

Height: he is around 180cm - about the same height as host Nick (their shoulders are on about the same height)

Mic hand: Left 

Talking: “umm.. This whole costume just spoke to me... My vibe... I wear digs like this in real life.” (answering the question about his costume & it’s looks) 

GUESSES:

Drew Carey (TV host/comedian/actor...)

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

23.3 Wool = His show (The Drew Carey Show) had, during it’s 9-season long run, a total of 233 episodes. 

Photo canera prop = His hobby is photography. Actually, it’s more than just a hobby - he has been accredited press photographer during many (sports) events.  

Radio = He was a radio operator during the time he served in the Marine Corps. Also..he’s hosted a radio show (radio DJ) during his later career 

Red light in the room = photography reference. In the DarkRoom red light is used when developing photo film/photographs.

Buddha figurine (Dalai Lama/Llama joke) = He is a buddhist. 

Joker = he is a joker aka comedian 

Seattle = He is the co-owner of a Seattle Football Club. 

Playing cards = He took part in the celebrity poker game in 2003, where he did better than Jack Black did (played against Jack Black)

Nerd herd = He did take part in Zack levis (Chuck) “Nerd herd” lightsaber race one time at a Comic-Con convention. 

Nerd herd = his show (DCS) & character were/was about nerds/was a nerd

Llama’s side tongue = early in his stand-up comedy days he had a joke with a side-tie (it looked visually very similar to what the llama’s tongue looks like - he just added some wires & tape to do “the trick” of swinging the tie to the side)

BONUS: He knows last years winner, “The Fox Mask” - they did “Whose Line is it Anyway” together, so... connection... 

SPOILER ALERT: Llama is the mask who will be voted off next - in ep 2 (on Wed, Feb 5th). But while his voice might not be as trained as some other contestants, I loved his stage energy, and the comedy/fun he brought! One more song coming from him! And no, I am not sharing some secret info - they “accidentally” revealed the first two contestants, who get unmasked, so it’s been revealed by the network...for those, who notice small details...

MISS MONSTER 

CLUES:

Location: Lady’s restroom/bathroom. The moster getting ready (coming hair, applying hairspray...) 

Location: school hallway - lockers 

VISUAL CLUES:

Sign:  (image) ladies restroom 

Itmes on the counter in bathroom/dressing room: Furspray (hairsray) can,  pink bottle of some beauty product, three crystals (stones), a piece of sequin fabric 

Key/Keychain: a single (old style) key with a keychain that says “FUN” #FUN #KEY = FUNKY = “QUEEN OF FUNK” 

Purple furry diary/good luck charm/cosmetics bag/pencil box (with a face + kitty ears & unicorn horn) + a glittery pen 

Lockers: Lockers numbered 10 (the ones she opens) & 11 (the one next to it)...with no other lockers having numbers on them 

Miss Monster Locker: filled with images of S1 Monster, scrapbook flowers..etc...

Piece of paper on the locker door: Monster Hits.

Photograph of a cityscape (skyline with many skyscrapers) on the locker door [if I could only see the image better to know which city it is on it, that’d be one more clue]

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

“When you become famous, people  want you to look or act in a certain way. They forget that you started off as just a shy little monster.” 

“It didn’t take long for me to be misunderstood. So I’m here to set the record straight. Just like my favourite creature in Season 1 did. The Monster. He made me feel. He re-wrote his story. It was fire!" 

“And now this performer in pink wants to follow in his furry footsteps, But darlings... I’m nervous. Will you still love me without knowing my name?”

ON STAGE CLUES: 

Song choice: “Something to Talk about” by Bonnie Raitt

Look/Costume: pink & purple/violet furry costume with a bowtie

Height: she is short-ish (shorter than host Nick). She looks very short (barely 5 feet - more Dolly P. height 152cm than Chaka K height 162cm)

Mic hand: Right 

Talking: NO ON-STAGE TALKING!

GUESSES: 

Chaka Khan 

Dolly Parton (since the total number of Grammy noms that the 18 contestants have in combined in 69 & Robot as the first revealed one has had 24-25 of them, that leaves only 44-45 for everyone else, that rules out this person, because she alone has had 46 nominations...compared to C. Khan’s 22 noms)

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES. 

Number 10 = She has 10 Grammy Awards/wins. (interestinly: both D. Parton & C. Khan have 10 Grammy wins!)

Monster Hits = she has had (many) hit songs during her career 

He made me feel = She has a song by the title “I Feel You” (1984 hit)  

It was fire = She has a song by the title “Through the Fire” (1985)

Will you love me - that is (word for word) the title of of her her hit songs, “Will You Love Me?” (2007)

It was fire = She wrote the hit song “Fule to the Flame” (1967 hit) for Skeeter Davis. 

Will you still love me? = She has/wrote a song titled “I will always love you” 

Furspray/Hairsray = he was/is known for her big hair/haircut (managing that probably takes lots of hairspray)

FUN = FUN(K) #FUN KEY [FUN:KI] - she’s kinda the “queen of funk” (one of her albums is titled “FUNk This” (btw: Pun intended by her!) 

TURTLE 

CLUES

Location: school’s track & field event (Balzano Track Field) - contestants getting ready to run. The slow turtle surrounded by fast bunnies, all preparing for the event. [Slow & steady (turtle) wins the race]

Location: Schools track & field event - BANG! The race begings. The three other contestants (MIB as bunnies - wearing pink bunny ears - starting the race with a head start, all jumping on their blue bouncy balls)

VISUAL CLUES:

Turtle vs bunnies 

BANG! in comic style - to mark the start of the race 

The others (three bunnies) bouncing on blue balls whe n the race begins 

Surf board - the turtle poliching/cleaning his poink & blue surf board 

Pins on the track...popping the blue jumpy balls 

Grilling burgers on an (outside) grill...on the track field. 

Turtle crossing the finish line first (bunnies just going in circles, being stopped by pins on the way, or other reasons), as he has time to do other things & take it slowly, and then still get there first...with a burger in hand & winning the golden medal.

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

"At the starting-line of my career I was surrounded by other hungry new-comers. It felt like everyone around me was fighting tooth-and-nail for the dream. And I watched as many of those stars burned too brightly, too quickly, and then fizzled down”

“I’m a turtle, because I’m always taking it step-by-step.”

“Slow and steady wins the race. But now I feel like I’m ready to break out of my shell. After years of preparation I would love to make a big splash. So I don’t want anyone to cross that finish line before me.” 

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal 

Look/Costume: Punk/Rock-style, dressed in leather (pants, jacket), has a spike (hair)

Height: Short-ish (shorter than host Nick) - seems around 175cm. Small in size.

Mic hand: Right 

Talking: “It’s hot. It’s really hot. And it’s heavy!” (when answering how doesn it feel to be in that costume and perform in it)

GUESSES

Jesse McCartney 

Joey McIntyre  PS. I tried connecting the voice to any boy-bands (of 1990s & 2000s), but I coukdnt. Even after some “research” - listening to each possible candidate...and IMO it’s none of them. The voices dont match, the heights doesn’t match---But it did sound like someone, who for me was a one-hit-wonder. Yeah, I only know that one song (and one more) from him... but voice seemed familiar.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES: 

Surf board = that he is a surfer;  that he is from Cali/Australia/somewhere which is known as being popular among surfers; that he has won Teen Choice Award(s) (this award in in the shape of a surfboard)

being surrounded by other new-comers at the start of his career = either he got his start through a (singing) competition and was one of many contestants fighting for the win AND/OR he got his start in a “boy-band” and was one of the youngsters looking for fame...

Surf board = Teen Choice Awards - winning several TCAs for his first/biggest hit song/album in 2005, and more. And he’s played a surfer character on a TV show

BSB references/connection  - he was the opening act in 2005 for BSB during the European part of the tour. 

Dream = he started in a boy-band with the name “Dream Street”

on stage presence/body language (movements) = very similar to J.M. 

WHITE TIGER 

CLUES: 

Location: Football field. Tiger striking a power/winners pose. 

Location: School hallway, lockers. Tiger walking in, shoving everyone out of his way. 

Locatrion: School library (sitting behind a table, with his legs on the table) 

Location: School hallway, lockers. MIB trying to get him to audition for TMS. MIB (fans) taking selfies with him. 

VISUAL CLUES: 

Golden plate/sign with text: Ultimate champion for clam shucking: 51 clams” (next to a golden clam shell) 

Sign/ad on the wall: “Masked Singer tryouts 5/3.” + images of three past masks included: Eagle, Lion & Raven. Plus the text: “Hurry. Not for long" also written on it. 

Sign on the all with images of past US presidents, including Abe Lincolns & the text/quote “Four Score and Seven Years Ago...” 

The TMS golden mask throphee shown next to the lockers (as Tiger says “let’s party!”)

AUDIO CLUES/VOICEOVER: 

“Ready to meet your next champion? My entire life I’ve sought out perfection, so choosing a mask with unlimited power like the White Tiger was a no-brainer.”

“I’ve had a giant career full of accomplishments. But when I imagine being on stage (and) singing, I’m a big old scared cat.*

“It’s been a while since I did something that scared me, so I’m here to concour yet anither challenge.”  

“What’s my motivation? My fans! I don’t wanna let them down." 

“So now I’m ready to get in that ring and smash the competition.” 

“Let’s party!” 

ON STAGE CLUES: 

Song choice “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice 

Look/Costume: Dressed in “Egyptian style"

Height: very tall & big (much taller than host Nick) - over 190cm, looks about 2m tall

Mic hand: R & L (alternates)

Talking: “It’s the most powerful I’ve ever felt. Like I can concour anything. I never wanna take it off” (when answering what did it feel like when he first put on the costume/mask)

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES: 

He played during the 51st  (51 clams) & 53rd  (5/3) Super Bowl games. 

The three past TMS masks shown are all animals that are parts of  names of existing football teams: Ravens, Eagles, Lions. Meaning he is an athlete & specifically plays american football (NFL) 

The Lincoln quote translates to “87 years ago...”, so number 87 is the clue here. This could be a reference to player No. 87. 

He has had a very succesful career in his own field (sports). Singing is not his main job.

IF the voice-overs were done later, not during initial filming, then it’s possible that “smash” relates to the person smashing a lego-statue of a TV host during 2019/2020 New Years. Which in itself was supposed to be about his famous “Gronk Spike” during football games. 

A tiger (albeit “regular”, not white) was one of the characters & costumes + name of the sports team in the Katy Perry video “Swish Swich”, where this athlete also appeared. 

The Golden (Golden Mask) trophe - most likely a reference to his many wins (the trophees he/his team has won)

GUESSES: 

Rob Gronkowski (Gronk, athlete, 198cm) = 99% certain it’s him 

Because of the height alone (seems to be around/almost 2m = 6 feet 5) there are not that many possibilities at all. Even if we don’t listen to that voice or consider the clues. Based on height alone it can basiclaly be only one of these names: Dave Bautista (198cm); The Rock (196cm); Hulk Hogan (201cm); Tyler Perry (196cm); Brad Garrett (204cm); Joe Manganiello (196cm); Jeff Goldblum (194cm); Jason Mamoa (193cm); Tom Brady (193cm)..or the likes...

Even other possible names, like the ones listed by the panel, are not valid guesses, because of their height: John Cena for example is actually only 185cm tall. Also... several of these tall men are bigger/more muscular, so that makes it even easier to determine the name based on only the physical appeance...without even listening to the clues. 

ROBOT 

First mask to be voted out in ep 1

Havent listed his clues, cause there’s no use for them anymore, as he was voted off. 

With his 86 tattoos he makes up for about half of all the 160 tattoos the 18 contestants have combined. With his 24-25 Grammy nominations he makes up about 1/3 of all the 69 noms the 18 contestants have combined. And quite many of the 88 gold records the 18 contestants have combined,  belong to him (I don’t know the exact number, but most/all of his 10+ albums have gone gold, I think) - exact number depends on how they count it for this list.

<<<<< THIS IS WHAT GOES ON IN MY HEAD AFTER EVERY TMS SHOW/EPISODE. THIS IS HOW I CATEGORIZE THE INFO I HAVE INTO FOLDERS IN MY MIND. THIS IS HOW SPECIFIC I AM, AND HOW INTO DETAILS I GO. THIS IS HOW MUCH I PAY ATTENTION (while, most likely, missing a ton of more hints that I’ll only notice during re-watch) I JUST DECIDED TO WRITE IT DOWN...FOR ONCE. 

BUT... unless I decide to cut some sleep time to do this again, I am probabky not gonna do this after every episode. Possibly for the first episode of every Group (so beside ep 1, also ep 4 & ep 7)

[wingedgladiatorbeard-blog1]

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[mononoke-no-ko]

[Trans] Director Taniguchi interview from Resurrection pamphlet

By the request of the pamphlet’s owner, I won’t post the full look of the pamphlet. Just contact me if you want to see the Japanese text on some section, but please be moderate and don’t ask for the whole thing.

--After the movie trilogy, now it’s “Lelouch of the Resurrection”. Since when did you come up with the concept of this work production?

Taniguchi: Since quite a while ago. In retrospect, at early stage of the TV series planning, this work's concept already existed. At the beginning of the TV series planning, naturally I thought about in what kind of ‘form’ the conclusion would take shape. Then as this series welcoming its 10th anniversary, and its world has expanded, I thought “this time, let’s put them together into a ‘form’”.

--At that time, what kind of ending was it going to be?  

Taniguchi: It was something similar to this “Resurrection”. However, because a production is something that's perfected as you're making it, I do believe that TV is TV's one answer.

--So this work is created to draw that ending concept?

Taniguchi: For me, “to make something that fans would enjoy” is all there is. While affirming TV series as TV series, this time I wanted to expand the world of “Code Geass” in a broader sense. The feeling that I wanted to present this as one possibility is really strong. Because a work is a living thing, this work won’t be able to survive without the support of the fans. First of all we would like to express our gratitude to the fans who have given their support. At the same time, we also would like to welcome those who experienced “Code Geass” for the first time. With this work, we're considerably mindful of the first time viewers so that they'll also be able to enjoy it.

--When you're formulating the detailed story, what did you decide on as the axis?

Taniguchi: In the making of this work, the first thing I talked about with Okouchi Ichiro-san is "Let's make a fan movie that would make fans happy. However, with only that new viewers won't be able enter, so let's make the story easy to understand". Eventually we had a prolonged discussion on which points that would need to be compromised.

--In the end, the KMF is renewed, a new enemy also comes out, and it became a showcase of all-star.

Taniguchi: Since we're going to do it anyway, I didn't want to do it half-bakedly. Since the very beginning, we created "Lelouch of the Rebellion" by taking on board every elements that make up the work and elements that please the fans as much as we could. We're scraping things off not for the sake of narrowing the scale. Even though this time it's somewhat unreasonable because we're making it as an extension of "Lelouch of the Rebellion" trilogy, we take everything on board anyway. Well looking from another perspective, nowadays it's impossible to do this kind of work in a TV series. First the production site won't be able to handle it, then viewers also don't want to see this kind of dark works in TV anime. However if we lighten it, it won't be "Lelouch" anymore, so we decided that there's no other choice but to do it in a theatrical movie. If there's something I want to add, is that I think if it's for "Code Geass", there is an opening to do dark work in TV anime. However I think it would be difficult to do "Lelouch arc" within that 'opening'.

--How did you come up with the newly appearing country, Zilkstan?

Taniguchi: We already used Asia with Chinese Federations, and aristrocatic elements have been left to Britannia. Regarding E.U., "Akito the Exiled" already touched on it. In the world power map that was in my initial draft, I turned Antarctica into a country named "Penguin Empire", but we can't have an empire of penguin as the enemy (laugh). Narrowing down to the areas that we haven't done before, then around Arab or Africa. However, it seems the audience will be confused as to how to cut out certain ethnic or religion, then we might as well create a country. When the world was roughly divided into Britannia and UFN in "Imperial Road", there were still areas that don't belong to anywhere yet, so I figured to solidify that setting more firmly. Even though it's a new country, I want it to have persuasive power, and the foothold have to be solid so that the fantasy element "geass" can be supported, so I built it with discussing with each staff, while consulting with concept designer Teraoka-san, Hishinuma-san from art department, and researcher Shirado-san...

--A mercenary country that sends out mercenaries to other countries as an exchange of not having resources. Within the country itself there seems to be disparity as well.

Taniguchi: When the country is hiring out soldiers to other countries, people who have money will come along because they'll have a chance to build relationship with other countries. On one side, there's an area where rich people from abroad live, while on the other side, there are also local religious facilities. People who work for those religious facilities live in poor neighborhoods. It's a country with such structure. Because the capital is the entrance for the customers from abroad who come to buy the country's military power, there are railways and highways there. Behind the flowery part of the city, there's an exact opposite area. However, as identity as a country is necessary, the more I think about the foundation of the country, the more it becomes plain pictorially, so I was intentionally careful in how to capture the parts that aren't so.

--The character from Zilkhstan that you particularly emphasize?

Taniguchi: It's Chalio. Thinking about a character that holds his own against Suzaku, it has to be a character who has already given up on tomorrow. Should I call him a character that will be acceptable as Suzaku's opponent? While for Kallen and the others' enemies, I balanced it by introducing super modern weapons and ridiculously large stuffs. Although Suzaku and Chalio both have special machines, I wanted him to be a balanced pilot in a different way from Suzaku. His body doesn't move the way he wants it to, but he still charges ahead with obsession alone. That's the part we did thoroughly.

--Chamna and Chalio as siblings, are they supposed to be a contrast to Lelouch and Nunnally?

Taniguchi: Well, there’s awareness of it. But country-wise there's not much connection, after all the older sister is the religious leader, and the younger brother Chalio is the king. Although there's actually an idea to put Forgner on the side as a political counselor, but if Chamna controls both politics and religion, it will end up becoming a religious state. As you may have understood by seeing it, Chamna can use her geass multiple times, conversely, it's a contrast to Lelouch who risked his life just once. Because for Chamna, the direction she's facing has already completed since the beginning, she's almost completely free of doubts and hesitations.

--How about the highlights on the production side?

Taniguchi: The production was fully improved. The outfits, the hair presentations, even the filming processing, we renewed everything. I did things I couldn't do enough in TV series, like putting gradation on certain characters' hairs. On the action side, first I increased the amount of true-to-life hand-to-hand actions. Starting from there, old-type KMF gradually became the latest model. As I imagined the sensation of the whole thing heating up, I think it's good that this kind of flow came out.

--Your thoughts on the casts, such as Fukuyama-san?

Taniguchi: Because they're the people I've had the privilege to work with for a long time, the feelings are deep indeed. It's difficult to control everyone individually when you're building the characters. Even with the power of our animators, eventually we need to have logic to run through the voice play too. It's something only voice actors can do, so I trust and respect them. That's why there are times I gave them instructions like "At minimum you should do this much work" or "Everyone should already understand the balance there" (laugh). The balance there is achieved while consulting the sound director, but unlike during TV start, this time everyone has already understood that. All the actors who newly joined in this time have individuality so each of them is interesting, if I was to say it then Chalio-kun's voice actor, Murase Ayumu's peculiar sense of distance is very good. I first met him a few years ago, but he hasn't changed at all. Whereas Fukuyama-kun is a real bother (laugh), he's truly similar to Lelouch. But that's a good thing, so this is a compliment.

--While "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion" is also a picaresque romance, as you have been depicting the character named Lelouch for 10 years, what do you feel?

Taniguchi: Though he appears to be  "dark", Lelouch is actually an honest person. The things he wants to do and his goals appear to be wholesome for some people, while for others they might seem "dark". If you make a character of justice deliberately do something that goes against the justice that character upholds, at that moment that character will become a lie. The things that Lelouch do, looking at the result, can only be seen as something dark from outsiders' point of view. Since he's only acting according to the goal he sets himself, he's totally unshakable. From the start, with this series, I thought of making it about the building process of the 'enemy' organization. Actually, that was also the underlying theme of "Code Geass".

--What do you feel now about "Lelouch of the Rebellion" series?  

Taniguchi: I feel grateful that "Code Geass" became a series, and that it has become something that's possible to aim for diversified expansion. "Lelouch of the Resurrection" is a reply for those who have supported "Lelouch of the Rebellion". I'm also very grateful for the privilege of being given such opportunity. I've been thinking about it, but this series is blessed. Various people helped and came to join us, and good things came out in unexpected shape. A work that includes all of those aspects, I'm really grateful to be able to get involved in such work.

--At last, please tell us your favorite scene in this movie.

Taniguchi: What I thought as something that came out better than expected, it’s the Zilkhstan animals. Like the birds in the wilderness and the chickens at the village. Also somewhere in the middle, ferrets appear in just one cut. This scene has been pointed out since the storyboard that "This is ferret". Please try to look for where it comes out by all means.

[princesslpyhead]

A Long Rant About Sindel, Recycled Animations, and NRS;

(The witch is back and looks... Familiar.)

It's not bitching, it's not complaining, it's not negativity, and it's not wrong.

A lot of people are asking why is NRS recycling so many animations from previous games. With MK11 NRS has now for the 3rd time made one of the best selling games of the year, with the launch of a fighting game title (following similar headlines from Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat X). Back to back to back best sellers. A lot of people have had complaints since it's release about balance, the roster changes, Mileena, transphobic voice actors, Mileena, the unlock system, Mileena, and now the animations.

In a tweet from Treybaile, multiple animations from Sindel were shown to have origins from Injustice 2 characters. The post claimed, "Sindel plays similar to starfire and I'm a little disappointed". Obviously this was a bad assessment to make, but begged the question, "Why is the best selling fighting game/ one of the top selling games of the year reusing old animations?" The answer is multifaceted but the initial response was obvious.

The "Toxic" NRS community;

In an overwhelming bid to suppress "negativity" the NRS community and Twitter users took to bashing the opinion and community for "negativity", "nitpicking", and "complaining" (criticism is not the FGC's strong suit whether it be dishing or taking).

A lot of MK11 players do have a very negative outlook on the game, but from the supporters excuses were made to defend NRS's choice. Okay, that's the preface, now heerreee I gooooooo.....

Other fighting games reuse animations!? Why pick on NRS?

So no one complained about Kitana, Johnny Cage, Scorpion, or anyone else having reused and altered animations. Same goes for the majority of Street Fighter and Tekken's cast. The reason for this is that a large majority of those animations form a character's identity. If Dhalsim didn't show up in SF6 and instead Ken could do fullscreen stand fierce, you might hear a complaint or two. In fact a major topic during the release of Kage was why do his buttons look so similar to Dan Hibiki's from SF4?

When someone is wondering why the possesed and undead former Queen of Edenia shares animations with 3 superheroes from another series, it's not exactly out of line. Tekken especially is a game comprised almost entirely of it's predecessors in how it animates, yet faces no ire because characters follow 2 unspoken rules; 1) they are themselves 2) they're emulating someone with the same fighting style. NRS didn't get that memo for Terminator or Sindel. Whomp whomp. Confused/Angry people don't know why they're angry and confused.

She has similar powers to those characters and NRS has a "Style"! What is she/ are they supposed to do?

In a perfect world characters are completely expressed in gameplay through their design, buttons, specials, and animations. We would hope NRS has the time/budget to make a bad guy not share moves with 3 separate good guys, and hope their animations have enough character in them to not be interchangeable. If your animations are being mixed and matched and turned into a "new character" we would hope there is a reason why within the games story.

Simply put; people expect NRS to make Sindel look like Sindel, and hope their style is wide enough that animations don't become vague copies of each other. (It is that wide, but we'll get to that later).

Why bother nitpicking such a small thing?

We all paid money for the game. We're all pouring money into the game for season passes and skins. We all see the hearts/souls/time crystals and understand NRS wants to separate us from our hard earned dollars (or in my case begrudgingly and mostly easily earned from slinging coffee). When a best selling game does something people might recognize as out of line, they are allowed to question that. NRS is not an indie developer running on 3 developers and a dream. Mortal Kombat is a multi-million dollar franchise owned by Warner Brothers with their 3rd feature film on the way. They play by corporate rules now.

They want to do things like maximize profits, and hire recently graduated students to pay less than minimum wage and lay off. Take criticism with a grain of salt. Read a glassdoor review of Capcom sometime. Video games are like a sausage factory, but the meat is some stressed out kid working months of crunch time who hasn't seen the sun since oh I don't know when.

Your scrub ass friend complaining about balance while you're washing him repeatedly with Raiden is one thing. That's bashing a game you don't know how to play. Asking, "why am I doing Injustice 2 stuff in Mortal Kombat 11?" Is a fair question that deserves a fair answer.

IN DEFENSE OF NRS;

NRS is not a lazy developer. They just look like it. Whomp whomp part 2.

MK11 is the best looking NRS game, shoulder to shoulder with Injustice 2. It is the most balanced NRS game to date (for better or worse). It is the single best looking 3D animated fighter out right now. I say this as someone who plays Tekken and Street Fighter way more seriously. The faces in MK11 look ridiculously good (except cassies weird baby smile), the characters move pristinely, elegantly, and naturally, most of the time. It is easily one of the most AAA fighting games.

However NRS is questioned as a developer very often and while that is okay, it is also, very unfair, and lends itself to their development cycle.

AAA Fighting Games;

"Every year you get a new Call of Duty, Madden, Assassin's Creed or whatever, and they all feel the same as last year's with minor changes and it sucks ass and why do we buy video games?"

Fighting games almost never seem to get this criticism anymore, despite the fact that Capcom made 4 versions of Street Fighter 4 and is on it's 2nd version of Street Fighter 5 currently, a game released in 2016. Tekken 7 has been out in Japanese arcades since March 2015 and has seen few complaints and steadily rising numbers since then.

Mortal Kombat X came out in April 2015.

Mortal Kombat X came out in 2015. NRS is working too fast.

Since Tekken 7 was released, NRS has released MKX, MKXL, Injustice 2, Injustice 2: Legendary Edition, and now MK11. Mortal Kombat/ NRS fans still complain they are getting content too slowly.

Unfortunately for NRS as well they are not working on a single franchise in these time periods as well. Alternating between Injustice and Mortal Kombat, 2 games with different mechanics, characters, and to a mild extent player bases, has resulted in a partially fractured community, and a homogonizing of identities between games. Some people don't want their peas to touch their carrots.

Furthermore, jumping from franchise to franchise faster than Tekken can complete a single cycle results in some rules being broken. Sindel owns a partial mix of Black Canary and Starfire animations because NRS wants to release a new character every two months and a new game every year.

SFV players waited nearly 8 months for 3 characters. One of them was E.Honda. he slaps his thighs a lot now. I love it.

If you want to know why animations in NRS are being recycled their are 2 clear answers;

1. They are making content for and balancing their games at a break neck speed.

2. Every developer already does this, you just don't notice because you're not comparing Tekken 7 Paul to Tekken 6 Paul. They're both going to spam deathfist at you.

And that's all! Don't feel bad for criticizing video games and don't sit around thinking any developer is out here strictly trying to be your friend and not trying to make some sweet fucking dollar bills. Obviously developers care about their communities but video games are equal parts art and sausage factory. Now leave me alone, I gotta go spend $20.00 on 500 crispy ass time crystals or whatever.

[megatentious]

Megami Tensei where u at??

When you are down in the dumps about your favorite video game franchise and the future of a series that is special for you, sometimes you end up seeking it out in places that are … unexpected. I’m going to talk about how, over the last couple years, I ended up seeing three different flavors of Megami Tensei in three different games, and maybe by the end of this we can all end up feeling like it’s okay to move on with our lives. Just keep telling yourself that your favorite games are not your identity and it’s not that serious bruh but also tell yourself that it is therapeutic to collect many paragraphs of thoughts you have had about this to write at length about in your blog.

First up is a game that many many people have noticed is very Megaten and that is the Digimon RPG, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. There was no reason at all for this to be as good of a game as it is. I have no special affinity for the cartoon show. I do not like the Devil Survivor character designer even a little bit. I do not find grinding and monster collecting for the sake of monster collecting entertaining. But from the very first trailer something seemed compelling, and as good word of mouth spread I decided this was going to be a game I needed to play.

Again, everyone has already commented on how Megaten this game feels, and for me the closest specific analogue is actually Raidou Kuzunoha. From the first extended trailer I noticed the jazzy main theme, the detective agency conceit, the visible partner monsters appearing in a Tokyo with bold camera angle choices, and felt a weird familiarity. Digimon also function very plainly as Megami Tensei demons in multiple ways, not only mechanically but also through their story roles. And the somewhat arcane stat manipulation needed for high-end Digivolving scratches the exact same itch as high-end Megaten fusion from previous SMT iterations, which is both a dangerous (100 hours of playtime good lord) and wonderful (100 hours of playtime good lord!) itch to scratch.

You need to put up with some annoying characters and prattling dialogue, but unlike other games there is no pretense here which absolutely helps. Also, re-interpreting traditional Japanese folklore through the lens of the Digimon world is something that never stopped being fascinating for me even amidst a sub-par localization, and as someone with low familiarity with the cartoon, the Digimon designs themselves were alternately hilariously bizarre, bafflingly stupid, and straight up awesome. They even have their own Lucifer! 

By the time you get to the second half of the story where the game completely changes and becomes about alliances and faction-building and what happens to a city facing apocalypse, when you take in the incredible atmosphere in Odaiba all buoyed by a soundtrack that has no right to be as good as it is, you start to feel optimistic about how Megaten influence can live on even outside of the series itself.

Next up is an entry from another series that is occasionally compared to SMT, but this one in particular feels like it was only played by two or three people at all when it was miraculously released earlier in 2019 for the Nintendo 3DS. I’m talking about Yokai Watch 3. Arriving close to three years after its initial Japanese release to utterly resounding indifference, this game’s hook is that you get to play in “America,” but as you can tell from the quotes around America this is actually much more complicated than it seems in a way that specifically draws comparison to my beloved Revelations: Persona. You see, the very Japanese Yokai Watch series city location of Sakura New Town, Japon, was localized here for us as Springdale, Springdale back in the first game. This decision has led to many wonderful incongruities moving forward that are honestly identical to those in the Lunarvale of Revelations: Persona. Gotta love these small American towns with Shinto temples in em!

With Yokai Watch 3’s plot focusing on the family moving to actual America though, and the cross-cultural hijinks that are meant to ensue, things quickly get even weirder and more strained. Protagonist Nate Adams complains about the difficulty of understanding southern accents while slurping down sukiyaki. Shopkeepers with tempura-based hairstyles serve traditional Japanese dishes in the quaint American township of St. Peanutsburg. Huge timezone differences between America and “America” are introduced. And all of this is refracted through the even more convoluted localization prism of this game about two versions of America being scripted by the British, leading to children aspiring to be “basketballers” and restaurants having “oriental” atmosphere.

I’m barely scratching the surface of the dissertation-worthy unpacking needed for all of this, and it’s difficult to describe just how deeply weird the vibe can get in this game. In just the first twenty minutes of Yokai Watch 3, you have 1) a purely nutso anime opening featuring scary demonic folklore-based yokai, robots, and cat mascots 2) Mulder and Scully very seriously discussing mysterious “Y Files” 3) a rhythm game where your very American family devours an enormous amount of sukiyaki 4) the same very American (or in the game’s terms, “Springdalian”) family leaving their home to move to the state? country? of “BBQ” and 5) suddenly you are an otaku girl going to a figure shop in “Sparkopolis.” This is just as delirious as it sounds.

Revelations Persona’s uncanny America atmosphere may be one of a kind, but Yokai Watch 3’s frequently insane scenarios can sometimes recall a similar sort of lunacy that leads you to end up fighting a giant mechanical rat while a song with the track name “Child Abuse” plays, or chatting up a populace of mole-covered rainbow afro’d citizens in a locked down mall. At one point after returning from one of Yokai Watch 3’s various alternate dream worlds (very Persona!) my game was even afflicted with a commonly reported glitch that caused the environmental textures to not load, leading to a flat polygon world and some authentic PSX Lunarvale vibes. Throw in all the folktales and mythology involved in the yokai themselves and straight up demon fusion in a cathedral and suddenly you’ll end up experiencing more Megaten than you’d ever expect to see in an RPG targeted to young children.

Last up is an all-time classic that actually predates Shin Megami Tensei entirely, making it temporally impossible for any influence to show up, which muddles the entire concept of this essay but please roll with it you guys this is just how I feel. I’m talking about the seminal Phantasy Star, for the Master System, which I played through M2’s loving, impeccable SEGA AGES port on Switch. This game, which was released in 1987, is simply incredible. Right off the bat you’ve got genius-level programming from Yu Suzuki himself, which allowed for the first person dungeons to scroll so smoothly that posting a snippet of directly captured footage from the game can still lead to semi-viral tweets. It’s these extremely cool boldly colored first person dungeons, along with the expansive feeling of the several worlds you visit that led me to feel some of the spirit of Megami Tensei 2 specifically in this game.

“oops i accidentally phantasy starred for four hours” is how I put it playing through this game for the first time, and it’s a given that a non-fantasy setting RPG where you can talk to the monsters would be appealing to me. Phantasy Star as a series was in fact deliberately conceptualized as a rebellion against the many fantasy RPGs of the time, and the developers have talked about this in a way that is practically identical to early staff interviews about the goals for Megami Tensei. Director and gaming luminary Rieko Kodama has remarked that the choice of a female protagonist was also considered rebellious, even though it felt like a natural choice for her on a personal level.

Megami Tensei 2 is the game that builds the structure for Shin Megami Tensei as we know it today, moving away from Megami Tensei 1’s single full-game dungeon format to a world map with numerous discrete dungeons and eventually, paths to alternate worlds. Phantasy Star shares this exact design format, which still feels so expansive and impressive to this day. It’s a treat to get to experience a game like this over 30 years after its release on current hardware and still feel such an impact, and all of you need to go out and buy buy buy this game, seriously give M2 your money.

I’ve taken it as a given that everyone shares my perspective on where Shin Megami Tensei is at these days as a series, and it’s obviously never a good look to come across as an over-dramatic scolding bitter old who has retreated into pure irrelevance. But by documenting all of these observations down for myself, I can at least feel better about finding bits and pieces of various Megaten strains in the games of today. The lesson learned is that even if you feel your favorite franchise has lost its way, you may be able to find parts of it in the places you least expect.

[edomtheproject-blog]

Devlog #2 - 22/10/2018: What about an isometric perspective?

Hey, what’s up?

Today we’re gonna talk about the first steps of our game. As you’ve already seen in our first Devlog, we intend to share an alpha-demo with you guys until mid-November and that’s around one month from now. But this idea was born somewhere between July-August and we’ve been talking a lot about Edom since then.

THE FIRST IDEAS

We gave birth to Edom way before we would stop to think about names. Back in the day, it was only four of us: Jão, Carol, Paulo and me (again, I talked about the team in the last Devlog). Actually, everything started with a wish Carol had. She didn’t exactly think of whole a game, but a specific character: Ariel (if you’ve been following us on Twitter and Facebook, you probably have already seen something about her). She not only imagined the character physically but also had some ideas concerning Ariel’s personality and background. It was only a matter of time before me, Dave, becoming the guy who would create a more sophisticated lore concerning the character.

In our first meetings, we talked a lot about what we had imagined for the game, if Ariel would be the only char available and what really was our purpose with Edom. After a few minutes exploring the initial ideas, we got to a common-sense: it should be a horror game. But we still wanted to create something different from what we’ve been seeing out there.

Srsly, listen to this awesomeness

Firstly because we still have some limitations (and this is our first serious project, therefore we have no experience with this whole thing). We wouldn’t be able to create a 3D Game in this very moment since none of us is exactly a master at 3D-modelling and stuff like that. Secondly, we really wanted to challenge ourselves with a project that could explore our abilities. More than that, we wanted to create a thrilling atmosphere in a pixel-art style, what we initially imagined it wouldn’t be possible (however, we are very optimistic about it right now).

We also wanted to make things different. We have lots of AAA on the market who are filled with jump scares and all these clichés (not saying these are bad games, pls). As a writer, I’m really fond of trying to create an ambiance through a good narrative and other artistical elements. We wish to see players creating bonds with the characters and, once this link has been established, we want (well, I do want) to crush your sanity and your feelings through an immersive plot and environment (seriously, our artists - me included -  are working hard to make you cry and ask for your mama or your psychiatrist). And I’m really confident that it’s gonna work.

Thanks a lot @the_games_guild

WHY ISOMETRIC? WHY?

We’ll get there soon, I promise.

So, we also had to make sure which elements should be applied to the game. I personally wanted something filled with puzzles and enigmas that would sometimes rely on lots of exploration, just like some Survival Horror’s out there. Besides that, one of the feelings that we think it would be nice to explore it is the idea of loneliness and helplessness. To accomplish that, we imagined a huge mansion as the setting, implying that you’re confined, but at the same time, you can get easily lost if you’re not paying attention enough. We also wanted to make this game to be one of those where the players aren’t supported by any kind of power, so… Yah, no guns or baseball bats for you to kill your enemies. You can only run to the hills.

Somehow, at some point of our meetings, we considered that this game could be a weird Metroidvania-like, but we eventually noticed that this wouldn’t be suitable at all. However, the perspective of creating a 2D game, similar to some old point-and-clicks (which I really loved, I’m totally into adventure games) wouldn’t fit as well. And then, someone (I don’t remember who, but I’m sure it wasn’t me) suggested: what about an isometric perspective?

And we were like “woooooooooow”! And one second alter we were like: “but how the duck are we gonna do it? We know nothing about it and we already have this huge idea that probably won’t be finished and…”

And then someone (probably me) was like “IH, RESPEITA O JOGO, RESPEITA O TIME” (that is something like “c’mon, you should respect our game and our idea, and also trust our own abilities, we can do it” but it sounds WAAAY better in Portuguese).

Anyway, isometric just seemed the right thing to do. Then we had our first animations and scenarios created by Carol in a beautiful pixel-art piece of art. Jão was also doubting his skills, but he is the type of person who can do anything (seriously, we call him “the yes-boy”, cause he always says “yes, I will [manage] to do it” to everything). And, well, I’m glad to say it’s working.

This is only a test.

We had a few problems during the first weeks. Since none of us had any experience working with isometric perspective, we had to ask for help from other people from GDP (if you don’t know about it, you should read the first Devlog). It was at this moment that our team got our first new members. Nayara and Tomás were fundamental to help Carol with this new perspective, giving her some tips and making a better job of it. Nayara, currently one of our artists, has also been doing some great job. Tomás would be our Game Designer (yeah, we didn’t exactly have one before everything started), but he decided to focus on other projects - that’s when Victor shows up and saves the day.

Despite the decision, we still thought of the game following up with the previous idea of a Metroidvania, not as a whole but at least some elements and the level design. Part of it would be useful to increase the idea of loneliness mentioned above. We got ourselves guided by Mark Brown Boss Keys’ video talking about The World Design of Super Metroid and we agreed that we wanted to apply the same concept in our game, so the player would feel motivated to explore each corner in each room. And this obviously took us to talk about Level Design.

We also don’t have any experience with LD and puzzles or things like that. Since the beginning, we’ve been studying and researching about it in order to provide good riddles to the players, in a way they may feel rewarded when solving it. If you already played Super Metroid or watched Brown’s video, you certainly noticed this genre presents you with a huge map, but some parts of it can only be accessed once you got a special ability (for example, you can only access a certain passage if you acquire a double/longer jump ability in another point of the game). We really wanted to include this idea of progression in Edom, but how would we do it if our main character is a simple girl?

STOP WITH THIS “CLIFFHANGER” BULLSHIT BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS AND ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION. HOW’D YOU DO IT?

We would create a few more characters. Initially, we imagined only three, but our musician, Paulo, thought of a very specific character and we decided to include his idea. Each character has a “special ability” (nothing really special, but they are good with certain things that the others aren’t, simple as that) and you can only access certain areas if you discover these other “guests” around the house.

That was a good choice since it would help us in three important aspects: a) the Metroidvania progression X reward system, which is awesome and contributes to exploring; b) would make possible for us to think of many creative puzzles, since you can explore the mansion with different characters; c) instead of one character for you to love with all your heart, you have four of them (and consequently your suffering will be four times bigger). We are also testing the portrait system, in which the player may access a portrait of another character and change it whenever he is in an appropriate place to do it (for example, you’re controlling Ariel and you find a portrait of Clarice, then you interact with it and change characters). This system will be implemented, but there’s still a lot to discuss.

You can’t see the changing system, but notice the portrait on the wall.

Things seem to be okay for now. We haven’t faced many problems after that and the pixel-art is flowing. Jão, the programmer, has found some problems with layers in Unity, but after three weeks of intense research (and a lot of coding), he managed to solve it. In the meantime, we worked to add every command that would be important to the game: walk (in 8 directions), run, pull/push, interaction and using special abilities.

I guess this is it for now. We hope to publish here once more this week, focusing a little bit more on the music and writing. Stay tuned. And follow us on our social media (FB and Twitter), since we’re updating them regularly.

XOXO