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wikiangela · 6 months

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✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

Words and Fics

192,761 words published to ao3

2 fandoms (911 and MCU - mcu was like one fic tho lol)

Most recent drop: I wanna spend my forever like that (911, 8.6k, G)

Longest fic: For a holiday (and forevermore) (911, 95k, M)

Top Fics by Kudos

For a holiday (and forevermore) (95k, M)

I can't love you any more (than I do now) (2.6k, G)

I'd marry you with paper rings (3.4k, G)

me, you, our kid and a dog (4.7k, G)

me and you only equals love (6.6k, E)

My fandom fic events in 2023

I don't think I took part in any this year :( maybe next year haha

Upcoming Events and Projects for 2024

well, right now I'm working on a few wips im hoping to get done in the next few weeks/months (depending on time and inspiration lol):

the alive shannon fic - this is my main focus and i hope to maybe finish it sometime next year but who knows hah (I barely started, it's gonna be a while)

buddie coffee shop au - ive been working on this for so long and it's lowkey on hold now but istg i'll finish this

buddie cheating fic

the natalia fic

married buddie smut

another smut I haven't mentioned yet but it's waiting until i finish married buddie smut

bi eddie fic

and probably some more oneshots lol

but tbh, we'll see where the next year takes me, I can't plan too much bc it never works out haha

rules & tags below the cut

tagged by @exhuastedpigeon @underwater-ninja-13 @hippolotamus @jesuisici33 @jamespearce9-1-1 @theotherbuckley @steadfastsaturnsrings @rainbow-nerdss <333

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

no pressure tagging: @malewifediaz @thewolvesof1998 @eddiebabygirldiaz @honestlydarkprincess @spotsandsocks @loserdiaz @lover-of-mine @disasterbuckdiaz @monsterrae1 @jeeyuns @housewifebuck @giddyupbuck @hoodie-buck @spagheddiediaz @daffi-990 and whoever else wants to <3

#tbf mcu was one fic from january lmao - after that 911 wholly consumed me haha #this year was basically exclusively buddie #i've been writing buddie since march 2021 but october 2022 they *really* took over and i can't write anything else haha #fic writing review 2023 #my fics #wikiangela writes #buddie fics #buddie #tag games

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manonamora-if-reviews · 10 months

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Elsinore: After Hamlet by Jinx/Lapin Lunaire

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Jinx or follow @lapinlunaire-games

============= Synopsis

The year is 2021—or maybe 1602? Hamlet the Younger has just tragically died and Fortinbras the Younger, King of Norway and newly-conquered Denmark, has a lot of cleaning up to do. Elsinore: After Hamlet is an interactive fiction exploration of William Shakespeare's Hamlet as a plague text and a reckoning of Asian American identity during these trying times.

============= Other Info

Elsinore: After Hamlet is a Twine (Harlowe) game. It was the first game from this author.

Status: Completed Genre: Isekai, Adaptation, Slice of Life

CW: blood, death, violence, illness, bad puns, explicit language, panic attack, mention of racism, animated text (not toggable).

============= Playthrough

First Played: ??? Last Played: 08-Aug-2023 Playtime: around 2h (most endings) Rating: 4 /5 Thoughts: Is Life adapting Art? or Art adapting Life?

============= Review

Staged during the pandemic, this story will take you on a strange adventure, where reality and hallucinations become one. As you try to finish an essay on Hamlet, your crippling thoughts keep going back to your worries about "these trying times"... until you are transported into a cold and mourning castle. Will you be consumed by your hallucinations? or claw back to reality to finish your assignment?

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

I should probably preface this review by saying I've never read Hamlet (or Shakespeare's work) outside of lone lines or loose adaptations (I think the Lion King/Dune applies?). And while I know there are murders, betrayals, unrequited feelings, madness and monologues galore, the game does not punish you for not knowing the intricacies of the text. Because the story is set after Hamlet's death... and it is not really about Hamlet either.

E:aH uses Hamlet as a framing device to explore the themes of grief, the fear of and hopelessness about death, and identity (esp. Asian American), when living through a global pandemic. During this period, many of us have experienced grief and hardship, from not being able to meet people, to losing family members, seeing one's health worsen, or being subject to violence from others... And within its 15k+ words, this game creates a snapshot filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Yet, amidst the depressing setting, the prose is parsed with humour, little gems bringing levity to the story.

The story happens in two folds: you working on your assignment, trying to suppress worries about your loved ones and the state of the world, and your hallucinations(?) set in Elsinore, imagining events following the end of the play. Both somewhat mirroring or criticising the other. You struggle to find something meaningful to say about the the text, while Horatio scolds you for downplaying their agency as people. A "plague" starts in Elsinore, which you notice from a servant coughing. you share comforting words to Horatio and compassion for his situation, recalling times of struggles during the "war" against COVID and the violence some were forced to endure because of their ethnicity.

The game feels like a critique of the text, through the added character of Petra challenging the crown while passive Ophelia goes mad, or a critique of some reading of the text, like with the comments about the relationships between Horatio and Hamlet. The critiques are sometimes a bit more blunt, with the player character roasting Hamlet for derailing his father's quest (meeting his demise) or his poor treatment towards other characters (esp. Ophelia).

While the UI strayed very little from the basic Harlowe base, it does utilise the enchantment macros in an interesting manner, often enhancing the player character's feelings, a few even added to the hallucination assumptions (especially when ignoring the first sign). Some of the strangely formatted text will hide the way to advance through the story. I wasn't particularly fan some typed text (a bit too slow) or timed ones (wait a bit too long), and one hidden link was biiit too obtuse to find - but it didn't detract my overall enjoyment of the story.

But as every story, this too must end. So let's finish with the endings. The game has 7 possible endings. Some easier to get than others; some longer than others; some good, some bad, some neither. I reached the shorter ones more easily than the longer ones. Depending on your choices, the story will confirm these hallucinations were just a dream or will let you believe you are still trapped in Elsinore; you may reach a bittersweet end where your heart lightened, or one sharing the same fate as Ophelia. Out of those, I think I preferred the ones where the isekai theme was the more obvious, regardless of how forceful the return to reality is, as it mirrored best the start of the game and felt more like a closing the circle moment.

#Elsinore: After Hamlet #lapin lunaire games #interactive fiction #complete #2021 #twine game #review #slice of life #isekai #adaptation

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samarecharm · 2 months

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thank you for the long response! it was geniunely a very interesting read!! also i did not want to imply that you have to 100% like something or else drop it, that was not my intention (/_;)/~~ i just wanted to know what were the pros that outweighed the cons for you to continue the game!! i definitely have my own rant about the persona 5, as much as i love it.

i'm someone who has sunk hundreds of hours (i think about 400) into persona 5 royal, i have played the original as well and,,,,, i don't remember every bit of it as i got much more into royal, but your response definitely dug up some memories of my own gripes with the game as it was then. i bought strikers once i had a switch!! i was super excited to see ryuji and the rest of the gang again, but due to life stuff and me generally not being a fan of button smashers/combo games, i only got like 3 hours into it before i left it alone. also the lack of akechi was disheartening since after royal giving him more story i was wanting /still want more of him as royal, while not fully fixing his confidant, still improved majorly on his character in my opinion. but i trust your judgment, so do you have any tips to get back into strikers? it's really the gameplay that sticks out like a sore thumb to me, i'm not very dexterous with a controler and i get the hang of things quite slowly,,,, but again, thank you geniunely for responding so kindly and elaborating!! (*^ω^)

You are welcome 😊 I try to give the botd for questions like this, bc I have seen and received some very silly comments wrt to complaints of this game (and others people hold in high regard). Not that I am happy to see that you remembered some gripes w a game you liked, but it is easy to become a bit rosetinted about media you enjoy, and its good to go back and say ‘hey actually, theres some stuff i DO wish couldve been changed to make the experience better.’ At least u were polite about asking lmao

I think I am going to have the same problem I had before, so im going to preemptively put my strikers tips under the cut to stop it from bloating up dashboards 😭

I am aware that the warriors style gameplay is not for everyone; its very repetitive by its nature and it can be really bad on the hands if youre not used to it, so I unfortunately dont have a suggestion for making the combat portion of the game easier. But I am halfway through a ng+ of that game, so I at least have tips on how to make the combat less confusing, and how to spend less time on the actual combat itself.

Stick to one character and ignore literally anyone else in the beginning. I am so serious about this. The upgrades you get for ranking up teammates is used to enhance their combos, and that can be confusing in the beginning of the game. I had to fall back onto normal difficulty until i got the hang of everyones combos, so i suggest you do the same.

The ai for your teammates is surprisingly well done, and they will target enemy weaknesses and heal you before you NEED to be healed, which is always better than them simply forgetting to do so. They buff often, but they are a bit lax about debuffing without manual input (ann has Tarunda as a spell AND as a combo finisher, but she refuses to do either unless its targeting a tough enemy). You should prioritize builds that buff your entire team (so the competent team ai rips enemies to shreds) and debuffing enemies.

Combos are almost entirely optional if youre willing to jump in and out of Jails to replenish SP constantly. Spam spells, and switch teammates to spam their spells as well, then leave the Jail and return. Unlike the mainline games, leaving the metaverse does not pass time; only hitting important plot points like getting to the treasure and fighting the jailer counts towards progressing time, so you should abuse it as often as possible.

Due to [REDACTED] spoilers, you WILL need to at least master or understand three characters and their movesets. I obviously suggest Akira as one, but pick two more characters that work well with your playstyle. Ryuji was personally the easiest to understand; hes resistant to flinching, and his finishers are ‘hold X to kill everything around you’. Haru has a wide aoe for her combo finishers, letting her spin and shred through enemies or spam her grenade launcher infinitely. She has the added benefit of gaining more armor and reduced flinching during her hold finishers, so shes good for fighting bosses.

DONT fight those super hard burning enemies. They arent worth it 😭😭 you need to be at least 3-4 jails deep before u can even fight the one in shibuya jail 😭😭 theyre very easy to avoid, so just shimmy past them or ignore the area theyre in outright.

If you focus on understanding Akira, know that each persona has a unique set of finishers (yes, literally each one). If you are thinking of learning combos instead of just spamming spells, I suggest learning the pattern for executing his combos before focusing on what the finishers actually do. From there, you can test out finishers for each persona, and decide which ones are worth keeping based on that. I will say though, that the finishers kinda dont mean anything until you get to the end game, where high leveled personas will have spells like Concentrate or Debilitate as Finishers; but always know that a finisher spell is ALWAYS a spell that you can just as easily cast with SP. Dont make the game more stressful or complicated than you need it to be.

(As an addon, if you can understand Akiras moveset, then learning the other ones will be WAY easier since they are all virtually the same. The only thing you need to memorize is exactly what spell is used on their finishers; it took me forever to realize that Yusukes last finisher is…a combo enhancer…that makes his finishers last forever… and you would NOT know that unless u started learning his moveset since his ai never uses it)

If youre someone who wants to farm and level up to gain access to more personas, you should find the strong enemies around a map instead of constantly reclearing the entire jail. Unlike the mainline games, enemies do not respawn after leaving a floor; you gotta leave the jail and come back to make them respawn. If you are okay w the repetition, it is easier to memorize the spawns of strong enemies (not the minibosses that are burning) and beat them up for good exp and money, esp since all spawns are static. Silky in the Shibuya jail is the first one that comes to mind, since Ann is able to stunlock her w Agis, AND she spawns very close to one of the checkpoints (its before the underground section of shibuya but i cannot remember the name of it) making it easy to jump in and jump out to replenish SP, and continue farming.

And finally, despite what I just said, dont take the bosses of this game too seriously. They arent easy but they are absolutely doable without insane builds and optimization. Bosses have aids in the form of interactables of their respective weaknesses (Shibuya has party poppers with wind affinitiy thats eventually used on the boss to stun them.) Stock up on healing personas, Stock up on Items from Sophias shop, and target weaknesses whenever you can to force an allout attack as fast as possible. The combat can be overwhelming, but at the end of the day, the combat is really just ‘run around from attacks and spam spells or combos until the thing dies’. I hope that helps a little bit, and if push comes to shove, i will always recommend watching a playthrough instead of fighting through a game that feels like a slog to get through. Most of the story comes from the cutscenes and city interactions, so you arent missing much by watching someone beat up shadows for u lol and bc i genuinely LOVE the characters they introduce, its worth it to learn about them.

It sucks that Goro isnt in the game, but it was made prior to Royal iirc (the japanese release was the only one available for some time). I will say though, the themes of this game fit him so perfectly, and if youre of the mind to speculate and make aus, then you will be joining me in the obsession of making Goro interactions w the team. Palaces were about corrupted peoples desires distorting the world around them, and they were always someone so reprehensible, you were not intended to sympathize w them and even debate if what the thieves were doing was wrong. But Jails serve an entirely different purpose, and the end result is having Rulers with depth to them, and the overarching theme of ‘if you fuck up your life and others over the decisions you thought were correct, can you recover?’ And the answer is always ‘yes. No matter what, you can always start over if you intend to do better and be better’, and I think thats a good reason to see the entire story through :)

#chattin #p5s #its an essay im SORRY #but i like this game and i like giving reviews and advice for the games i like #i want people to enjoy it; but i do NOT want people to waste money yknow?#anyways this was nice. i like talking about all aspects of this game #i am so aware of how monotonous this game can be combatwise #and i try to emphasize that its fun for me BECAUSE of the grind; i played warframe and destiny for years; i am so used to it #and theres some things i picked up from playing these games so often that may not be easy to pick up for some players #thinking of my sister who is NOT used to those kinds of games and figuring out how to help her #like if anon was my sister instead how would i tell her how to make the game easier ?#i wish it had an accessibility feature to let u auto input combos but alas #devs and companies dont really think of those things #also EDIT. i looked up the release dates #and scramble (strikers) released in japan in feb 2020 while royal came out in mar 2020 #scramble released worldwide in 2021 which is a year before i actually bought it #insane its been in my library for TWO years before i played it #so dont let ur dreams be dreams anon; i also waited forever to play this game lol

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nerdby · 2 months

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Mortal Kombat ended up being a fun movie. There were some plot holes that, hopefully, were a lot easier for diehard fans of the franchise to fill in than they were for me. Like I said before this is my first time consuming any sort of Mortal Kombat media since the 90s and back then I was like eight years old. Most of my memories of this franchise come from playing the arcade game at Pizza Hut. So I'm kinda fuzzy on all of the franchise lore.

Aside from the plot holes, the choreography and graphics could have used some work. But it definitely wasn't the worst CGI I've ever seen. I did think Kano's story arc was incredibly predictable, though, and he felt a bit like a ripoff of Butcher from The Boys. Though I'm pretty sure Mortal Kombat predates The Boys, but don't quote me on that.

That being said this was a solid popcorn action flick. It's suitable for children ages fourteen and up if you don't mind the occasional F-bomb being dropped. It gets three and a half stars, and I definitely plan on getting my own copy on Blu-ray to add to my collection.

#movie review #video games #arcade games #vintage games #video game movies #tv and streaming #tv and movies #film review #nostalgia #nostalgia core #nostalgia geek #1990s nostalgia #1980s nostalgia #retro vintage #remakes #mortal kombat #mortal kombat 2021

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isablooo · 1 year

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Really do love the original Ace Attorney character designs and I’m really not a fan of the way they shifted in AA5 (like many other good things in the games...). Originally the important characters looked like wacky cartoonish versions of real people, but in AA5 they just become fully cartoony and don’t even have that real-world grounding at all. I can’t really explain it but they also just become way more cluttered like they’re throwing random design elements at the wall and seeing what sticks. Athena's and Blackquill designs are bad (honestly Blackquill’s suit is great but the skunk hair just throws it all off), but it also extends to side charas like Prof Means, wtf was going on there!

#one day I'll drop my redesign for Athena she deserved better #If anyone wants me to drop my full AA5 review from summer 2021 I will....#It's mostly a rant cuz I was v fustrated with that game lol #the first 4 ace attorney games are near and dear to my heart but I don't fuck with the 3D games they are just... bad #Not including the great ace attorney because I haven't played it but I've heard good things #ace attorney #text post

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everygame · 11 months

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Guardians of the Galaxy (PS4)

Developed/Published by: Eidos Montreal / Eidos Released: 26/10/2021 Completed: 23/04/2023 Completion: Beat it. Trophies / Achievements: n/a

It sounds like a weird thing to say about a video game that is more correctly described as IP exploitation rather than a genuine creative work, but I was hoping for more from this.

I mean, I’m not sure why? I mean, I do know why, I’d heard the classic siren song of “it’s not as bad as people say” and for some reason that always makes me interested to play something. But Marvel’s video game output is inconsistent like the MCU never happened (well, because as far as the video games are concerned, it hasn’t) with different studios doing different things, like Square Enix bafflingly deciding the Avengers should have a games-as-a-service loot shooter, and because despite what the video games want to have you believe the MCU did happen, so an Avengers games-as-a-service loot shooter features a cast that look like they should be be standing outside Mann’s Chinese Theatre having their picture taken with tourists because all the actors were clever enough to not sign away their likeness rights.

Surprisingly–or perhaps, luckily–this doesn’t affect Guardians of the Galaxy too much, because most of the cast are aliens and everyone is sick of fucking Chris Pratt, so having another jerky looking white guy in the role barely matters. And I do think the design team made a genuinely good decision to just try and make a straight forward third-person shooter with a linear narrative and levels rather than giving in to the temptation to make some sort of open-world thing, even if the Guardians of the Galaxy’s wacky adventures might have suited more of a Mass Effect metagame, though that the game does try and include meaningful dialogue choices and Mass Effect-y squad combat mechanics.

It’s just that… It’s boring.

The team dynamic works–there’s constant chatter, and it’s honestly not that annoying. The needle drops are often funny (or at least, I was easily amused by them). But the pacing is all off, with long segments of what feels like just walking slowly from cut-scene to cut-scene, and then when you actually get to the combat it’s never, ever satisfying. I eventually gave up and bumped it down to the absolute easiest it could be and every enemy was still an insane bullet sponge, and the fact that you need to be constantly directing the other guardians to do things to make them cause any damage at all means there’s absolutely no flow. It’s entirely possible that the game’s stagger and elemental damage mechanics make killing enemies easier, but they’re poorly explained and as much as I thought I was using them correctly, maybe I wasn’t?

The game’s economy/upgrade system also doesn’t work; your upgrades for Star Lord are underwhelming and you will have them all by three quarters of the way through the game, meaning you can ignore the rest of the currency you find lying around the levels, and though there’s a limited number of guardian upgrades, you don’t really want more considering you can only use one at a time with cooldowns; you end up spamming a few favourites through the whole game anyway.

It’s all a bit of a bummer, because you can sort of feel that the team are trying to do something, it just doesn’t work. Maybe it was scheduling, pressure from the top or demands of the IP, but every little spark of fun in the writing or twists in the design are hammered down by the lengthy tedium of just grinding through the game, especially as the story is extremely underwhelming, suffering not just from some pretty picked over cliches but also really baffling character motivations at points.

Ironically, it’s only really that I have residual fondness for the characters/”IP” that carried me through this, which is a sorry state of affairs. Still, I’ve learned my lesson, even if it is being delisted I’m not touching The Avengers with a ten-foot barge pole.

Will I ever play it again? Why does a game like this have a New Game Plus, really? You unlock everything before you’ve even finished it! I’ll never look at this again, I doubt I’ll even think about it. Final Thought: The question is of course, is sitting through this worse than sitting through things like Ms. Marvel or She-Hulk? Trick question, you can look at your phone while those are on.

Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up a digital copy of exp. 2600, a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

#video games #games #gaming #guardians of the galaxy #marvel #eidios montreal #review #text #txt #eidos #ps4 #2021

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anime-of-the-day · 2 years

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Anime of the day: Blue Reflection Ray

Released: 2021

Emotions are just fragments, but when a fragment becomes strong enough it becomes a reflector. This special tool allows one to connect to those who are lost. Some use these powers to help and others to hurt. When Ruka finds one a reflector she must make the ultimate decision: should she stay in her comfort zone or push into the world of the unknown.

#Blue Reflection Ray #2021 #magic #anime #anime review #anime recommendation #anime of the day #anime rec list #anime rec #magical girl #school #drama #based on a game #game

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roundthewheel · 1 year

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I played (most of) GET IN THE CAR, LOSER!, the "lesbian road trip RPG" by Christine Love, and wrote about it

#video games #writing #writing about video games #get in the car loser #christine love #love conquers all #lgbtq #gay #lesbian #trans #queer #lgbtq video games #on the road #review #2021

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don-lichterman · 1 year

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Blackhawks @ Islanders 12/4 | NHL Highlights 2022

Blackhawks @ Islanders 12/4 | NHL Highlights 2022 Source link

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maiahiraya · 3 years

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REVIEW: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

DATE STARTED: 7 October 2021 DATE FINISHED: 12 October 2021 RATING: 4.5 / 5

“In my heart, you were always mine.”

Ever since I first finished reading the Kingdom of Ash, I have been scared of reading a book that has the potential to make me cry, because that’s how traumatizing my reading experience with KoA has been.

And I didn’t think this book would even make me cry. And yet, it still did. 🥺

First of all, I wouldn’t 100% trust my review of this book because I read this for 7 days non-continuously due to uni and so I kind of forgot my initial reading experience for this. Just a heads up!

Anyway, I LOVED this book! Maybe not a hundred percent, but I know I loved it more than the first one.

The mystery aspect was less than in the TIG, but I was waaaay less spoiled about the events in this one, that I was actually shaken at some revelations here, so yay! Also, the build-up was okay, still.

But oh, boy, the romance. I know I said in my review for the first book that I am totally Team Jameson, but 20% in this book, and Grayson has already won me. Like seriously! 😭 And by 50% I know I lost my conviction for Avery-Jameson, though the last chapters really redeemed Jameson for me, so yay! (But now I have a lingering love for Grayson…)

And speaking of Avery, one thing I could say now is that she’s more interesting than in the previous book. However, it was only for the last 40%. She was still a tad boring for the first 60%, lol.

Also, I just want to give props to the characters here? 1) My love for Thea in the first book got transferred to Max! 😄 2) Please, if Max & Xander isn't endgame then I don’t know anymore! 3) Thea & Rebecca’s romance! 🥺 4) Finally found a reason to appreciate Nash and Libby more. 🥲

And hello… Avery’s mother? I knew she had something, and looking at it now, it was probably quite cliché, too, but I was shook! I didn’t really place her in league with Kaylie Roonie, but damn! She really had lots of secrets, huh? 🤭

But now, for the part that really struck me most — Tobias Hawthorne II! 😭 Yo, man, you are such a complicated person. 😭 But I love you so. 🥺 I expected his romance with Avery’s mom, but the context of it? 😭 I literally believed him as Avery’s father that up to the very last minute I was sure of it, and so when he confirmed that he really wasn’t, how heartbroken was I? 😭 But he really said, “In my heart, you were always mine.” 😭 Please!!! My heart just broke more.

Aaa I just really appreciated this book more so than I did the first one. This book redeemed the trilogy for me if I’m going to be honest. And now I can’t wait for The Final Gambit. 🥺

Final rating: 4.5! 🤍

#maiahiraya 2021 reads #maiahiraya reviews #book review #the inheritance games #the hawthorne legacy #jennifer lynn barnes

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moviesandmania · 29 days

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SURVIVE THE GAME aka KILLING FIELD Bruce Willis crime thriller - now on Tubi

Survive the Game is a 2021 American crime thriller about three cops engaged in a pitched battle against a gang of drug dealers. Also known as Killing Field Directed by James Cullen Bressack (Beyond the Law; Blood Craft; Bethany; Pernicious; Blood Lake) from a screenplay written by Ross Peacock. Co-produced by Alex Eckert, Randall Emmett, George Furla, Tyler Jon Olson, Luillo Ruiz, Mark Stewart…

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#2021 #Bruce Willis #Chad Michael Murray #crime #drug dealers #film #free on Tubi #James Cullen Bressack #movie #review reviews #Sarah Roemer #Survive the Game #thriller

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doorplays · 4 months

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My Top Ten Games That I Played in 2023

Hello! 2023 has come and gone. I’ve played a decent amount of games across the year. Now that it’s 2024, I want to look back at the games I played and how they affected me. A retrospective! Now that some time has passed between my playing of a game and now, how has that time aged my opinion? I want to know! And I have decided to do it in the form of a top ten list!

This top ten list is NOT the best games released in the year 2023, but rather, the games that I’ve enjoyed the most when I played them during the year of 2023. Most of these games were released during earlier years. What matters more to me really is discovering how these games have left their mark on me.

So thus! Let’s find out!

10: The Forgotten City (2021)

Read my review here!

I liked its premise. The many shall suffer for the sins of the one. You explore this forgotten city, find out more about its inhabitants, and discover that you’ll have to crack open mysteries upon mysteries. There’s a fair amount of philosophical discussion here, and the characters are well-written. My main qualm about the game back then was its horror elements, as I was and still am averse to jump scares. Surprisingly though, I realized while writing this review that I completely forgot about that aspect of the game! Funny, that. This is considering the fact that I had to get a friend to go on voice chat with me so that I have company playing this game…

While I liked the game, I found it difficult to remember specifics about it other than the feeling of philosophy and mystery. So I guess those were my lasting impressions of this game specifically!

9: PRODUCER 2021 (2022)

Read my review here!

The gameplay of this game is some standard Visual Novel stuff, but what left an impression on me is its commentary on the artistic process. It is a rather cynical game with a lot to say. I related at points even if I don’t really consider myself an artist. I like its discussions about compost, of all things. What I liked most about this game, I think, was its soundtrack. A lot of bops! The soundtrack is the one that left the most lasting impression on me, though it’s somewhat easy to do that with soundtracks as I can just save them on my Spotify playlists if they’re on there. A nice two hours of gaming, in my opinion!

8: Mask of the Rose (2023)

Read my review here!

It is rare that I get ensnared by romance stories. I backed this game on Kickstarter cos I am fond of Failbetter’s games. I played it because I enjoy their stories. I didn’t expect to fall in love with so many characters! Rachel, with her sense of self and her writing. Archie, with his good nature. Harjit, with his watchful eyes. Griz, with her determination. There are just so many people to romance and know more of.

I still think of Rachel from time to time. She’s hot and is a person who knows what she wants. I like that sense of certitude in a person.

It’s nice as well to revisit the Fallen London universe. A relatively modern world with an eldritch vibe… it feels unique to me even years later. Re-experiencing it with a dating sim is not how I expected to do it but it is nonetheless very welcome.

7: Forklift Load (2020)

Read my review here!

Do NOT play this game on mouse and keyboard. Play this with controller!!!

This game really made me feel like I am an utter newbie forced to pilot a forklift. It is a zany concept, but I actually had fun with it. It feels somewhat like a puzzle game, trying to figure out how to go from point A to point B while lifting whatever with your forklift.

What I didn’t expect was for the story to be as cerebral as it was. It goes into some philosophical stuff, and the vibes of the game was unexpectedly calming, even if the gameplay itself was frustrating. I… am uncomfortable with regards to this game’s ending, but overall this game was an interesting experience. The concept was fun enough, and seeing it applied in practice was fun enough for me.

6: Betrayal at Club Low (2022)

Read my review here!

This was SUCH a fun game. The bombastic music, the fun visuals, the wacky humor, it combines into a world that’s fun to explore. And the gameplay is very fun! Rolling the dice against various challenges makes for interesting decision making, as you also have to manipulate your own stats to stack the odds in your favor. And the pizza dice are a fun mechanic, while also being a funny concept in and of itself. This is just a very creative game from top to bottom, and it makes me wanna experience more games from the dev in the same vein. It just feels so nonstandard yet so fun, which is why it left such an impression on me.

5: Elsinore (2019)

Read my review here!

Turning Hamlet into a timeloop game was a very inspired choice in my opinion. And it works! Though I guess it worked more for me because this is my first time actually experiencing Hamlet. I enjoyed the characters, their stories, the varied endings, and the unique take on the age-old story.

This game added a lot of stories that didn’t exist in the original, and I think I appreciated that decision a lot. It’s like updating a story for modern audiences. Though I’d argue that this is a wildly different story once you play enough of it. Nonetheless, when I think Hamlet, I will think of this game, and that is pretty much as lasting of an impression as you can get.

4: Hypnospace Outlaw (2019)

Read my review here!

The 1990’s were 30 years ago!!! I still can’t believe it! And yet here I am, feeling nostalgic for the computer era of the late 90’s. The forums, the pop-ups, the wacky wallpapers, the music. This is such a good game with well-crafted vibes.

And the story!! It feels so real. I think nowadays we rarely think about the simple fact that there is an actual person behind an online persona, but this game can make you confront that reality really well. It’s nice seeing the little quirks people have with designing their own sites, making their own posts, and dealing with their version of the internet. It makes the story hit harder. I’ll think of this game fondly as the perfect time capsule of the past and as a reminder that even the little things matter.

3: The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)

Read my review here!

I’ve been looking for a game that scratched the same itch as Return of the Obra Dinn (2018) and this game fit the bill perfectly. I really enjoyed the way I had to discover all the evidence, and then having to piece them together to find out what actually happened. And the fact that solving the mystery was ALSO the way the story was told was something I enjoyed a lot. Storytelling AND gameplay neatly folded in together! I’m sure the formula could be improved upon further, but I’m very much excited for more games like this from the devs. I still have a couple of DLC’s from this game to play too!

2: IMMORTALITY (2022)

Read my review here!

This is such a gripping game. I played this with a bunch of other friends, and watching the movies, experiencing the twists and turns… The simple act of making us interface with the game via the match cut mechanic gives the game a certain mystery, as clicking objects to do the match cut with lead you to random clips. Simple gameplay, but leads to a great experience.

The story is very thrilling, and piecing it together was very fun. It’s like a puzzle game where you have to find each puzzle piece, only that you didn’t know what the overall puzzle picture was and discovering each puzzle piece led you to an existential crisis.

This game made me think about the creative process more deeply than the other games I mentioned here. It made me think of the ways each of us want to leave a mark on this world, to live beyond our own mortality. It made me think of the costs of such ways… This game will be on my mind for a while.

1: Chicory: A Colorful Tale (2021)

Read my review here!

When I started writing for this game in this article, I just… stopped. Not because I have nothing to say, but because I feel like the effect of this game on me feels… bigger than I thought. This is a game about art, about the artistic process, and also about… depression, burnout, and trauma. I did not expect that getting into the game the first time, but it was good timing for me in a way, as I was dealing with these things in varying measure. It was a therapeutic experience, playing this coloring book of the game while dealing with these topics.

What’s more, it was actually nice getting to color stuff and draw stuff with my brush! Just coloring the various areas in was soothing. And in game, there are actual art classes where you are shown various artpieces that you have to recreate. I enjoyed making my own spin of some art shown in the classes.

Playing this game was an unexpectedly deep experience for me. I feel like it helped me with my own journey to getting better. I initially chalked this up as my #2 game of 2023, but I had to make it my #1 after I realized how big of a mark it left on me. I am glad I played this game.

FINAL THOUGHTS

One thing I noticed with my games last year is a fair amount of them are detective games. I love mysteries, and would love this genre to be explored further like in Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol. Another thing I noticed is that a surprising amount of games involve the artistic process. I like seeing games as art, and would love to see this space explored further. All in all, I love a lot of the games that I managed to play last year, and am excited for what this year holds for me! Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to read my little review blog :)

#door reviews #door talks #the forgotten city #PRODUCER 2021 #mask of the rose #forklift load #betrayal at club low #elsinore #hypnospace outlaw #the case of the golden idol #IMMORTALITY #immortality game #chicory #chicory: a colorful tale #top ten 2023

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manonamora-if-reviews · 1 year

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A Paradox Between Worlds by Autumn Chen

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game Read the postmortem (long, but very interesting) See other games by Autumn or follow her @cyberpunklesbian

============= Synopsis

It is the year 201X, and the Nebulaverse fandom is on fire. You are a teen online, and your safe place is about to be torn apart. A Paradox Between Worlds is a game about fandoms, internet melodrama, and the stories we create for ourselves.

============= Other Info

A Paradox Between Worlds APBW is a ChoiceScript interactive game, submitted to the 2021 Edition of the IFComp. This was Autumn's first entry to the competition, and it ranked 10th overall. It also won the Banana of Discord (entry with the biggest standard deviation in votes).

Status: Completed* Genre: Slice-of-Life, LGBT, Internet Culture An updated version is in the work (find a non-stable version here)

CW: Transphobia, including allusions to real-life events. Internet harassment and abuse. References to illness, death, and suicide. Interpersonal conflicts and discourse. Contextual content warnings are included in-game. Note: some posts are optional to read.

============= Playthrough

First Played: December 2021 Last Played: 28-May-2023 Playtime: around +3h (one playthrough) Rating: 5 /5 Thoughts: A nostalgic snapshot of Tumblr fandom, a critical look at community interactions with controversies, and a love letter to the things left behind.

============= Review

As a fan of the Chronicles of the Shadow Nebula, a fictional book series by G. T. Macmillan, you have been involved in the Nebulaverse fandom on a Tumblr-like platform. You are also an aspiring Nebula fanfiction writer, looking for fame and adoration in the community (well, at least some likes). Soon, however, the fandom in thrown into chaos, when an event blurs the lines between online and IRL. What follows is an exploration of fandom culture, identities, and internet personas.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

To this day, I am still baffled about how this game was able to recreate the vibes of Tumblr fandom from the 2010s (I shouldn't be surprised considering the references). From the old Tumblr Blue to the very virulent fandom conflicts, or the fan-organised conversions, or the always-left-behind character (sorry, Tycho), APBW perfectly encapsulate a prolific time of fandom culture. It was kind of nostalgic to me, having lived through quite a bit of the Supernatular/Doctor Who/Sherlock shenanigans... Though I was not really into the fanfic side of it all.

But APBW is more than a snapshot of the very fascinating ecosystem of Tumblr fandom. It is also a commentary* on how the relationship between a piece of work and its fans change overtime, especially when a ripple in the fanbase, like a mundane headcanon post, creates a storm as the author of the work gets involved (and not for the better). Raising questions (but not answering) about what fans would do in this situation: do they keep on enjoying the work that is so deeply personal to them (maybe even have helped explore their identify) or do they disavow it completely; do they band together in support of the victim/targeted group or do they have a blasé attitude about the issue; do they try to keep the fandom community alive and stand as one or do they become fragmented**;... *might not have been the author's intent, but this was my perception. **the death of fandoms are... something. It was very bittersweet to kind of relieve it.

It gets even more shocking/impactful when the OP of the post identifies as trans and the author goes on a (inter-?)national broadcast spewing transphobic rhetoric*, leading to the teenager being harassed and abused. The fandom (and online communities at large)'s reaction is very troubling, but neither new not surprising. From the hard-core fans who will support the author no matter what, the ones who will question any actions trying to show support for the targeted group (like a boycott), the ones who will not engage with the drama, or the ones who roll their eyes at it because they were calling out the author all along**... this is a real thing that happens. And is portrayed in this game with all the visceral intensity you'd find on Tumblr/Twitter/other social media. *the author made it clear that it wasn't about JKR in the postmortem (there are more transphobes authors out there), but when the shoe fits/it still is topical... ** I see you Karla!

Even without the author (GTM) adding onto the fire (which was already sparking before their disgusting action), the games portrayed the parasocial relationships between the fandom users, how even adults can get caught up in what people would think as petty teenage drama, or how being online is not just an escape from IRL problems, feels very real. I have personally seen those call-out posts between fanfic authors about plagiarism, those fake-pologies to calm down the fandom in hopes everyone forgets, the "kid-friendly" spaces still filled with inappropriate/problematic contents, the Discourse, the fights between people not following the conventions of interaction*... *Tumblr introducing the disabling of the reblog function was a blessing

Even if the online characters are based on tropes, they all have their stories to piece together: the self-proclaimed fandom mom, whose chronically online presence hides her avoidance to live her life truthfully*, the supportive adult who plays a double-role to take down bigger name accounts**, the always critical-puts herself in the discourse-calls out the shitty stuff-overall is kind of a bummer (but a correct bummer), and the kids who just want some space for themselves. I have followed this people before (have I been those too?), I have had those weird-ass URL, I have been in those fandom fights... It was not just real, it felt being right back in those communities. *I really didn't like Claire, but the more I've been thinking about their arc, the more I find her arc compelling. Her shitty actions still isn't fully balanced by the end, but there is some steps taken in the right direction. **I honestly didn't see it either times I played... handing in my detective gear in shame...

And then there is you, the player, trying to navigate the dumpster fire that is the Nebula fandom as you want to reach your goal of writing a fanfiction* and gain a bit of notoriety (I did manage to double my followers count in this playthrough :P), balancing your relationship between the different users you follow**, and your relationship with the Nebula universe. You can choose you name, your pronouns, your URL, your favourite character, your ship, the reason why you are creating fanfic, and what kind of post your blog is filled with. But your character is not the focus of this game (the above paragraphs are). *I, of course, titled mine A Paradox Between Worlds **interact with users enough to receive special messages or get invited into secret group chats

This PC-is-not-the-MC is reflected in the fanfiction you are "writing", as each part reminds you/Gali this is not your story. Gali moves on from one universe to the other*, finding different versions of [their] friends entangled in trope-y AU** and feeling out of place/alone/like an outsider every single time (like You the player might feel this way in the Nebula community). Your actions defines the ship you have in your writing, as well as the quality of the writing***. The focus on senses at the start of each new scene made me giggle a bit, from a parser "player" perspective. *the multi-verse take was so meta, with APBW having the Canon/Fanfiction/Online universes in play. Autumn, your mind!!! **I didn't really noticed it, but that's because I was more focused on the Online drama. The trope could have been more obvious/on-the-nose ***though I think this might be the same for everyone?

As the drama of the Nebula community unfolds, you find yourself struggling with writing/finishing the fan-fiction, reflecting on the feelings you have about the series itself considering the author's comments. In my playthrough, I pushed through, and found... myself, as the Destroyer (the Nebula baddie), meeting Gali, reminding [them] it is not [their] story, telling [them] the story is about to end, that maybe it should never have existed in the fist place... and that maybe you learned some lessons along the way... Writing the last part of the fanfiction hit me like a ton a brick, and made me question how I have consumed and created content in the past.

Finally*, there is the Canon. Each movement/chapter starts with a snippet of The Chronicles of the Shadow Nebula to contextualise the fandom, but also give some sort of preview of what is to come in the Online universe (very much a Cassandra vibe to them...). Though the author has mentioned the influence coming mainly from Homestuck**, I found more similarities with other YA universes (HP***, Divergent, or any YA-series-with-a-house/class-system-having-to-fight-a-big-baddie, and even a bit of the Hunger Games...). I dove into the codex in the stats page and devoured it, finding nuggets of gold and trying to link it to works I knew. One of my favourite bit: the Selene Dione character who is a Hannah Montana parody. *lol, i've organised this in the reverse of how you experience each part in game... **that's mainly because I never got into Homestuf that I didn't pick up on those references ***especially the main gang...

I don't know how to conclude this review. So I will leave with the final chat you can have with the gang: no one goes through character arcs like the books, IRL is messy and not everyone wants to share this part of themselves online, growing up is hard but so is growing apart from something that was important for you, moving on is also part of life...

So yea...

Go play this game.

=====> Some random notes I didn't know how to include:|

Changing the colour scheme to subtly announce the change of universe was smart (on top of the obvious title).

I thought naming each chapters as Movements was a good call. It reminded me of symphonies whose moments will bring out different intensity from the instruments (akin to the vibes of each chapters).

On top of the fake-canon chapters, the title of each moments and the quotes were a cry for what to expect.

This game is not about subtlety and I still missed a bunch of signs. Loved that arc for me. (no joke, it's great that it's not subtle about all this)

[A/N] will forever be Autumn/Nebula to me. Fight me in the comments.

The fucking weather reports on the vibe of the community when you log in... that's it, that's the post.

The commentary of the community that the last Nebula book will be a CYOA where all the endings are canon lfwahngnajknf;wmfgA"PKfgn

The used Tumblr blue felt odd to me for the longest time... until I realised I was there in a different time, and that made me feel old... (also relevant Autumn post about said Tumblr colours)

The NebulaCon gave me war flashbacks... it gave me DashCon vibes but lower stakes. (its fall might have been a bit too... quick? but the explosion chef kiss)

Even if I wasn't part of the fanfic culture, the initial clashes between Luna and Claire felt very much like the settled oldie/newcomers fight you have in any community (which apparently was supposed to be the major focus), and it's weirdly nice that it's never resolved...

the lorde references, omg. Pure Heroine still is one of her best EP, and the title achievements were chef kiss x3

Luna was my favourite character, hands down. I wanted to wrap her in a blanket, give her a cup of a hot chocolate with marshmallows, and a peck on the forehead. Teary eye when she thanked me in a post.

the fucking colour of the sky post. I swear to God If I see this post again I will scream!!!! Anyway, there should have been more of them, like the meme'd versions (especially the bee movie version).

I was honestly tempted to frame this review using the Shrek Onion Meme to be on theme... but I'll spare everyone. You're weeeeelcome.

#A Paradox Between Worlds #Autumn Chen #complete #interactive fiction #2021 #review #LGBT #slice of life #choicescript game #IFComp #internet culture #fandom #choice based

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xflowerstarx · 6 months

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The Game Awards 2021 Review - A Tiresome Travesty

The Game Awards is an example of why you shouldn’t set your expectations too high. I can care less about the other “games”. Therefore, there really isn’t much to say about them other than it’s very obvious the game industry is oversaturated with overrated, generic, cookie-cutter, by-the-numbers, nitty, gritty cinematic “masterpieces” and shooters people call “games” which is getting old than it…

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#Insomniac Games #Ratchet & Clank #Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart #The Game Awards #The Game Awards 2021 #The Game Awards 2021 Review #The Game Awards Review

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everygame · 4 months

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It Takes Two (PlayStation 4) Developed/Published by: Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts Released: 26/03/2021 Completed: 28/11/2023 Completion: Finished it!

After quite enjoying A Way Out, it only made sense to play through It Takes Two considering I had a willing partner and it has, generally, received massive critical acclaim and awards and that.

Now. Hazelight’s company director, Josef Fares, is kind of famous in game circles for appearing on The Game Awards and acting like an lunatic in a way that is, to any rational human being (i.e. not anyone who would identify as a “gamer”) as being absolutely themonuclear cringe. And you think… god that’s so forced. On a show that is so pandering, how can he act so embarrassingly?

Then you play It Takes Two and you go… ah, no, the guy’s just off his rocker.

It’s kind of hard to really write sensibly about It Takes Two, to be honest. I’ve played some games with absurd, misguided concepts and writing, but I don’t think I’ve ever played one that’s this misguided but also this confident in it. The game is a near-endless parade of different game mechanics that have been polished to within an inch of their lives that has then been absolutely slathered in a grab-bag of insanely dissonant emotional beats.

There’s so much wildly different content in this, that all I could think about was the poor staff working on this. How hard did they have to work on a game where no mechanic is allowed more than about a half-hour, because, in Fares’ own words, it would become “less special”???

Anyway, let’s explain what the game is, I always feel like I forget to do that. It’s a 3D platformer, basically, that uses the split-screen technique from A Way Out so you can play the entire game with another person (and you have to, unless you’re an octopus.) At its simplest, the game is asking you to do things like “one of you stands on a button, so the other can go through a door, and they stand on a button in that area so the other can go through that door” but it doesn’t stay that simple for long.

Setting-wise, it’s immediately more complex, as the set-up is that you’re a divorcing couple who have just revealed they’re splitting up to their daughter, who then, uh…. hexes them? They become a couple of wee dolls and then have to work out how to get back into their bodies while having lots of “Honey I Shrunk The Kids”-style adventures, although it can be extremely tenuous that this is supposed to be someone’s house.

I’m gonna say it: a divorce is a weird setting for a 3D platformer.

It is not helped by decision to make the couple the most annoying pair of bickering arseholes you’ve ever heard, and then to saddle them with Dr. Hakim, a talking book that Fares at least must have thought was the funniest thing ever (he personally did the motion capture???) but is like… is it racist? What race is this book anyway? It feels… racist against… someone???

But seriously folks, every time this fucking book appears you’re going to be like “arrghhh we have to listen to this now!!!”

And it just seems to go on forever. The problem with coming up with all these different mechanics is that you have to use them, and for a game where you basically have to make time as a couple to do it quite quickly becomes a chore. As polished and as genuinely good feeling many mechanics are, there’s something so utterly tedious about how much of the game the fucking book appearing and saying “Hey! In this zone you have to collect THREE things! Go collect them!” when the game isn’t either long sections where you are literally on rails, or chunks where you have to do what is probably my least favourite thing in the world, which is run around and avoid shadows that are slamming down on the ground while the ground you can run on gets smaller. Legitimately it feels like they do that about… nine times.

Which brings me onto another point. Not only does it feel just much, much too long, there is absolutely zero understanding that you might be playing with someone who isn’t as skilled at video games as you, with no way I could find to ease difficulty for one player. This is at its absolute nadir with the bosses, which from the very first are… really hard? Even for me, a Mr. Good At Video Games Man???

The game simply forces too much quarterbacking, an issue that most co-op games can’t surmount.

But really the worst thing is… the narrative. I mentioned that the characters you play are awful; but they’re also insanely selfish and stupid and in some ways drag the player down with them. There is a section where you are forced to murder your child’s most beloved toy while it cries and begs for its life. Now, I’m a Untitled Goose Game hater, and there’s a similar smell to this; I’m sure Fares thought this was really funny but I hated it. It’s cruel, and yes, there is a difference between this and shooting up lots of lovely enemies in Doom or something. I’m reminded of Michael Madsen almost not being able to do his famous scene in Reservoir Dogs because he felt it might be crossing a line:

“You have to be…playing a bad guy’s one thing, but turning it too far in the wrong direction doesn’t make me happy.”

Yes I’m comparing the sequence to Reservoir Dogs. Josef Fares would probably love that actually. Fuck!

Will I ever play it again? No, it’s too fucking long and not actually that fun!

Final Thought: Oh I suppose I didn’t really finish my point. The narrative doesn’t… go anywhere! If characters are going to not get divorced, you better hope that the game does some incredible character work to show how they’ve grown and learned how to be together, but they basically bicker until about the last level and a half and as far as I know solve none of their problems. It’s so unrewarding!!! If Fares had spent more time on writing a story rather than coming up with “funny” things for the book to say and I assume hitting his staff with a big whip and screaming “MORE MECHANICS! NO ONE GETS ANY GRUEL UNTIL I SEE EIGHT MORE NEW MECHANICS!” maybe we’d be getting somewhere with this. I mean it’s so polished! It’s just… too weird to recommend.

#gaming #video games #games #txt #text #review #it takes two #hazelight studios #electronic arts #playstation 4 #ps4 #2021

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