#the hero’s party still has 2/4 members still living and breathing and yet the actions and words of the past still weave into the narrative

[kiwikipedia]

have you ever seen someone haunting the narrative in such a breathtaking way that they left such an insanely positive mark on pretty much everyone? WOULD YOU LIKE TOO?

[aion-rsa]

15 Best PlayStation One RPGs Ever Made

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In our look at the best Super Nintendo RPGs ever, we mentioned that the SNES is arguably the greatest RPG console in video game history. Well, if there is a console that makes that discussion an argument, it would have to be the PlayStation One. 

With a lot of help from Square, Sony quickly established the PlayStation as not just the home of incredible RPG experiences but as a console that was capable of effectively convincing people who previously had no real interest in RPGs that they absolutely needed to devote 50+ hours of their life to the next gaming epic. That sudden rise in genre popularity inspired some of the industry’s greatest RPG developers to try to outdo each other creatively and commercially. 

The result was a classic collection of role-playing experiences that still rank comfortably among the absolute best ever made. With due respect to the 20+ other games that deserve to be on this list, these are the 15 best PS1 RPGs ever made. 

15. The Legend of Dragoon

The Legend of Dragoon’s legacy has only grown since the game’s late 1999 release, and it’s not hard to see why. While this game was initially criticized for not living up to the standards of some of the other PS1 RPGs we’ll soon be talking about, time has been kind to the various things this game does so very well.

The Legend of Dragoon makes up for its slow story with an incredible combat system that emphasizes an almost QTE-like mechanic that helps ensure you’re rarely simply watching a battle play out. This RPG’s character transformation mechanic is also one of those brilliant gameplay concepts that should have been copied many times since this game’s release. There’s also always been something special about the fact that Legend of Dragoon‘s ambitious CGI cutscenes ensured this epic spanned four PS1 discs. 

14. Wild Arms

Wild Arms is another one of those PS1 RPGs that were initially overshadowed by some of the all-time classic games it had to compete against, but the thing that stood out about this title at the time is the thing that still makes Wild Arms special to this day: its style. 

Wild Arms‘ blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and western design concepts shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does here. Developer Media.Vision deserves a lot of credit for ensuring this game’s ambitious world always felt cohesive and for finding some truly clever ways to subvert genre expectations through this title’s approach to exploration, combat, and puzzles. 

13. Breath of Fire III

The Breath Of Fire III vs. Breath of Fire IV debate will likely not be settled here, but the third entry in this series ultimately gets my nod due to the ways it so clearly raised the bar for this franchise and its genre competition. 

Breath of the Fire III’s 3D visuals and voice acting helped sell this game’s engaging story, while the game’s combat and wonderful cast of characters ensured you were constantly engaged and ready to see where this absolute gem was going to take you next. 

12. Front Mission 3

Front Mission 3 rewards players willing to put the time into its fairly complex mechanics and deep storyline with one of the best tactical RPGs of the era and one of the best mech games ever made. 

This game is rightfully remembered for its customization options and often punishing tactical gameplay but I don’t know if it gets enough love for its faction-driven narrative and the ways its visuals convey epic mech battles without relying on more traditional action gameplay. 

11. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

The only reason this all-time great game isn’t higher on the particular list is that there are just other PS1 RPGs that better represent the genre and the kind of epic experiences we think of when we think of one of the best RPG platforms ever. 

Having said that, the way that Symphony of the Night incorporated RPG elements not only changed the franchise forever but eventually helped inspire developers everywhere to enhance their own action titles by utilizing role-playing mechanics. This is still one of the best blends of role-playing and action/adventure ever made.

10. Valkyrie Profile

Long before God of War took us on a journey through Norse mythology, Valkyrie Profile caught many PS1 gamers by surprise with its unique blend of Japanese design and a Norse narrative that tasks you with assembling the perfect party of heroes to assist you through Ragnarok.

Valkyrie Profile‘s true calling card, though, is its turn-based combat system that essentially assigns a button to each character in your party. Getting the most out of your party of heroes requires you to successfully assign each character the right actions at the right time in order to unleash powerful combo attacks. It’s complex, original, and a whole lot of fun. 

9. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete 

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete may have started off as a Sega Saturn title, but it’s hard not to ultimately remember this as a PS1 game due to the many ways that Sony’s first console allowed Lunar’s developers to share their full vision for this classic. 

It’s true that Lunar is an “old-school” JRPG in a lot of ways that might turn some people off, but when level grinding, party management, and methodical turn-based gameplay are done this well, it’s hard not to see this as one of the ultimate genre comfort zones. 

8. Star Ocean: The Second Story

It’s hard to talk about Star Ocean without eventually getting around to the fact that it has almost 90 possible endings, so let’s not bury the lede. What’s even more impressive than the game’s number of possible endings, though, is the fact that many of those endings are clever, logical, and, in their own ways, complete. 

Really, though, this game’s incredible number of possible conclusions just highlights the various ways this sci-fi/fantasy title makes you feel like every action you do truly matters and that anything can happen. I also have to pay respect to this game’s brilliant “private action” system: a unique mechanic that allows your party members to have their own adventures that ultimately contributes to some of the best sidequests in RPG history.

Read more

Games

25 Best RPGs Ever Made

By Matthew Byrd

Games

Was Final Fantasy Really the First JRPG?

By Matthew Byrd

7. Xenogears

Xenogears features a fascinating blend of styles and mechanics that is quite appropriate considering the details of this game’s complicated development history (it started off as a pitch for Final Fantasy VII before briefly being designed as a Chrono Trigger sequel). Admittedly, there are times when you can tell this game is trying to find its creative voice and gameplay footing. 

Yet, all the concepts this RPG touches upon ultimately come together to form something wonderful and memorable. It features one of the best ATB combat systems ever, a complex and creative story, a lot of heart, great visuals, and a truly incredible soundtrack. Sure, the game struggles a bit in the second half, but it’s easy enough to overlook those shortcomings as the byproduct of ambition. 

6. Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII should be a victim of its own success. After all these years, all the praise, and all of the discussions, you would think we’d be at the point where the dreaded term “overrated” might linger just above this game’s legacy. 

That’s not the case, though. Maybe Final Fantasy VII was eventually surpassed, but it’s truly tragic to imagine what RPG gaming in the ‘90s and early 2000s would have been like if it wasn’t for this game. It alerted millions to the fact they loved video game RPGs, and it did it without sacrificing depth, quality, heart, or ambition. 

5. Final Fantasy Tactics

Considered by many at the time to be the best tactical RPG ever made, it has to be said that the most impressive thing about Final Fantasy Tactics is the fact that it’s still difficult to argue against this game’s claim to that title nearly 24 years after its release.

Final Fantasy Tactics‘ surprisingly accessible (yet still deep and rewarding) gameplay perfectly complements its colorful visuals, engaging character, and surprising story. I don’t know if it’s the best tactical RPG ever made, but it may always be seen as the standard in the eyes of many. 

4. Vagrant Story

It feels like people have been waiting for Vagrant Story to get the love it deserves ever since the game was released in 2000. While Vagrant Story absolutely has a cult following, it seems pretty clear at this point that it’s just never going to reach that level. It’s too difficult, too different, and it will probably never get the remaster it deserves. 

However, those who have played Vagrant Story know it was Square’s most mechanically ambitious and unique PlayStation RPG. From its stunning visuals to its deep combat and mature narrative, Vagrant Story has honestly aged better than all but a few of the games of this era. A game this different and innovative shouldn’t feel as complete and confident as it does. 

3. Chrono Cross

From the moment Chrono Cross was released, it feels like the first line about this game has been that it disappointed those who were expecting a direct follow-up to Chrono Trigger. Even when we learned that the Chrono Cross team never really saw this as a Chrono Trigger sequel, Chrono Cross still lived in the shadow of its all-time great predecessor.

Maybe there are ways that Chrono Cross would have been better off sticking closer to that SNES classic, but even at the time of its somewhat controversial release, many praised Chrono Cross for its innovative combat, weird and wonderful story, large cast of characters, music, visuals, and commitment to defying expectations at every turn. This shouldn’t be your first PS1 RPG, but it might be the one you end up remembering most fondly. 

2. Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX was essentially Square’s PS1 swan song. While the title’s return to the medieval fantasy style of classic FF games highlights the studio’s jovial mood at the time, the fact is that many people wondered if Square could recover from the controversial Final Fantasy VIII and produce an RPG that effectively ended their unbelievable run of hits in style. 

The fact they managed to do just that is an accomplishment that should never be overlooked. To this day, I struggle to think of even a handful of RPGs that challenge Final Fantasy IX’s charm, humor, and cast of characters while still providing a role-playing adventure that will feel rewarding to veterans and newcomers alike. This is an across-the-board triumph that delights and impresses in equal measure. 

1. Suikoden II

Suikoden II was pretty much “doomed to fail” from the start. It was released in the wake of Final Fantasy VIII’s massive debut, wasn’t widely distributed, and featured “retro” graphics that initially turned quite a few people off at the time of cinematic PS1 visuals. It didn’t help that its predecessor was a very good, but not great, RPG that also failed to find a wide audience. 

Yet, Suikoden II is quite simply one of the best games ever made regardless of genre. I would love to tell you about its nuanced and deep politically-driven narrative, varied combat system, minigames, world-building elements, and score, but how long can you really talk about Suikoden II without getting around to its cast of over 100 recruitable characters and the ways Konami managed to make each and every one of them (as well as their interactions with each other) among the best of their era? 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

I wouldn’t call this a perfect game, but at the same time, I’m struggling to think of a single thing I’d change about it. 

The post 15 Best PlayStation One RPGs Ever Made appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[zak-animation]

Miles Morales: The Hero’s Journey of ‘Into the Spider-Verse’

In this post, I’m exploring the plot of my chosen film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as an example of the Hero’s Journey as described by Christopher Vogler. The film examines what it means to be a hero, and I felt like breaking down the plot in this format would be a good start to my research into the movie and it’s narrative. For this post, I’m primarily responding to the first essay question:

Analyse your chosen narrative with close reference to the Hero’s Journey or another appropriate story template. You may write about the film’s failure to fit a conventional structure too. Understanding how a film may subvert and challenge narrative conventions is a good aspect of structural analysis.

Act 1: Separation 

1. Ordinary World - introduce the character’s everyday life After a fun opening shot featuring Peter Parker, the film quickly introduces us to the film’s main protagonist Miles Morales. Miles is a teenager from Brooklyn who admires Spider-Man, and we’re shown that he’s struggling to live up to the expectations and standards of his parents and teachers. The film establishes the strong family dynamic of the film, in which we learn that Miles’ father, police officer Jefferson sees Spider-Man as a menace. We learn that Miles has a passion for street art, and pop music that allows him a sense of comfort and ease. After school, Miles sneaks out to visit his Uncle Aaron.

2. Call To Adventure - the hero receives  a call to adventure Aaron takes Miles down to an abandoned subway station, presenting him with a blank canvas. Miles sets to work creating a graffiti ‘masterwork’, and is bitten by a radioactive spider in the process. He’s been bitten, and there’s no going back now.

3. Refusal of the Call - the hero (initially) refuses the call Though just a brief moment, Miles does initially refuse the call in a sense of disbelief. After finding out he has spider-like abilities, Miles reads an Amazing Fantasy comic book detailing the superhero origins of Spider-Man, and he draws similarities to what he’s experiencing. He refuses to believe there ‘can be two Spider-men’. He runs away, saying ‘it’s just puberty’ as the thought bubble ‘no’ flies off around him.

4. Meeting the Mentor - the hero meets the mentor Miles returns to the subway station, searching for the radioactive spider. He unintentionally finds a particle accelerator built by big bad Wilson Fisk, who wishes to open parallel universes in a tragic attempt to find alternative, alive versions of his wife and son. Miles watches as Spider-Man swings in to save the day against Fisk’s villainous cronies Green Goblin and the Prowler.

Spider-Man ends up saving Miles from falling to his death, and they share a bonding moment in which they realise they both have similar spider-like abilities. Miles meets his superhero inspiration and mentor, who says he’ll show him ‘the ropes’. Unfortunately, the mentor is gravely wounded by an explosion during the battle, which also kills Green Goblin.

5. Crossing the Threshold - the hero crosses a boundary, and enters a new world Spider-Man gives Miles a USB drive to disable the accelerator and warns him that if the machine is turned on again, the city will be destroyed. Miles makes an escape after watching Fisk pummel Spider-Man to death. Miles has been given a task, and now the city enters a new world: one without Spider-Man.

Act 2: Descent and Initiation

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies - the hero is tested  In a comical sequence, Miles attempts to master his new abilities and become the new Spider-Man - but manages to inadvertently damage the USB drive in the process. He visits Spider-Man’s grave, and meets Peter B. Parker, and older and more tired version of Spider-Man from another dimension. We find out that Peter has been dragged into Miles’ dimension by Fisk’s accelerator, and needs to return home - and so begrudgingly agrees to train the Brooklyn teenager in exchange for help in creating a new USB drive, using stolen data.

Here, Miles faces new challenges and tests as he teams up with older Spider-Man to break into Fisk’s research facility, and fight off against chief scientist Olivia Octavious. She reveals that Peter will eventually deteriorate and grows closer to death the longer he stays in their dimension, while Miles manages to take the desired data. The dynamic duo make a hasty retreat, pausing to grab a bagel before Peter teaches Miles to web-swing. They are saved by Gwen Stacy, another dimension-displaced spider heroine. Gwen takes Peter and Miles to May Parker, who is shown to be sheltering the other Spider-People: Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham, and Peni Parker and SP//dr, who are also deteriorating before Miles’ eyes. He steps up the plate, and given the fact that this is his dimension, offers to disable the accelerator to send the other Spider-People home. Miles, and the audience, begin to learn the rules of this new special world.

In this step, we are introduced to Mile’s allies and enemies, as we learn more about Peter, Gwen and the gang. Something mentioned in the research lecture when we first explored the idea of the Hero’s Journey was how this step was also known as ‘trailer material’. This was especially true with Into the Spider-Verse, as the majority of shots came from the visual gags and quick-paced action of the ‘break in’ scene and as Miles learns to web swing with Peter.

7. Approach To the Inmost Cave - the hero approaches an external / internal threat The heroes attempt to teach Miles how to use his powers, but their lecturing becomes overwhelming and he runs back to Aaron’s home for advice. When he gets back, however, he discovers that Aaron is actually The Prowler, one of Fisk’s hired guns. Terrified, he flees to May’s house, to find out that Peni has completed building the drive. Unfortunately, Miles was followed by Fisk and his enforcers Octavius, Scorpion and Aaron himself. A fight breaks out, and Miles tries to make an escape with the drive.

Prowler seizes Miles, who prepares to kill him on Fisk’s order. Miles unmasks himself, leading Aaron to realise he has been hunting down his own nephew. Prowler decides not to kill Miles, leading Fisk to shoot him in the back - killing his uncle before his eyes. Devastated and afraid, Miles makes a run for it.

The Spider-gang prepare to face Fisk by attending his dinner party in a convenient disguise, while Peter restrains Miles in his dorm and leaves him behind for his own safety. Peter decides to sacrifice himself by taking Miles’ place in deactivating the accelerator, and swings away to help the others. With his mouth webbed up and stuck to his desk chair, Miles’ father Jefferson knocks on his son’s door to tell him about Uncle Aaron. With just silence as his response, Jefferson assumes Miles doesn’t want to speak to him, and proceeds to apologise for his mistakes as a dad.

Here, our hero faces his inner demons and reaches his lowest point. Jefferson leaves, and Miles is forced to combat his own demons. He realises he’s ready for the challenge, and using an on-request surge of energy, breaks out of the web. This isn’t the Ordeal, this is just the build up to it. Miles returns to Aunt May’s house and the original Peter’s Spider-Cave, and designs his own costume using his own spray cans. We next see Miles clinging to the side of a skyscraper. He’s more confident, but he’s still scared. He’s not Spider-Man yet. Miles adjusts his position, in preparation for the ordeal, moving closer and closer to the edge.

8. Ordeal - the hero faces his threat, midpoint, death and rebirth ‘That’s all it is, Miles - a leap of faith’. Our hero lets go of the building, as the window shatters around his hand, and leaps down into the city skyline. He’s out of control, plummeting towards the ground below. We’re left in suspense as Miles takes a literal leap of faith.  

9. Reward - the hero gains something (Seize the Sword) At the last second, miles shoots a web upwards….and it sticks to a building! Miles begins to swing, moving through New York with a visually pleasing fluidity that oozes confidence. After running between taxis and across windows, Miles swings on top of the Brooklyn Bridge and catches his breath. He looks at Fisk Tower, and as an audience, know he’s ready - he is Spider-Man.

Act 3: Resurrection and Rebirth

10. The Road Back - the protagonist, now a hero, embarks on a quest back Miles swings back to meet the gang, and battles Fisk’s enforcers for a final time. It’s a quick fight, but we see how Miles has become his own hero and plays off of his team members easily. Miles manages to activate the USB drive and sends all the Spider-People back to their home dimension.  The other heroes have returned home, but the fight isn’t over: Miles isn’t out of the woods just yet.

11. Resurrection - the protagonist is reborn as a hero Fisk and Miles fight it out throughout the accelerator, which attracts his father’s attention. Jefferson watches as this new Spider-Man risks his life to protect the city and the ones he loves, and realises he’s not the enemy. Spider-Man is reborn as a hero in his father’s eyes, which inspires Miles to defeat Fisk and destroy the accelerator in the process. Jefferson and the authorities arrest Fisk and his enforcers, as the officer and the city recognise Spider-Man as a hero.

12. Return With The Elixir - the hero returns, changed Miles swings around the city, ecstatic to be Spider-Man and have his father’s approval. We literally see him return to his ordinary world - in this case, his bed, at the end of the film. Miles lays back, transformed by the experience. He embraces who he is, and the responsibilities of his new life.

Response In this post, I’ve begun my research into my chosen film of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. To kickstart the process, I’ve analysed the film’s plot in relation to the Hero’s Journey, a narrative structure described by writer Christopher Vogler. It’s clear to me that Chris Lord presents a refreshing take on the Hero’s Journey, following all the beats outlined by Vogler, but in an exciting way that’s new and distinctly…Spider-Man.

As an update on the classic Spider-Man origin story, Mile’s superheroic beginnings manage to feel unique and fresh, whilst also echoing those of Peter Parker’s. However, it should be worth noting that the film’s actual narrative - of becoming a hero - is nothing ground-breaking or particularly new. Instead, that honour goes to the the film’s animation and visual style. It’s a brand-new approach to animated filmmaking, and it’s going to make waves in the industry. 

To continue my research exploring Into the Spider-Verse and it’s narrative, I’m going to be looking at its ground-breaking comic-inspired visual aesthetic: how it was made, and how this allows the filmmakers to tap into an entirely new approach to visual storytelling in film.

[hypeathon]

RWBY - Volume 6, Chapter 13 Production Analysis

Previous Volume 6 Production Analysis Posts:

Chapters one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven & twelve

When starting this production analysis series, three goals were kept in mind: 1) To disspell any potential misconceptions and myths about RWBY’s production, 2) to help add more depth and nuance to discussions about the production since some fans out there do care enough to talk about it, and 3) to highlight how various members of the staff have helped carry on certain aspects of the vision meant to be applied to this show. When the late creator of the show, the writers most closely associated with the show’s story, and almost every animator, storyboard artist, modeler, camera layout artist, rigging artist compositor, VFX artist, sound designer, etc., have all been passionate about the medium of anime and have applied that passion into crafting this ongoing anime-inspired project, why not give them all credit where credit is due, especially for this specific occasion?

As with all other prior analysis posts, this one is intended to put forth as much insight and context of the behind-the-scenes as possible. That said, since the volume 6 finale chapter follows the tradition of every other volume finale, expect things to be a bit more “shot-in-the-dark” than usual. Since volume 3, the ending credits of every other episode will usually list the names of those that were involved in that episode. Sometimes, names of certain people from certain departments will change depending on whether someone is being assigned to work on something a few episodes later or because that person is possibly preoccupied with another big project at Rooster Teeth Animation like Gen:Lock at around the same time. However, the ending credits for the volume finale are setup to list literally everyone that was involved throughout, even those that were otherwise non-credited from those with specialized roles to the families, children and pets of individual members of the production staff under “Special Thanks” and “Additional Security”. Combine that with no one in the animation and storyboard teams having mentioned who did what, there will be a lot more guesswork involved.

That’s not to say there was nothing to acknowledge about this episode, far from from it actually. To see how, let’s dive right in the Neo and Cinder scene. One of the first things of note that has not been mentioned elsewhere yet is Neo’s materialization effect. This has been done once before in chapter 11 of volume 3, but like with Yang’s semblance, the approach has changed with more nuance. By close observation, the way she previously materialized may have been done in a manner where one character model was layered on top of the other with the same exact pose and a wipe effect was used through the light emitted with another layer of the shattered pieces added. In comparison, Neo’s semblance in this chapter is a bit more elaborate. The supposed character model layering trick is still there, but what was once a more simple wipe with some pink lighting is now an empty space with a lot of fractal pieces swirling with the brighter colored ones in the middle. The effect also extends to Roman’s hat on Neo (assuming that was his hat) and the tips of pieces of the Mistralian ship as it transforms into an Atlessian one.

Then there’s the matter of the new designs for Neo and Cinder. Again, since the volume 6 finale did the ending credits differently, that also means that no concept art was shown, so there are no notes regarding the matter. It doesn’t help either that there is no known concept art of Neo in particular throughout the show’s history in general, partly due to how her model was originally conceived a mere 10 days prior to her first appearance in volume 2. However, right before volume 6 premiered, the key visual art made by concept artist, Einlee appeared which featured a silhouetted character with peculiar claw-like left hand in front of the head of the Sphinx Grimm. Many fans have quickly speculated that it was Cinder but the context of the appearance was kept vague. It’s now clear as to why that was the case considering how much Cinder’s new attire matches that of silhouette. What’s most curious about this design is how much a certain accessory has been kept between her main designs in volumes 1-3 and volumes 4 & 5, that being the “iridescent feathers” which have been kept towards her right side in varied places. That and her black crystal earrings and anklets have been mostly exclusive to her base designs and not present in any of her past, alternate incognito designs which have been designed by volume 2 art director, Kristina Nguyen, current art director Patrick Rodriguez and lead concept artist, Erin Winn. However, her two main designs that come with both of those accessories were done by Einlee and become increasingly darker in their color schemes to her now fully black outfit. As for why this specific design was in the poster when it didn’t officially make an appearance until this episode is hard to say, but it’s possible that on some level, this was an attempt to throw off fans from guessing too easily where things will turn out as they would theorize. How successful that was however is a whole other matter.

Putting that aside, as well as an extra mention of the choice of rim lighting for the setting and the little bits of animation that show off Cinder and Neo’s differing characteristics, we can move on to the main event regarding the Leviathan Grimm... or Levi, or Bubbles or whatever its nickname is suppose to be. Similar to Neo and Cinder, there were no concept designs of the character to dissect from, but it is clearly safe to say that the character was inspired by kaiju of the tokusatsu or “special filming” genre in Japan. Tokusatsu is basically used to describe any live-action films or shows that utilize a series of special/practical effects, one of which being having a stuntman portray a giant creature of mech or some other variation inside a suit, otherwise referred to as “suitmation.” The fall 2018 anime, SSSS Gridman, served as an example of simulating that feeling to a great degree through the way the creatures and for the most part, Gridman were animated in 3-D. Co-writer Miles Luna has gone on record before about being a big fan of the Godzilla franchise, having grown up watching them with his father, so it would not be the least bit surprising if the Leviathan Grimm was his idea. The way it was animated seems to strike this balance between how Godzilla and other kaiju have been depicted in live-action Japanese films while also making it believably feel like a part of the world of RWBY. Another noteworthy bit regarding the Grimm and how it moves is the way it dives down into the water and then rises back up from it slightly later in the episode. This is not so much to do with animation as it has to do with the use of visual effects and compositing, but parts such as the Leviathan’s silhouette underwater are especially interesting since that has rarely happened in the show prior. The only other comparable instance that springs to mind is when the Nuckelavee appears from the smoke in the volume 4 finale and there may have been a similar compositing trick. The other thing of note was the water effects which are depicted much more realistic compared to when say, Cordovin shot at Ruby and Weiss in chapter 11 which that giant splash was done in 2-D or when splashes are done via more cel-shaded 3-D visual effects.

There is more to talk about regarding the Godzilla inspired Grimm, but first, let’s rewind back slightly to bits of character acting. Despite being unsure of who did these moments, the transition from Cordovin feeling frustrated to feeling incapable of doing anything was very convincing, as well as the scene with Blake, Yang and Ruby right after and then. Of course, Blake’s ears was part of the reason for the latter as when we hear Ruby off-screen, her right ear shifts and then a bit later we see them perk up after she, Weiss and Yang talk to Maria. Even though certain animators like Asha Bishi and Hannah Novotny took more advantage of the rigs for the cat ears than others back in volume 4, a lot more animators have since then been increasingly been more conscious about having that be a part of Blake’s character acting. Speaking of rigs, the rigging artists, along with the audio and tech teams, can be considered the unsung heroes of the ever-growing staff. Lead rigging artist, Gio Coutinho and fellow rigging artists, Brian Eby and Ariana Fillipini may be one of the smallest teams and are hardly mentioned throughout these production analyses, certain animators such as Kim Newman have gone on record to owing them for providing what are essentially the virtual skeleton and bones of the character. As talented as the animators are, they can only do so much with the character models unless they are as “animatable” as possible to quote volume 5 lead rigging artist Sean Stephenson on the 6th episode of CRWBY - Behind the Episode, who is now the current lead of the rigging team for Gen:Lock.

We then get some effects of the hard-light dust barriers being implemented and are timed pretty effectively through some slow-in and slow out animations along with the use of lighting towards the start of the barrier as the hard-light shifts from one pole to the other. Next is more homage to Godzilla by having the Leviathan breathe out its version of the atomic ray (there’s a lot of them in the franchise). Between the first instance and the next one when the main party attempted to close in, there is actually a combination of certain lightning and fire effects such as the same animations for the swelling ball of energy used whenever Cordovin was about to fire lightning dust, as well as sparks surrounding the fire breath with some seemingly blurred compositing layered on top. There is also a neat recoil animation with the Grimm as it unleashes its attack. In between all of this though is a scene of Ruby putting forth her plan within the airship. The timing and facial reactions presented by everyone felt similar to that of when Jaune announced his idea to steal the Atlas airship in chapter 9 which was animated by Hannah McCravy, so it’s possible that she may have animated this scene too. Whether she animated the entirety of said-scene though is what I’m more uncertain of.

Skipping ahead a bit, we get to Ruby preparing to use her silver eyes by getting the music being more subdued and getting quick cuts to the things going on around her. I nice touch here was having Ruby’s mouth twitch a bit right when her name gets called out through her ear piece. Then again, what’s really surprising is the fact there was an ear piece model at all. Back in chapters 10-12, we saw quite a bit of the main cast using gestures with their fingers by their ears as if there was a device they were using the listen to each other. However, the device in question was never really shown up until now. One educated guess could be that there never was one until this small scene here where it needed to be made and shown in order to see Ruby attempt to remain focused. Now comes what is part of the highlight of the episode being Ruby’s memories which are mostly redrawn shots from various cuts in the series with parts of characters like arms, legs, hair and in Zwei’s case, his tail being movable (and his butt having an actual x-marked "hole”). There were also certain details implemented such as the lighting being more comparably warmer and the line work in certain characters hair, clothing and in Nora’s case, her biceps being slightly more defined. Many fans by now have already concluded that due to the show’s visual presentation of its first few volumes not having aged that well back when Poser was the main animation software that the choice for 2-D art was shown instead. That would not at all be a wrong assumption to make. However, even the one shot with Jaune in the forest in chapter 2 of volume 4, back when RWBY transitioned to using Maya and 3DS Max was entirely redrawn. The same goes for Oscar and Ruby in the training room during chapter 5 of volume 5 which seems to have been slightly redrawn but to more with adjusted lighting. So the choice was not limited to anything prior to them using the two softwares. The one clear exception to this ensemble set of shots was of Maria back during chapter 8 of volume 6. Admittedly, it was tricky figuring out who did all of the redrawn shots, especially since not all of them seem to have been done by the same person. The shot with Qrow and Ruby in particular sticks out as being more different. It may be that Erin Winn did most of the shots since the way she draws lines for hair like with Yang being similar that of the line work for Kali Belladonna’s concept art, which she designed. As for Qrow and Ruby meeting, that may have been Patrick Rodriguez.

One other thing to note in these series of shots were the sound effects used during them. Sound designer, Philip Spann described the change of the sound of the memory flashes to Pyrrha and Penny as being the equivalent of viewers “being hit in the gut”, using large reverberant drums. Conversely, sound was applied  a little differently during the the latter set of memory flashes, namely “pulling the music back” as Philip phrased it when seeing Summer Rose which was Kerry Shawcross’s idea. Now, in-between all of this, there was a bit of Ruby and Jinn interacting with each other. While I’m uncertain as to who animated it, it may be the same person that animated Ruby and Weiss’s interaction at the bar room during chapter 5 of volume 6. With that mention out of the way, there’s the first reveal of a fulled rigged and animated model of Summer. There were a couple of noteworthy design choices, the first being how her clothing more or less resembles Ruby’s current outfit while hairstyle is more varied in appearance. The other thing of note is her eyes. According to Kerry Shawcross on the season 2 finale of RWBY Rewind, characters with silver eyes have a small “tick”, referring to the small white dashes on their eyes whereas characters like Mercury who have been confused for having silver eyes, don’t. This is something Kerry admitted as being an oversight at first when needing to differentiate between such characters and their visual traits.

Next is when Ruby unleashes her silver eyed powers which involves the same hatch-lining effects which have not been used since the Wyvern Grimm in chapter 12. Skipping ahead to when the Leviathan is still moving, we get Cordovin who believes in the Ruby that believes in her. In all seriousness, just as how it was likely that Miles Luna anticipated the Levianthan Grimm as a fan of Godzilla, Kerry very likely planned for the moment Cordovin utilized her mech’s drill feature as a big fan of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. To put this all in perspective, Gurren Lagann was an anime Monty Oum introduced him to as a fan of the show himself back around the time they and Miles started forming ideas and outlines for RWBY’s story in the midst of Red vs Blue season 10 production in 2012. It was even among the various anime that Monty had him and Miles study as inspiration for RWBY. Fast forward to over a year later in August of 2013 and Kerry mentioned being on his sixth viewing of the show.

“Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann is probably my all time favorite anime. It just has a level of energy and enthusiasm I enjoy. There are subtle (and not so subtle) lessons in Gurren Lagann about not giving up; energy that persists beyond oneself that I apply to RWBY.”  - Monty Oum, Crunchyroll

Having said that, the scene itself gained the most criticism out of the whole episode from the fan base due to the frame rate when Cordovin attacked the Leviathan. Obviously the choice to lower the frame rate two 2s and 3s was a creative one given the likely homage previous mentioned. However, the matter of frame rate in 3-D animation will never cease to be a delicate subject matter with the creative decision leading to varying results from project-to-project and leaving different responses from viewer-to-viewer. As much as these analyses are dedicated to providing any objective insight about RWBY’s production whenever possible and making educated guesses in-between, whether the frame rate felt right, is up to you, the reader. Speaking personally, since the visual choice revolved around a character whose recurring animation and camerawork has been often depicted as over-the-top and dramatic, it only felt fitting. Speaking of dramatic, when Ruby and Cordovin face each other, there is an interesting fast zoom between the two before amends are made between them.

Once all has died down, we get a scene with quite a bit of rim lighting to help emphasize on the night time setting. The animation of the scene itself and how the characters are timed to do a small pause before each gesture was akin to that of the beginning of chapter 8 with the main party and Cordovin and in chapter 2 when team RWBY were all arguing with Ozpin, both of which were largely animated by Nicole LaCroix. Everything from when everyone talked to Ruby about her bold decision-making to when the cast sees Atlas and the Kingdom’s air fleet were probably animated by her. Whether or not that’s true, certain instances like Weiss’s concerning facial expression when seeing the air fleet were quite nuanced. One last thing to talk about regarding the scene are the matte paintings of Atlas, made by one of the environment designers, Weston T. Jones, who apparently contributed quite a bit throughout the volume in terms of what is shown in the final product. With that said, the ending credits themselves have some interesting positions only seen here that are not shown in earlier volumes. This is nothing new, as the volume 5 finale ending credits had a team of crowd animators which was not previously listed throughout every other episode of that volume. In this case however, positions such as matte painters and script consultants were exclusive to the finale credits this time around. Also, side note, Dustin Matthews and Kim Newman credited among the series animators even though they were never credited on any episode this volume and have been dedicating time working on Gen:Lock as that series’ animation director and lead animator respectively. Maybe he was credited for providing bits of motion capture?

Finally, there’s the after credits scene which actually has a fair bit to touch on, one of which being the forming of new “flying monkey” grimm. Aside from it being another nod to The Wizard of Oz, there seems to also be the sound of the Nevermore cries layered beneath the Beringel roars a bit. Accompanying the scene is some intriguing framing of Emerald and Mercury by the broken windows and then Hazel being framed with them a bit later. This is actually very similar to the opening scene in volume 4 before Cinder called them over, so it’s possible this was done by design to indicate the shift in who they find themselves sticking with. Lastly, Salem summons the pools of black in the form of some 2-D effects animation to end the scene and thus wrap-up the volume as a whole. As said in the previous analysis, there’s no clear indication of when production of volume 6 ended between departments. However, Miles Luna confirmed in a podcast interview with Chad James on the “Lights, Camera: Austin” website that the outline phase for RWBY volume 7′s story started as of January 21st. Combine that with how Neath Oum confirmed that there was still something leftover that never made it into the volume 6 finale and it’s clear that Kerry and Miles are itching to tell the next installment of RWBY’s ongoing story.

That officially marks the end of the chapter 13 production analysis, as well as the production analysis series for this entire volume as a whole. To say that this was a strenuous process would be putting it mildly, as a lot of searching and fact-checking information of the show’s production, past and present and forming it into as cohesive of a narrative as possible each chapter, each week, was definitely more of an ordeal. This was all a lot fun to do and some of this would have not been as doable without much needed help. A tremendous thanks to Changyuraptor over on the RWBY Sub-Reddit for being as gung-ho about updating his Source McGourse document every week to confirm who animated which sequences every week which greatly helped with better understanding how certain animators approached doing what they did. A big thanks also goes to MyAmelia on the RWBY Sub-Reddit who provided some very constructive, much-needed advice for both this Tumblr page and its posts to help potentially attract more viewers. There are still some kinks to work out, but I’m very much bearing in mind the feedback. Speaking of which, a big thanks also goes out to the following who have been very eager and provided great feedback about seeing these analysis, both on tumblr and on reddit:

Duelverse

Achro-o

HighPriestFuneral

i-am-the-entertainer

htgeehtgee

lordess-dickery-doof

yellow-eyed-green-crocodile

ladychaosstudios

And everyone else whose names I’ve otherwise neglected to add here that have been avidly reading these analyses. Finally, a grand shout-out to Kerry Shacross and Miles Luna for continuing to do great work, as well as every member of the CRWBY in every department, new and veteran for putting as much time, effort and skill into their respective crafts for making the show look, sound and feel the way it volume 6 did. They all did an overall hell of an amazing job. Among these members I wish to thank especially are animator Asha Bishi, storyboard and camera layout artist Rachel Doda and 2-D FX Artist, Myke Chapman, who have each decided to follow some random, awkward fan on Tumblr that spent perhaps a bit too much time obsessing over the production of this show. Thank you guys so much.

[thomcoldman-blog]

My 10 Favourite Games Of 2017

This list was originally posted on the forum Resetera, but I felt like putting it up here too, with a little more insight into why I liked these games so much, and so they don’t get lost in the muddle of forum posts. Enjoy!

10. Snake Pass (Sumo Digital; Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Sumo Digital has been a developer I've admired for years, particularly for their work on the Nintendo-tier kart racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Snake Pass is their first independently-produced title, and it has a great hook - the player controls a snake in much the same manner as a real snake might move. There's no jump button, no Earthworm Jim spacesuit, just the power to raise one's head and the strength to grip tightly to any object you've coiled around. There's no timer or enemies; Snake Pass is content to let you explore its levels at your own pace, letting you getting used to its unique feeling and take in the calming David Wise soundtrack. It's a game that feels like learning to ride a bike again, and the progression in ability over time is such a pleasing sensation that it earns it its place on this list by itself. The good use of collectables and generous helping of levels is icing on the cake.

9. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (MachineGames; PS4, Xbox One, PC)

B.J. Blazkowicz returns and he's lost all meaning of subtlety whilst he's been out of action. Wolfenstein 2 shoots all of its shots - the action is bloody, explosive carnage, and the subject matter isn't satisfied with just skewering Nazi idiocy and narcissism, taking time to shine a light on White America's love affair with sitting back and reaping the rewards of compliance under fascist rule. Whether it's exploring B.J.'s broken psyche, giving Wyatt a crash course on hallucinogenics or putting you under the spotlight in a terrifying audition, MachineGames refuse to pull their punches, each great moment coming swinging like B.J.'s Nazi-reprimanding fireaxe. The combat encounters are far from polished, with stealth being heavily nerfed from The New Order and the half-way shift in tone from borderline-satirical diatribe on mortality and American race relations to comic-book capers is incredibly stodgy, but Wolfenstein 2 leaves a hell of an impression all the same. Shame about that credits music.

8. Gorogoa (Jason Roberts; PC, iOS, Nintendo Switch)

A good puzzle game can make a really strong impression, guiding you subtly by the hand to make you feel like a member of MENSA just for pressing a few buttons or prodding at a screen. With Gorogoa, I can't even begin to describe how the puzzles actually work. Imagine a window segmented with 4 panes of glass, and now imagine you can drag elements out of those panes and into other panes, or over where there isn't a pane to create a new pane... See, it’s hard! In as simple terms as I can muster, it’s a game about taking the world apart and putting it back together again to create paths and progress for your anonymous young hero. It’s intensely abstract, yet the South Asian aesthetic feels like a living locale, an exploration of a boy's days-to-come. It's a short experience, but with each puzzle solved making me feeling smarter than Albert god damn Einstein, it's one that will stick with me for a long time.

7. Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch)

Like pretty much everyone, I didn't own a Wii U, but the sting of that decision never really happened until the arrival of Splatoon - Nintendo's first proper new "core" universe since what felt like Pikmin. It instantly looked like sheer fun - and as a big fan of both Jet Set Radio and The World Ends With You, it was clear as day Nintendo's younger designers were picking up the Shibuya fashion torch those games dropped behind them. Put simply, it's totally my shit. Splatoon 2 confirms my suspicions and then some, being the first multiplayer title I've enjoyed online in forever. I can't get enough of the soundtrack, the sound effects, the amazingly catty banter between Pearl and Marina, and just the feeling of dropping into ink, strafing around a sucker and blasting them straight between the eyeballs with my N-ZAP '85. 20% of Switch owners in the US can't be wrong.

6. Yakuza 0 (SEGA; PS4)

The only games I've played previously by SEGA's Toshihiro Nagoshi are the brilliant arcade/Gamecube bangers F-Zero GX and Super Monkey Ball 2, plus his one-off PS3 sci-fi shooter Binary Domain. Loving those 3 wacky games, I always felt a little put-off by his regular gig nowadays being a series about Japan's most decorated crime organisation, and a bare-knuckle brawler at that. Yakuza 0, the 80s-set series prequel that serves as a perfect entry point for series newcomers, proved my suspicions ill-founded. It's a game which instantly casts the majority of the yakuza as control freaks and bullies, pits its protagonists Kiryu and Majima as their unfounded targets and pawns... and then lets you fight your way out of hell via brutal finishing moves, bizarrely complex business management sidequests and, if you're so inclined, a gun shaped like a giant fish. It's that kind of game that always keeps you guessing whether or not you should take it seriously, and so it wins you over with its best-in-class action choreography, astonishingly good direction and a never-ending deluge of sidequests, minigames and challenges. Don't sleep on Kamurocho.

5. Sonic Mania (SEGA/Christian Whitehead/Headcannon/PagodaWest Games; Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

If you’re reading this, you probably know I'm a Sonic apologist. I don't really stand by the 3D entries - bar Sonic Generations, which I genuinely love - but the narrative that "Sonic was never good" is some ridiculous meme that I can't stand. They were genuinely fun games, albeit far from perfect; every game can use some improvement. Sonic Mania is that improvement, spinning the level themes and gimmicks from the original Mega Drive (and Mega CD) games into vast new forms, with myraid routes, tons of secrets, an astonishing sense of speed from beginning to end and fairer, more agreeable, more exciting level design. Old locales, new levels - oh, and some new locales as well, one of which (Studiopolis Zone) is an instant classic. 16:9 presentation, all new animations and crazy levels of animation detail, and a mind-blowing soundtrack by Tee Lopes - Sonic Mania is the perfect Sonic game.

4. NieR: Automata (Square Enix/PlatinumGames; PS4, PC)

For my first foray into the sunken mind of Yoko Taro, he couldn't have left a better impression. NieR: Automata uses Platinum's engaging-at-worst, thrilling-at-best melee combat as the language to tell his new story of how pointless it is for anyone to even bother throwing themselves after ideals of society or humanity, and why it's worth trying all the same. Every inch of this game feels crusted in Taro’s sensibilities, with the no-bullshit 2B and her curious whiny partner 9S running into robots waving white flags, avenging fallen comrades, establishing monarchies, throwing themselves to their deaths, and coming to terms with their crumbling existence in apocalypse.  It's crushing, it's raw, it's often dull, but its uniquely bleak vision of AIs breaking free of their programming has a grip as powerful as a Terminator's. And when it’s ready to let you go, it has you send it off with the most memorable credits sequence in history. Glory to Yoko Taro, glory to PlatinumGames - glory to mankind.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch, Wii U)

Standing in the centre of a bridge connecting Hyrule’s broad, emerald green fields to the desert mountain approach, a bridge overlooking the still Lake Hylia, I fire an arrow into a lizard bastard’s head, or at least I try to. He dodges it and rushes me, forcing me to jump away and retaliate with my claymore. Out for the count, I resume looking for the lost Zora wife I’ve been asked to seek out, who apparently washed all the way downstream in a recent downpour. I can’t see any wife - my entire view is dominated by the giant green dragon snaking across the night sky above me. The wind picks up, but I am too awestruck by its presence to take note that I could glide up to it and shoot off a valuable scale. Instead, I just stand and stare, this utterly unexpected moment happening before my eyes. Friend or foe? A boss monster, perhaps? A vital story element later on? The answer ended up being none of the above: in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there be dragons, and that fact in and of itself speaks volumes about what this game is about. After 30 years, Hyrule finally feels alive.

2. Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall; PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Very few games instil a genuine emotional response within me, but the story of Mae Borowski's no-fanfare return from college to suburban gloom resonates hard with me. It's an expert at the little touches - the needless-yet-fun triple jump, the not-so-starcrossed rooftop musicians, the impulsive reaction to poke a severed arm with a stick - and woefully precise with its big swings, like an upsetting cross-town party, a wave of violent frustration amongst the townspeople, and the inability to just lay it all on the table with friends and family when you need to most. In the cosmic dreams of shitty teens, Night in the Woods finds an ugly beauty in depression. 

1. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch)

It’s impossible to deny 2017 has been the year of Nintendo. There’s plenty of celebrate elsewhere, but the Switch’s rise to prominence as the machine to be playing ideally everything on, and the amount of absolute smash hits Nintendo has producing this year makes it hard for the narrative to focus elsewhere. The epitome of all this is their final killer game of 2017: Super Mario Odyssey, the grand return of a more open-ended style of Mario platformer. A true blue achievement in joyous freedom, it brings together everything from Mario's history of 3D platforming - 64's freedom, Sunshine's other-worldliness and sky-high skill ceiling, Galaxy's spectacle, 3D World's razor-sharp platforming challenge - and throws into one big pot, creating a Mario where both the journey and the destination are one and the same, and exciting to the very end. In a year of amazing games that hit upon horrid, upsetting themes with delicate, pinpoint accuracy for tremendous success, I’m not sure whether it’s a shame or an inevitability that such an unapologetically surprising, happy game made the biggest mark on me this year, but either way, I’m welcome to have Mario be truly Super once more.

[hotcocosharing]

Lose To Win Chapter 22: Can You Handle It?

Title: Lose To Win Chapter 22 Fandom: Kiss By The Baddest Bidder & Her Love In The Force Rated: Drama, Thriller, Angst, Fluff, Smut, Mystery? MPD’s OC: Mika HIJIKATA KBTBB’s OC: Mia SAKATA Characters: Goto, Kaga, Shuichi, Eisuke, Soryu, Mamoru, Baba, Ota

Summary: Soryu, Mika & Kaga had threesome, (click here to read) then one headed back to Eisuke while the other followed his target.Unpleasant surprises keep coming their ways till blood is spilled. Soryu’s shot and Kaga left him to bleed (to death, sort of). Now Eisuke watches his friend being operated by a total stranger in the middle of the VIP suite, this trip is not going well for them? Are they losing before the game has even begun?

Tagging: adrienneloves so you’d know what happens to Soryu and Mika. silver-red-rose & hifftn who’ve always been here for me :’( Thank you! I know this series is taking forever and if you’ve missed my feeds or simply want to know what happens next, let me know and I’ll tag you. Background: Mika went to the Tres Spades Hotel under Eisuke’s request. (Order) and led to seeing her ex- Hyogo Kaga. With Jin Namba’s persuasion, Eisuke agrees to work with Public Safety, going on an eight days cruise trip with Kaga, Goto and Mika. What kind of mystery and danger await? You have no idea!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Chapter 1: The Reunion Chapter 2: RSVP Chapter 3: Recharge Chapter 4: Welcome Back Chapter 5: Decision Of A Lifetime Chapter 6: Our Story Chapter 7: Stress Release Chapter 8: Play Thing Chapter 9: What The Three Words Mean Chapter 10: A Real Man Chapter 11: The CEO Chapter 12: Boarding Chapter 13: What Did You Wish For? Chapter 14: Don’t Tease Me Chapter 15: One Hell Of A Night Chapter 16: Feeling Lucky? Chapter 17: Left In The Past Chapter 18: Poker Face Chapter 19: To Victory Chapter 20: Wish Comes True Chapter 21: Last Apology

Chapter 22:  Can You Handle It?

“He’s alive, isn’t he?” Kaga’s appearance isn’t exactly welcome at this moment but his comment just makes it worse.

“You piece of shit!!! You left him there to die!”

All you could see is red, the blood of Soryu Oh and the rage boiling inside. You are beyond furious, shaking with fury, betrayal, and disbelief. Like being smashed by a fifty-foot high wave, unprepared. You couldn’t have seen it coming, Kaga is reckless, sure but he’s not that ruthless. Not when it comes to human lives.

“So he’s alive then.”

“Oh my god, are you even hearing yourself?”

“No, are you hearing yourself? I WAS DOING MY GOD DAMN JOB!”

“Is that what you tell yourself when you leave him there to bleed to death!?”

“Fuck sake! He was fine when I left! And he’s still breathing, isn’t he?”

You raise your hand and slap Hyogo Kaga across the face as hard as you could. A large red hand-print is now evident on his cheek, the two of you stare at each other. No one else in the room at all bothers to say another word, let out a snort or even hint what they have been thinking once Soryu has finished the surgery. Luke had returned to the suite in time and joined Mariana so Eisuke was relieved that his best friend wasn’t going to die in the middle of high sea. The blood transfusion had weakened you slightly but not nearly enough to get over your disappointment.

“What is wrong with you?”

“What is wrong with you! You’ve gone soft! If his life could save the rest of the people on this ship, I would personally end it without a blink of an eye!”

Your hand raises again, Kaga grabs and twists it a little, his voice booms through the spacious suite. 

“It’s not my problem that you two fucked or the air head is in love with you. Don’t blame this on me! I’m a public safety officer, who the hell are you!?”

Kaga’s POV

Today is one of those shitty days I particularly hate, total bust at work, man down and the ex-fiancée who I’ve recently reconciled with now wishes me dead. To top it off, I see a man waiting outside my room with an angry expression on his face.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

It’s a relief that Mr. Hijikata couldn’t raise his voice, I honestly don’t think I’d take another meltdown without punching someone in the face.

“Your action could have killed my client’s child!” I am about to swipe my key card and continue this unwanted conversation inside but the door swings open and Soryu’s puppy glares at us.

“Get lost! You are not welcome here!” Throwing my bags out the door, the young mobster quickly shuts it to our faces.

Eiji san looks sympathetic for a second before his stern expressions returns. “I’ve warned you how dangerous they are, stop jeopardizing cases and people lives. Kaga, you are not a hero. Stay away from my client.” As if things couldn’t get any worse, I pull out a pack of cigarette to only find it empty. “Oh fucking great!” “Here.” I turn to see the lazy detective offering me the one thing I crave most, “I take it that you have no place to stay? If you ain’t gonna complain about sleeping on the couch then this way.”

Kishi hasn’t said much once I’m in his suite, not that I’m in any mood to talk. “Well, keep this pack and help yourself with the mini bar. I’m gonna head back, I’d lay low if I were ya, kid. You ain’t exactly popular right now and I seriously don’t wanna deal with an actual dead body just yet.”

With a firm pat on my shoulder, he lets out a loud yawn and leaves. The headache of Namba nagging is not comparable to my rage that’s on the edge of erupting. Whoever is responsible has a hell lot to pay and they’ll be sorry for ever crossing me.

The room is filled with dead silence after Kaga has stormed out of the suite and you choose to cool down by the balcony before calling Jin.

Goto has already filled him in but you’re not happy with how the mission has gone, truth be told, no one is. 

“Keeping him out of trouble was one of your missions.” Jin says bluntly, “If we get caught up in the rights and wrongs, we lose track of the real issue.”

“The real issue is he investigates alone without sharing important information and almost causes a team member’s life!” You try to hold onto your temper, this isn’t Jin or anyone’s fault but Kaga’s.

However, Jin’s gentle reminder backfires. “We are public safety, it’s not up to us to question morality.“ 

"I am in the MPD!”

Silence.

Is he frowning? Scratching his chin likes he always does while searching for answers? “You were one of our best Mika, one of us. I remember who you were and what you’re capable of but do you? Or running away for the past few years have completely changed you?”

“You’re fighting desperately not to realize that I’m right, you don’t want to see it. This isn’t about Kaga or who the shooter is, you have made things personal.” He goes on quickly, “I wouldn’t put you on the mission if I don’t think you’d handle it.”

”You are upset, I get that and if you can’t do it, fine, withdraw from the case now or else do your job. So can you handle it or not, Mika?“

Damn him, Jin is right. You don’t want to think, the thought of losing Soryu Oh for good has terrified you. Working in homicide isn’t pretty but you don’t go to work every day worrying if any of your partners are going to make it or convince yourself that it’s alright because that’s what they sign up for. As much as you love preventing crime, it takes tremendous sacrifice to be a Public Safety Officer. Facing dead bodies and catching murderers by day with occasional one night stands by night leads a much easier life.

But Jin’s right, he often is. You’ve been running away for years and yet fate has put you back on spot, facing your fear, pushing your limits and perhaps this really is your true calling whether you like it or not.

Eisuke’s World

Meanwhile back in Eisuke’s suite, the next phase of the party is about to begin. Mia sees a black envelope in Eisuke’s hand and peeks from his side. 

{ If choosing to accept this invitation by signing below you agree to the trade of your most precious belongings for a confirmed seat at our next exclusive event- THE AUCTION. This debt will be collected at our convenience. }

An icy hot shudder runs down Mia’s spine and she’d feel the blood draining from her pale face, her breath stops short with her heart stutters a wild, frantic convulsion in her chest. 

Just how far is this going and when will it stop? She couldn’t stomach another surgery on the cruise or see anymore dying body, especially when one could be Eisuke so easily. 

She wouldn’t be able to live without him, he is her whole world so there’s only one thing left to do. She is going to stop him from going to the auction, putting an end to this nonsense before the mission costs her the love of her life.

NOTES: Is it time for Eisuke to lose? We shall see, got smut coming so I personally look forward to that ;)

[gamertechzone]

30 Big PS4 (and PS5) Games Coming in 2020

2020 starts off with a Kamehameha blast and not let up for the weeks and months to come.We're running down all the major announced games with release dates or projected 2020 release windows that we can't wait to play in 2020. Note: this doesn't cover every game coming out on PS4 (and PS5 next year), but more so the biggest ones we want to play. Of course, be sure to let us know what you're looking forward to most in 2020, and stay tuned to IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, for a rundown of all the big releases and much more.

Now, let's get on with the list:

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Release date: Jan. 17 Bandai Namco kicks off the year with the first major Dragon Ball Z action-RPG in a long while, offering an expansive encapsulation of the DBZ saga, with plenty of character progression, sidequests, and enough DBZ to let even the most latent fans find something they love, whether it be a battle with Frieza, Cell, Majinn Buu, or even a trip to the DMV.

Darksiders: Genesis

Release date: Feb. 14 While not the traditional Darksiders entry fans may have expected after Darksiders III, Darksiders: Genesis expands the lore with a new playable horseman while also changing up the gameplay style. With a new isometric, dungeon-crawler like format, Genesis could be a bit of fresh new air for the long-running series.

Dreams

Release date: Feb. 14 Media Molecule's create-what-you-want suite of tools and toys entered early access this year, but that portion of the game's life is now over. Media Molecule will instead release the full, retail version of Dreams next year, which players who bought it in early access will receive at no extra charge.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR (PSVR)

Release date: Feb. 28 Yet another Marvel icon comes to PlayStation, albeit in a different form than Marvel’s Spider-Man. Marvel’s Iron Man puts players behind the helmet of Tony Stark in an original story developed by Camouflaj. Putting the PlayStation Move controllers to smart use, players will get to fly around in open spaces, have epic mid-air battles, and listen to some classic Tony snark in this new adventur

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Release date: March 3 The long-awaited Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally comes to PlayStation...well, at least its first part does. The multi-episode remake promises an expanded, beautifully redone version of FF7’s first section set in Midgar. While certainly a nostalgia trip for longtime fans, FF7’s remake is also offering returning and new players something completely different with expanded content and a new battle system.

Nioh 2

Release date: March 13 For those looking for a Souls-like experience, the original Nioh offered a fantastic alternative with some incredible enemies and action. Nioh 2 is looking to recapture that magic next year, and has already had an open beta to let players test out the series’ newest challenges.

MLB The Show 20

Release date: March 17 Sony's stalwart yearly baseball series returns in March for its final outing before the PS5 launches. More interestingly, though, is MLB: The Show's future, as Sony and the MLB have announced plans to release the franchise on non-Sony consoles in the years to follow

Doom Eternal

Release date: March 20 Though the Doom 2016 sequel saw a delay from late 2019 to the already packed 2020, it remains highly anticipated thanks to the impressive release of the Doom reboot as well as some spectacular gameplay shown at E3 2019. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait for hell to freeze over to play it.

Persona 5 Royal

Release window: March 31, 2020 A deluxe edition of the acclaimed Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal will introduce new characters, new story elements, new boss battles and more while also reintroducing players to the wild story of the Phantom Thieves that first debuted in 2017.

Resident Evil 3

Release date: April 3 Capcom is quickly following up its acclaimed Resident Evil 2 Remake with Resident Evil 3, offering a fully remade version of the original, plus a brand new multiplayer mode that we’ve previously known as Project Resistance. Though RE2 may have been originally more acclaimed, the remake set such a strong standard that we hope RE3 will match.

Cyberpunk 2077

Release date: April 16 CD Projekt Red’s follow-up to the vaulted The Witcher 3 looks to be another crazy-deep RPG, this time in first-person rather than third, set in the world of the beloved CRPG Cyberpunk 2020. Impressive E3 showings two years in a row earned Cyberpunk 2077 IGN’s Game of E3 both years, so it’s safe to say this is one of our most anticipated launches of 2020.

Predator: Hunting Grounds

Release window: April 24 A surprise announcement during a 2019 State of Play, Predator: Hunting Grounds comes from the devs behind Friday the 13th. Offering a similar experience, pitting players as human soldiers against one player as the Predator, Hunting Grounds impressed us in our first hands-on experience.

Marvel’s Avengers

Release date: May 15 Despite a rocky unveiling at E3 2019, Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics have been demonstrating what makes Marvel’s Avengers an ambitious take on the world of Marvel’s biggest heroes.

Wasteland 3

Release date: May 19 After a fundraising campaign, Wasteland 3 is officially on the way for a release in the first half of next year, developed by inXile Entertainment. Wasteland 3 is set in a post-apocalyptic Colorado, as players assume the role of a surviving member of the Team November squad.

The Last of Us Part 2

Release date: May 29 Delivering a sequel to one of PlayStation’s most beloved games is no small task, but if any studio is up to it, its Uncharted developers Naughty Dog. Following up their acclaimed The Last of Us with Part 2, Naughty Dog is looking to deliver its most ambitious game ever. But don’t expect a return of The Last of Us’ multiplayer mode with it.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

Release date: Q2 - Q4 2020 Despite a slight delay, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is still set to be released sometime in 2020. We've seen plenty of info on the clans that will be present in the sequel that comes years after the original. And while we haven't seen much gameplay yet, the TTRPG adaptation has enough potential to keep us interested as we head into next year.

Dying Light 2

Release window: Spring 2020 Dying Light 2 impressed us with its E3 2019 showing and the ambitious scale its world is promising. Following up on the surprise hit original, Dying Light 2 is looking to give players dramatically different experiences through choices they make, opening up and closing off large portions of the world and drastically altering the story’s course. We’ll hopefully see how that gamble pays off next year.

Psychonauts 2

Release window: 2020 Though developer Double Fine Studios is now an Xbox first-party developer, its already in-development Psychonauts 2 is still set for a PS4 launch. And there’s still plenty of reason to be excited given the charm, cleverness, and unique gameplay of the original that Double Fine looks to be capturing with the sequel.

Ghost of Tsushima

Release window: Summer 2020 Sony’s Sucker Punch has been relatively quiet about its upcoming samurai adventure, but what we’ve seen so far, coupled with Sucker Punch’s pedigree, makes it easily one of our most anticipated games of the year. Sucker Punch brought us great open-world superhero adventures with Infamous, and the gorgeous demos we’ve seen of Ghost of Tsushima so far promise an expansive, bloody, and beautiful Kurosawa-like adventure.

LEGO: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Release window: 2020 Rather than just remaster all previous LEGO Star Wars games, longtime LEGO lads and lasses TT Games have made a brand-new adventure that ambitiously captures the entire Skywalker saga so far. Our hands-off demo at E3 2019 impressed us with the project’s scope, but we’ll have to wait to see if it lives up to the previous, great LEGO Star Wars games.

SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated

Release window: 2020 Battle for Bikini Bottom is from a bygone era. We don’t quite get as many licensed console games as we once did, but Bikini Bottom is a beloved and surprisingly solid 3D platformer. We’ll have to wait to see if it holds up in 2020, but the art update and a promise of a return to SpongeBob’s world certainly has us excited.

Streets of Rage 4

Release window: 2020 Nostalgia has fueled no shortage of both good and… well, not-so-good games in recent years, but even so Streets of Rage 4 has continued to be one of our most anticipated games. And that’s in large part because it’s not trying to rock the boat — Streets of Rage as a couch co-op beat ‘em up is still fun to play, and getting the chance to do so with new levels, new characters, and a new look is something we’re excited to play.

System Shock Remastered

Release date: 2020 System Shock Remastered has been known of for a long time but will hopefully be out in full next year, offering fans a chance to head back to the acclaimed franchise or experience it for the first time.

The Wolf Among Us 2

Release date: 2020 The newly reformed Telltale announced its next big project, a revival of the formerly announced The Wolf Among Us 2. While the Wolf sequel was first announced by Telltale back in 2017, this new version will be developed by AdHoc Studio, which is comprised of former Telltale veterans.

Gods and Monsters

Second half of 2020 We’ve seen very little of Gods and Monsters, the follow-up game from the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey team, but the pedigree of that studio, coupled with their clear love of Greek mythology already has us intrigued. Throw on top of that a new art style and a Breath of the Wild-esque aesthetic and we’re hoping Ubisoft lifts the lid on this one soon.

Watch Dogs: Legion

Second half of 2020 You can play as any NPC. That’s a pretty ambitious pitch, but Watch Dogs: Legion’s E3 2019 showing proved that the idea was more than just a neat logline. Picking up new team members from anyone in a world while simultaneously hopping around that world to various characters is a thrilling twist on the open-world series.

Little Nightmares 2

Release window: 2020 The startling debut of the Little Nightmares series has us eagerly awaiting what twisted storytelling and worldbuilding the sequel could deliver. With a haunting, meloncholy atmosphere married with puzzle and stealth-focused gameplay, the original offered an adventure that has us scared in the best ways possible to return.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Release window: Unknown (Jan. 16 in Japan) The next entry in the Yakuza franchise, a favorite of IGN’s Max Scoville, is throwing out the rulebook and introduced a turn-based battle system instead of the realtime combat of previous entries. Whether it can be balanced with the rest of the Yakuza series’ charm remains a question, but hopefully it’s one we get to experience soon.

Godfall

Release window: 2020 Again, a bit of a cheat, but Godfall is the first game to be announced as a PS5 console exclusive, with a planned release on PC, too. Godfall will be coming to PS5 next year and offer up to three players to play together in a “looter-slasher” focused on melee combat.

PlayStation 5

Release window: Holiday 2020 OK, sure, it’s not a game, but the launch of a brand new next-generation console is kind of a big deal, and we want to highlight it. We know Sony is planning a console that offers some sort of PS4 backward compatibility, PSVR support, new controllers with more intricate feedback, and...not much else as of publish. But we’ll surely learn plenty more in the months to come ahead of its planned holiday 2020 launch. Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/18/30-big-ps4-and-ps5-games-coming-in-2020 Read the full article

[sssshhhthefilmsabouttostart]

The best and worst films of 2018

If after watching 112 films teaches you anything, it's that Hollywood will continue to pump out the franchise blockbusters - and audiences will still hand over their cash to see them, no matter how below average or unoriginal they may be.

Cinematically, 2018 was a year that marked the final screen appearances for both Robert Redford (’The Old Man and the Gun’) and Daniel Day-Lewis (’Phantom Thread’), heralded Bradley Cooper’s impressive directorial debut (’A Star Is Born), served up an innovative high-tech thriller (’Searching’) and bestowed the most gob-smacking showdown involving MCU’s greatest heroes and villains (’Avengers: Infinity War’).

It was also a very good year for Netflix loyalists who saw the company release a succession of well received films including ’Annihilation,’ ‘Roma,’ and ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.’

Despite Dirty Harry’s memorable comment that “opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one,” the films that have made this year’s ‘best list’ have been selected on the basis of the lasting impression they have left on this viewer after the lights have come up and the curtain’s been drawn.

So, what succeeded and what failed?

Ladies and gentlemen, may we please offer for your consideration…

50. THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN

49. INCREDIBLES 2

48. FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL

47. THE POST

46. CHAPPAQUIDDICK

45. RED SPARROW

44. GAME NIGHT

43. DEADPOOL 2

42. BOY ERASED

41. WIDOWS

40. STRONGER     

39. MOLLY’S GAME

38. FAHRENHEIT 11/9  

37. THE DARKEST HOUR

36. FIRST REFORMED

35. A STAR IS BORN

34. ISLE OF DOGS

33. BREATH

32. THE WIFE

31. READY PLAYER ONE

30. BLACK PANTHER

29. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOUR

28. BRIGSBY BEAR

27. LADY BIRD

26. SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

25. BEAUTIFUL BOY

24. PHANTOM THREAD

23. GHOST STORIES

22. FIRST MAN

21. TULLY

20. I, TONYA

19. SUSPIRIA

18. RBG 

17. THE FAVOURITE

16. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY 

15. MANDY

14. BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 

13. SEARCHING 

12. A QUIET PLACE

11. BLACKKKLANSMAN

10. SWEET COUNTRY

The Australian ‘western’ is a genre all its own, and ‘Sweet Country’ was the finest example of its type. Both Warwick Thornton's direction and Dylan Rivers’ cinematography was outstanding, as were all of the lead acting performances. Shot in both Central and South Australia, ‘Sweet Country’ transcended the genre’s tropes to tell us a quintessentially Australian story, albeit a bloody, brutal and tragic one. 

9. VICE

As with his previous film ‘The Big Short,’ writer/director Adam McKay set aside the clean, colourful look of his comedies (’Anchorman,’ ‘Step Brothers’) in favour of a washed-out, edgy look, with the frequent use of hand-held cameras. The entire ensemble - including Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams - were all impressive but it was Christian Bale’s skilful and highly effective portrayal of former VP Dick Cheney that deservedly received the kudos from critics everywhere. 

8. THE ENDLESS

Indie filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, wrote, directed and starred in this terrific slow burner about two brothers who decide to revisit their childhood UFO death cult for some closure. Initially, the film’s daunting atmosphere gave the impression that this horror/sci-fi would follow the usual story ‘beats’ that accompany the genre. But after some mind-bending twists, ‘The Endless’ soon switched from being about a crazed cult into something else!

7. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

It’s no secret that Sony’s last few attempts with the character of Spider-Man have been underwhelming to say the least. However, this rousingly entertaining superhero adventure was easily 2018′s most unexpected surprise. The film’s impressive animation was beautiful, fluid and unique, whilst the storyline was both compelling and genuinely funny. What can we say - we finally got the ‘Spider-Man’ movie everybody wanted. It’s OK Sony, we now forgive you for ‘The Emoji Movie.’

6. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Sadly robbed of the Best Picture gong at last year’s Academy Awards, this third movie from award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh (‘In Bruges,’ ‘Seven Psychopaths’) was a dramedy that started with cleverness and wit before opening up into something truthfully human. McDonagh’s screenplay was so good that every single cast member, no matter how little their screen time, gave a great performance.

5. AMERICAN ANIMALS

In this true-crime movie, four bright and well-off college students in Kentucky plot to steal some rare books from their university's Special Collections Library in a misguided quest for personal glory. Written and directed by Bart Layton, ‘American Animals’ cleverly woven script was narrated by the heist's actual participants, bringing a fascinating layer to the proceedings as well as a connection between the characters and audience.

4. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

It may have been the most intense, complex and stirring MCU film yet, but it was as lean as epics get, with none of its nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time feeling wasted. While the many characters and intersecting plots may have confused casual viewers (it’s assumed audiences are now familiar with all that's come before), for fans, it was one mind-blowing moment after another.

3. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT

Who would have thought that a 20+ year franchise would have been able to deliver one of the most exciting and visceral action films in recent memory? ‘Fallout’ saw the stepping up of both the action and the stakes, with the personal screws tightened on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the horrible consequences for failure. Love him or hate him, Cruise's performance was lean and focused, whilst Christopher MacQuarrie’s direction was effective and thrilling, always hitting every action beat - dead centre.

2. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

Director Lynne Ramsay’s bleak yet effective thriller about a broken and tormented ex-military vigilante (Joaquin Phoenix), who makes a living rescuing kidnapped girls and making the perpetrators violently pay with a hammer, was a dark and twisting journey into one man’s soul. Ramsay's filmmaking powers and script, combined with Phoenix's committed, unadorned performance and Johnny Greenwood's absolutely superb soundtrack, easily delivered one of this year’s most standout movies.

1. HEREDITARY

Although it polarised audiences everywhere, ‘Hereditary’ was a refreshing example of a studio (A24) subverting expectations and the perfect showcase of what horror is capable of when taken seriously.

Even as the film ventured into territory familiar to its genre, writer/director Ari Aster skillfully orchestrated the tension into something that felt like a nightmare straight from hell. What begins as a drama about a family tearing apart with grief, slowly descends into madness and the supernatural. 

Rather than rely on a ‘conveyor belt’ of jump scares strung together with a derivative story which exists purely as a vehicle to deliver those jump scares, ‘Hereditary’ put family drama at the forefront and milked every ounce of dread from the hideous realities of familial cohabitation for what they’re worth. 

Whilst the film’s cinematography, production design and score were all some of the best the horror genre has seen, it was the performances that finally sold ‘Hereditary,’ notably Toni Collette’s tormented turn as a manic mother who is mourning the loss of a parent. 

‘Hereditary’ didn’t just redefine horror - it successfully put its own wicked stamp on the tropes of the genre, and provided audiences everywhere with a truly unsettling experience.

Hail Paimon!

…AND NOW, THE WORST!

20. VENOM

19. THE MEG

18. MILE 22

17. WINCHESTER

16. LIFE OF THE PARTY

15. BLOCKERS

14. SKYSCRAPER

13. THE WEDDING GUEST

12. DEATH WISH

11. BOAR

10. THE NUN

Sadly, this fifth chapter in the ‘Conjuring’ universe was nowhere near as scary, inspired or coherent as its predecessors. The quick onslaught of jump scares, punctuated by sudden noises on the soundtrack, quickly dashed the hopes of viewers who saw the entire exercise as a colossal waste of time (not to mention that the titular character was almost ‘missing’ in her own movie). 

9. THE PREDATOR

This was a prime example as to how you kill a franchise. ‘The Predator’ was so bad, it made both ‘AVP’ movies look like modern day masterpieces. Whilst the acting and storyline were awful, the film suffered from plot holes, the lack of any kind of script, the constant desperate dramatic music featured relentlessly throughout and the forced jokes. Why director Shane Black thought injecting a comedy script into this franchise was a good idea is anyone's guess. 

8. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

Brian Henson, son of the legendary Jim Henson and the director of ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ and ‘Muppet Treasure Island,’ somehow thought this juvenile attempt at humour was a good idea. Instead, it did the most offensive thing that a comedy could ever do - it failed to make you laugh. 

7. THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME

This forgettable and redundant comedy, from its tired title to its forced acting and humour, tried desperately to be everything at once and ended up being nothing at all. Given the talent involved, one would have expected some semblance of subtly and finesse to let these strong performers elevate the material as they've been known to in the past. However, when the material was as blunt as a sledgehammer, there wasn’t much anyone could have done. 

6. GRINGO

Despite its polished production values and stellar cast, ‘Gringo’ amounted to an absolute bust. Director Nash Egerton’s unsavoury and amoral comedy of errors qualified as something contrived, convoluted and ultimately incoherent. Crammed with a myriad of ‘madcap’ situations that weren’t even remotely funny or original, this crappy caper failed to keep up with its talented cast who struggled in their portrayal of such unpleasant stereotypes.

5. PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING

CGI vomit. 

4. THE 15:17 TO PARIS

Anybody desperately wanting to watch this train wreck should fast forward the first hour and six minutes. Clint Eastwood’s effort to pay tribute to the three brave men who foiled the 2015 Thalys train attack was a cinematic misfire of epic proportions. The bold step of having the real-life heroes play themselves was a bad call (awkward delivery, mumbled lines), whilst the film also had an underlying Christian/pro-gun/pro-military vibe about it.  

3. ROBIN HOOD

From the over-the-top bow and arrow fights to the bizarre mix of costumes, ‘Robin Hood’ was comparable to Guy Ritchie’s disastrous reimagining of ‘King Arthur,’ only worse. Far worse. This umpteenth version of the legendary heroic outlaw was severely lacking in the entertainment and thrills department, and continued the Hollywood tradition of blockbuster remakes absolutely falling on their arses.

2. ACTION POINT

The ‘Jackass’ films were great, but this dismal wannabe ‘Caddyshack’ or ‘Porky’s’ left audiences longing for the relative artistry and sophistication of the crazy lads’ glory days. ‘Action Point’ was a predictable, exceptionally cheap and humourless affair, a watershed moment in terms of anyone ever bank rolling a feature film for these guys again. RIP gentlemen, it was a fun ride.

1. HOLMES AND WATSON

It’s all elementary as to which film was by far the very worst of 2018.

Everything about ‘Holmes and Watson’ was lazy, incompetent and decidedly unfunny. This shockingly misguided assault of repetitive bad slapstick and terrible writing squandered the remarkable talents of John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Steve Coogan, Kelly Macdonald, Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Lawrie, and saw Will Ferrell give what was easily the worst performance of his entire career.

This was no ‘Step Brothers’ - this was pure, unadulterated garbage. 

[skiinggray5-blog]

This Week in Superlatives: Most Dramatic First Kiss, Biggest Cameo Party and the Stunt That Almost Gave Us a Heart Attack

Now Playing

Watch This Now – Feb. 4-10, 2019

Afraid you might've missed something major on TV this week? Not to fear! Here, we break down all the biggest moments of the week, for better and for worse, by dishing out some prizes to those small screen moments that stood out the most.

The preview we can't stop thinking about: Thanks to the Super Bowl, there were a lot of new commercials and trailers to savor this week, but the one that has stuck with us most is the first-look at Jordan Peele's The Twilight Zone. If this series reboot wasn't exciting enough with all of its buzzy cast members and what storylines we know we can expect, this spoiler-free and rather simple preview really sent the message home that this take would have exactly the right tone and texture to serve as an eerie socio-commentary of our time. Game of Thrones might've upped its WTF factor a bit with that completely unexpected Bud Light crossover, and The Handmaid's Tale's melting record-style sound effect was well-played, but Peele was the secret hero of the whole Super Bowl with this trailer (and the one for Us, AND the one for Toy Story 4).

The stunt that almost gave us a heart attack: The first two episodes of CBS' new reality competition series The World's Best had everyone holding their breath as British daredevil Matt Johnson, aka "The Drowning Man," decided to lock himself into a water-filled tank so that they could prove himself a bona fide escape artist. As time ticked past the 2-minute mark on his submersion, and he proceeded to fumble for the dropped key that would save him, the expressions on James Corden, Drew Barrymore, Rupaul and Faith Hill's faces said it all: This guy is either really brave or completely nuts (or both), and it's not clear if he's going to pull this off or die right now. The good news is, he ultimately made it out. Gasping, but still alive. Phew.

Most GIFable moment: Terry Crews shaking his stuff on America's Got Talent is one of the best things that happened all week.

Terry Crews, America's Got Talent

Pettiest company drama: Here we go again with Netflix getting more shade from its competitors. This time, it was FX CEO John Landgraf who cast some doubt on all those jaw-dropping viewership numbers the streaming service has been touting lately. Hmmm.

Biggest groan: Speaking of Netflix, the company has decided to transform itself into Goop TV this fall for some reason.

The most awkward first kiss: The Bachelor really outdid itself this week by having Heather receive her first kiss EVER on the show. Unlike Elyse, who didn't seem to get the memo that she'd have to share Colton Underwood (or that he hadn't proposed to her yet), Heather was happy to swap spit with Colton in Thailand... after what felt like 20 minutes of tension-building awkward silence, of course.

Best first kiss: Shout out to Riverdale for finally getting Archie (KJ Apa) and Josie (Ashleigh Murray) to go there (hopefully this has no bearing on Josie's decision to move to New York), but we gotta give the best first kiss of the week prize to DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) on Grey's Anatomy. This is the thing MerLuca fans have been waiting for, after that straight-up mean elevator tease. DeLuca got pretty spicy in the build-up to it, though, no?

The coolest cameo onslaught: Arrow's 150th episode was straight-up bananas with the key character cameos. The docu-style episode featured Oliver (Stephen Amell) being followed around by the film crew, with interviews of Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), Thea Queen (Willa Holland), Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Sin (Bex Taylor-Klaus), Rory Regan (Joe DiNicol), Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), Diggle (David Ramsey) and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin). Plus, the episode's action got Rene (Rick Gonzalez), Curtis (Echo Kellum) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) back into their vigilante masks without them ending up in prison. Hooray! All was well until we got a look at the future, as Blackstar (Katherine McNamara) and Connor Hawke (Joseph David Jones) visited the now-run-down Arrow cave and hinted that there are some dark days ahead for our heroes.

Valuable lesson time: Like its parent program, Grown-ish decided to slow down and try and teach us all a little something with its latest episode centered around a thoughtful and nuanced discussion of the college's new policy about consent. Good talk.

grown-ish

The unsurprising surprise: The Masked Singer has certainly surprised us before, but not this week. The revelation that the Raven was Ricki Lake was a surprise to exactly zero people who'd been paying attention to her little clues.

Biggest letdown: Chicago P.D.'s second effort to address the Black Lives Matter movement was a well-intentioned mess and blew yet another opportunity to take a stand.

Manliest man tears: Supernatural's 300th episode was full of attractive grown men crying. Jeffrey Dean Morgan made his first appearance as John Winchester since Season 2, and the family reunion that ensued was cathartic for both Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles). But once everyone realized that John couldn't stay because it screwed up the timeline, there wasn't just a Single Man Tear™ trickling down a chiseled jawline. Oh no, there were lots and lots of man tears flowing. And OK, maybe we shed some tears too. It was emotional, all right?

Binge(s) of the week: Once again, we gotta give this one to Netflix as they roll out their new sci-fi fantasy series The Umbrella Academy and the third season of One Day at a Time. But props are also due to Amazon Prime, which adds The Expanse's third season its streaming offerings this week as well.

PHOTOS: Galentine's Day Gift Guide

Parks and Recreation

Source: https://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-superlatives-february-8/?rss=breakingnews

[meditationadvise]

Tonight`s Full Snow Moon + Lunar Eclipse Are Charged With Cosmic Power. Here`s How To Activate It

Lights, camera, action! Friday, February 10, brings the moon in theatrical Leo as well as 2017's initial lunar eclipse, sending out a cosmic spreading call. This is a day to tip out as well as allow your abilities radiate-- but always remember to be an appreciative audience member, too. This lunar occasion is the end result of any kind of efforts started six months ago at the Leo new moon. As Leo policies creative thinking, glamour, love and fertility, many of us will be "offering birth" this weekend break, seeing our efforts emerge in a strong and also attention-getting method. And also love could be off the charts ... so why delay for Cupid's arrows to strike? (Review your love horoscope to discover just what the stars state about the item of your affections.) The Leo complete moon lunar eclipse begins the very first in a two-year eclipse series to strike the Leo-Aquarius axis. These enthusiastic moonbeams will definitely bring some red-carpet magic to the world-- Grammys Party anyone? And also right before Valentine's Day, the lovestruck Leo power might bring a couple of charming transformations our means.

Eclipses are harbingers of sweeping modification, speeding up inevitable actions as well as pushing us to search in new directions. The Leo-Aquarius series will play with the equilibrium in between Leo's opulent aristocracy and the neighborhood 'one love' spirit of Aquarius. The battle in between the 'riches' as well as the 'have-nots' might obtain intense, and we'll all need to find out a few lessons about when to share (Aquarius) when to spoil ourselves (Leo). Exactly how can we preserve our originality as well as still become part of the cumulative human race? When united in the finest feasible way, the crossbreed of Aquarius and Leo could bring a full-on revolution of love. We are so all set for it! The Friday evening lights will certainly indeed be brilliant, as the Leo full moon eclipse will increase in tandem with a flyby of an emerald eco-friendly comet. Comply with the yellow block road? The penumbral eclipse will certainly happen at about 5:34 p.m. EST and the moon will certainly reach its top at about 7:33 p.m. You could look for the Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdu šáková-- aka the 'New Year Comet' throughout the early hrs of Friday evening as well as Saturday morning. Whew! That's a lot of daydreaming to absorb. And also if cloudy wintery skies obstruct your sight you could still take in the spirituality of the February complete moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the moon in February is additionally called the Full Snow Moon, given that the heaviest snowfalls have a tendency to happen this month. (Today's impressive snowstorm that pummeled the East Coast was certainly a measure of that!) Throughout Colonial times, the Full Snow Moon was called by Native Americans as a method of tracking the seasons. So whether you're snowed in, right here are a few stimulating winter routines to harness the power of the Leo full moon eclipse:

1. Attach to the Self, peaceful the mind.

Proud Leo has a credibility for proclaiming their own horn without a second thought. There's absolutely nothing outrageous regarding a little self-promotion under the light of this complete moon eclipse. Sharing our gifts is an act of kindness, as long as our objective is to uplift others instead of serve our very own vanities. That claimed, all ego-related issues drop under the guideline of the Lion's domain.

Flip with Eckhart Tolle's A New Planet: Stiring up to Your Life's Objective for an enlightened perspective on getting rid of the grasps of the ego (which is the shadow side of the Self). In Tolle's definition, vanity is not about vanity and also pride. Instead, it appears as the harmful voice of self-hatred, limiting beliefs, as well as the safety covering we keep between ourselves as well as others. When we launch the ego, we become present to the feeling of oneness that we share with others. Trigger the power of the complete moon in Leo to appear the boundaries of vanity and also reconnect with the global human spirit. As you sit to meditate, bring your focus on your breath as well as recite the mantra, "I am you and you are me."

2. Provide on your own authorization to brag.

Ego apart, we all of something worthy of crowing from the roofs, as well as the Leo moon is the perfect chance to do simply that. In our society of self-deprecating cool, pumping ourselves up is frequently discredited-- yet at what cost? Inning accordance with "enjoyment revolutionary" Regena (Mama Gena) Thomashauer, boasting is an essential antidote to the culture of embarassment that females have acquired as a heritage. In her College of Girly Arts, she motivates individuals to boast happily, openly as well as usually as a confidence-boosting form of extreme vanity. She suggests doing it as a structured workout, where each individual takes a turn boasting and also the listener cheers the boast on. As grads of Mama Gena's Mastery program, we recommend embracing this revolutionary technique for a week (or also an endless time!). As well as indeed, guys can do it too! As soon as the preliminary awkwardness passes, bragging puts us in contact with the wonder of our very own special magnificent gifts-- and a deep thankfulness for the lives we get to live-- which's something the moon in Leo adores!

3. Perform a courageous act.

Brave Leo is the zodiac's hero, constantly going to gamble or speak out when nobody else dares. There's a distinction between being bold and also fearless. A fearless person may be out of touch with truth, a courageous individual 'feels the fear, but does it anyhow.' As well as did you understand: courage can actually be a kind of prevention versus health issues? Anxiety is connected to anxiety, as well as stress and anxiety is one of the triggers for many illness. Don't bother that concern also quits us from living our dreams, going after happiness and also feeling the untainted joy that Leo is everything about. Take a look at The Concern Remedy: Cultivating Nerve as Medicine for the Mind, Body and also Soul, by Dr. Lissa Rankin for a healthy confidence boost.

4. Give birth to creativity.

Leo is the indication of fertility and this complete moon eclipse is ripe for creation. If you've been struck by baby high temperature, this is the week to take definitive activity. Or, reduce ties to the commitment-phobe in your life (due to the fact that they will likely never ever quit fluctuating) as well as discover a Valentine that shares your need to construct a family members, be it with all-natural birth or adoption. If IVF therapies are something you are seeking to check out, establish a medical professional's consultation, or simply get to babymakin' the natural method. Figuratively speaking, this complete moon may be signaling a time to bring to life a creative venture. Begin that vegan food vehicle company, compose the rundown to your autobiography, or begin painting the next work of art that you'll contribute to your oeuvre. Have a look at cost-free business training videos from our buddy Marie Forleo for additional inspiration! Taking the very first step near this complete moon puts the power of the cosmos behind your efforts.

5. Open your heart and also lengthen your spine.

Every zodiac sign is related to a various location of the body. For Leo, it's the heart, upper back and spine. Unfurl that yoga exercise mat and also collaborate with the power of the Leo moon eclipse by doing yoga exercise stances like Wheel, Bridge, or Camel The key to safe backbending is to go into the position through the heart (thus why these presents are described as 'heart openers'). By bringing your interest to the heart-opening element of the pose first, you can much more naturally lift from the lower back to lengthen the spinal column upwards. Incentive: Invigorating these Leonine body parts will certainly assist you link to the Lion's pledge of imagination, fertility, love as well as limitless self-expression.

6. Dive right into primal dance or join a drum circle.

Full-bodied expression is just what this Leo lunar occasion is everything about, so bailamos, people! This moon was indicated to be invested in the dancing floor or also doing an extra spiritual kind of movement like Contact Improv or Thrilled Dancing. Obtain lost in the rhythm ... but don't quit there. Dancing for a cause! Since February 14, 2012, V-Day developer Eve Ensler has led 1 Billing Climbing, an around the world activity to dance for completion of violence. Like a worldwide flash mob with a reason, join the dancing change and arrange your very own public drum and also dance occasion, or sign up with one near you.

7. Step into the spotlight.

We are all regal in our very own specific means. Where do YOU preponderate? Raise the drape: It's formally showtime, as the Leo moon wants us to flaunt our skills like today was a planetary cabaret. Ruptured onto the world phase in one of the most extravagant means feasible. Luxe Leo enjoys when we shimmer, flash, and also drip in conflict-free rubies. After all, this is the indication that rules pleasure, indulgence, and also robust self-expression.

Break out the bangles, leading hats and plume boas! Glamazon Leo adores strong shade, intense prints and staged costumery. Like youngsters playing dress-up, this moon encourages us to reveal ourselves with bold fashion options. The Leo complete moon adores creativity. As opposed to fade into the masses, wear something that stands apart, be it a statement necklace or a burlesque professional dancer's headdress. Clothes like these are novelty, besides, as well as the social Leo moon urges us to break the ice as well as talk with strangers.

8. Practice the art of storytelling.

Playful Leo is the zodiac's infinite child, for life loaded with marvel. While Leo stories can run long (' Obtain to the point currently!'), here's a fun fact for anybody that has to give a presentation: The classic art of narration is in fact one of the most powerful method to turn on the mind. While a blasé speech might obtain our language processors moving, tales can stir up various other regions of your brain. Defining, for example, a delicious meal will illuminate the audience's sensory cortex. And also as YOU obtain lit up by a sensuous allegory (buttery parsnips, throaty voice!), your audience has the specific same reaction. Storytelling links us in a special means-- a lot like the zodiac's tribal Lion, that invests life in a tight-knit community.

9. Pick love ... and also create it!

Romance, passion and lust loss under the domain name of Leo: that tasty minute when a stimulate of tourist attraction ends up being a burning flame of desire. If we're feeling a little lusty this week, it's not a surprise. This full moon has us all wired on lush life-force power. Allow it surge with your capillaries, bring it to the bedroom or take it for a twirl on the dancing floor. There's a wild, Large Pet cat lovin' energy in the air, so let your hair down and enjoy. Meow.

Lovestruck Leo recognizes that love permits us a direct connection to the divine. Whether solitary or promoted, we could trigger the spirit of amore by making a vision board/collage of our romantic perfect. Sit down with a stack of publications, scissors, a glue stick and also an item of poster board. Curate, reduce out and also gather pictures that make your heart go pitter-patter. Paste them down on the board, after that, analyze and examine the last collage. Just what do you see? You'll be delighted by your very own subconscious signs. That knew you wanted THAT?