#they have (mostly) 360 movement for their shield arms now!

[tineymang]

a few scoo doodles ft. some lil design changes i gave them! i may redo their ref sometime if i get the energy for it

[antoine-roquentin]

Myanmar: Vast arsenal and notorious troops deployed during nationwide ‘killing spree’ protest crackdown – new research

The Myanmar military is using increasingly lethal tactics and weapons normally seen on the battlefield against peaceful protesters and bystanders across the country, new research by Amnesty International has revealed.

By verifying more than 50 videos from the ongoing crackdown, Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab can confirm that security forces appear to be implementing planned, systematic strategies including the ramped-up use of lethal force. Many of the killings documented amount to extrajudicial executions.

Footage clearly shows that Myanmar military troops - also known as the Tatmadaw - are increasingly armed with weapons that are only appropriate for the battlefield, not for policing actions. Officers are frequently seen engaging in reckless behavior, including the indiscriminate spraying of live ammunition in urban areas.

‘We are frontliners’: Youth brave bullets and arrest to keep protests alive 

While the early street protests against the February 1 military takeover remained largely peaceful, attracting people from all strata of society, the police and army have violently broken up more recent demonstrations, killing more than 70 so far. This has whittled down protests to younger, more daring groups engaging in cat-and-mouse games with security forces: making tactical retreats and reassembling the moment forces move on. To avoid death, injury or arrest, they have had to quickly adopt new methods and tools.

Mayangone Township resident Ko Phyo Tin, 25, who joins the Kyun Taw protest group every day, uses a shield improvised from a piece of steel as protection against rubber bullets and live rounds, and dons a Chinese-made combat helmet.

“Most of us are using protective equipment made in China. We don’t trust its quality but we have no alternative,” he said, adding that the group would gladly accept donations of quality gas masks, hard hats and body armour.

Women have also taken up positions as “frontliners”, the protesters bearing the brunt of the police and army assaults and shielding those behind them. They include Ma Thu Thu, 23, a founder of a team of frontliners that operates in Hlaing and Kamaryut townships, where such groups proliferate.

Thu Thu said her team comprises a core group of more than 10 people that is supported by about another 50 volunteers, who have learned from the street tactics used in dissident movements overseas.

“I saw the protests in Hong Kong and they gave me ideas about how we could defend ourselves,” said Thu Thu, whose small frame belies a capacity to endure gruelling confrontations with security forces.

She has been protesting against military rule since February 6 and is increasingly convinced that the people need protection from the lethal force police and soldiers used against striking dockworkers in Mandalay on February 20, when security forces fired live rounds on a crowd of more than 1,000 demonstrators at a shipyard, killing two and injuring dozens.

On February 26, Thu Thu watched a violent crackdown by police on big crowds of protesters at the Myanigone and Hledan junctions in Yangon.

“Police opened fire to disperse protesters, who fled in chaos. Some were arrested. When I saw that, I thought we needed to be able to protect protesters during demonstrations planned for February 28, Milk Tea Alliance Day,” she said, referring to a loose alliance of pro-democracy movements in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and now Myanmar.

“I posted [these thoughts] on Facebook and one of my friends said she would donate 30 shields. I talked with some of my male friends and we decided to volunteer as frontliners,” she added.

“When we first started posting [about our plan], about a hundred people contacted us [wanting to join]. Members of our group are from many different townships in Yangon.”

Myanmar junta hires Israeli intelligence veteran for international lobbying campaign 

Defense Minister Mya Tun Oo retained Ari Ben-Menashe and his Montreal-based Dickens & Madson Canada to “assist in explaining the real situation in the country,” according to a consultancy agreement dated Thursday. The firm is tasked with lobbying Congress and the Joe Biden administration as well as the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Russia in addition to the United Nations, the African Union and other international organizations and NGOs.

The firm is expected to file a formal lobbying contract with the US Department of Justice early next week, Ben-Menashe said in a telephone interview Friday morning from Myanmar, where he’s wrapping up his second trip in the past few weeks. He said the contract was for a “big amount” but declined to get into specifics.

(Update: Dickens & Madson said the contract with Mya Tun Oo was for $2 million in a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) disclosure filed Monday, March 8 with the US Department of Justice. The amount is to be paid  “when legally permissible by controlling jurisdictions” since the minister and other military leaders are under US sanctions.

“Within the United States, Registrant will provide advice and counsel to the foreign principal and advocate before the executive and/or legislative branches of the government of the United States to seek support and humanitarian aid for the benefit of the citizens of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and to strive for the removal or modification of current sanctions,” the lobbying disclosure states. “Additionally, Registrant proposes to provide media and public relations services to further the country’s goals and activities. Registrant also provides lobbying services to the foreign principal in other countries.”)

Ben-Menashe indicated that he plans to present the country’s military rulers as a counterweight to alleged growing Chinese influence in the country under Aung San Suu Kyi, the government leader whose National League for Democracy swept legislative elections in November. The Burmese military declared the elections to be illegitimate on Feb. 1 and deposed Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, sparking international condemnation.

“Aung San Suu Kyi moved toward China while she was in power,” Ben-Menashe said. “And these guys [in the military] don’t like it.”

He added that officials in Saudi Arabia and the UAE had offered to assist with the return of Rohingya Muslims, almost a million of whom have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in recent years amid what the United Nations have labeled a campaign of genocide. Ben-Menashe said he had advised the country’s rulers in the 1990s and warned at the time against having Suu Kyi in the government, claiming she had shown anti-Muslim animus.

“Aung San Suu Kyi as leader was the one who did in the Rohingyas, not the army,” he insisted.

Democratic shadow government taking form in Myanmar 

Myanmar’s banking system, always feeble, looks close to collapse. With banking havens for the junta’s finances, namely the US and Singapore, restricting capital flows, the Biden administration’s freeze on $1 billion of Myanmar’s US-held assets and an ongoing national boycott of military-affiliated businesses, the junta’s finances are being squeezed.

All this definitely means the junta’s strategy of carrying on with business as usual has gone out the window and makes large-scale violent escalation likely.

The writers disagree with the view that the disparate Civil Disobedience Movement can win by sheer power of will and personal sacrifice. Look at the numbers: In some ministries, such as health and education, participation in the movement is substantial, with estimates that a third of staff are actively involved. In others, it is much smaller.

Some 600 policemen are said to have defected so far. Overall, the number of Civil Disobedience Movement participants is likely in the tens of thousands, out of a million or so civil servants across the country.

The junta is cracking down hard. Participating civil servants have been suspended by the junta, with some losing their pay and benefits and others potentially charged with treason.

One senior civil servant told us: “I really want to participate in the civil disobedience campaign but I have to take care of my family – we rely on my salary [and] the housing provided by the department.”

One month on, the story of Myanmar’s coup has become a tale of two governments, the junta and the acting administration of the Committee Representing the National Parliament (CRPH), a group of MPs mostly from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

With many of its members including Suu Kyi detained and least one who has died in the junta’s custody, the democratically-elected NLD has been hit hard by the coup.

“We cannot operate as a political party right now. [The junta] seized our leaders… Our party headquarter is closed. But we are trying to connect with our party members,” Phyo Zeya Thaw, NLD Central Committee Member, told the writers.

The CRPH has sought to challenge the junta while running and hiding. It has already announced a public administration program that established local councils led by MPs and loyal local officials to run affairs in Myanmar’s 360 townships in competition with the junta.

Preliminary data from a survey we are conducting on this parallel governance bid suggest that early success is mixed: In parts of the country, the NLD’s grassroots networks have been able to set up structures, in particular in Yangon, Mandalay and Sagaing regions, all part of the NLD’s heartland. In other townships, the junta has the upper hand.

Significantly, the CRPH is now putting itself firmly at the head of the disparate civil disobedience movement. On its website, the CRPH is registering civil servants participating in CDM who it will provide support.

It has also formed an ”acting administration” of acting ministers. They will cover all portfolios of the toppled NLD government until a new unity resistance government is formed.

To form this unity government, the CRPH is competing with the junta in reaching out to both civil society leaders and to ethnic political parties and ethnic armed groups. The success of these overtures may decide the ultimate fate of Myanmar’s coup.

Two other resistance organizations, a General Strike Committee and a General Strike Committee of Nationalities, that sprung up to organize a general strike in February are still organizing protests and strikes independently.

Business revolt brewing in coup-crippled Myanmar 

Western business groups, namely European, American, British, Italian and French chambers of commerce, rejected the regime’s invitation to meet on March 4. At the same time, major Asian business groups such as the Thai, Hong Kong, Japanese and Chinese have not released any statements of concern since the coup and lethal crackdown on protesters.

The Western chambers’ refusal comes at a time of widespread and rising condemnation against the regime’s brutal crackdown on unarmed protesting civilians, with more than 50 killed as of March 3, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent monitoring group.

Australian business group AustCham Myanmar said on Wednesday it has “serious concern over the increasing use of violence against the people campaigning for a return to democratic Government in Myanmar.”

[betweenstories]

CHAPTER 21

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but you need to save the rest of that story for the hotel.”

I open my eyes and blink. Your lips brush my neck. Your voice is practically a growl. “If you say another word...” You nip my earlobe. “I can’t be held responsible for what I might do.”

Lights flash overhead, and far-flung planets dance across a darkened dome. Underneath me, my seat vibrates with deep bass acoustics. I’ve been so caught up in the story, I’ve lost track of where I am.

American Museum of Natural History...

Hayden Planetarium...

New York City.......with you—

Suddenly, I’m keenly aware of the smooth, taut skin pulsing hot against my palm. By reflex, I try to stroke, but you tighten your grip around my wrist. I freeze.

Pulling away from my ear, you press your forehead against mine. Everything about you feels tight. Even your whisper sounds strained.

“I need you to give me a minute.”

In the stillness between us, details from the story return in a rush. Where had all that come from? Heat rises to my cheeks. I’m shocked by my own imagination.

To you, I nod my agreement, relieved. I’d had no idea what to say next anyway. When I start to pull away, you place a warm palm on the back of my neck.

Since my hand’s still wrapped tight around you, I ask, “Should I—“

Before I finish the question, you quickly cut me off.

“Don’t .... “

You soften your tone. Your breaths come slow, measured.

“Just don’t say anything. I’m hanging on by a thread here.”

I nod again and keep my lips tightly sealed. Time passes—eons according to the show overhead, until finally, you kiss my forehead and reach beneath your jacket to uncurl my fingers. Lifting my hand, you brush your lips between each of my knuckles, kiss the fleshy pad below my thumb. I shiver at the rough graze of your beard.

Once I’ve buttoned my dress and smoothed my hair, I shift in my seat to take you in. Your jaw is tight, your movements stiff. I see you wince as you button your fly.

Genuinely concerned, I ask, “Are you okay? I mean, are you in pain?”

Brows raised, you seem surprised by the question. After a silent beat, one corner of your lips curls upward.

“I’ve been stiff on and off—mostly on—for fourteen hours. Of course, I’m in pain.”

I quickly look down at my lap. This isn’t funny. When I glance at you again, you rub your palms down your thighs and blow out a breath.

“Truth be told, I’ve been hard for the better part of a week.” Your smile turns wry. “I’m getting used to it. It’s like being sixteen all over again.

I study my hands in my lap and try to look contrite. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good. No more teasing then.”

Still smiling, you curl an arm around my shoulders and prop an ankle over a bent knee. You stroke my bicep with your thumb. “Trust me, love. I’m not complaining. Besides, I know you can’t help it. Expecting you not to tease is like expecting a fish not to swim.

I knit my brows. “Thank you?”

CHAPTER 22

“I’ve literally had an erection since before the dawn of time.”

With your jacket draped over one arm as a shield, you shake your head as you stare up at the entry point of the 13.6 billion year universal timeline. I bite my bottom lip to hide a smile.

The Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway is a 360 foot spiral ramp that connects the Rose Center’s first and second floors. As it winds around the exterior of the Hayden Sphere, it tells the story of the universe from birth to present day through a built-to-scale timeline. Each of the eight interactive platforms and thirteen equally spaced stations showcases the nature and size of the universe at different points in time.

When the theatre lights had come up after the show, we’d both been buttoned up and decent. Well, I’d been decent. You’d been—what had you called it? Semi-turgid.

With a long-suffering sigh, you’d stood, reached for my hand, and then we’d made our way onto the pathway.

I’d tried to be good, tried so hard not to flirt, but it was difficult. I couldn’t stop myself from being charmed by every little thing you did; and remarkably, it seemed you felt the same way. We had too much in common. There was too much chemistry. Simply put, we had too much fun.

When we’d stopped at the set of blank panels at the beginning of the timeline, I’d said, “Nerd cocky! I love it!”

You’d grasped my hips, pulled me tight against you, and whispered, “If you love ‘nerd cocky,’ I can deliver on half your fantasy.”

I’d tapped my lips and said, “Hm... now if I could just figure out how to satisfy the cocky part.”

Pretending insult, you’d tickled me until I’d escaped and made a run for the next station.

At another display, you’d studied a conversion scale marked on the floor and announced, “According to this, chart, every step I take is equivalent to seventy-five million years!”

When I’d estimated the distance between us (about a billion years) I’d asked if you’d wait for me.

Looking thoughtful, you’d said, “Nope. Got a better idea.”

At that, you’d locked your bent arms like Mr. Roboto and stiffly walked backward to where I’d stood. When you’d added rhythmic beep sound effects and said, “This is my impersonation of New York at 3am,” I’d smiled my goofiest grin.

At the station describing the birth of the Milky Way, you’d reached under my cloak and grazed your fingertips back and forth over my hardened nipples. When I’d said I was trying very hard to control my inner flirt, but you weren’t making it easy, you’d leaned in and purred, “Maybe I don’t want you in control? Maybe I want your hands on me right now?”

As if you’d flipped a switch, my body had instantly hummed with desire. Just as I’d turned to you, ready to accept imminent indecency charges, a family with young children had rounded the corner. I’d quickly scrambled away and focused all my attention on the toes of my boots.

Once the group had moved along, I’d returned to you and pretended to wipe sweat from my brow.

“Phew! That was a close call! Five more seconds and I would’ve been coaxing you toward that alcove other there.” I’d nodded toward the shadowy corner behind you. “I had a whole speech prepared on why you should celebrate the formation of the galaxy with a ceremonial blow job.”

Your brows had shot sky high as you’d slowly turned to stare at said alcove. When you’d finally turned back to face me, you’d scrubbed a hand over your mouth and declared,

“Well, celebration is important.”

Back in the present, you stare up beyond the Rose Center’s glass ceiling at a cloudless cornflower blue sky. I crouch to read the fine print at the dinosaur station. The sheer size of the tooth is amazing.

“It’s incredible these guys don’t show up until two feet from the end of the ramp.”

You turn your attention back to the display. “True. And what we consider “life” didn’t make an appearance until two-thirds of the way down. I really liked seeing the trilobite fossil, by the way.”

“Me too. When I visited here a few years ago, I didn’t have time to process everything while I was seeing it. I was here with a few friends and our daughters and everybody rushed me through every exhibit because they’d all wanted to go shop for knock-off Louis Vuitton.” I roll my eyes. “Anyway, that night before I went to sleep, I spent a long time thinking about trilobites and the creatures that came before them. Talk about putting things in perspective. Our species has been around—what?—a couple million years? But the trilobites survived hundreds of millions. I wonder if they were the first creatures with eyes because they’d survived long enough to evolve them, or if they’d survived that long because they’d evolved eyes.” I shrug. “I guess it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

You appear contemplative. “It makes one wonder how long our species will survive.”

“I grin. “Well, we’ve got Elon Musk on our side now, so I think that doubles our longevity at least.” I frown. “But we’ve also got the Kardashians, so they may cancel each other out.”

You hold your hands out to each side, palms up as if weighing. “Musk versus a Kardashian? I’m not sure which one I’d put my money on.”

“I think it would depend on which Kardashian.”

You chuckle.

I thread my fingers with yours. “I really liked seeing the meteorite as well. It’s hard to imagine standing that close to one of the rarest things on the planet.”

You look at me and your eyes go soft. When you lean in, place a sweet kiss on my forehead, and say, “It’s not so hard for me,” I nearly melt on the spot.

And then, we take the final two steps to land in the present day. Though the trilobites had piqued my interest during the earlier visit; this last, tiny station had made the biggest impression by far. A single strand of hair is displayed between two sheets of glass, its width meant to represent the timeline encompassing all of human history.

When I’d viewed this before, I’d thought about how lucky I was to be alive during this blip of time in the history of the universe. I’d also thought about how much time I’d been wasting.

Staring up at the ramp, I think about 13.6 billion years. I think about the years that divide a century, the centuries that divide millennia. I think about all the divisions, all the middle spaces between every eon, era, and epoch. I think about the nature of in-between places. Wasn’t in-between just another word for change?

I’m still lost in thought when you surprise me by lifting me off my feet and hugging me tight. You spin me around until I’m laughing, breathless.

When you set me down, I place my hands on your shoulders for balance.

“What was that for?”

You spur my mind reading suspicions once again. “No reason. This is the best In-Between Day ever. That’s all.”

CHAPTER 23

As we swipe our Metro cards to enter the subway station under the museum, I marvel once again at the ease of big city transportation. When I’d first visited New York, I’d been a teenager. The running joke had been, if I couldn’t make it home from the local store, I’d get lost in the Big Apple never to be seen again. Nothing could’ve been further from the truth. The city planners had been brilliant. The streets were laid out in beautiful, sequential numbers. There was uptown, midtown, and downtown. It was clear, simple. With a pocket full of tokens, I could’ve hopped on a bus or the subway and gone anywhere I’d wanted at any time. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Back then, the city wasn’t as clean or as safe as it is today. Hat tip to Rudy Giuliani.

As we wait on the train platform, a classical trio of two violins and a cello plays Mozart. The museum must pump some kind of scented oil through the air ducts, because the entire place smells of gardenias.

You inhale deep as you scan the mosaic tile. “This is the nicest subway station I’ve ever seen.”

“I know, right? The Taj Mahal of public transit.”

When I lean out to peer down the tracks, you tug the back of my scarf to pull me back.

“Careful, love. You don’t want to pull a jarley, do ya?”

I grin at you, lace my fingers, with yours, and swing our hands back and forth.

“You know, I haven’t teased you once in the better part of an hour. I should get a prize.”

You give me a look of censure.

“Okay. Maybe twice.”

You slowly shake your head.

“Fine.” I grin. “I’ve teased you three times, and that’s maximum.”

Your expression says we both know better.

“How’re things going down there, by the way?”

I give a chin jerk toward the jacket you hold in front of you.

Your mouth quirks.

“Let’s put it this way: No part of me is in ‘the relaxed state’ right now.”

Though my cheeks heat, I move in and press the length of my body close against you. I lean up to whisper in your ear.

“Mayhap your raphe needs special attention? It is In-between Day after all, and that’s definitely a middle line.”

Smoothing your hands down my back, you settle a firm grip on my bottom and pull me even closer.

“I assure you, attention to my raphe will not lead to a more relaxed state...” You brush your lips against mine. “... at least not immediately.”

With a quick nip at your chin, I turn and press my bottom against you. I bend to look down the tracks once more. Wrapping your arms around my waist, you pull me in and nuzzle the curve of my neck.

Closing my eyes, I reach a hand back and tunnel my fingers through the hair at your nape. I sway a little as I speak.

“Your warm breath against my neck is one of the finest things on the planet. Whenever I braid my hair to the side or tie a ribbon around a low ponytail, I imagine this exactly. Your lips on my bare skin, the scrape of your beard against my cheek.”

Your groan is a tickling buzz at my ear. By the time the train arrives, you’ve escalated from “semi” to 100% tumescent and I’m soaking wet.

Since several families with small children enter the subway car along with us, I sit across from you instead of beside you.

You raise a brow. I glance toward the little girl seated next to me, who I’d guestimate to be about four or five. You smile and nod your understanding. The girl stares up at me wide-eyed. I know this look. I see the little wheels turning. Silently, I pray she won’t say what she’s thinking out loud. For some reason, I don’t want you to hear it.

Just then, the little girl tilts her head and says, “You look like Elsa.”

Her mother (or possibly grandmother?) smiles apologetically and whispers in the girl’s ear to try and shush her. I accept there must be something to this observation since I hear this fairly often, but personally, I just don’t see it.

I smile as I lean down.

“You think so? I’ll tell you one thing, if I had Elsa’s powers, I’d make an Olaf straight away. How about you? What’s the first thing you’d do?”

When she smiles wide, I see she’s missing her two front teeth. I up my age guess to six.

“Olaf’s my favorite. I’d make him first too.”

We smile and sit in silence half a minute before she adds, “My Mama says Elsa’s the best princess ‘cause she don’t need no man.”

She puts her hands on her hips and weaves her neck back and forth as she says the last. The grandmother looks to see my reaction, glances at you, and again tries to shush the little girl.

You smile, clearly amused.

As the two stand to get off at the next stop, the girl waves goodbye. I think about my own grandmother. She’d firmly believed you had to wave until the person was “clean outta sight.” I remember watching her from the back window of my parents’ car. I’d waved until my arm had grown tired, while she’d stood at the end of her driveway and waved until we were, indeed, “clean outta sight.”

I smile at the little girl and wave until she disappears beyond the train’s sliding doors.

Since the car’s mostly full now, I move to sit on your lap. I twine my arms around your neck, and kiss your cheek.

You glance at your watch. “What time do we need to leave the hotel?”

“Let’s see. Doors open at six-thirty and the pre-show starts at eight. I’ve never heard of the opening band, so if you don’t mind missing a few minutes I don’t either. As long as we leave the hotel by seven-thirty, we should be fine.”

Tonight, one of my favorite singers would be playing the Garden. After resuming his European tour post-pandemic, Teddy Swims had become a huge international star. Except for the nosebleed seats, tonight’s concert had sold out within hours. I still didn’t know how you’d scored such primo tickets.

Since you’d decided on lunch, I jump in with plans for dinner.

“I know you’re still dealing with the time change, so I’ll get ready quick and head down to the bar if you want to take a power nap.” I pull out my phone. “I’ll have a crudités platter sent up to the room now, so you can have something to nibble on. I’ll call you at six-thirty to make sure you’re awake and order you something more substantial then. If you come down around seven, that should give you plenty of time to eat without being rushed. Sound like a plan?”

You nod. The first time the question of food had come up, I’d pondered aloud, “What if we made a pact never to debate food choices? Unless one of us has a specific meal preference, I say we take turns making decisions by default.”

Always easy to get along with, you’d agreed, though you’d seemed largely indifferent on the subject. That is, until I’d added, “Imagine if I devoted all that extra time and energy to honing my fellatio technique.”

“Where to eat” had never been a topic of debate since.

[xb-squaredx]

Metroid: Samus Returns Review: Return to Greatness

After laying dormant the last few years, Metroid is back and 2D fans at last have a new installment after 15 years. Metroid: Samus Returns is to Metroid II: The Return of Samus as Metroid: Zero Mission is to the original Metroid, a reimaging of the title that attempts to modernize it for the gamers of today, while working to better tie it into the greater Metroid mythos. All things considered, Nintendo and MercurySteam succeeded, crafting a challenging, rewarding title that can stand toe-to-toe with the best the franchise has to offer.

The set-up remains mostly the same; Samus lands on the planet SR388 to exterminate the Metroid threat once and for all, exploring the planet’s depths in search of all….40 Metroids? Sounds easy enough, but as players are quick to discover, the planet is filled to the brim with hostile creatures and traps, and will require Samus to be at her best. Samus Returns can be tough, but never unfair. Enemies are pretty aggressive and the boss battles in particular can shave off several energy attacks at once with just one attack. Energy tanks in general are pretty hard to come by, and if you’re anything like me, you can get lost in the mazes the game has constructed, with enemies all too eager to finish off a weary traveler.

Of course, the game is balanced out with a variety of features to help players out, some being some rather appreciated quality-of-life features the 2D Metroid games sorely needed. Maps now let you place pins on areas of interest and being on a 3DS screen, the map will always display on the bottom screen, which is sure to help with overall navigation. There are also Teleport Stations that can warp Samus to various other areas of the planet, to cut down on backtracking. And while Save Stations are still the norm for saving progress, the game now has a checkpoint system in place to keep deaths from being TOO punishing. Of course, for those that want a deeper challenge, beating the game unlocks a Hard Mode, and anyone with a Metroid amiibo can unlock an even harder Fusion Mode that locks players into Metroid Fusion’s tacky power suit, so you can have your normal mode cake and eat the hard one too…or something.

Other combat upgrades take the form of a new parry attack for Samus and full 360 degree aiming, both of which work great. The parry is responsive and gives Samus an answer to especially aggressive enemies who love to get up in her face. A successful parry sets Samus up for a counterattack guaranteed to kill lesser enemies and deal massive damage to bosses. Throughout the game, players will have to master the parry if they intend to get through it in one piece. With that said however, I do feel the early game forces players to use the parry a little too much. Even after obtaining the Charge Beam and some Missiles, many enemies are either too erratic in movement to hit consistently or take far too much punishment for them to seem viable in lieu of the parry. The parry’s counterattack ends up making Samus’ normal abilities seem weaker than they should, though as the game progresses, her suit upgrades bridge the gap and some enemies appear that can���t be parried, so it evens out.

Alongside these abilities and several beloved standbys, Samus also obtains four mystical abilities at various points in the game, Aeion Abilities, to help her progress. Each ability runs off of an Aeion meter that builds up whenever an enemy is defeated, a successful parry also producing even more energy to go towards the meter. The first of these abilities, Scan Pulse, illuminates parts of the map in a radius around Samus, letting players know if there are any hidden paths or items nearby, even marking breakable blocks for a short time. That last bit ends up saving a LOT of time, no longer are players forced to obsessively bomb every square inch of a room to make sure they aren’t missing anything. Lightning Armor grants Samus a shield that protects her from damage and negates knockback for a time, useful for moving through special hazards like otherworldly bramble that would otherwise knock Samus away. Beam Burst turns the arm cannon into a powerful gatling gun, chewing through normal enemies with ease and being the only thing able to take out certain enemies that might otherwise bar your way. And lastly, Phase Shift slows down time around Samus, allowing her to make her way across hazards she’d otherwise be unable to manage. All four abilities are balanced fairly well, the Aeion meter being pretty small at first and the cost for most of these abilities being fairly high; at any rate, while they can make the game a fair bit easier, they aren’t easily abused, and finding Aeion meter upgrades is a challenge in and of itself.

By all accounts, Samus Returns is incredibly solid, nailing the dreadful atmosphere of the original Metroid titles, while incorporating a variety of aspects from all across the series. The more cinematic parts of the game, particularly the boss battles, call back to the better parts of Other M, the parry feeling like a more universally accessible Lethal Strike, for one. The overall tone and aesthetic is that of the Metroid Prime series, and there are a variety of nods and connective tissue to the other games as well, such as Samus’ destined meeting with the infant Metroid that would later be followed up in Super Metroid. Samus plays like a dream, moving fast and fluidly through the depths of SR388, with environments packed with detail. At time you can see wildlife in the background of stages, possibly foreshadowing threats to come. One instance that stuck out to me was a pair of glowing red eyes that appeared in the background of one area, and then never again, and yet I was on edge the entire time. For anyone afraid this game wouldn’t quite fit the mold, it feels more than authentic.

My issues with the game are few, and they’re really just nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. Outside of leaning on the parry a bit too much at first, my only other real problem comes from a handful of the 40 Metroid encounters in the game. Namely encounters with a particular stage of the Metroid evolution that, rather than fight in one designated combat arena as per the other Metroid types, loves to run away into other parts of a given area, forcing players to give chase. These are far from my favorite fights in the game, but they aren’t too frequent overall. On pretty much every other point though, the game’s boss fights are staller, so all is forgiven.

Samus Returns can stand toe-to-toe with the best in the franchise, being the right mix of challenging combat and platforming, alongside rewarding exploration. The presentation nails the atmosphere the series is known for, and the quality-of-life improvements to controls, navigation and combat make for a Metroid that plays exactly like I’d want a modern game to play. If you’ve ever loved Metroid, support this game and don’t let it pass you by.

Until next time,

-B

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

In 2006, Epic’s Gears of War was released for the Xbox 360 to a strong reception. Players were thrilled with the fresh take on the shooter genre. No more running and gunning, now it’s all about stopping and popping! Very soon after Gears of War’s release the cover-based 3rd person shooter became a popular sub-genre. Nowadays things are different. The once fresh sub-genre is now one of the most overcrowded in the market. Business is booming for the videogame construction company responsible for making chest-high slabs of concrete. Yet after 7 years of stopping and popping, one shooter stands above the rest as the most unique, best-feeling, and long-lasting cover-based shooter that I’ve ever played: Vanquish.

Developed by Platinum Games and released in 2010, Vanquish is one of those games that truly is greater than the sum of its parts. The game has extremely strong basic mechanics: your character controls swiftly and accurately, guns feel great, and the cover-system works very well (although the cover-stickyness in some situations is perhaps the only part of the game that has aged unfavorably). But the two core mechanics that really make Vanquish tick are related the Augmented Reaction Suit: rocket-sliding and Augmented Reaction mode (slow-mo). Both abilities come together in a way that gives players far more creative options than seen in most shooters.

Rocket-sliding

rocket-sliding allows players to quickly and safely traverse large distances

In Vanquish players control a character named Sam who wears an armored suit called the Augmented Reaction Suit. By holding down a single button Sam will slide forward feet first as if playing baseball, but with rocket-propulsion. This allows players to zip across the battlefield at a break-neck speed. Suddenly the levels in Vanquish feel much smaller as players can reach any important point in a matter of seconds. No longer are players forced to slowly crawl from one piece of cover to another in order to flank enemies or reach a supply cache on the battlefield.

The rocket slide works as well as it does for a few reasons. For one, while sliding the player is mostly invulnerable, which allows players to focus on staying in motion and allow them to safely boost away from any trouble they find themselves in. With rocket-sliding every part of the level feels within arm’s reach so to speak: players now have the freedom to utilize every aspect of a level in whatever order they wish. While rocket-sliding the character and camera movement are essentially un-restricted (unlike the sprint button in Gears of War), giving them complete control and full awareness of the battlefield. The ability also allows players to effortlessly transition into other mechanics in the game: quickly go into cover, aiming with ARS mode, and there’s even the ability to bicycle kick enemies with the melee button.

Augmented Reaction Mode

AR mode not only gives players greater precision but also increases their damage output

Vanquish has the most interesting use of slow-mo I’ve ever seen in a shooter. AR mode gives players the standard slow-mo perks seen in other games such as aiding in headshots on enemies or being able to “shoot extra” ( bending time to essentially up the DPS of a weapon). But AR mode combines with menacing enemy designs to create truly thrilling situations such as shooting inbound homing missiles out of the air to shooting small weak points from 100s of meters away in a small time-frame while in motion.

A very interesting aspect about AR mode though is the limited ways in which players can activate it. There is no “slow-mo” button. Instead, players can intentionally activate AR mode by aiming their gun in only 3 situations: immediately after performing a dodge, while in the air (which is initiated either by jumping over a piece of cover or slide-kicking into an enemy), or by aiming while also rocket-sliding. This creates an extremely interesting risk-and-reward dynamic as each situation puts players in extremely vulnerable positions (IE out of cover and low on energy). Players cannot sit behind cover and rack-up a bunch of slow-mo headshots at the same time, and instead they must sacrifice their defense by moving out into the open in an effort to increase their offensive capability.

Your energy is your health

There is only one meter in Vanquish, which measures the AR Suit’s heat level. This meter is tied to both your health and your energy that is consumed by using rocket-sliding and AR mode. In effect, every time you use a power in the game you are also damaging yourself. So long as you do not fully drain the meter it will replenish quite rapidly. Drain the meter completely though and your suit will overheat, which takes much longer to replenish and both primary abilities are disabled until the meter is fully charged again. This creates a wonderful dynamic where players try to use their powers as much as possible without overheating. A skilled player is constantly walking on a razor’s edge. 

The minor details that add up

Vanquish is full of small details that help make the game feel so great. For instance any experienced Vanquish player knows that the doge button is crucial to staying alive and moving around the battlefield. It quickly moves the player in a given direction out of harm’s way and requires no energy, making it a great way to quickly get to cover if your energy bar is depleted. Most importantly players can access AR mode at the end of a dodge. When utilized correctly this gives player a new movement “type” of quickly dodging around the battlefield and taking quick AR mode potshots at enemies in between each dodge. The dodge button is so important to this game that I would consider it the 3rd main mechanic in the game.

Rapidly dodging and shooting is a strong tactic in certain situations

Another important design decision is that in almost every encounter the game gives the player some friendly NPCs to help out. They do very little damage but crucially draw enough enemy attention such that the player is not always constantly pinned down by overwhelming force. Oftentimes in games the designers seem to give the players large encounters to up the scales of the battle, but when the player is the only target for every enemy, they end up spending far too much time behind cover recharging their health instead of out in the field achieving great feats (Bioshock: Infinite was the last game I played that seemed guilty of this). The friendly NPCs in Vanquish work so well by giving the player some breathing room (drawing fire from enemy forces) but doing so little damage that the player still must accomplish a lot in the battle themselves to win it (and since the developers can add a lot of enemies into the battle without worrying about overwhelming the player, some battles become quite large and feel very satisfying to win).

  Friendly soldiers fight poorly but do a great job of taking some heat off of the player

Vanquish is a tough game but never frustrating. I think a huge part of that comes from the “emergency AR mode” in the game that triggers when players are near death. When the AR suit overheats due to damage an emergency ration of energy is given to the player and AR mode is automatically triggered until that energy is depleted. It’s essentially like having your shields drain in Halo, but players are given about 10 seconds of AR mode to find a new spot of cover or finish off the last few enemies before having to wait and let their real energy bar refill without access to any powers. If players take too much damage while in emergency mode they will then die “for real” and must restart the fight. Players will still probably die a lot while playing the game, but this feature helps a lot in giving players a fun “extra chance” and allows experienced players to avoid many deaths. Essentially emergency mode still gives players a bit of a failure state (they must now stop what they are doing and retreat) without any of the frustration of having to restart the engagement (yet there is still the real danger of dying while in emergency mode). Honestly there could be an entire article about how emergency AR mode affects the pacing of the game.

Combining to Change the Dynamics of Gameplay

While Vanquish still involves a lot of moving from one piece of cover to another, it stands apart from other cover-based shooters by having most of the action take place in between those pieces of cover, instead of at them. Instead of sitting behind cover and shooting at enemies in one position until you move to another piece of cover and do the same thing again, in Vanquish players use cover to recharge their energy, reload, and maybe take a few pot-shots before going back out into the open. And the reason this is such a good thing is because of how all of the different mechanics come together to give players a wide, dynamic range of possible actions to perform when leaving cover.

All of the different mechanics and actions: rocket-sliding, AR mode, dodging, jumping over cover, melee, etc all act as their own small “moves” that can essentially be dynamically combo’d together like in a fighting or action game. And it feels fantastic because the player is in control of every single aspect of the action. Players can choose to rocket-slide up close to enemies and dodge around them while shooting at their weakpoints in AR mode. Or they could choose to bicycle kick an enemy and get launched airborne to be able to shoot at enemies hiding behind cover. Or they could jump over cover with a sniper rifle to take out an enemy sniper from across the map in slow-mo while airborne before landing and rocket-sliding to another piece of cover. Or they could combine any set of moves together in any way they want to.

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A skilled Vanquish player can effortlessly string together different tactics

And I think that’s really what makes Vanquish work so well. All of the core mechanics meld together so well: they lead into and play off each other, they draw from the same pool of energy, and since your energy is also your health you basically are your energy (basically you are a big ball of constantly recharging energy that roams around dispensing energy in different ways). And all of the abilities are open-ended enough to be mixed together in so many different ways that the game gives players plenty of room for creativity inside of the confines of non-stealth shooter (another bonus is that you don’t have to slowly unlock those abilities on a skill tree).

When designing our own games, I think we can look to Vanquish as a source of inspiration when trying to create simple yet open-ended game mechanics, and not just in the cover-based 3rd person shooter genre. Vanquish succeeds by mastering universal design ideals: simple, open-ended mechanics that meld together so well it’s as if they were designed in tandem with each other (which maybe they were). Vanquish may never get a sequel (due to mediocre sells and Shinji Mikami leaving Platinum), but I hope that the core values that the game holds can live on in other games.