#think the other one is from an snes game? i don’t recall?

[transk0vsky]

Karai icons

(Credit isn’t needed if you use my icons but I appreciate it ♥️)

[cyberrat]

72nd Batch Of Fics: 12th Fill

Hana/Brigitte – cont B71F14 – Part 1/2 (or 3) – transwoman Brigitte; girls in love; dirty talk; (fantasizing about) anal – Brigitte and Hana make a fun bet!

---

Hana’s hand is wrapped around Brigitte’s ponytail, keeping her nice and close so she can keep sucking kisses into Brigitte’s mouth that take the breath out of her lungs.

She’s so much taller than Hana but when she’s with her she feels so soft and submissive and really really thankful that Hana doesn’t feel an ounce of shame crawling all over her.

It’s still difficult to believe that they are girlfriends now.

Hana is sitting sideways on Brigitte’s lap but for once there is a lull in their kissing and she just sighs all content and puts her head against Brigitte’s shoulder.

Brigitte draws idle little patterns on her thigh with a finger, thoughts just moving along. She’s half-hard but she doesn’t feel a particular urge to do something about it just now.

“What are your plans for the weekend? I thought we could do something…”

Hana hums thoughtfully, then sighs again; this time not all that content but a bit annoyed. “I can’t. I got to practice some stuff. There’s this charity tournament coming up and I can’t blow them off…”

“Well you shouldn’t, if it’s charity,” Brigitte says earnestly. “But uh… what kind of event? Like… video games?”

Hana nods, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. “Sure! What other type of tournament would I be in, dummy?”

“Do you really have to practice for that? I mean… you already play so long each day, you’re a pro at everything.”

“It’s not one of my go-to games. I’m super rusty at it.”

Brigitte does not look convinced.

Hana rolls her eyes. “Listen. I know that you’re like a… video game virgin or something. Just believe me that it’s not that easy.”

“I am not! My dad played those really really old ones with me. Mario. But we… kind of got distracted I think, trying to pimp the system.”

She squints into the middle distance, trying to recall what exactly happened. Hana thumping her shoulder again jerks her out of her thoughts to look at her.

“Well first of all: that sounds fucking amazing and if there’s a pimped SNES in your garage, I absolutely want to see it. And second: why don’t we do a little bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

Brigitte tugs a loose strand of hair behind Hana’s ear. She tends to get distracted by how pretty she is; everything on her so dainty and pixie-like with a fierce personality that seems way too big for her body.

Hana curls her arms around Brigitte’s neck, pulling herself in until their tits are pressed together and her mouth is against her ear.

“I’ll let you play some Super Mario and if you can beat the first like… three stages or something without a game over, I’ll blow off practice and fuck you all. Weekend. Long.”

She suckles on Brigitte’s ear, biting into the soft flesh and pulling on it until the words have properly sunk into her brain and she curls her arms around Hana’s waist, holding her close to her body.

“And if I lose?”

Hana giggles, putting her head on Brigitte’s shoulder. “Well then I got to practice all weekend and you got to take care of your big fat cock all by your lonesome.”

She wiggles her ass back and forth, probably having been able to feel Brigitte’s half hard erection for the past hour or so.

Brigitte swallows thickly and nods. Honestly, it sounds like too much fun not to try and do it.

“Okay. Yeah, that sounds fair.”

Hana squeals in delight, pressing a kiss against her girlfriend’s cheek and jumping up to get things ready.

Brigitte sits there, watching her hectically move about the room, trying to refrain from sliding a hand underneath her skirt and curling her fingers around her cock. She presses down on it until it is between her thighs which she clenches around her dick. It’s a bit painful but that’s kind of what she was going for anyway.

Anything to make her stop pushing toward that edge. Anything so she wouldn’t come just from watching Hana’s little ass bouncing around the room and fantasizing about holding her thighs together while she carefully squeezes her way into her perfect little peach.

And she could do that all weekend long. Just fuck Hana and fuck her and fuck her more until her pussy is so sore she begs her for some reprieve.

And then, maybe, she’ll offer Brigitte up her asshole. That secret little furl of muscle that Hana is surprisingly shy about getting wrecked on cock.

Fingers impatiently snapping in front of Brigitte’s face startle her out of her thoughts.

She looks up at Hana whose expression goes from exasperated to smug. Reaching out, she touches her cool fingertips to Brigitte’s flushed cheek.

“Have you been thinking something naughty just now?” she purrs. “Oh, what a dirty girl you are…”

Brigitte swallows thickly. Not knowing what to say, she just stares as Hana’s grin becomes wider.

“Have you been thinking about your reward?” she asks softly. She puts a hand on Brigitte’s shoulder and reaches down with the other to slowly – oh so slowly – ruck up her skirt.

She’s wearing panties underneath… but she might as well not. They’re so thin, Brigitte can see her gash through their fabric; her peach looking ripe and juicy and just perfect for Brigitte to fit her mouth around and suck until her labia are obscenely swollen along with her little clit-

“Oh wow… fuck… you really are horny, aren’t you?” Hana sounds surprised and delighted. Tucking the hem of her skirt into its waistband, she slowly lets a single finger dance along her slit. Once. Twice.

Tickling herself and mewling out the sweetest, breathiest moans. They’re played up, probably… but they sound so good-

Brigitte presses both hands against her lap, trying to keep her cock trapped. It’s throbbing painfully.

“Naughty little girlie… only thinking about sticking that big fat cock of your’s into my poor little cunny, are you?” Hana asks. It sounds a bit degrading; and Brigitte has trouble swallowing all the saliva flooding her mouth.

“I’m already starting to wet through my panties, you know…”

Brigitte has to wrench her gaze away from Hana gently brushing her finger along her gash. She stares at her cat-like eyes; the sharp, knowing grin on her face – and realizes that the game has already begun.

Hana isn’t playing fair, of course. She should have known.

Brigitte licks her lips, somehow finding her voice.

“You uh… you’re done, right?”

Hana’s eyes glitter. She looks dangerous in that moment; like a predator… only that Brigitte is some very willing prey.

“Oh I’m nowhere near done. But yeah. I set everything up. Sit on the floor, doggy, the cable isn’t long enough. We’re going full old school for this. You’re going to appreciate that, right?”

Brigitte starts to wonder if she should regret ever having poked that particular hornet’s nest, but honestly… she can only go out of this a winner at this point. Hana obviously is in a devious mood and while they haven’t been together for that long yet, Brigitte has found that Hana in a devious mood always ends up in some kind of orgasm.

So why the heck not?

“Do your worst.”

“Oh… I’ll make you eat those words.”

[fictionzsurveys]

Do you have a specialty dish that you’re really good at making? Nope. Someday I hope I can bake good bread.

What video games did you play when you were growing up? We were strictly a console household, so it was mainly NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, and PlayStation. I was mostly into character platformers, fighting games, sometimes racing or party games.

Are you good at making big decisions alone or do you tend to seek approval from others? I hesitate on big decisions, but when I make a call I do it after my own research and consideration.

Does your town or city have good public transport, or is it easier to drive? We have good public transport between buses and trains, at least good enough for me. So I don’t drive much except when I rent a car to run errands.

What was the last cocktail you drank? I don’t recall. Something from a tiki bar.

Are you good at keeping running counts and tallies in your head? Nope.

Does your country have its own edition of Big Brother? I assume so.

How often do you take a nap during the day? Never.

What social media platforms do you use? This one.

Are there any foods you hate the smell of but like the taste, or vice versa? Perfectly good microwaved meat can have a funky smell.

Do you have a dishwasher? Nope, but then I don’t need to wash dishes.

Who do you live with? I rent a in-law unit so technically my landlord and I share the same house.

Are you listening to anything right now? A heater that I should turn off.

What is one of your favourite sitcoms? I liked The Good Place. A short and sweet experience that knew when to stop.

Do you make to-do lists? Constantly.

If you could magically become fluent in any language, what would it be? Spanish so I could gain back my fluency. I’ve forgotten a lot of words and it makes it hard to communicate with family.

Have you ever tried vegan ice cream? Nope.

What pet names do you use for your friends/loved ones? Just their given names.

What pet names do you like to be called? Nothing I can think of.

What was the best concert you’ve ever seen? Probably some DJ set at a game event. Maybe Charlie XCX after the Game Awards.

Do you have any hobbies? Mostly to do with taking in stories, whether watching, reading, or playing them.

What is your favourite pasta shape? Ziti’s a neat one, whatever shape that is. Crinkly tube.

Have you ever developed your own film? Nope.

When was the last time you stayed in a hotel/motel and where was that? Probably an inn on San Juan Island back in June.

What breed was the last dog you saw? Maybe a lab, but a tall and skinny one.

Do you watch the Super Bowl? Nope.

What’s your favourite Disney movie? Aladdin and the Prince of Thieves I think. We watched it a lot when I was young.

What’s the most stressful job you’ve ever had? Being a test lead on the first EP for The Sims 3. That game had its shipping schedule really crunched down. I feel like I failed to protect my team from unreasonable work hours and circumstances. In hindsight, everyone on that project was really stressed. All of my stressful work experiences are usually due to failing my team in some way.

What was the last text message you received? My brother “Liked” a message I sent, which in text form literally just shows “Name Liked ‘My text message’.” Weird.

Should you be asleep right now? If so, go to bed! Nope it’s 10 AM.

[calpalirwin]

Somebody to You

Summary: Nothing like a roadtrip to a wedding to make Zyla feel extra sappy about her own husband.

A/N: Sort of in collab with @baldcalum​ @cxddlyash​ and @talkfastromance4​. Thanks for letting me pester you with questions/bounce ideas off of you!

Content: All the soft.

Word count: 3k

And away, and away we go!

__

“My mother warned me about stranger danger, but she never warned me about what to do when the man with the van is your husband,” I joked as I carefully hung up the garment bags in the empty back.

“You could’ve flown with them,” Ashton told me as he started to load up everything we needed. “I drew the short straw, not you.”

I leaned against the van, admiring how his muscles flexed with his movements. God, the fact that this man was my husband still totally blew my mind nearly a year after the fact. “You didn’t draw the short straw. You offered. And we’re a team now, in case you forgot.”

“How could I ever forget the best day of my life?”

I laughed. A sassy retort was on my lips but my phone rang cutting me off. “Hey, Kai,” I answered, barely needing to glance at the caller ID to know who it was.

“Have you talked with everyone about their flight?” her panicked voice asked.

“Yes,” I spoke into the phone. “Their flight leaves later. They’ll get there probably at the same time Ashton and I do.”

“And are you leaving soon?” Kai asked and I could hear the clicking of my friend’s heels as she paced back and forth.

“Yes,” I assured her. “And take a breath. Relax. We’ll probably beat the GPS. You know Ash drives like a madman.”

“I do not,” Ashton piped up at the same time Kai groaned, “If he gets you both killed on the drive out here, I will bring you back from the dead to kill you both myself!”

“So, I get to die twice for something I didn’t do? That hardly seems fair…”

“You married him!”

“Damn right I did,” I smirked before I used my free hand to smack at my husband’s ass as he loaded the last bit of our things into the van for the trip.

“Hey!” Ashton yelped in surprise before turning towards me, his hazel eyes dancing, a seductive smirk beginning to grace his lips, and his dimple making its debut. “I’m supposed to do that to you.”

I snapped my teeth playfully at the man. “Alright, we’re about to hit the road. I’ll keep you updated on where we are, okay?” I told Kai, doing what I could to calm her overworking mind. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” I asked Ashton.

“No!” both him and Kai answered way too quickly.

“Cuss out a guy one time and they never let you live it down,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“Just hurry,” Kai whined. “But not fast. Just regular speed, ASHTON!”

“Yes, Mrs. Hood!” Ashton answered, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice so the woman on the other end of the phone could hear him.

“He’s lucky he’s married to my best friend otherwise I would have killed him already…”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said with an eye roll. How such a low-strung woman as myself was best friend’s with a high-strung type like Kai was beyond me sometimes. I supposed it really was about balance. “Just take a few deep breaths. Set that future husband of yours to good use. And I’ll be there before you know it.”

“And Britt and Holly!” Kai added with a sense of urgency.

“Shit, did I remind Mikey to confirm the rooms?” I wondered out loud with a playful tone.

“Zy!”

I laughed, “Would you relax? I was teasing!” Then, I mouthed at Ashton in case I had actually forgotten for him to “Text Mikey about the rooms!”

“I hate you…”

“No you don’t,” I chirped.

“Kai, if you don’t let my wife off the phone, we’re going to be late!” Ashton said as he quickly typed on his phone.

“She can talk on the phone while you drive!”

“Not if you want us to live!”

I rolled my eyes more. “I’ll text you from the road. And you,” I said, turning my attention from my phone to Ashton. “Did you poop?”

“Did I po- Fuck. Be right back.”

“You seriously need to stop drinking an entire pot of coffee by yourself…”

“Well if someone drank it with me…”

“Just make less! It’s not that hard!”

“You leave me and my coffee addiction alone!”

“Go poop!”

~~~

“That’ll be five dollars,” the bartender told me.

“For a water?” I asked incredulously, pulling out my wallet anyway. “This is why I don’t go out…” I continued to grumble as I started to hand my card over. Whatever Kai had planned that required me to be in a dress and heels instead of on my couch in sweats and an oversized shirt had better be good. Where the hell was she anyway?

“Put it on my tab. I got it, sweetheart,” a deep and smooth voice from behind me said before a large hand was pulling mine away from paying.

“I can buy my own water, but thank you,” I answered, turning to eye the friendly stranger. And I immediately had to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor. His brown hair was perfectly slicked back except for this one stubborn piece that curled between a stunning set of honey gold eyes. A leather jacket hugged his strong shoulders and the buttons on his shirt were undone to a dangerously low level. I struggled to keep my eyes from traveling further down his body, turning my attention to the hand that was now extended to me in greeting. I shook it, noting the damage to his fingers. A drummer if I had to guess. Fuck. I loved drummers.

“Oh I’m not doubting that. But anyone who buys water at a club immediately has my respect. I’m Ashton by the way,” he was saying when I finally refocused.

“Zyla,” I introduced, giving him my award-winning smile.

“I believe this is yours, Zyla,” Ashton said, handing me the water bottle, and I had to hold back the school-girl like giggle bubbling up in my throat at the way my name sounded rolling off his lips and the way his fingers brushed against my hand.

~~~

“Whatcha thinking about?” Ashton’s voice asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Thinking about how we met actually,” I answered honestly, smiling softly at him.

“You looked hot that night,” Ashton recalled, taking one hand off the steering wheel to interlace his fingers with mine.

I laughed, my cheeks turning red. “I was not.”

Ashton scoffed as he raised his hand that was holding mine to brush his lips against my knuckles. “The hottest.”

“Hotter than our wedding day?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Yes.”

I scoffed and swatted his chest. “Wrong answer, Ash.”

“You didn’t let me finish!” he giggled. “You were fucking stunning on our wedding day.”

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!”

“Any regrets?”

“With you? Never. You know why?” I asked.

“Why?” he asked.

“All I wanna be, yeah all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah is somebody to you!” I sang along with the music blasting lightly through the speakers.

“Everybody’s tryin’ to be a billionaire! But every time I look at you I just don’t care!” he joined in.

“Cause all I wanna be, yeah all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah is somebody to you!”

~~~

“So what’s your connection to the music industry?” Ashton asked, his attention fully on me.

“Oh, I’m this one’s photographer,” I answered, wrapping my arm around Kai’s shoulders. This was their conversation. Their collaboration meeting. What the fuck was Kai thinking inviting me out? Something in the way Ashton kept trying to get me involved in the conversation made me think I had my answer.

“Oh, she’s fuckin’ fantastic. Top of her game,” Kai bragged, and I knew I had my answer.

“I’m alright,” I shrugged. “It’s just about passion.”

“Oh, modest are we? Mind if I look at your work sometime? See who’s assessment is more correct?” Ashton inquired.

“That sounds suspiciously like you’re asking me on a date, sir,” I told him, leaning forward across the table. If he was baiting, I was biting. I’d be a damn fool not to. And Kai knew it, the fucking sneak she was. I made a mental note to both thank and throttle her for this later.

“And if I was?” he asked, leaning forward himself so our faces were inches apart.

~~~

“Yes, they got on the flight.”

“And Ash has the instruments?”

“Yes, we have everything.”

“You remembered his suit and your dress? And your heels? I swear if you wear flats… or gods forbid… sne-snea- Ugh! I can’t even say the word!”

I rolled my eyes at her antics. Since when was comfort a crime? “Yes, Kai. I remembered it all. Relax.”

“Wait! How are you going to take the pictures if you’re in them?! You’ve always taken my pictures! Oh my, God!”

“You know I have a team, right? Like I run a business. I have employees.”

“But they’re not you!”

“I don’t hire amateurs, Kai. And you will get final say before anything goes to print. Now, breathe!” I left out the part that of course I had brought my own camera equipment for the spur of the moment inspiration, because she knew I never traveled without my gear.

“How far have you guys gotten?”

“Halfway give or take.”

“It’s a 6 hour drive, and you left at 8 this morning. It’s almost 1!”

“Well, we can’t just drive for 6 hours straight. We gotta stop for food and pee breaks.”

“You mean coffee and poop breaks?”

“Same thing,” I laughed as Ashton walked out of the gas station with two bottles of water and a huge bag of Cheez-Its. I let out an excited gasp as I reached for the bag. “Yes! I love you!” I cheered.

“I love you too. Now hurry up!”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Kai. But yes. We’ll be there soon. If someone can stop pooping every fifty miles.”

“I wouldn’t have to drink so much coffee if someone helped me drink it. Or offered to drive…” Ashton teased.

“You wouldn’t let me drive,” I reminded him, opening the bag and swallowing a handful of cheesy cracker goodness.

“That's because you get mad road rage, miss.”

“That’s ma’am to you, sir,” I laughed. “I’m a married woman.”

“Are you ever gonna get tired of saying that?” he asked, a goofy grin on his face.

“Fuck no!” I laughed more, reaching up on tiptoe to peck his lips with mine. “Husband, husband, husband.”

“Wife, wife, wife,” he replied, kissing me after each word.

~~~

“You ever think about getting married?” Ashton asked.

“Like in general? Or to you?” I asked, my senses perking into high alert mode.

“Both?”

I shrugged. “Little scary isn’t it? I mean, every relationship runs the risk of those involved waking up one day and suddenly this isn’t what they want anymore. So to divorce in the midst of heartbreak… well… I guess it would depend on how I felt the person asking me to decide if that was a risk I was willing to take.”

“And if I asked?”

“I’d say call Andy and Ryan to make sure there’s photos and video of me saying yes.”

“Really?” he asked, his voice full of amazement and hope.

“Of all the things I want to be in life, yours is easily at the top of that list.”

~~~

“Fuck, this view is gorgeous,” I marveled as we leaned against the van.

“Yeah it is,” he smiled, his eyes on me.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I meant this view,” I said, gesturing out the window to the winter wonderland spread out before us. Kai may be over the top, but the girl had mad style, no question about it.

“I know what you meant,” he told me, wrapping his arm around me and kissing the side of my head. “And out of all the views I’ve seen and will go on to see, none of them matter if you’re not in them.”

~~~

“So, what’s the big secret?” Kai asked, once I had gathered all my girlfriends together.

I answered by sticking out my left hand, letting them decipher the news for themselves.

“Ohmigod!” Britt and Holly screeched in excitement. Britt grabbed my hand to get a closer look while Holly jumped in circles starting rattling off wedding ideas.

I looked at Kai who stared back with a blank expression. “Well?” I prompted.

“I thought you hated the idea of marriage,” was the response, void of any real emotion except genuine confusion. Of all our differences, that had been our one similarity- besides a love of pretzels and an aversion to drinking. While we weren’t necessarily anti-romance, marriage just wasn’t something that had been on our radars. And now for me to be engaged before Britt or Holly, well, it was definitely a shock to the system. I still couldn’t quite believe it myself. The weight on my finger was both surreal and not the least bit heavy.

“I do! I did… I… I dunno.”

“Does he make you happy?”

“Duh!”

“Do you make him happy?”

“I would hope so.”

“Does he love you?”

“Again, I certainly hope so.”

“Do you love him?”

“So fuckin much.”

“Am I maid of honor?”

“Please?”

“Congrats, Zy,” Kai smiled.

~~~

“Kai Theodora Zaher,” Calum spoke, pausing to clear away the thickness in his throat. “You were perfect from the first moment I met you. More than perfect. And while I would never ask you to change anything about you, one thing has always bothered me. Your last name not being mine. Thank you, not only for turning my world on its head, but allowing me to make you Kai Theodora Zaher Hood. I love you, wildflower.”

Kai’s hand gripped my fingers tightly as she held back the squeak and the rest of us choked down our tears. Funny how cynics usually had the softest hearts.

I looked over at Ashton who stood directly across from me besides Calum. If I was closer, the heels on my feet would bring me to the perfect height for me to tuck my head under his chin without me needing to strain up or him needing to slump down. He looked so good in his suit with his hair slicked back for the occasion. And I knew I looked like a bombshell in my own floor-length gown that hugged my small curves in the most perfect of ways. Kai had really outdone herself with this winter wonderland she had created. Every detail no matter how small was absolutely perfect. Ashton’s eyes met mine and his lips moved to mouth “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I mouthed back, before letting my mind take me back only earlier this year when it had been him and I in Calum and Kai’s places and them in ours.

~~~

“I promise to always buy you overpriced bottles of water.”

“I promise to chase the risk that is my life with you.”

“I promise to make that risk worth it.”

“I promise to always be your somebody.”

~~~

“This year has definitely been one for the books, hasn’t it, Kai? See, I dunno if you all know this, but it’s always been Kai and I. Kai and Zy. Zy and Kai. The opposites glued at the hips. Never one without the other,” I paused to squeeze my best friend’s shoulder before I went on with my speech. “All my years with her have been filled with their adventures. But this year? Well, this year started with a wedding. And it’s befitting it ends with one too. Because, you see, Kai and I, for getting married first,” I paused again to smirk over at Luke and Mike who squirmed in their seats under my gaze, “never really bought into the marriage idea. Romance, sure. But marriage was always too messy. And then! Oh, boy, and then these two came right out of left field and messed that right up.” I moved my hand that was squeezing Kai’s shoulder to rest on Calum’s. “Calum, my dear sweet friend, thank you for proving to my best friend what your best friend proved to me. Because while I may not believe in marriage, I believe in mine, and I believe in yours. Best years to you both. I love you.”

I kissed both of their cheeks before handing the microphone to Ashton as he held my chair out for me to take my seat. “Well,” Ashton spoke around the lump in his throat, taking a small moment to clear it. “You’d think that my days as a musician would have prepared me for the opening act completely outdoing the headliner…”

I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned at me.

“If someone had asked me that the first wedding I give a best man speech at would be Calum’s, I probably would have laughed. That’s how wild this all is. Kai, thank you for flipping his world upside down. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him happier than when he’s with you. And we all know how much he loves his bass, so mad props to you, darling. Cal? Don’t fuck this up, mate.”

~~~

“Good morning, Mrs. Irwin!” Ashton said brightly, waking me up with the kisses he was covering my body with. “How do you feel, Mrs. Irwin?” he grinned when his lips found mine.

“Like I’m on top of the world,” I grinned back.

“Adjusting to that weight on your finger okay?”

“Feels surprisingly light. Like I always meant to wear it.”

“Mmm, that’s probably cuz you were.”

“You really think that? That I was always meant to be your wife?”

“I think you were always meant to be the greatest somebody to me. I just got lucky that somebody was my wife.”

“You’re such a sap,” I laughed, feeling myself tear up at his sentiment.

“Your sap.”

“My sap.”

~~~

“What is it about weddings that makes me want to get married?” Ashton asked as he twirled me in a circle before pulling me against his chest.

“We’re already married,” I pointed out.

“And I want to marry you every day for the rest of my life.”

“And I’ll marry you every time.”

__

Tag List

@goeatsomelife​ @flameraine​ @cashtonasff5sos​ @here-for-the-uproars​ @cxddlyash​ @1-irwin-94​ @baldcalum​ @sparkling-calm​ @tea4sykes​ @youngblood199456​ @5-seconds-of-obsession​ @gosh-im-short​ @aquarius-hood1996​ @talkfastromance4​ @itjustkindahappenedreally​ @philthepegacorn​ @kikixfandoms​

[aion-rsa]

How Dead by Daylight Gave Slasher Horror Icons The Game They Deserved

https://ift.tt/35lPcEi

If you grew up a gamer in the ‘80s and ‘90s, buying a bad licensed game was a rite of passage. Sure, even young gamers could detect a bomb like Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! for the SNES from a mile away, but at a time before game reviews were easy to find online, it was natural to hope that the new X-Men game might just be good enough to take a chance on.

The situation was especially rough for horror movie fans. I owned the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th adaptations for the NES and at least tried to finish them. It’s not that I thought they were good, but at a time when licensed horror games (not to mention major console horror games) were few and far between, the opportunity to face off against my favorite movie slasher was too enticing to ignore. 

The industry eventually learned to embrace horror in a meaningful way that resulted in some all-time great gaming experiences, but the slasher movie icons of the day remained tragically underutilized. While original horror series like Silent Hill and Resident Evil expanded the storytelling potential of the medium, Chucky was reduced to starring in a Temple Run knock-off. 

In the minds of many horror fans, the hope for a great game starring Micheal Myers, Freddy Krueger, or Leatherface lingered even as passable adaptations of those characters eluded us for decades. Where was the disconnect?

“I think it probably extends from the fact that they are two very, very different mediums and two very, very different ways of telling stories,” says Mathieu Coté, director of Behaviour Interactive’s hit slasher multiplayer game Dead by Daylight. “The reasons why slasher movies are so successful, and why they make you feel the way that they do, are extremely difficult to translate into gameplay mechanics. I think that probably that’s the root of it.”

The earliest examples of slasher movie games certainly support that theory. In 1983, adaptations of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween were released for the Atari 2600. They offered wildly different experiences (Texas Chainsaw Massacre saw you mow down victims for points while Halloween was all about evading Michael Myers), but each was so bad that you’d sooner be caught smoking weed while having sex at Camp Crystal Lake than playing either for more than a few minutes. 

Even as technology and game design advanced past what was possible on the Atari and NES, slasher icons were still being butchered in ways that would make these killers proud.

“It often felt as if [licenses] were either tacked onto an existing product that didn’t fit or it was just shovelware where the attitude is ‘make a thing and put the name on it,’” Coté says. “Oftentimes the people holding the licenses, and again it’s a matter of those two mediums being so different, but the people holding the licenses to the movies, they know about movies. They don’t know about games. That can make things difficult.”

With Dead by Daylight, Coté’s team sought to capture the essence of the slasher movie and translate that into fun gameplay that actually made sense for the genre. The asymmetrical multiplayer title sees one player assume the role of a killer tasked with eliminating four player-controlled survivors trying to escape the terrifying scenario. Since its release in 2016, Dead by Daylight has been embraced as the definitive horror multiplayer experience. 

Given how difficult it has historically been to make a slasher title, much less one featuring licensed characters, perhaps it should come as no surprise that Dead by Daylight’s origins can be traced to a much simpler concept that didn’t even start out as horror.

“There was a designer working in basically a silo somewhere making little prototypes, and one prototype that he made at some point was literally hide and seek,” Coté remembers. “It was one character that’s trying to accomplish a goal and there was another character that was very powerful. If he touched you, you’re dead.”

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An equally simple tweak would reveal the prototype’s incredible horror potential.

“We put cardboard in between [split screens] and went ‘Oh, my God. This is super fun,” Coté recalls. “The idea of creating a game in which you could play the fantasy of being the villain in a horror movie, that’s a longstanding one…if we put that with the fantasy of a villain in a horror movie, we have a winner.”

The idea of pairing the basic structure of hide and seek with a horror movie villain shows team’s vital understanding of what makes the slasher genre so entertaining in the first place. 

“A lot of effort is put into these [villains], so of course they’re more appealing,” says Dead by Daylight creative director Dave Richard. “I think that’s why we started rooting for them, and we have this enjoyment and guilty pleasure of rooting for the villain. I think that we all have this inside of us at different levels. We’re embracing this macabre thing.”

The team’s fascination with the macabre would slowly turn their experiment into a fully-fledged horror game. 

“The original prototypes showed survivors as literally beheaded silhouettes wearing different colored t-shirts with phrases like virgin, stoner, and jock,” Coté explains. “That’s something that Cabin in the Woods did very, very well, and the early prototype was based on those tropes.”

While Coté and Richard reference meta-horror movies like Cabin in the Woods and mockumentary Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon as early inspirations that helped them contextualize the genre’s key elements, they ultimately turned to foundational films such as Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when crafting the game’s environments, characters, and other design elements. In those early days, though, few believed that Dead by Daylight would eventually host some of the stars of those films. 

“There were dreams and ambitions, but I don’t think there were thoughts,” Coté says. “We barely expected it to break even after a couple of months. When it started to really explode in the first month or so, we started looking for opportunities.”

The earliest of those opportunities happened to involve arguably the most important slasher of all-time: Michael Myers.

“We were lucky enough to get in contact with some very nice people who are the owners of the original version of Michael Meyers,” Coté explains. “Being able to get the rights to bring in that character and the original Laurie Strode into Dead by Daylight was kind of a big deal. It set the stage because it legitimized us in a certain way.”

For anyone who has followed the history of licensing rights and copyright law (not to mention the aforementioned history of slashers in games), the fact that the team was able to add Michael Myers as a playable killer must conjure an image of a developer clawing their way out of licensing hell with one hand while holding on to Myers with the other. Yet, it sounds like the process wasn’t all that complicated.

“I wouldn’t call it [licensing] hell,” Coté says. “Most of it is actually super interesting, and most of the licenses that we have…we’re dealing with people who get what we’re trying to do. The people who are, as I was saying earlier, more into movies than into video games, tend to trust us to do the right thing.”

Securing Michael Myers was one thing, but now that they had him, the team was faced with the same dilemma that had ruined even noble attempts at building games around these characters in the past.

“We first had to ask ‘What is the fantasy around that character and what is so interesting and unique about these characters?’” Richard recalls. “Of course, most of them have a weapon and they kill, but what’s their special sauce?”

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As Richard explains, Freddy Krueger has a “dream world” and a “fantasy that’s easier to get.” By comparison, Michael Myers is often portrayed as a guy with a mask and a knife. How do you translate that into a game in a way that makes him feel unique?

The answer to that question came in what Coté rightfully describes as a “stroke of genius.” 

“I remember that meeting where we were talking about Halloween and how to make [Michael Myers] unique,” Coté explains. “They pitched us the idea of a killer that would just watch you. We’re like, ‘What?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah, he’s just going to stand there and watch you,’ because that’s what Myers does in the movies. That’s what he does, but it’s an action game. People want to chase each other…We all thought, ‘Oh, you’re an idiot.’”

Yet, when Coté got the chance to actually play an early build of Dead By Daylight with Myers as the killer, he immediately understood what the team was aspiring to achieve.

“The very, very first version of the prototype I remember playing and repairing a generator and looking over my shoulder, and I see him standing on a hill and just watching me, and I go, ‘This is the creepiest thing I’ve ever experienced in this game,’” Coté says. “It’s super creepy, especially knowing it’s an actual other player right there. He could attack me right now, but he chooses to just watch me…that kind of thing made me realize the liberties we could take with the gameplay mechanics to really create something that would be unique and special.”

For the next few years, that’s exactly what the team did. They bent the rules of the game to incorporate other famous slashers. Freddy Krueger dragged Dead by Daylight players to dream world while Saw’s Amanda Young turned the game’s traps into a gambling proposition. Leatherface’s devastating attacks impacted a survivor’s ability to carry on and Ghost Face’s playfulness and humor distinguishes him from one of his major inspirations, Michael Myers himself. Through it all, the team’s goal was to stay true to the legacy of these characters and give them a proper home. 

“I love Mortal Kombat, but whenever a character gets imported to Mortal Kombat, they all turn into martial artists,” Coté says. “When you put Jason in Mortal Kombat, he becomes a martial artist and he hacks people, and then he does a finishing move and it’s awesome, but that’s it. When you take Michael Myers and put him in Dead by Daylight, he’s Michael Myers.”

Of course, Dead by Daylight’s roster of killers doesn’t just include an array of adaptations. At launch, the game boasted three original killers: The Trapper, The Wraith, and The Hillbilly. The Trapper was, by the team’s admission, based on Jason Vorhees and The Hillbilly certainly resembled Leatherface. It was in The Wraith, a desperate figure whose pursuit of a job saw him become an unwilling executioner, that the team found their first truly great original creation.

“For us, it was important that one of the killers was inspired by more of a cultural idea, and that was The Wraith,” Richard notes. “You don’t see The Wraith archetype in movies. It really comes from horror culture and cultural monsters more than movies.”

That desire to explore every corner of horror rather than just retread film successes is a big part of the reason why Dead by Daylight’s original killers are among its most popular. In fact, the team draws inspiration from such a wide array of sources that it’s possible some players may feel the impact of these original creations more intensely than others. 

“The Huntress is heavily inspired by Eastern European folklore and mythology,” Coté says. “For some of our players, especially Russian and Ukrainian players, they were immediately, completely freaked out because she’s humming a song that their mothers sang to them when they were a kid. It was really like it hit way too close for some of them, and it was great. It made them feel things, but for Japanese players or Brazilian players who had no cultural link to that, it was still an impressive and terrifying character because what scares people is visceral and universal”

While Dead by Daylight’s original killers stand tall against horror’s heavyweights, the game’s most impressive contribution to the slasher genre may just be its emphasis on the personalities and attributes of its survivors. Early builds of the premise portrayed survivors as Merrily We Roll Along rejects wearing self-identifying sweaters, but the game eventually began treating survivors with the same reverence as killers. 

“Survivors have been the learning experience, to say the least,” Richard confesses. “When we created the original characters, we wanted them to have real stories and personalities, but also to be relatable. I’m going to say a word I don’t like so much, but it’s almost like they’re shells that the players can identify with and easily become.”

Dead by Daylight’s emphasis on the unique qualities of its survivors helped it outlive (pun proudly intended) other asymmetrical multiplayer games, but even Behaviour Interactive found itself having to reckon with some of the stereotypes that plague even the best slasher movies. 

“The fact is that a lot of those [early character designs] are stereotypes that convey, let’s say, cultural tropes that don’t need to continue to exist in today’s society,” Coté admits. “For us, it was more interesting to create characters that feel like someone you could stand behind in a coffee shop and not blink because they’re regular people. They’re people you can relate to.”

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While Dead by Daylight’s roster of survivors features a few imports (such as Halloween’s Laurie Strode and Evil Dead’s Ash), the team reveals that “licensed survivors are much harder to find than killers,” largely because they still want the game’s survivor’s to feel overwhelmed by the stalkers. Coté specifically notes that it wouldn’t make sense for someone like John Wick or Arnold Schwarzenegger to be hanging helplessly from a hook. Yet, they also don’t feel like the legacy and value of a horror hero should be defined by their ability to play offense. 

“All of them are serial survivors,” Coté says of the game’s characters. “They continue to win, which is impressive, given the challenges they face.”

Besides, as millions of fans who have shouted at the screen at a horror film can attest to, the fates of Dead by Daylight’s survivors really come down to the players themselves.

“We always wanted to make it so that if you die in Dead by Daylight, it’s because you did something dumb or you panicked and didn’t stick to the plan,” Coté says. “Obviously the killers are extremely powerful, but most of the time [survivors lose] because someone panicked or was careless and got cocky and didn’t make good decisions.”

The ability to test your mettle against a slasher legend is one of Dead by Daylight’s more interesting examples of meta brilliance, but its most notable meta mechanic is the presence of The Entity, the invisible hand that pulls characters from different horror universes into the game. It’s a subtle, yet vital, story component inspired by another horror legend. 

“The main inspiration for The Entity was actually The Dark Tower,” Richard recalls. “Many of us on the team are fans of the work of Stephen King, and when we deep dove into The Dark Tower, it was a favorite. The way every book in the Stephen King universe links together and is tied up with The Dark Tower was the inception of the idea of The Entity.”

The Entity is the core component of the game’s surprisingly strong lore, which not only offers compelling backstories for nearly every survivor, setting, and killer but even adds a few new chapters for licensed universes like the Scream series. 

In many other multiplayer games, that lore would be little more than an easter egg debated over on Wiki pages and fan forums. But in Dead by Daylight, the commitment to meaningful storytelling is a core component of the ambition which defines Behaviour Interactive’s mission. 

“Every time we create more of our lore, we solidify what Dead by Daylight is and the universe around it,” Coté explains. “It’s not just to be able to bring in anything, but to be able to create a universe into which all of these things can exist and make sense.”

While the team’s commitment to lore may help bolster their pitches to rights holders, their commitment to ensuring that Dead by Daylight’s growth adheres to an internal logic also speaks to the team’s confidence that they can give nearly any slasher a home. 

“I’d say that a few [killers] still elude our grasp, and it’s mostly due to the fact that someone thinks they can make a standalone game for them, or they are working on one,” Coté says. “Anybody who’s got a little bit of experience in video games can tell you that recreating the magic of Dead by Daylight and that sort of balanced chaos is a terrifying prospect. It’s certainly not a simple thing to recreate.”

There’s a sincerity to that statement which encapsulates so many of the reasons why Dead by Daylight was not only able to secure slashers and survivors who could easily star in their own games but do justice to them within the framework of an experience that wasn’t designed to accommodate those legends in the first place.

After all, if the bad old days of slasher games and adaptations were defined by limitations and indifference, then Dead by Daylight succeeds because it takes nothing for granted. Its team carefully crafted a scenario that invoked the pure pleasure of the slasher genre and then spent years studying the ins and outs of these characters and worlds in order to better understand what makes them work beyond the superficial pleasure of their mere presence. It’s an involved process that doesn’t work for everyone.

“We’ve had a couple of cases of people on the development team that, maybe after a year or something, they go, ‘You know what? I think I’ve had enough.’” Coté admits. “Especially 3D artists who keep looking at references of grizzly things all the time, and most of them, they’re just having a blast…but I’m thinking of one or two examples of people who were like ‘You know what? I need to go and work on something with unicorns and kittens.’ That’s fair. That’s absolutely fair.”

The amount of work that goes into a game like Dead by Daylight may ultimately scare off other developers who would dare give legendary slashers their own games, but as long as we have Dead by Daylight, at least a few horror icons will always have a home. 

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“It used to be that we were hoping that people who hold the licenses to these legends would allow us to bring them into our world,” Coté says. “Nowadays, the conversations oftentimes revolve around asking them if they’re big enough to make it into the hall of fame that is Dead by Daylight…It’s the place for horror to come by and live.”

The post How Dead by Daylight Gave Slasher Horror Icons The Game They Deserved appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[hannahlady]

Obviously I'm in a final Fantasy mood so I decided to do some research on a03 to figure out exactly WHAT the most popular final fantasies are

[image description: a list titled, "Popularity of final Fantasy games (based on # of fics on ao3)" it then lists 17 final fantasy games in order from the least amount of fan fics to most. The order is XI, III, I, II, V, XIII-2 (with an asterisk), X-2 (with an asterisk), IX, IV, VI, X (with an asterisk), XIII (with an asterisk), XII, VIII, XIV, VII, and XV. Below the list is a subnote for the asterisks which reads, "I kept these games separate because they're technically within the main franchise, but if we combined the base game with their sequel, the popularity score is likely higher. However, some of those may overlap (fics double labled as both ffx and ffx-2) so added the two ffix scores would not represent an accurate fic score." End Description]

I'll include my personal analysis below

So some things obviously make a lot of sense, XI was a failed attempt at Final Fantasies first MMORPG, i don't even know if it's still online, so it makes sense that it ranks so low.

IV had a remake for the DS, as well as a spinoff, so that's why it ranks higher than other games around that time (III and V).

Oddly, despite III's similar remake, it still remains VERY low on the list.

VII obviously ranking incredibly high in second place with its massive popularity and oodles of spinoff games and animated movies.

XII, XIII, XIV, and XV ranking highly, almost in order, as they are the newest games to come out (more people likely to have played them)

VI is well known as most people's "favorite" and the last before the series hit 3D. A cult favorite for classic gamers. It helps that it was also featured on the new SNES.

VIII has a strong fanbase, the game recently received a remastering, and the main character is prominently featured in Kingdom Hearts.

Yet compared to its surrounding games (X and VIII) IX... It's not as popular. It was released on the Playstation, along with VII and VIII (both ranked highly), but it was released in July of 2000, while the PS2 was released in March earlier that year. X was released just one year later for the PS2, with shiny realistic graphics and voice acting!

From what I recall the PS2 and PS3 both have backwards compatibility, but from my experience playing a PS1 game on a higher system really makes the graphics... Bad. The high quality highlights the flaws, like trying to watch Nacho Libre in HD.

It doesn't help that VII and VIII both features brooding, tortured heroes. IX featured a spunky, optimistic, flirty protagonist with a chibi art style, and that seems to be a key element of what turns most people away from the game. Similar to how fans were disappointed by the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker upon its release (instead inspecting a more gritty, true-to-life rendition of the game).

Also important to point out that IX is underrepresented in kingdom hearts, compared to the games of the same era. VII, VIII, and X each have at least 6 characters each from their respective games, while IX features 2 (also worthy of noting that one of the characters, Vivi, looks similar to the in game enemy, the heartless. Some fans have told me they didn't even realize Vivi was a final Fantasy character because of this similarity). With Kingdom Hearts being as popular as it is, it's many kids first exposure to the final Fantasy series. This adds to why VII, VIII, and X continued to gain popularity while IX was essentially forgotten.

IX recently got a remastered version, available on switch, pc, and smartphone, but that doesn't seem to be helping its popularity and its really a shame.

Obviously, I think V and IV deserve higher praise as well, but FFIX holds a special place in my heart, and doesn't deserve its placement so low compared to those of its time.

[primadonna-girl-yeah]

The Top 5 Reasons We Love Retro Gaming

1. Games Were Simpler Back In The Day

Computer games have undeniably gotten progressively aggressive and amazing as of late. At the point when you take a gander at any semblance of The Last Of Us, it's difficult to exaggerate exactly how far computer games have come since individuals were playing Pong forty-odd years prior. Be that as it may, for every one of the advancements inside the medium, and for all the brand new thoughts and progressively expand control conspires, there's undeniable value in the amount all the more straight forward things were in the games we played as children.

Gaming today can be hard for individuals without the muscle memory that originates from long periods of committed gaming. Give your mum or father a PS4 controller and in the event that they're in any way similar to mine, they'll invest a large portion of the energy playing the game looking down, endeavoring futile to recollect where every one of the catches is. Utilize the left simple stick to walk, hold X to run, or tap X to run. L2 is point and R2 is shoot, yet R1 becomes shoot in case you're driving on the grounds that in a vehicle R2 is the quickening agent. R3 (that is the point at which you click in the correct simple stick) allows you to look behind you, and to open the menu you have to hold down the touch cushion. Furthermore, that is simply part of the control conspire for Grand Theft Auto 5, extraordinary compared to other selling games, time.

In any event, for prepared veterans, the expanding multifaceted nature of games can turn into a mood killer. Super Mario World is still as instinctive as it returns in 1990 on the grounds that the innately basic structure and get and play nature of the game made it ageless. You can give a child who's never played a Mario game the controller and inside seconds they'll have turned out how to play. This effortlessness is an alluring idea, which is a very likely a piece of the explanation that retro games like Shovel Knight and Axiom Verge are so mainstream today. The more straightforward a game is to play, the more comprehensive and quick the good times. Retro gaming possesses a great deal of that, and that is the explanation despite everything I'm playing Super Mario World twenty-six years after discharge.

2. Retro Games Have Better Music

As gaming generation esteems have expanded throughout the years, we've seen the medium change from numerous points of view. We made the bounce to 3D, we presently have voice acting, and expand cut-scenes recount to muddled stories that adversary those found in TV or on the big screen. Games today include completely organized scores or soundtracks highlighting mainstream music that are just as great as what we'd see in different mediums, yet it feels like we've lost something en route, as well.

I can in any case murmur the signature music to Treasure Island Dizzy on the Commodore 64. I was playing that game about thirty years prior and I haven't played it from that point forward (I've still never beaten it, damn it) however I can even now recollect the signature music that plays out of sight completely. I messed around a week ago and I couldn't let you know whether they had music by any means.

As a result of the straightforwardness of early games, and without voice acting to recount to a story, the music must be great. Other than a couple of terrible audio effects, the music of the game was the main aural incitement that the games gave. There are as yet incredible game soundtracks today, yet they appear to be rare when contrasted with the rounds of my childhood. Uber Man, Castlevania, the early Final Fantasy games, and notorious titles like Zelda, Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog - these all included exceptionally essential tunes that stick with us long after the last time we played them. Regardless I recollect how the music for Commodore 64 exemplary Prince Clumsy changes when you spare the princess toward the finish of the game like I was playing it yesterday. We can't generally say that regarding Shadow of Mordor, can we?

3. Games Used to Work Right Out of the Box

One thing that games from days of old irrefutably showed improvement over the rounds of today is that they, well, worked. You'd imagine that it ought to be an entirely principal part of any item discharged to the market, yet it's genuinely amazing what number of games in 2016 ship broken, requiring either days or long stretches of server changes to get the multiplayer working, or gigantic the very first moment patches to fix the entirety of the bugs that made it onto the circle. Today, on the off chance that you don't have an OK Internet association in your home, a few games are really unplayable, and numerous others seriously hampered.

Road Fighter V discharged recently, with Capcom promising that the single-player Arcade Mode, a staple of the arrangement, would be accessible to download in July. Consider the possibility that you don't have an Internet association. All things considered, at that point, you have a large portion of a game. That is not an issue we confronted when Street Fighter II discharged on the SNES in 1991. In those days, we had no Internet going about as a wellbeing net for engineers. Games needed to work directly out of the crate.

Returning and playing Global Gladiators today is as straightforward as popping the cartridge into your Genesis and turning on the power. It works now as it did at that point; precisely as it should, and with no object. This is a numerous extraordinary aspect concerning retro gaming; in the event that you have the game and the equipment, you're practically great to go. You don't have to download drivers, or updates, or fixes. You put in the game, and afterward you play. Much the same as you should.

4. Games Used to Be More of a Challenge

Today, anyone who stays up with the latest with the most recent patterns in gaming will probably know about Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and the notoriety these games have for rebuffing trouble. Gamers rushed to the Souls arrangement in large numbers, eager to play a title that tested them and would not hold their hands. There are no all-inclusive instructional exercise segments. There's little in the method for help. You can't delay it. What's more, every foe can make mincemeat out of you except if you gain proficiency with their assault examples and act in like manner. It's energizing for a game to furnish us with a daunting task this way, however, at that point, I'm mature enough to recall when each game was this way. What's more, more terrible.

Present-day games tend to illuminate things to the player, regularly to a practically offending degree. Popping a plate into a PS4 in 2016 methods hanging tight for the introduce, at that point the very first-moment fix, and afterward when you at long last get a controller in your grasp you go through the following two hours being strolled through the beginning periods of the game like a child on his first day of school. Everyone prefers a touch of help from time to time, yet there's undeniable value in simply being tossed in at the profound end and being advised to do or die.

5. Sentimentality

Sentimentality may appear to be a cop-out the answer; all things considered, thinking back on the past with rose-tinted displays is frequently what enthusiasts of anything retro is scrutinized with. It's anything but difficult to reject sentimentality as a method for advocating the conclusion that everything was simply much better in your day, yet truly wistfulness is a colossally amazing specialist and it shouldn't be overlooked.

Today, we watch refuse motion pictures and weep over the utilization of evident CGI, however, we'll joyfully endure Raiders of the Lost Ark and not try referencing that the liquefying Nazi toward the end resembles he's made out of plasticine. We tune in to the shocking popular music of our young people with an intelligent grin on our countenances while looking down on Justin Bieber's most recent video. What's more, we'll talk about Final Fantasy VII just as it was second happening to Christ, totally overlooking the entirety of the blemishes in the game that we'd hang an advanced game out to dry for. Sentimentality is a sufficient impact to cause us to accept that Sonic the Hedgehog was very great. Presently, that is not kidding.

The explanation a great deal of us like playing old games is essentially a result of the inclination we get playing them. I've played hundreds, if not a large number of games in my time as a gamer. What's more, I'm sufficiently keen to realize that in that time computer games have improved in pretty much every manner. In any case, that doesn't change the way that on the off chance that I load up Street Fighter II I recollect the times of playing it during the school summer occasions with every one of my companions. I recollect the day I finished Toejam and Earl with my sibling each time I hear the initial barely any bars of its ludicrously astounding signature music. Furthermore, I recall the overjoyed rushes we got when we initially got the fatalities chipping away at Mortal Kombat II.

Playing old games, similarly likewise with watching old films or tuning in to old collections, transports us to a period in the past that we like to recall. Regardless of whether its recollections of old companions, friends, and family, individuals we may see each day or might have put some distance between, each old game we load up is a window to the past and that is unique. The most recent Call of Duty is never going to rival that.

[entropy-game-dev]

Curious; what's your favorite dungeon crawler/rpg system? What's your least favorite feature in the one's you've played and the ones that you've loved.

This is actually the toughest question I’ve been asked! In terms of dungeon crawlers, it’d probably have to be Strange Journey (DS/3DS), although that’s a really tough call to make because I also want to mouth off about how much I love Persona Q/Q2 (3DS), the Etrian Odyssey series (DS/3DS), Unchained Blades (PSP), Arcana (SNES) and Phantasy Star 1 (GEN).

Despite this, none of those games are flawless. SJ and PQ especially I feel are very very strong in terms of overall presentation, story, map design, sound design, and character progression systems, but I feel that mechanically the battle systems are quite weak. Going first often allows you to one-turn most encounters without much risk or resource investment, which isn’t very exciting! SJ’s weakness gimmick in particular (Demon Co-op) I find quite uninteresting, as it forces you to use demons that share your alignment, which basically cuts the amount of demons you can use by 2/3rds... until the main game’s final boss which punishes you for not having full parties of each demon alignment. Like, what? Really?? It’s also such a shame that the main character’s customisation is pretty poor, with all skills being locked to your gun and automatic stat distribution.

Persona Q is a bit better in terms of these things - you can at least customise your characters a bit more as everyone can equip a sub-persona. The battle system is also a bit more involved due to rows (thanks, EO!), the dynamics between phys/mag, and the way it treats weakness hits. However, in a sense, weakness hits are even MORE devastating because they can also cause enemies to skip their turn in addition to getting that all-out attack, easily causing either 1 turn wipes or close to. Persona Q also has a much more forgiving MP regeneration mechanic, so taking hits is not as punishing as in SJ as these can be healed off.

I love the maps, puzzles, character classes, and overall aesthetic of the EO games. The battle system is also pretty cool, with nice interactions between different enemies, weakness/strength hits translating into rare drops, and overall difficulty, but the thing I probably find the least fun is character progression. I’m really not a fan of having so many skills, so many ranks in each skill, AND skill prerequisites when you only gain 1 skill point per level up. I know that means various builds for each class, but to me, unless you like grinding it really doesn’t encourage experimentation. Not only that, but often it’s optimal to focus on one skill rather than spread yourself thin, so on most level-ups there’s nothing new or interesting to look forward to. Also, don’t get me started on the gathering skills, it feels really bad (but necessary) to spend points on those. Not really a problem if you are into grinding because you can just make dedicated gatherer characters (hi Farmer)and other characters to build differently, but that’s not really my thing!

Unchained blades I played ages ago, so I don’t remember too many specifics there. I do recall loving the branching stories and having each dungeon’s design and difficulty tailored to the party you were forced to use. I also thought the monster capturing mechanic was cool, but I... don’t remember how exactly it strengthened your party members. Off the top of my memory, I think the things I liked least about that game was that it was generally pretty easy, and the unchaining minigame you had to play every time to capture a monster didn’t add much at all!

Arcana was a kind of obscure dungeon crawler for the SNES by Hal Labs, and was a surprising amount of fun. Again, my memory is hazy on this one but I thought the overall premise was pretty unique, battles were fun, but I remember having trouble figuring out exactly what some moves did. This could have possibly been because it was fan translated (I really do not remember much about it), or because it was being intentionally obtuse.

Finally, Phantasy Star 1 for the Genesis. PSIV is my absolute favourite Genesis game, which is probably why I look back on PS1 fondly. Without a doubt, the worst thing about that game though, was the lack of a mapping feature. And the dungeons all looked the same! Oh my gosh what were they thinking (apart from, there’s not enough space on the cartridge to program this). Nevertheless, scifi + rpg is 100% my jam.

I could go on and on about more of the RPGs I’ve played (I didn’t even go into the more traditional jrpgs, rogue-likes, or arpgs) but tried to limit my focus here to a more relevant subset of the genre. And despite that, there are a ton more dungeon crawlers that I enjoyed like The Dark Spire, Mary Skelter, Class of Heroes, Stranger of Sword City, and so on!

[opt1gan]

Top 3 mario games?

LENGTHY ANSWER IS COMING ON BECAUSE I LOVE MARIO AND I CANT ONLY STICK WITH THREE GAMES also considering the amount of genres the franchise encompasses. It would be kinda unfair tbh

PURELY out of emotional attachment I’ll say:

1) Yoshi’s Island (both the SNES and the DS version yea.....theyre equal to me)2) Super Mario Galaxy 13) Mario & Luigi RPG: Superstar Saga

Yoshi’s Island is a special one and definitely among my favourite games overall because it was one of those games I ended up playing incessantly for months if not years! I first got the DS version since I never owned a SNES as a kid and didn’t have the chance to get it on the GBA back in the day and I recall loving the backgrounds and all the spritework and the plotline was among those stories that felt oddly touching to my 10 year old self djhfsdk........to this day.......yoshi is canonically mario & luigis official parent to me........the SNES version is pretty much perfect in both aesthetic and gameplay and the soundtrack has some of the most beautiful tracks off a videogame I’ve ever heard. Galaxy 1 had some of the most touching moments I’ve ever seen in a mario game and the creativity that went into the design of the levels and the general aesthetic makes me forgive all of its flaws. Also space........it still feels odd to have such a gloomy (yet not edgy?) premise to a mario game jfhkd and the almost apocalyptic & grand tone of some of the moments off this game is again? Oddly touching and it actually makes you feel like you’re taking part in something very important? I completely get the criticism it gets but I’m just,,, an emotional bitch...... Superstar Saga might not be the best M&L game but it’s the one that felt the most concise and approachable and it personally brings back the warmest memories. The general attitude of the game is oddly positive compared to other RPGs I played back in the day and it still conveys the “embarking on a big adventure” feeling I got from said games, the slapstick & lightweight nature of some of the most memorable moments appealed to me greatly and ended up shaping my humor and standards when I play a game.

If I have to stick with the mario franchise (which means no yoshi/wario/etc. games) and had a less biased opinion and only considered the platforming based games I’d go with 1) Super Mario Odyssey, 2) Super Mario Sunshine and 3) Super Mario Galaxy 1. Odyssey is pretty much everything I ever wanted from a Mario game!!! The capture mechanic was very fun and I myself have been toying with the idea of Mario embarking on such a big journey through diverse sections of the world for the longest time – until then the only mario 3d platformer that satisfied that scenario I had in my mind were somewhat the two Galaxy games with the whole... fast travelling through space thing? Sunshine is quite the favourite on a technical level as I love... cleaning stuff... it’s a classic lazy summery game and the story also felt unique to me compared to other mario games back when I was a kid and I still like the idea of mario canonically having been in prison jhfdkhddjkh I also have a soft spot for all the old 2d platform games except for the very first SMB since I never really experienced it. SMB3 and SMW in particular are special ones!

My Mario RPG chart would be 1) Superstar Saga, 2) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and 3) Paper Mario 64 tying with Paper Mario TTYD. Each of these games were among the funniest experiences I’ve ever had! Being able to play as Peach in smrpg was super refreshing and I always had her in my party. This game also has some of my favourite character designs & obscure characters in the marioverse and the storyline is so nice and again, very refreshing (albeit with some funny plotholes hsdjkfhs but it’s still a good story in my book). The 1st two paper mario games were so fun and good... ttyd has legit a lot of fucked up moments and sometimes it was too much on an Edge(TM) level but I’m so in love with....Vivian & Goombella......they’re among my fav marioverse characters... and pm64 was also a perfect game on a lot of levels. The storybook aesthetic Gets me + the partners were all so good... ily bow......

As for other mario games fjsdfkhkjdshf I’m very fond of the Mario Kart franchise since it was one of the biggest things in my childhood but I can’t for the love of god find a favourite? Double Dash would be a cheap response I think. I personally don’t go crazy for the sports/party games but that’s just me

[dmclemblems]

Okay but have you ever considered

the really shitty, depressing parts of FE4?

I’m talking like, gen 1′s fate and the survivors.

Think about Fin. How he has to live now. How he can recall conversations with Cuan and Ethlin, then realize once he’s pulled out of his thoughts somehow that he’s the only one left from that group. Or Oifaye, who remembers conversations with Sigurd and his knights. They’re just left to realize there’s a huge void, and all that’s left are the memories. That from those moments with just them and those who have died, there’s nobody left in the world besides them to remember those moments. That if they die, those conversations and memories just fade away and become nothing.

The survivors of gen 1 have to cope with this and live with this. Remembering the laughter and smiles and realizing there’s not a damn thing left of it all. That they’re all each other has left from the past and that so many people they shared life with are just nothing now.

FE4 is just really heartbreaking and really plays on the strongest emotions of humans. There is honestly no other game more genius to me and more empathetic. I love it so much and it’s one of the only series that can make me feel seriously powerful emotion that puts me in the position of those characters who are suffering those losses.

This game is extremely powerful in showing human emotion at its very core, tbh. Gen 1 is playable for us players, but for the characters in gen 1 who made it out alive, it’s a distant memory. For the characters of gen 2, it’s a legend and nothing they’ve ever experienced. To them, it’s just a past that never was in the sense that it’s the past, but not one they were alive for/part of. It would be like hearing things from history for us - it’s a past, but it’s not our past and we don’t have recollection of it, so those from the past just disappear in that sense - the sense that we didn’t ever get to know them or be part of their struggles or even be able to comprehend them. All we can do is hear the stories. That’s what it is to the gen 2 kids; yet there are still people alive from the aftermath who have to live with all of it.

There’s so much raw, bare, true human emotion in that game, and for that to come out of an SNES game to me is beyond genius and just perfection. Kaga may have been limited to what he could do gameplay wise, but it didn’t make the storytelling he gave us any less powerful or meaningful. He wasn’t limited in that - the storytelling.

It’s literally six in the morning and I am so emotional for this game.

[rosegolddm]

Intro from your lovely DM! My history with D&D:

Hi friends! I have decided to start a blog documenting my experiences as a DM running Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. I actually haven't been a tabletop gamer for very long, but D&D has been something of which I have been aware for a long time.

I think I've always been into the fantasy genre, going back to a love of fairy tales and mythology from a very early age. I liked being read to and learning to read came just as naturally to me as a result. My dad also had an ongoing series of stories about Prince Garbanzo and Princess Goldie-lips that he'd improv for my siblings and me as bedtime stories. As a young gay child, princesses and mermaids in particular always caught my interest. I remember attending renaissance faires and coming home with wooden swords and shields - no princess hats, but that would have been THE LOOK at 5 years old for sure.

My history with role playing started with console JRPGs. These of course owe a lot to D&D when it comes to monsters, settings and other genre conventions we assume have just always been there. The original Legend of Zelda is the first RPG I can remember watching someone else play. Final Fantasy IV was the first I played on my own, back when it was called Final Fantasy II and fans in the US weren't even aware there were two games in between that (at the time) were destined to languish in Japan. Several more games would follow, many still retaining those D&D roots of which I was at the time unaware.

Shortly thereafter, my sister had a high school boyfriend who gave me several books in the Dragonlance series. This was my first true exposure to Dungeons and Dragons. I tore through these novels under the age of 10 - some of the content admittedly went over my head (probably for the best), but I read them cover to cover. I also remember reading The Hobbit around this time - I even did a book report about it!

I don't think I necessarily made the connection that the Dragonlance novels were based on an actual game until around the time Eye of the Beholder was ported from PC to current consoles of the time. I distinctly remember renting the SNES version and would later go on to own the Sega CD port. Video game magazines gave me some familiarity with the rules and monsters, but overall they were more cool games to play, nothing I wanted to research further than that. At some point I also rented the NES Dragonlance game, but that one's also notoriously crappy. Perhaps the less said about it, the better.

The Capcom D&D arcade games, probably the furthest from playing traditional D&D, were what really piqued my interest in the tabletop game from which all these video game spinoffs derived. Among other things, they included a mechanic that sort of emulated rolling dice to make a saving throw - you had to move the joystick back and forth to get out of various status effects. For whatever reason, this stuck with me. The inclusion of several iconic monsters and spells probably didn't hurt. I was sold on all of it!

After having played a few video games using D&D rules (or at least the settings), I finally decided it was time to give playing the real thing a try. My mom wasn't about to take me to some hobby store to play with a bunch of old grognards - nor did I even know that was an option at the time! Instead, I was allowed to order my first D&D module - Menzoberranzan. I don't think I had any sort of description of what I was ordering other than it being a D&D product - I was going in practically blind. Without any other manuals and just what we knew from the various games we'd played, my brother and I guessed our way through, mostly just throwing random dice around and deciding arbitrarily whether or not we'd killed one of the many drow provided in the modules. Despite a ton of interesting setting information, we both lost interest pretty quickly. Menzoberranzan was either given away during a move to a new house or lost in a flood. We resumed playing the occasional D&D video game, eventually having our options widened through both emulation and PC gaming.

As I got older, I made more friends with similar interests. Some of them had played actual D&D (2E) campaigns - I was so jealous! I managed to rope one friend into acting as DM for me and another friend. We made it through about one session during a lunchtime period at school. I don't recall doing much in the way of rolling dice or anything one typically associates with playing a tabletop RPG. It's probably for the best that it didn't pan out. The DM loved pulling dick moves on PCs and had an arsenal of DMPCs to get out of any and every jam, all of whom were ostensibly cooler and more competent than either of us players could possibly muster. I don't think dealing with any of that at length would have left me with a very good impression of the game.

The release of the third edition of D&D was an exciting time! I ended up picking up the player's manual, DM guide, and monster manual. Later on I even got the Complete Psionics. I would use these to formulate several characters and come up with all sorts of cool ideas in my head, but none of it ever translated into a regular game. At the time I certainly didn't feel confident enough to act as a DM, especially with a system as rule-heavy and numbers-heavy as 3E tended to be. There was also a brief attempt to get a game of Vampire: The Masquerade going in high school, but again it never really got off the ground.

Tabletop gaming fell off the radar for me for many years following that. I was aware of the 4th edition release, but unsure of what to make of it and not really willing to spend my money on a whole new set of manuals. It was a drastic change, to be sure, and I was probably more focused on dudes or partying or clothing. Every now and then, I'd get curious about a particular setting's lore and read up on that, but it wouldn't ever get further than that. I even went so far as to download a Pathfinder app that contained a huge amount of compiled information - being close in spirit to 3E didn't hurt!

It wouldn't be until a friend from Tumblr started doing artwork for the campaign he was running that my interest was again sparked in actually playing a sit-down game of D&D. I knew bits and pieces about the newest edition and it all sounded good to me. The party needed an arcane caster, I chose a Warlock, and I was immediately hooked. What really sealed the deal was having both an accommodating, engaging DM in addition to a great group of players. Over the course of about a year, we played through Lost Mine of Phandelver, adding lots of our own personal touches to the material through our characters.

What followed were some attempts at new 5E games, unfortunately hampered by the scheduling conflicts that often arise when you're trying to get 5-6 20-40somethings with jobs living in different boroughs of NYC to appear at the same place at the same time. Some folks moved away, some got bogged down in personal life stuff, but I never lost interest. If anything it made me more determined to get the right crew together for a really great campaign.

I am currently part of a mostly homebrew 5e campaign on hiatus best described as a mix of both Avatar series, Steven Universe, and a lot of interesting parallels to the currently running Not Another D&D Podcast (which I highly recommend btw). Kevin has been a great DM and we often spitball ideas that eventually make it into the campaign off each other.

During downtime from my main 5e game (we typically play about once a month and are currently taking a longer break), I started looking into Adventurer's League games for Kevin and I to try to give us both more opportunities to try different characters (and in Kevin's case, not being stuck as DM!). That didn't quite pan out, but in my search I DID randomly find a tabletop gaming channel on Slack at my job. I found a few mentions of D&D and decided to throw my hat in the ring with helping to organize a game. This was interpreted as me volunteering to be DM.

Honestly, I'd never considered it before and was a bit intimidated by the prospect. After stewing over it for a bit, however, I realized I could run Lost Mine of Phandelver, having familiarity with the material as a player. Once I had the books in my hands and the planning started, it all sort of clicked. Using tips from my friends who'd run games before and a variety of resources available online, I've gotten really into the whole process!

So that leads us to where we are now. In about a week, I'll be meeting with my players (2 experienced, 3 totally new to D&D) for session 0 to go over rules, expectations, and character creation. Coming up with characters is one of my favorite parts, so I'm very excited! I'll be using this space to discuss my own experiences running games, resources I enjoy, and other aspects of tabletop gaming. There's plenty more to come!

[loadingisland726]

Retroarch Psx Setup

Emulation is all the rage in PC gaming. Not only does it allow you to relive the glory days of collectible names on your computer, it also often lets you improve your adventures with these games. Going back to play a classic game — particularly in the PS1 era — can often shock individuals who are surprised at how much better that these titles seem through nostalgia glasses.

With RetroArch PS1 emulation, you can upscale and tweak these games to something which looks a whole lot closer to that which you recall — and even better.

Meet RetroArch

RetroArch makes it possible. This all-in-one emulation station can run almost any retro game imaginable, and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. RetroArch is awesome, but it’s a little tricky to set up. Don’t panic, though, because it’s far from impossible. Another great option is RetroArch, a multi-system emulator that supports over 40 systems. Both DuckStation and RetroArch offer superb PlayStation 1 emulation. They don't use a plug-in system, so you don't have to bother with plugins to set everything up. They can also correct 3D gittery and distorted textures. Just like ePSXe, DuckStation. The emulation frontend Retroarch is arguably the best N64 emulator out there, letting you run several different N64 emulators as “cores” (as well as letting you play PS1, SNES, Sega Genesis, and various other retro console games on your PC). Here, we’ll show you the best way to get Retroarch to run your N64 collection.

RetroArch isn’t an emulator in and of itself — think of it as a hub for emulators and press available under one, unified interface. Emulating matches on PC usually means a complete emulator and distinct program per system, however RetroArch can truly emulate quite a large number of programs, all within one program.

RetroArch’s emulators, known as”cores,” are normally ported emulators from different programmers in the spectacle. Some emulators, nevertheless, are actually made only for RetroArch, and as a result of this they may even be better than contemporary stand alone emulators on the spectacle.Read here scph1001.bin At our site

Here is how it is for leading RetroArch PS1 core, Beetle PSX, which we’ll be teaching you how you can install and utilize in this article.

Best Psx Bios For Retroarch

For optimum RetroArch PS1 emulation, you’ll want the following:

Ps1 On Retroarch

A contemporary gamepad using dual-analogs. I recommend that a PS3 pad for that authentic control experience or an Xbox One pad for improved support. When using a non-Xbox pad, then make sure to experience an XInput driver/wrapper enabled.

A modern Windows PC for best performance (and also the most accurate guide) however RetroArch is cross-platform for this guide to work on other platforms.

Expanding slightly on the notice of BIOS files, we can’t legally tell you where to obtain them. What we can tell you is that the most common bios documents are:

scph5500 (NTSC — Japan)

scph5501 (NTSC — US)

scph5502 — (PAL — Europe)

scph5552 (PAL — Europe)

Drivers stange. Notice that the BIOS file names are case-sensitive, therefore need to get written with no limits, and suffixed with’.bin’.

A Couple Preferences to Tweak

As long as you’ve got an XInput-enabled gamepad, you will not need to do too much to have an excellent RetroArch PS1 emulation experience. Howeverthere are a couple of things you are likely to want to tweak to get an optimal experience. First, head to”Options -> Input”

Now, utilize Left/Right in your D-Pad to select a Menu Toggle Gamepad Combo. I suggest setting L3 + R3 as your own shortcut. .

If you have followed to this stage, your controller is ready to use, and you have acquired the PS1 bios document (s) that you will need to play your own games. Some matches may work without a BIOS, but for full compatibility we highly recommend you.

Now, let us get to the juicy stuff: set up the emulation core.

Create”.cue” Files for Your PSX Games

When you rip a PS1 game, you need to always make certain that you do it into the BIN or BIN/CUE format. This will essentially split the output files into the BIN file, which stores most of the game data, and the CUE file, which explains exactly what Retroarch hunts for when you scan for PS1 games.

When for any reason you do not possess the”cue” file accompanying your”bin” file, or if your ripped PS1 game is in a different format like”img”, then you’ll need to create a”cue” file for this match and place it to exactly the identical folder as the primary image file.

Developing a CUE file is simple enough, and also to make it simpler you can use this online tool to create the text for a file. Simply drag the game’s img or bin file into the box on the website, and it’ll create the”cue” document text for it. Note that when the ripped PS1 match is broken up into different sound tracks, you should copy them all into the internet tool also, so all of the game files are included in one”cue” file.

Then copy-paste the cue file into a Notepad file, then save it with the exact same file name since the game’s primary image file, and store it in exactly the identical folder as the primary image file.

When Retroarch scans on the PS1 games (which we will move onto soon ), then it will find them by the”cue” files you made, and add them to your library.

First, visit the Main Menu, then choose Online Updater.

Within Online Updater, pick Core Updater.

Scroll right down to Playstation (Beetle PSX HW). You could even opt for the non-HW edition, but I advise using HW instead. Select it to put in it.

Once installed, return to the Main Menu and Load Core.

Locate PlayStation (Beetle PSX HW) and choose it! This will load the Core into RetroArch.

You’ve installed the core. But how can you put your matches into RetroArch appropriate?

Head back to Main Menu and select Load Content.

Choose Collections.

Select Scan Directory.

In order for this to work properly, you want to get every one of your PS1 game files stored in one folder on your PC. If you do not, have them organized and take note of where they’re in Windows Explorer to find them in RetroArch. Mine, by way of example, are located on my secondary hard disk in”Emulation/PS1/Games.”

[foxallabout853]

Final Mod Pack Nsuni Download

The Final Mod Pack started as a collection of various community mods, balanced against each other and arranged in a way which highlights the new features. The collection has since grown to a huge multimod with a high level of internal intricacy. Download Final Mod Pack Texture NSUNI by VTstudio; Download PPSSPP Special Build Texture Mod; Download App ZArchiver Android Installation Tutorial: Download emulator PPSSPP special build texture mod on your device; Download Texture Mod also NSUNI then extract TEXTURES folder that is in mod.7z using apps or software Zarchiver or 7ZIP, and then.

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##### THIS REVIEW MOD. DOWNLOAD MOD IN HERE HOW TO INSTALL MOD https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yXyhb-0FzdE. Name: Mod Texture Pack NSUNI NS All Star Anime Character V.1.0 Size: 11 mb Game: Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Impact Versi Game: ULUS10518 and ULES01537 Mod Pack: BG,Theme,Character,Gui Modder: VT Link Download: Download DLC. Jan 22, 2018 Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Impact ini merupakan texture yang memiliki fungsi untuk mengubah character seperti map gui,hp bar untuk menggantikan ke dalam versi NSUNI ke original.Dimana permaianan yang telah mengalami moded ini sudah memiliki banyak perubahan seperti dari segi tampilan, skill dalam bermain dan juga texture yang semakin keren dan menarik.

I’m pretty sure that some of you are still playing Square Enix’s previous FF online game, Final Fantasy XI. So, great news everyone as “Amelila” has released a new graphics overhaul megapack for it.

This graphics mod significantly improves the Final Fantasy XI’s textures, transforming its blurry and ugly visuals into something that is actually pleasing to the eye, that is actually able to compete with titles released a few years ago. This mod also includes optional HD Bump Maps which will greatly improve your gaming visual experience, though they require a beefy graphics card (according to the author).

The Final Fantasy XI graphics overhaul mod is 277MB in size and you can download it from here. Amelila also claimed that this megapack will always be kept updated as new mods are released, and will be distributed free of charge to everyone.

In order to celebrate its release, Amelila has also released a teaser trailer that you can watch below.

Enjoy!

Watch this video on YouTube

John Papadopoulos

John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. Solidworks 2012 64 bit free download. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities.Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved - and still does - the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the 'The Evolution of PC graphics cards.' Contact: Email

Hairstyles in the Sims. Can things ever get stranger?

Some people think thehair that comes with the base game feels a bit too bland, while some don’t like the way hair looks in vanilla Sims 4 at all.

Thankfully hundreds of modders from all over the world have created custom hairstyles to freshen things up.

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for the hairstyles for male sims or females or even kids– you’ve come to the right place for all of it!

I’ve divided this list in two parts; the first will give you a breakdown of the best female hair mods for Sims 4, and the second part will tell you all about the best hair mods for male Sims in the game.

Choose wisely and dress up accordingly.

Girl Hairstyle Mods

12. Jealousy Hair

This long hairstyle takes a spot on my list because it reminds me of one of the coolest hairstyles that already comes in the game; but it’s far better and much more detailed.

I would dare say that this mod could easily replace the one that comes with vanilla Sims 4, but some of you might prefer a more traditional look.

In any case, in terms of long hairs with a tail that runs from back to front, you’ll struggle to find one as good as this.

11. Vapor Hair

When you’re going to rate hair mods, you have to understand that transparency plays almost as much of a part as the quality of textures and the design itself.

Rammstein feuer frei free mp3 downloads. As such, this one takes a spot because it ticks both boxes quite perfectly.

It’s a short hairstyle that suits almost every type of lady, and the transparency between the strands feels surprisingly accurate.

10. Ominous Hair

This mod is fantastically detailed, and it offers a unique look.

Actually similar to only one hairstyle that I can recall from the game.

With a small bun on top of the head and some loose hair all over the place, this gives you a stylish look without many similar options.

There are some minor transparency issues but I’m forgiving the issues with this mod because it can’t be easy to model such a unique hairstyle; especially when loose hairs are not intended to be a thing in Sims 4.

9. Paradox Hair

This neat little hairstyle can be used by ladies of all ages, and it comes in a staggering 27 different colors to add plenty of variety to your Sims world.

Try out some of them and see which one fits your Sim the most.

This is a long hairstyle with a ponytail, and it’s detailed enough to be one of the best I’ve seen for the game.

8. Runaway Hair

Detailed and beautiful, the long Runaway Hair is by far one of my favorite hair mods to put on.

Granted, I think the hair itself looks pretty good in real life too. And that might’ve played a part on my decision.

But hey: that doesn’t take away from the astonishing level of work that went into this creation.

7. Prisma Hair

Am I going crazy, because I don’t think there’s a single hairstyle as long as this one in the base game.

I’m trying to recall but I just can’t think of any!

Those who love to see their female Sims with long hair might want to check this one out.

The level of detail is fantastic, it comes with plenty of different colors, and what’s even better is that the hair drops to the front of the body as well as a bit to the back.

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It doesn’t seem to have much transparency issues given that it’s mostly uniform in color, so that’s an added plus.

6. High Life Hair

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about short hair options.

And this one takes the cake as one of my favorites for the game.

I mostly play with male sims, I do admit that. But I have to tell you that those of you who want to see their Sims rock a short hairstyle with much more details than the ones that come with the base game are going to want to try this one out.

It can be used by Sims of all ages(starting Teen) but it does fit better on Young Adults, in my opinion. Encyclopedia britannica software download.

Yet it’s up to you to decide who rocks it!

5. Envy Hair

Another hairstyle with a unique design, this time being one that is far more withdrawn and less loose than others.

But I figure this can work pretty well on entrepreneurs and businesswoman Sims.

It just seems like a perfect fit for them, you know?

It’s that classic short hairstyle that seemed to be quite popular in the 80s, in which the hair wasn’t really short per se… but it was made to look like it was.

A picture is worth a thousand words though – so check it out!

4. Perfect Illusion

The creator of this mod used Lady Gaga as a reference. And I think the result turned out to be quite accurate.

This hair is super complex and you’ll have a Sim rocking quite a unique style like a rockstar.

Although this type of hair is already included in the base game (or a very similar one, at least). So it may not add a totally unique twist, but it’s worth a download if it could fit with your Sim’s style.

3. Parallel Hair

Wait, braids? I mean, DOUBLE BRAIDS?

How come these are not a thing on the base game?

This one takes the classic “good girl” look to the next level by adding this fantastic hairstyle, which can be used by Sims of all ages.

The best thing about the mod is that the braids are compatible with most of the hats that your Sim can wear too.

Which means it won’t interfere with your quest of creating that hat-loving personality you’ve always wanted.

2. Eden Hair

Another extremely long hair design takes the number two spot on my list. Mainly because I really love long hairs and the base game didn’t provide us with as many options as I would’ve wanted.

In any case, this one flows like a cascade through the left side of your Sim’s body and goes all the way down to the waist.

By far one of the longest hair mods that you’ll find, and it comes in dozens of different colors.

1. Nightcrawler Hair

Look, as much as I love long hair in this game, I couldn’t really avoid putting this mod as the number one on my list.

Fantastically well detailed as well as brilliantly executed in terms of transparency and compatibility issues, the Nightcrawler hair is as modern as it is eccentric.

This hairstyle fits women of all sorts, but housewives or business ladies might look particularly good with this.

You decide, though, as this mod puts the choices in your own hands.

Guy Hairstyle Mods

10. Nicholas Hair

A simple short design that is widely used by men in today’s world, the Nicholas Hair mod makes quite a fantastic addition to the game.

Well, mostly if you’re looking to add a style that suits almost every type of serious-looking Sim.

If you’re playing with a different type, like one that looks to live more of a bohemian lifestyle, then keep reading. There’s something here for you too.

9. Haunting Hairstyles

Shorter hair on the sides doesn’t always have to be as noticeable in order for it to look stylish.

And this hair mod shows exactly why.

Hair that is well-combed is sure to attract a lot of attention, and the Haunting Hairstyles mod will add exactly that to the game.

Plus you’ll have the option to paint various colors thanks to the mod creator’s hard efforts.

8. Hair N4

If you’re into the modern hairstyles usually rocked by sports stars and celebrities, then this mod is going to fit perfectly.

There isn’t one quite like it in the main game, as most that come with The Sims tend to have either an exaggerated mohawk or simply not as much on the sides.

This cut is as balanced as it gets. And you’re going to love the way your Sim looks with it.

As many others in this list, it also comes with color options that’ll give you an extra touch of variety!

7. Like Lust Hair

Are you trying to have your Sim look better than the rest?

Are you tired of the way some of the game’s basic hairstyles look, but you still want a stylish and not-so-cartoonish hair put on top of your male Sim’s head?

This one is like an improved version of the last mod, and in my opinion it looks even better.

You’re going to love watching your Sim rock it; I’m sure of it.

It comes with custom shadowing too, which also enhances realism by a landslide compared to others on this list.

6. Wavves

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Those who have wavy hair might not feel as represented in The Sims 4 community, well as much as those with straight hair.

So it’s time to put a stop to it with the Wavves Hairstyle mod.

This modern update takes a different approach than the rest by adding hair with waves to the game.

But beware – you’re going to need a good computer to make this one look its best. But again, this is The Sims we’re talking about… not exactly a GPU hog.

5. Hysteria

Faded on the sites and very long on the right side of the head, combed to the left.

Quite a unique look, if I may say so myself.

This is the typical hairstyle in forms of modern advertising rocked by those models looking brand-new the day of the photoshoot.

Wish we could all pull this off…

In any case, the hairstyle should suit any man quite nicely. In real life or in Sims land.

4. Electric

Stylish, modern, and worthy of any businessman.

This short hairstyle looks quite good on Sims of all backgrounds.

But I have to say that it’s quite a fantastic one to try on teens or young adults. I think it fits them quite well, but I’m sure you’ll love the way it looks on any wearer.

Plus it’s free so what do you have to lose?

3. Darko

Another modern style that starts with a faded cut on the sides.

But this one has more hair atop of the head, much like the original one that comes with vanilla Sims 4.

If you look closely you’ll notice this one is far more detailed though!

2. Blackout

Feel like a true samurai with the blackout hairstyle.

Which is actually quite a longer hairstyle than you might think on first glance.

Well-rounded and a bit messy, this hair add-on definitely offers something that no other hairstyle in vanilla even comes close to.

1. Psycho

I’m not really sure why most male models used for Sims hairstyles look so weird. But hey, I’m sure Maxis has a good reason.

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Now this hairstyle (fully compatible with hats) serves as a shorter option for men that like to have messy hair, and enough style to rock it regardless of the situation.

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Parties, weddings, business meetings, and more.

It doesn’t really matter what type of Sim you like to play as; this has to be one of the best hairstyles for those looking for an all-rounder man design.

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[crabbyyy]

hey there, um, things have been getting better, and it all culminated yesterday when something happened that at the time, I didn’t think it was all that huge, but 24-ish hours later I can’t help but think about it. you might see it and think it’s weird that I think it’s such a big deal, but hear me out. it’s gonna be huge and rambly again like the last few posts but trust me, I’m still absolutely gobsmacked by what’s happened leading up to yesterday.

so more than a year ago, I had a friend at work who, since then and many months after leading up to this week, I’ve come to realize we had more in common than I thought. the way it works in our studio, though, is that we won’t always end up in the same project and it’s a mess to navigate the system of how the production management actually plans to handle its employees. so that friend and I haven’t been in the same project for a while. but we still do meet each other after work or during lunch or coffee breaks. he’s a great guy--maybe sometimes a bit brash with how he talks or acts, but overall he’s great. and for months now, he’s been trying to get me to go with him to--please, don’t check out just yet, hear me out--a furry con. I know, even I was so boggled that here, in the country where I live, there was such a thing. I didn’t think that was such a big thing as it was elsewhere that you could have a con--that’s been going for three years now, if I remember right. so yeah, I was hesitant at first. like with a lot of new things or things I’m not familiar with but not really new to anyone else, I was so hesitant to the point of nervous for weeks about what going to furry con was gonna be like. so yeah, I said I would go with him. again, please don’t check out just yet. I was ready to check out while in that con and just aim around and take things in, but not really be all there, if that makes sense. I went there yesterday. and honestly? I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t all that bad. it was okay. and if you’re thinking it’s some nsfw-ish con, yeah, so did I and a few other friends did. but thing is, a nsfw-ish con here would be shut down faster than a computer that’s just gone blue screen. there were little kids there, and honestly, it wasn’t too far from the other one or two cons I went to before. to be honest, they had a gaming corner there that had everything from a working dreamcast to a snes to even a ps4, and I spent most of my time there--but really just watching my friend and his friends play. but that leads me to what’s blown me away up until now. after all that, I had dinner with my friend and six of his other friends. and you know what, while I can’t confirm anything about my friend, I do recall the huge fact that all six of his friends (again, hopefully this is correct recollection) are all hella gay. especially one of them, who is so unapologetically gay, to clumsily put it. but the point is, that’s the first time ever in my life that I’d been surrounded by people who are definitely not straight at all. well, jury’s still out about my friend (but I don’t judge him either way), but I’ve never had that happen to me before, ever. (there’s also the small fact that my friend’s friends think that me and my friend are a couple because everyone else in that group had someone, but y’know, assumptions are assumptions) why’s that a big thing to me, you ask? ever since I knew that I liked other guys, I was always looking for others who felt the same. for nearly a decade, I found nothing. one or two people, but never a huge group like what I saw yesterday. and one of my friend’s friends even joked that the entire con was a huge “ladies and gays” con instead of a furry con--I am sort of inclined to believe him. so yeah, all of this is still weird to me, but I can’t believe that’s where I’d find other guys who like guys--at a furry con. if this is all sounding rather weird to you, don’t worry. even now, the thought of it messes with me. but to be honest? at the state of my life at the moment, that will be the closest thing I will ever get to going to a gay bar. I can easily explain going to a furry con as “it’s a place where artists sell their work and I kinda went just to see what they were selling”. not so much with a gay bar. nah, with my folks, I’d be disowned in a heartbeat. going home that night I wondered what could’ve been if I didn’t go with my friend to that con. honestly, his friends are wonderful people as well, and at this point, I’m over and above any snobbery about other people who do their thing and aren’t hurting anyone else. so no, I don’t judge anyone in that con. well, I went there, and I judge the hell out of myself on a daily basis, but that’s for another time. all that said, it’s been a while since I did something completely new to me like that. three years working in a studio has made stuff rather monotonous, and really, as much as I love working there, I am more than sure that in the near future--I did say that I wanted to find new work next year, but now I’m not sure but it will be very soon--I will leave the studio. I’ll admit, I’m afraid to do so, and just thinking about it is scary. if yesterday taught me anything, though, it’s that I need to try more new things. the routine that’s worked for three years is slowly doing me in, and last week was the worst of it. sure, I might be underqualified for other work out there, but I don’t wanna think of it that way. I am, however, ready as I’ll ever be for whatever’s next. also, it was a huge boost to me to think that there are gay dudes out there like me, and I just need to not be afraid to seek them out. but that involves doing new things. to end this already too long post, I did tell my friends about this and they asked me if I thought that my friend took me out to an accidental date by asking me to a con. y’know what, I won’t judge him. above anything else, I’m lucky to even have found someone like him in the studio, who shares so much common ground with me than anyone else before. I won’t think too much about whether it was an accidental date or whatever. but I do wanna thank him for asking me to go. yesterday was both one of the most confusing days of my life--and simultaneously one of the best days ever in a long while. like, no kidding. and if you managed to get through all of this, really, just--thank you. it’s a lot I wanna get off my chest, and for that, I am in a better place now than I’ve ever been in months.

[postgamecontent]

The RPGs of the Super NES Classic #3: Secret of Mana

Original Release Date: August 6, 1993

Original Hardware: Nintendo Super Famicom

Developer/Publisher: Square Enix

Nintendo's 16-bit hardware had a lot of great action-RPGs, but perhaps none were as significant as Square's Secret of Mana. This was particularly the case in the West, where Japanese action-RPGs hadn't caught on quite as they had in Japan. The action-RPG label has always been a fuzzy one, with most of the games in the genre leaning pretty hard on one part of the label or the other. For many a player in the West, however, Secret of Mana was one of the first such games out of Japan that felt like it could satisfy both RPG fans and action game fans in equal measures. It also got considerable promotional support from Nintendo, which surely helped the game find its way into the hands of many young players. Adding to its legend is the fact that Square was never really able to make another game in the series that had the same appeal. With no rights issues holding it back, it's easy to see why Secret of Mana was chosen to carry the action-RPG flag for the Super NES Classic.

This is the first follow-up to Seiken Densetsu, otherwise known as Final Fantasy Adventure, Mystic Quest, Sword of Mana, and Adventures of Mana in its various forms. Secret of Mana is somewhat infamous for its tumultuous development, most notably its late shift from being a Super NES CD-ROM game to having to fit on just a regular cartridge. Apparently, a great deal had to be cut from the game and as a result, the final product feels a bit disjointed and buggy at times. Of course, this shift was only necessary due to Nintendo deciding not to pursue their plans for a CD-ROM add-on. While you obviously won't hear any official word about it, I've heard rumors to the effect that the debacle around Secret of Mana was one of the reasons why Square jumped ship from their previous Nintendo-exclusive status. Still, in spite of all that, Secret of Mana is a really enjoyable game, with a unique feel all of its own.

Or perhaps I should say "because of all of that"? I think I've mentioned before on this site that I believe the reason why Secret of Mana is the crowd-pleaser that it is comes down to those required cuts. Series creator Koichi Ishii is a developer along the lines of his former co-worker Akitoshi Kawazu. He favors ambitious ideas and doesn't seem all that interested in being tied down by the conventions of the genres he works in. Like with Kawazu, this has resulted in most of Ishii's works being love-or-hate affairs. He's even had his name attached to some genuine clunkers. His most widely-appreciated game is Secret of Mana. I can't imagine it's a coincidence that it's also the game where he had the least amount of freedom to pursue his ambitions.

Thanks to those restrictions, Secret of Mana ended up being not much more complicated than the Game Boy game that spawned the series. It's a much bigger game, and the presentation obviously blows its Game Boy predecessor away, but the weird and woolly sub-systems that would come to characterize the Mana brand are in short supply here. You can move around and attack with your weapon, charge up for a stronger attack, and cast magic or use items from a menu. Most of the weapons have a secondary use for navigating the world, and each weapon levels up individually as you vanquish foes with it. Magic similarly becomes more powerful the more times you use it. This probably sounds a lot like the much-maligned Final Fantasy 2, but the system isn't quite as broken here. Unfortunately, you'll probably still want to sink some time into grinding levels, particularly for magic spells. One nice point is that the weapons actually change form as you level them up. You only need to get each weapon type once.

One big change is that rather than playing as one character with a rotating guest controlled by the computer, you'll end up with a permanent three-character party. You can only control one of them at a time, of course, while a fairly stupid AI controls the other two. If you happen to have a couple of friends, a couple of extra controllers, and a SNES multitap, you can swap out that silly AI for some real humans. Square did this sort of thing from time to time in the 16-bit era, and while I'm not sure they really thought of it as more than a fun extra, it ended up being a major point in Secret of Mana's favor. People with multitaps were few and far between, but you could at least enjoy the two-player mode even if you didn't have one or know someone who had one. For its time, Secret of Mana was one of the best multiplayer RPGs you could find. The Super NES Classic unfortunately preserves that "missing third player" experience, but it's still a good time.

Truth be told, though, I think the game is a little too long and leisurely to play through completely with other players. Pulling your friend in for a boss fight is a good time, but it's not quite the same joyride when you're just parking yourself outside of a town, casting magic to raise levels. If you were a kid with a brother or sister who maintained a similar schedule to yours and liked playing this kind of game, then you were set. Otherwise, it's a fun thing to do now and then but you'll be thankful that it's basically drop in and drop out. I remember the first time I beat the game, I did it with a friend controlling the Sprite. In hindsight, that was definitely the easiest way to tackle that tricky situation. The computer AI really isn't up to doing what needs to be done in that particular fight.

There are a lot of weird moments in Secret of Mana that help lend it its flavor. I've written elsewhere before about the bizarre out-of-nowhere appearance of Santa Claus partway through the game, and while that's about as strange as the game gets, there's nevertheless a lot of instances of similarly unexpected gags and references. I remember finding out from a magazine that the possessed books that populated one dungeon had a small chance of flipping open to a naked woman and being shocked that Nintendo didn't force that to be removed from the English version. There are a couple of mysterious faces carved into the world map that don't have any explanation. Then there's the Ancient City, which flips your whole image of the game's setting upside-down. You go to the Moon, you travel by cannons, and you visit an island that sits on the back of a giant turtle. It's all very quirky, if a little scatter-shot in its tone.

The game on the whole is just as patchy as its eccentricities. It does a lot of things well. The variety of locales lends the game the feeling of a true adventure. The selection of weapons gives you some interesting combat options, and it's really satisfying when you land a solid blow on an enemy and thwack them into oblivion. The story may not flow well but it's interesting enough in the moment. At the same time, there are definitely areas that feel like they needed more thought. Having the player charge up an attack only serves to lengthen combat artificially, and when that attack misses because of the dubious collision detection, it's quite frustrating. The translation was done in a hurry and it shows. The game is very terse, and there's little room for proper characterization. The computer AI isn't up to snuff in many situations, which can be frustrating. There are bugs a-plenty, and there are plenty of places where you can feel the editing scissors in action.

Happily, the good parts of the game handily outweigh the minor annoyances. I don't find Secret of Mana nearly as interesting as some of Koichi Ishii's other games, but it's probably the easiest game of his to enjoy. I keep hoping to find another layer to the game whenever I come back to it, but it genuinely just is what it is. I thought I might find a new angle this time, having finally played Legend of Mana. All the context which that really provides, however, is to underline the rather obvious fact that Secret of Mana wasn't so much finished as it was buttoned up. Frankly, it's something of a miracle the game turned out as well as it did. Almost as unlikely as Square's seeming inability to satisfy players in the same way again, I suppose.

This was a game that I actually picked up around its original release date. I can't remember what exactly pushed me into it beyond being a general fan of Square by that point. I remember enjoying the Nintendo Power coverage of the game, and I recall that one issue came with a poster of the gorgeous cover art depicting the Mana Tree. That poster was hanging on the wall of my bedroom for quite a while, and I still think it's a great piece of art. The game's art design is excellent overall. The sprites are extremely expressive, with great attention paid to the enemies especially. The backgrounds are nicely detailed and always fit the intended atmosphere nicely. It's lush and verdant when it wants to be, cold and mechanical when it needs to be, and just all-around nice to look at.  

The music is also superb. You have to believe this was one of the areas that took the biggest hit from the shift from CD to cartridge, but I can scarcely imagine how it could have been better aside from being played back at a higher quality. Composer Hiroki Kikuta's soundtrack has a very different feel from other Square games of the period, with a certain organic quality to it that almost perfectly matches the game. Even small things like the whale sound that plays when you power on the game help make this game sound different. The tunes shift from breezy to oppressive depending on the situation, but all of them are good at doing what they need to.

Above all, I think it's fascinating that Secret of Mana has been able to hang on to its legendary status over the years. Unlike contemporaries like Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, or Earthbound, Secret of Mana doesn't transcend its genre in any meaningful way. It's just a really fun game, one that Square has been decent about keeping in circulation for old fans to enjoy again and new players to discover for the first time. While none of Square's follow-ups have managed to capture a similar level of success, the company seems to understand that this game in particular is a favorite classic. The game has been re-released on the Wii Virtual Console, smartphones, as part of a Japan-only collection on the Nintendo Switch, and of course as part of the Super NES Classic Edition line-up. Secret of Mana is also getting a full remake that is due early in 2018.

As the sole representative of its genre on the Super NES Classic, Secret of Mana serves its purpose quite well. It's also one of the better multiplayer games in the package, albeit one that requires a fair bit of patience. It's unfortunate that Nintendo couldn't find a way to include the three-player mode, but I suppose it would be a lot of trouble to implement for just one game. Whether you go solo or with a friend, Secret of Mana is certainly worth playing again. Square hasn't managed to top its wide appeal with another Mana game in nearly 25 years, and it may well be another quarter of a century before they do.

Previous: Super Mario RPG

Next: Earthbound

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[keepcalmandreadondk]

The Nostalgia Epidemic

A friend and I went to dinner the other night and she mentioned something that greatly interested me. She read somewhere that millennials are the most nostalgic generation. Being a millennial myself, I regarded this statement as true but also not true. It is true in the sense that we long for our childhoods again and the media we consumed, and we are the only generation to have grown up in the big technological boom of smartphones and the internet. Therefore, it is easy for us to be nostalgic for a more "simple time." But I also think that this isn't so true. Millennials are very interested in new media as well as the ones they are nostalgic over. If anything, I'd say a more fitting generation for the "Most Nostalgic" title would be the baby boomers who voted our current president into office under the delusions of their nostalgia.

Speaking of delusion though, I think nostalgia can do that to us: make us delusional. The human memory isn't an accurate representation of our past. It remembers certain things and then breaks those things down into something which the mind can comprehend. These memories shape our being. A millennial may recall the days when Saturday morning cartoons were a must see. Their parents would make them breakfast and they would have no responsibilities. Now, as an adult, this is no longer a thing and the millennial may long to have those "simple" days back. But those days weren't simple. We were kids and didn't have to deal with complicated reality.

So we millennials have used the internet to celebrate '90s culture. We gush about our love for Rugrats, about how we learned to love reading through Harry Potter, and are quick to recite all of the lyrics to the opening of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. But if we take an honest look at the entertainment and culture that surrounded our childhood's, chances are we won't like what we see. Boy Meets World is a cheesy sitcom, Friends is uncomfortably white, and Hocus Pocus is just not a good movie. We can appreciate the things we loved as kids, of course. Most of the things I have mentioned thus far are things I love. But it is also important to recognize that they may not be as good as our memories make them out to be.

Now, in 2017, October is nearing its end and the highly anticipated Netflix original show, Stranger Things, is about to premiere its second season to the public. Speaking of nostalgia, OH BOY, is this show playing on the public's nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, Stranger Things is a great show. It isn't as great as people make it out to be but then again, nostalgia seems to hold the remote control.

Stranger Things is largely praised for its callbacks to various trends of the '80s and '90s. The show borrows from several properties in terms of music, plot, cinematography, art design, and dialogue. When the show first premiered, it was described to me as E.T. meets Stand by Me. This was not a turn off at all because I love both of those movies and of course would love to see something replicate them in some capacity. However, Stranger Things does more than replicate a style of storytelling. It literally takes chunks of '80s and '90s culture and places it into the show. The result is that although Stranger Things is a fun adventure that calls back to the properties we grew up on and loved, it fails to repair the mistakes those properties made and makes the audience compliant with okay and rehashed entertainment. Now, don't misunderstand me. I love this show and am eagerly anticipating the next season. However, for all the good the show accomplishes, it seems to have blinded us to the problems that exist within the frames. Our nostalgia is blinding us.

This problem is not unique to an original show like Stranger Things. There are much more obvious culprits of this crime that exist in modern day media. In order to analyze Stranger Things, we can't ignore this problem of nostalgia as a whole that exists into today's culture. Stranger Things may be using familiar themes and tropes that we miss, but it can be argued that at least they are using these things in an interesting and somewhat original context. Compare that to most other properties today that play only on our nostalgia and you'll find that the crimes Stranger Things commits are mere child's play.

Nostalgia has taken form due to many different factors, but all of them can be boiled down to three individual issues: people being comfortable with what they know, sanitized realities, and formula.

When I went through a list of many nostalgic / revamped properties of late, all of them came into existence out of the studious understanding that people are comfortable with the familiar. Hollywood understands that releasing an entirely new movie is a risk and the reward is completely reliant on positive critique or getting people properly hyped with good marketing. However, releasing a movie that takes a classic character, such as Mary Poppins, and adds an "original" story plays on the public's love of a beloved classic movie, character, and even possibly the actor that played said character. An audience is much more comfortable seeing something they already know they like and understand, versus something new and unfamiliar.

This isn't just a trend in entertainment. It is human nature. If a person attends a party but sees no one they know, they may feel uncomfortable or like an outsider and therefore not have much fun. If they see someone or a group of people they know, they will automatically feel included and more at ease to have a fun time. The same can be understood when it comes to entertainment. Hollywood is blatantly aware of this. As already mentioned, the internet has given way to people celebrating their nostalgia. It would be stupid of Hollywood not to take advantage of this longing. They know what people crave and are making millions by handing out sugary treats to their nostalgia-ridden customers.

Since literally all of the properties I am going to mention through this essay fit into this first category, I am only going to mention a few in particular during this first part. It can be assumed that all properties mentioned past this point fit into the category of "comfortable with the familiar."

The Disney live-action remakes and the new Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Classic video game system are huge cash cows and examples of Hollywood (or in this case, the video game industry) taking advantage of people's nostalgia dollars. Let's first look at the SNES Classic. At first glance, this product seems really awesome. It harks back to classic games and it is cool seeing the old yet familiar system on shelves once again. But, this is a blatant example of Nintendo blinding its customers with shiny nostalgic merchandise for some extra dollars.

For over 10 years, Nintendo has revived most of its old games in the form of digital downloads. The Wii shop channel, soon to be obliterated from existence, sold virtual games that could be downloaded to the Wii and Wii U systems such as Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Bros, Zelda, and more. XBox has done something similar since then. All the major systems are also re-realeasing games, whether they be HD re-masters, recreations, or just the classic game itself, and while not every game is available, many are easily accessible to the general public. So why buy this incredibly expensive call back system that only comes with a handful of preloaded games when most games are available for the new systems we already own? Well, it is nostalgia. That is literally it. And sure there is the rare occasion that nostalgia is not a factor (I know someone who said their grandmother loves video games and the SNES Classic system would be perfect for her as it is small, has simpler games, and doesn't take up much space) but, again, that is a rare exception. Nintendo could easily work on their digital store on the new Nintendo Switch, but they won't. They want your money.

Then there are the Disney live-action remakes. If there is anything we don't need, it is the Disney live-action remakes. Just think of how many children we could feed with the money that goes into making these films and the money people put into seeing them in the theater and buying them when they are released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital (don't forget streaming services!). I seriously believe that I just solved world hunger right there (or at least decreased it substantially). Tell me I am wrong!

I don't think there is much to say beyond that paragraph. The Disney live-action remakes always create literal carbon copies of their animated predecessors, change enough to excuse the fact that this movie didn't need to be made (i.e. transferring a sentence of dialogue to a different character so that the movie is different [we will be exploring this in the future when it comes to the Beauty and the Beast live-action remake]), and give us lots of pretty CGI and cinematography to make us forget how grotesque and disappointing the movie actually is.

Stranger Things definitely takes advantage of this nostalgia that exists in the modern day audience, young and old, and milks it dry. The whole concept of the show just reeks of nostalgia, even to the artwork of the show. One piece in particular that used to be up on Netflix's website is a hand drawn style image of all of the characters in the show. There is very subtle language being used to remind an audience of films they are nostalgic for. A google image search can easily show us that many classic films that are celebrated today contain movie art and posters that are given the hand drawn look (i.e. The Goonies, Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and even the first Harry Potter film). Continuing on, the show contains a nerdy group of kids who love adventure and ride bikes and talk on walkie-talkies. Tell me that sentence does not give off the scent of the '80s. The show is almost guaranteed a following.

The next point I want to touch on is the idea of sanitized reality. In his book, Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to '80s Teen Movies, Kevin Smokler discusses '80s films that harken back to the '50s and skip over the politically charged and distraught '60s and '70s as if they never existed. These movies embrace, as Rider Strong (ironically, a star of the nostalgic '90s, in Boy Meets World) says on the podcast "Literary Disco," " [a] make America great nostalgia...that's a little disturbing." Julia Pistell, another host on the podcast, notes that these movies are "teen movies [about] emotion and they're about rebellion...in the confines of [the] white, suburban, rich world." '80s movies are not the only culprits of almost retelling history as sentimental and devoid of political issues. Rider Strong goes on to say, in the same podcast episode, in regard to his time on Boy Meets World that the writers were practically writing a '50s version of the '90s. The episode also touches on Stranger Things and I highly recommend listening to it (click here).

Many properties from the past (be it the '80s or even the '60s and '70s) present a very specific portrait of American life that many have mistaken for the reality of the past. These shows are extremely sanitized, showing TV watching folks "normal" people. Even with shows that have some absurd characters or different family structures, it all falls back on these people being a unique nuclear family. These people dress nice and in style, don't swear, and represent wholesome family values. Who cares about real life? This version of reality is much nicer and takes our mind off of real world problems (and the same people who say this also insult the "nerds" who cling to fantastical stories such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, properties that at least offer some form of substance along with their form of escapism fiction).

Nothing represents this better than Full House, now Fuller House. The original show is often criticized for its overt moral moments and the obligatory sad music. It is one of those shows that if made into a cake would have many layers on heavy icing that makes one sick to their stomach. The show paints, as noted above by the "Literary Disco" team, a unique picture of the normal American family in the '80s as having problems "in the confines of [the] white, suburban, rich world." Not only that, but the show blatantly relies on making you sad and addressing problems that aren't actually problems. But because of nostalgia, no matter how enlightened we now are about Full House, there is still a successful spin-off with the all too original title, Fuller House. The show finds our young characters all grown up and running into some more shenanigans as adults that they caused as children. How fun! And as usual, these problems are not actual problems and are usually caused by the stupidity of the characters themselves. Laugh track, laugh track, laugh track. This is quality TV. Well...actually it isn't. But, somehow, it is three seasons strong. Nostalgia.

Another show that represents a distorted reality is Gilmore Girls. Now, full disclosure, I have never watched or liked this show. I've seen bits and pieces of it but never understood the hype. However, I know several people who loved this show while it was on TV and watched the new Netflix mini-series, A Year in the Life. Since I have never watched the show regularly or seen a full episode all the way through of the original or new series, there is really no way for me to give any opinion on said properties. However, from what I know of the original show and new mini-series based on critiques I've seen throughout the internet, the general consensus seems to be that like Fuller House, A Year in the Life relies on the same fast talking, pop culture referencing, and problems that aren't really problems tropes from the original TV show. Here is a good video to watch on all of that jazz.

Stranger Things does this as well. It is what I like to call borrowing from something but not learning from that something's mistakes. Instead of moving forward as a species, we'd rather sit back in our comfy chairs and forget about real issues. So Stranger Things gives us the token black character, parents who are oblivious, and awkward sibling hugs. All characters fall into some sort of cliche, and although the show tries to spin these cliches, it doesn't make it a priority and so these spins often fall flat really quickly. The characters perform to fit the archetype they represent: the hero, the worried mother, or the scientist 100% non-wavering evil villain.

Take Nancy for example. Nancy is the stereotypical straight and white high school girl. The first episode sees her worrying about if a guy named Steve (Steve Harrington, she says his first and last name over and over again as if it is cute) likes her. As the show progresses, we see Nancy go from being this cliche character to becoming a bit of a badass with another character named Jonathan out of pure necessity. Their lives and family are at stake. Steve is the typical guy who doesn't care about Nancy but just wants to have sex with her. But, Steve has a redemption arc! So, the final episode shows us that Nancy, despite all of the episodes of her bonding with Jonathan through an extremely traumatic situation, chooses Steve. And people will say that the trope is that Nancy would of course end up with the other, better guy (that being Jonathan) (though I will say I am very happy to see a show give a seemingly bad character a redemption arc and actually follow through with it realistically) but...well, she would do that because the show's plot and character development led to that conclusion. Why do the build up if you are going to have your characters go the opposite way? This also takes away from Nancy's story, as it now becomes about Steve's redemption over Nancy's independence and growth as a character.  

One show I really like is called Good Behavior on TNT. While not a perfect show, it constantly has our characters making bad decisions. Despite that, they are trying to be good people. The show acknowledges the human desire to return to what is easy instead of growing which is difficult, and captures the awkwardness of admitting one's problems and setting things right. In other words, it shows flawed characters who can admit to their flaws and at least be self aware enough to try and be better, even if they keep failing.

Stranger Things, however, falls into the trope that everything can be tied into a nice bow. In other words, it buys into a semi-sanitized reality. Now, I am aware of the scene with Will coughing up that nasty creature in the bathroom, but that scene is specifically building up to the next season. It exists purely to build up the hype. One could argue that Eleven's story isn't neatly tied up but actually is. We know she is alive and returning next season as evidence by the waffles Hopper takes to the woods. Will is an uncertainty. But I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end, as is the nature of these types of shows. Again, this isn't an outright bad thing. Our current climate, however, doesn't leave tropes like this to be desired.

But continuing, the show firmly believes that all of our characters have come to a good place and that is such an '80s trope. I refuse to believe that the kids in the Breakfast Club suddenly became better people after one Saturday detention. I believe that something of that caliber could spark continued change. But '80s movies don't work like that. Stranger Things had a chance to improve upon this trope but it did not. Why? Because that is what '80s movies do and there is no room for the medium to grow because NOSTALGIA. These characters don't act as if they have been through a life altering event. The only person who does, as mentioned above, is Will. And while I do think that was partially deliberate, I don't think the writers consciously decided to challenge tropes. In fact, their decision was to continue the tropes to appease a certain demogorgon. I mean, demographic.

Finally, since we sort of got there already, let's talk about formulas. Many properties today that rely on audience nostalgia also rely on a certain formula to tell a story. In other words, they use tropes. Creators do this because if they change the formula and pull viewers out of their comfort zone, said viewers may not return and that means less money. Instead, they chose a safe and easy form of storytelling that will keep viewers but also dumb them down. Why? Because, nostalgia. And capitalism.

Several properties do this. They simply take the old story, give it a bit of touch ups, and rehash it before our very eyes without the intent to truly tell a good story.  

Take Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Now, I am not a Star Wars fan, nor have I seen any of the new movies and most of the old ones (though I have read the Shakespearian adaptations which you should totally read because they are AMAZING). I will say that I do plan to see the new movies soon (probably going to watch Episode VII tonight) and will see the newest one is theater's with my home girl Rachel (who has an awesome podcast with my other friend Zeek and you should totally check it out). But, even though I haven't seen the newest Star Wars numbered title, it is hard to avoid discussion on the topic. Most, if not all, reviews discussed the issue of this new film rehashing Episode IV. Episode VII merely replaces our main hero with a girl, gives us a new robot, and a villain from the same vain as Darth Vader. The new movie is literally the old movie in disguise. Now, to be fair, I have heard that the film was extremely well done. It is also important to note that Episode IV follows the classic trope of the hero's journey which is replicated by many fantasy and sci-fi stories. In other words, this could be argued to be a trope issue instead of a nostalgia issue. I'd say in this case, they go hand in hand. It can also be said that when Episodes I, II, and III came out, everyone loved them. Time is what changed that opinion and people grew to despise those movies. Who says the same won't happen to this current era of the franchise?

On to another title though. Jurassic World came out the same year as Star Wars, Episode VII. But unlike Star Wars, Jurassic World was all fluff and no substance. I saw the movie and had fun. That is it. Jurassic Park stories always rely on the same thing - people stupidly go to a place with dinosaurs and think they are safe, dinosaurs turn on them, someone who we don't care about dies, more bad stuff happens, there is a final showdown, everyone gets away, the end. The new film did nothing different from its original and followed every beat exactly. Jurassic fans ate it up and now another installment is being made. Nostalgia. It is a never ending circle.

With all of these reboots, it is no wonder we are seeing a second generation of Harry Potter material cropping up (Fantastic Beasts films and the Cursed Child play) that is written and released in such quick succession that many of the original details and lore from the 7 book series is now being contradicted or ignored completely. Buy hey, that is what happens when nostalgia blinds us. We eat it up but don't properly address our poor entertainment diet. We are sick and don't even realize it.

Then there is Girl Meets World and Raven's Home. These are both Disney channel spins off of classic ABC / Disney '90s sitcoms; Boy Meets World and That's So Raven. I give Raven's Home a plus for at least picking a semi-original title compared to Girl Meets World which doesn't try to hide the fact that it just did a gender swap. Seriously, where is the originality? Are we so bent on reliving our past that we undervalue original content and ideas? The answer is yes; nostalgia is a powerful drug.

Let's look at Girl Meets World first. The premise of the show is one similar to that of Fuller House. Our characters have grown up and now are playing the role of parent while their kids make mistakes. Isn't it great? (And in case you weren't aware, that question was me being sarcastic). NO, it is NOT great! Boy Meets World is a show I didn't watch growing up and so unlike most of my peers, I don't particularly like it that much. Sure the show has made me laugh and she I enjoy some of the characters, but for the most part I find the show to be family friendly mush. Girl Meets World takes this formula and multiplies it by 10! The amount of cringe I had to experience while watching this show is quite frankly unfair. Seriously, it was an awful mess. It wasn't as successful as the showrunners had hoped, only lasting for a few seasons. In some regard the show failed because it fails to be a legit modern day Disney channel show (which have their own problems outside of this argument!). On the other hand, it can also be said that nostalgia got the best of the show. It was so concerned with being like the original that it failed to be its own thing. Now, we know from experience that this does not always break a show. But this time it did, and I am glad. Seriously, we don't need another Boy Meets World. We had it once, we don't need it again. Girl Meets World is the equivalent of older people insisting young kids shouldn't learn with calculators. No. Calculators aren't bad. They are necessary for the complex math that is taught in high level education. Nostalgia is blinding. It is blaming the calculator for the poor math programs offered in schools. The problem isn't the calculator and the problem isn't new media. The problem is new media trying to replicate old media to a point. It is unoriginal and lazy.

Raven's Home does a bit better, but not by much. After watching the Pilot episode, I found the show to retain its familiar style of humor while also embracing new and diverse characters. That being said, the show catches its audience completely by keeping nostalgia alive. So even though Raven is an adult woman, she still acts like a teenager. She still makes the same mistakes that happened all the time in the original show. Can't someone tell this woman, "RAVEN! Your visions always come true based on your meddling. SO STOP MEDDLING!" But no, that won't happen because then we would have a different show from That's So Raven and different is bad.

Stranger Things, as already discussed in this essay, relies heavily on the coming of age, '80s formula. It is E.T. meets Stand by Me. Literally. So the kids ride bikes to escape the authorities. Check. Group of boys share an experience that changes them forever and assists their growing up. Check. Siblings have a shared experience that brings them closer together. Check. Secret government / corrupt adult stuff going on under the public's nose. Check. High school rebellion and drinking and sex. Check. Protagonist, funny kid, black kid. Check. I could go on but since this is long already, let's keep going.

Stranger Things is indeed an original property, but it borrows (or really takes from) other properties with zero regard for making anything truly original. If you don't believe me after this long essay, perhaps another original example will change your mind.

La La Land is a movie musical that came out last year to the general consensus that it was an incredible motion picture. Critics and audiences alike raved about the callbacks to old Hollywood musicals in how the film was shot, the musical numbers, and the choreography. However, when I saw the movie I left the theater disappointed. I found the movie to be boring and unoriginal, unsure of why it was considered a musical when most of the second half contained no singing and the movie only had two big chorus numbers. The movie certainly had callbacks but they felt empty, like they were just thrown in for the sake of, you guessed it, nostalgia. It is as if the movie wants to hark back to a better time in filmmaking yet the movie itself can't make a good film. After seeing the movie, I read and listened to several different reviews and found that many people actually didn't like the movie. It became a heavily debated subject. In fact, the movie's polarizing effect on people created a meme when the Oscars accidently awarded best picture to La La Land when in actuality it was Moonlight that won (and rightfully so).

All this points to a problem in our entertainment. Now, more than ever before, we are relying on nostalgia to entertain us. Although I will argue that nostalgia is ingrained in other instances that have existed for decades and long since works such as the Bible were introduced, it seems that today we have entered a Nostalgia Renaissance. So many properties in today's media are stemming off of something that was once popular. And sure I could make the argument that Hollywood and creators are running out of ideas but that argument is overdone. I mean, it comes from an honest place, don't get me wrong. But I think the problem is much deeper than lack of ideas.

Creators always have and always will borrow from other forms of entertainment and other stories. One can argue that there is no such thing as an original idea. However, you won't find me making that argument as I disagree that original ideas are nonexistent. I do believe people are constantly borrowing from other works, but I don't believe people can't make something new and interesting with that material. Nostalgia can be a good influence on entertainment. Take the new video game Cuphead for example.

Cuphead's entire game is designed based on the 1930's cartoons. From its art design to the music, the game is drenched in cartoon nostalgia. In fact, it was these factors that drew me to buy the game. But unlike most of the titles mentioned in this piece, Cuphead does something new and original with its nostalgia. While nostalgia is definitely a reaction one can have to this game, it is not the reason for the game's existence. Rather, it is a way of challenging the current video game market. Most games today have incredibly realistic graphics, focusing on violent gameplay and the incredible detail that goes into each strand of grass on the screen. Cuphead stands out from the crowd because of it's approach to game design. Instead of life-like graphics, we are given a cartoony character with a slightly dark premise of dealing with the devil. In essence, the game deals with dark topics as old cartoons dealt with dark topics - with humor and jazzy music. This style is not put in just for the sake of it. It is clear that the creators of this game made it to be fun and to be a good game. They did not make it to fit in with a current trend. They didn't put in characters from old cartoons to make people feel more content. They created new ideas from the old and gave us a game that celebrates the ‘30s. This distinguishes the game from the other titles discussed in this essay that use nostalgia, instead, as a crutch.

The original idea is not dead. Yes, original ideas may borrow from other ideas but they can remake them in new and interesting ways without being a retread. Netflix can also be an example of this. The platform has consistently been shelling out new and interesting content. It isn't always good, but it is at least trying to do something interesting. In fact, Stranger Things is still an original show that is sparking trends right this very minute. Now everyone wants to make content that harks back to the '80s.

I don't believe Stranger Things is a bad show. I love the show, and can't wait for the second season to premiere on Netflix. But it is important to address the issues that exist within the show to see the bigger problem that exists within the entertainment industry today. Sure Stranger Things is good, but what about the bad things we continue to look past and the entertainment that feature these negative tropes in a more heightened reality? It is important to hold entertainment accountable. As creators, we should learn from the mistakes made in shows and movies we love so that we can create something better. Just because something harks back to the familiar and something we miss, doesn't automatically make it good.