#games commentary

[whataboutvideogames]

Elden Ring: Anybody Home?

I wish Elden Ring had more people. Ordinary people, who aren’t soldiers or cultists or monsters or diseased or living jars stuffed full of the corpses of great warriors. 

I’m always running into presumably human enemies and I can’t fathom what their deal is. What do they eat? Who do they work for? Who raised them and where are they?

There may or may not be some kind of answer to these questions buried deep within Elden Ring’s purposefully inscrutable lore, but for those of us who just play the actual game, 99% of the living things in this world exist only to stand in one spot until it’s their turn to try to kill you. 

What’s There Is Great, But It’s Not Enough Exceptions to this rule are generally memorable moments — arriving at Radahn’s castle to find Alexander and Blaidd waiting there, stumbling into the peaceful Jarburg, or any time you encounter a new non-hostile NPC.

But these encounters are few and far between, and though The Lands Between may be packed with secrets and mysteries, it’s empty of people. It would liven up the pacing of the game to break up the tense combat and exploration with some more peaceful encounters. Roundtable Hold and the Volcano Manor are great examples of this; I would love to have come across even just two or three more similar locales in my journey so far, where I can breathe easy for a minute and meet some interesting people. 

Discovery Demands Diversity Back in 2017 when I was playing a similarly excellent game, Breath of the Wild, I reached a point where I saw something strange in the landscape. Instead of being excited, I sighed and thought “ok, let’s get this Korok seed.”

I knew the game only had two things to offer when you saw Something Weird out in the world: Korok seeds and shrines. Impressive as the game was, it took some of the wind out of the exploration when I knew exactly what was at the end of the rainbow.

I’m worried I’m approaching a similar place with Elden Ring. When I finally beat the Draconic Tree Sentinel and walked into the Capital City, I didn’t know exactly what I would find. But I did know what I wouldn’t find: people. And it’s getting a little difficult to care about becoming Elden Lord of an empty world. 

P.S. Pretty much everything else about this game is perfect. Except for the giant ants. I hate them more than anything.

#elden ring #games commentary #games criticism

[itsbasil]

this literally never stops being funny like dog they made starship troopers with the Baby's First Satire cranked up to 11 and these people are still fucking dumbfounded that the creators don't share their politics

#idk if anyone who follows me plays helldivers 2 but trust me #when it comes to “political commentary in video games” #helldivers 2 does everything short of putting “YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR THE BAD GUYS” in every loading sequence #helldivers #helldivers 2

[ashoss]

this idea wont leave my brain please help me !! YIPPEE HADES BATKIDS !!!

without the bg and text under the cut :))

asdhj probably gonna post like,, two at a time because thats ,, a lot,,,, of drawing ,,,,,,, so heres tim and jason! i think i got the hang of it more with jason lol

ALSO ALSO!!!

thank you to those who helped me with the titles for the batkids!! they were all really good :D (all on insta lol)

timothy: the tenured - thomson_at

#yeah jasons hair gave me ... a lot of trouble until i landed on this #i was debating doign a long hairstyle but i dont think it looked too good with the wreath lol #tims clothing actually gave me sooo much trouble #i really wanted to incorperate more of his red robin elements in it and so i really wanted to do the yellow bandoliers #but thats why he has the upper arm wraps #maybe ill redo him later #once i get the hang of jen zee's style more lolol #jason was fun though #askj commentary over #jason todd #red hood #robin #tim drake #dc fanart #dc comics #batfam #batman #ash's doodlings #hades game #hades supergiant #wait more commentary #i used apollo artemis and hermes for tim because i wanted more of that slimmer vibe #and zag i mostly used for jason #yeah im not super happy with tim but for like.. a second attempt im fine with it #btw if this were an actual game #id like to think that the protagonist would be damian #trying to find his father (bruce) and coming across all of his fathers kids and pseudo kids lol

[krazieka2]

Fe3h did not have a beauty pageant sequence, but if it did I'm 99% sure this is how it would go

#carrying over my posts from twitter choo chooooo #fe3h #2023 art #fe3houses #fire emblem #what commentary tag could I possibly add to this #flayn has a lil shark fin nose and i think that's cute #sylvain was completely on board with this idea and im sure it was in a completely normal way #it was Hilda and Dorothea's idea first probably #this is why the game never let them support #holst traveled miles just for the opportunity to brag about his sister #no one told him this was happening he simply smelled it in the air

[bikiniarmorbattledamage]

This is truly stiff competition for the worst case of willful false equivalence we've ever seen.

So, for those not aware: Ongoing embarrassment to gamers and the gaming industry, Mark Kern (former lead on FireFall), has been desperately trying to get Gamergate 2 going on X/Twitter... well after others have given up. If you need to get caught up on Mark, I recommend this video by documentary maker and experienced game developer, Dead Domain:

One of the latest fiascos in this mix has been the comparison of responses to character designs from Hades 2 (Aphrodite, left) and Stellar Blade (protagonist Eve, right). The post isn't by Mark, but is part of the general harassment campaign he's trying to lead.

If you're somehow not familiar with Aphrodite, she's the Ancient Greek goddess of love, lust and hot girl shit. It is absolutely perfect characterization for her to show up to a battle (or anything else) nude but for her hair teasingly covering the intimate parts of her body. But the buried lede here is, you don't fight her in Hades and nothing about Hades 2 indicates she'll fight there either, she just likes the aesthetic and has no reason not to indulge.

Stellar Blade will release on 26 April 2024, so we can't really give an informed discussion of her character. But what we do know is the studio head is the illustrator from Blade & Soul, Eve is described as being a member of "the 7th Airborne Squad" engaged in an "operation to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba", and the promotion material promises "an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made."

It's to be compared to games like Nier: Automata, Devil May Cry 5, Jedi: Fallen Order and Sekiro. And the screenshots look like this:

And yeah, unlike Bayonetta she's not supposed to be an unstoppable force of nature (and fashion) who is immune to self-doubt, she's supposed to be the scrappy underdog last survivor of her team.

Weird they gave her a costume that conveys... the opposite of literally everything they're supposed to be trying to tell you about her.

-wincenworks

#stellar blade #hades #hades 2 #aphrodite #character design #costume design #commentary #mark kern #gamergate #dead domain #video games #false equivalence #blade and soul #nier automata #devil may cry #star wars #sekiro #bayonetta #firefall #science fiction #mythology #Greek #image #video #bikini armor battle damage #bikiniarmorbattledamage #babd #Youtube

[shepscapades]

Ranchers as Grant Wood’s American Gothic was supposed to be sillay and goofy but then I set the ranch on fire and one thing led to another and now it’s. sad DFBJDFGB I’m really happy with how this came out though, so!! Here’s my week 3 piece for the Hermitcraft Design Challenge thingie :]

#team rancher #tangotek #jimmy solidarity #solidarity gaming #SolidarityGaming #tango #double life smp #shepshermitdesign23 #art escapades #tried something different and tried to be really loose with my painting in this :] #regarding the original— #ppl apparently saw the painting as an out of touch rural painting in a modern world #whereas wood intended to paint it as a positive portrayal of ideal rural living #so. #at some point the ranchers became m-1 ranchers and then this piece became a complicated commentary - #about everyone else seeing the ranchers as out of touch / removed from reality and the real world since their relationship was confined to - #double life #meanwhile ranchers themselves are happy with each other and see their relationship (despite the context/ the games) as an ideal one #m-1 #anyway I’m fine thanks for asking #back to botwcast DGBJDFGB

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #tulu xuanwu #blood #Vomit on his sweater already; mom's spaghetti #I love drawing teenji because he gets to be a lot more expressive than Older Lan Wangji. #wwx is trying so hard to be supportive and it keeps backfiring for lwj. #“There's no way I would ever want you carnally ^_^” meanwhile the guy who wants him carnally is losing his mind in agony. #Hot tip if you keep finding yourself in Lan Zhan's shoes: consider being more obvious. Give up on trying to be subtle with an ADHDer. #His game is SO BAD. Abysmally bad rizz. I do not think it was possible for these to to have a chance to get together in this life. #He has no plan. He has no healthy outlet for his feelings. He is looking at his half naked crush and losing his shot. #F in the chat for Lan Zhan. He's just been accidently rejected and he is about to be accused of being straight. #Meta commentary moment: I am going to try very hard to be more consistent with outfits and details across comics #I have had some...difficulties in the past with forgetting details (COUGH the vermillion mark COUGH) #New year new goals! Wish my ADHD eyes and brain good luck!

[chronurgy]

Gortash designs and builds mechanisms so I imagine he has to be able to sketch fairly decently in order to sketch his projects and designs. And I'm imagining a pile of charcoal sketches of Durge, done over their entire acquaintance, starting out with sketches of them in battle and then slowly becoming more detailed and intimate and as they do, the titles changing from things like "The Bhaalspawn" and "Bhaal's Chosen at Their Bloody Work" to "The Chosen in Contemplation" and finally just Durge's name

#it's speculated that the individual pictured in these sketches is [name] who was thought to have resolved the absolute crisis #But the existence these drawings may suggest it was merely a hoax to improve their reputation #Idk man I just love the idea of Gortash keeping this series of sketches of durge #I admit a crazy fic idea I've been rotating is the idea of an art history commentary set 100 years after the events of the game covering #The art found in Gortash's estate after his death and how people would interpret it and their potential relationship #And link to first hand descriptions of the time and academic papers and all that #Stuff like “see Elerrathin et al for analysis on the class dynamics of formal portraits and new money during this period” or something #enver gortash #dark urge #dark urge x gortash #durgetash #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers

[katierosefun]

pyramid game is such a perfect little drama for the sapphics because you've got a whole demented psychological thriller going on about high school girls creating a whole fake social class system that results because one bored little princess bitch thought it'd be funny, and you've got all these dynamics that can only be boiled down to some kind of love story because like. ye lim and eun jeong's dynamic? the princess idol and her athlete bodyguard. soo ji and ja eun's dynamic? the cold mastermind and the compassionate heart. even whatever da yeon and seol ha have got going on? typical hitter and loyal dog dynamic. the list can go on.

#caroline talks #pyramid game #like da yeon is an awful person but as soon as seol ha spoke up. like her first words were about how she hates ha rin #for having da yeon in the palm of her hand. like. okay. gay. #i also think a lot about ha rin and ja eun. like i despise ha rin so much but there's something distinctly gay about that behavior. #oh you see ja eun happy? you're obsessed that ja eun's happy? and now you want to ruin her for it? #i know that deeper down it's all a commentary about social class and how the uber wealthy and uber powerful will find new and creative ways #to screw over people who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. because at the end it's really all about power #and how ha rin cannot fucking STAND not being seen as the silent ruler of the class #this got away from me. yes it's all about power. #it is also a bit about gay lust. it can be both <3

[fandom-trash-goblin]

IN DEFENSE OF ARIANNE MARTELL

My 1980s and Other Essays, Wayne Koestenbaum // Looking in the Mirror, George Tsui. // A Feast for Crows, Chapter 40, Princess In The Tower

for @alicentcole, my long lost twin

lyanna stark || elia martell || sansa stark || arya stark || alicent hightower || jaehaera targaryen || cersei lannister || myrcella baratheon || joanna lannister || aemma arryn || catelyn stark || sansa stark (2) || margaery tyrell || rhaena targaryen, daughter of aenys i || arianne martell || aerea targaryen || obara sand || nymeria sand

#arianne martell #house martell #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #web weave #webweaving #webweave #webweaves: asoiaf #game of thrones #got #i know i said targaryen girls were up next and i have the pictures ready! i do! but arianne martell man she caught me #and whispered in my ears house martell supremacy how could i deny her #@alicentcole i hope you like it! #listen. i know we love to talk about arianne and birthrights. but. way more talented people have done it before me. so #you get another flavour of arianne!! the way she doesn't see the betrayal coming! and how could she because she's always looking ahead! #(and how could she because she trusted them! she had them secured only to realise they were never hers!) #so the mirror potrait is delicious irony. she couldn't see the back in real life but she can in the mirror. #the past stares at her and never lets her forget!! #and i could have chose a better quote but again; mirror. also star in the qoute-> NYMERIA'S STAR! #that's it commentary end

[ozzieinspacetime]

Trevor Hills being Pathetic Blorbo #1 and your enjoyment of him being said Pathetic Blorbo #1 just adding on to the games pre-existing meta commentary is,, so good. They made him as miserable as possible and god it really worked.

#i <3 when dystopia scenarios like American Arcadia appeal to the real life audience #like. you fall in love with the character in the exact same way that the in universe audience does #and i think it provides a really interesting perspective and commentary on like. consumption and entertainment #its one of the reasons the first hunger games appeals to me so much actually because it explores that sort of. audience side #which imo is one of the best parts of 1984/truman show esque dystopia media like that #amyway. go play American Arcadia its really fucking good #american arcadia #trevor hills #we're pioneering tags here tonight ladies #teamtrevor #<- brilliant tag idea

[pitofpurple]

This guy. This guy is proof that if you are passionate about something and you talk about it, it will be entertaining

I watched this guy talk about a series of movies that I have no interest in for an entire hour. I watched him go on a rant about the handling of a character I had never heard of in the remake of a game I had never played. It was still entertaining because it was genuine, because viewers feed off passionate, because this guy only seems to talk about things he likes even if those things have nothing to do with his channel. I could listen to him rant for hours about literally anything as long as he felt strongly about it, or at least seemed like it and honestly I don’t think that power is exclusive to Pastra

if you are passionate about something and you want to talk about it, do it in front of a camera and show me the video I will watch it while I draw. Who knows maybe I’ll even know what your talking about once in a blue moon.

#pastra #youtube #content creator #rant post #Rant to me please #dreams of an insomniac #commentary youtuber #gaming youtube #horror youtube

[lunalikestowriteanddraw]

The more time I have Astarion in my party and getting to see more and more of his personality, the more I realize that Gale and Astarion are more or less the same—both personality and story wise (obv their stories are very different, but the key features driving their stories are eerily similar). The only major difference between their personalities is that Gale is more aligned with good, and Astarion is more evil aligned.

Think I’m kidding? Spend a playthrough talking to Gale and Astarion literally every chance you get (especially at camp), and sooner or later, you’ll see just how similar these power-hungry attention-seeking manwhore malewifes these motherfuckers are

#I love my power-hungry attention-seeking manwhore malewives <3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #also listen to their overworld banter #or hell even some of Astarion’s commentary in regards to Gale #like if the game didn’t want me to ship them then why make them like this #baulders gate astarion #baldurs gate astarion #bg3 astarion #astarion #astarion x gale #bloodweave #bg3 gale #baldur's gate 3 gale #baulders gate gale #gale of waterdeep #bg3

[bikiniarmorbattledamage]

So, naturally we had to, now the game is actually out, bingo the CENSORED outfit in Stellar Blade. Credit to HarryNinetyFour for showing all seventy-four outfits, and Kotaku for this article where they propose that Eve is at her sexiest when she's got more on.

Okay... maybe not that but...

Seriously, if you're playing to fap - this game has you covered. But it also has a few really interesting, covering outfits that seem to reflect fantasies of fashion and comfort.

The only thing that's really not present is any sort of actual military like BDUs or combat jumpsuits. That's kinda weird, even Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain let you put BDUs on Quiet.

And that bit is weird is, based on what I've seen people who've been playing the game saying - there is really a story about her being a soldier and fighting for a cause there. But you'd never know that based on the ongoing outrage.

The outrage is weird and sad

So as you can probably guess, the continuing riot of "censorship" here is pretty absurd. It's got to the point where they even bullied the Stellar Blade's X/Twitter account to un-repost the Kotaku article that praises the game.

But here's the thing, in all the years I've had to deal with brodudes doing this kind of nonsense in various online platforms etc, I have never seen one that is happy.

YouTuber Moon Channel did a two part (1, 2) series on a different drama in South Korea involving a Gacha game that dared not to be pointlessly horny, but here's the general take away.

English speaking brodudes in this situation are imagining that Stellar Blade is some sort of iconic work coming from the anti-woke wonderland where everyone is happy. The reality is:

South Korea has a deeply hierarchical society which essentially tells young people they are to obey and not to speak up

The economy and nepotism is such that unless you are born into a rich family, your employment prospects are downright depressing

Many young men in South Korea develop a lot of resentment toward women primarily because they are told that in order to enter a (heterosexual) relationship they will need to demonstrate they have the ability to be a great provider, and then are denied those opportunities by the economy and nepotism

On top of all this, the government takes a "we know whats best for you" approach to the extent that not only is porn banned but you will be expected to supply your identity information if you want to look up basic sexual educational materials

They would find it to be an absolute nightmare realm.

The reality is that in the "woke" world that brodudes fear, we'd probably see a lot more eroticism in art, including games, and it'd be of the more focused, sincere variety rather than that directed by creepy marketing guy.

All we really need to do is accept each other as people, appreciate each other's humanity and boundaries. Then we can both enjoy a sexy paradise, but also unite and deal with the assholes who keep oppressing us economically and socially.

Wouldn't that be nice?

-wincenworks

#stellar blade #eve #female armor bingo #bikini armor #science fiction #video games #commentary #image #Bikini Armor Battle Damage #BikiniArmorBattleDamage #BABD

[misted-buttercup-enjoyer]

something about how the Capitol insists the Districts are savage and dangerous and deserve it while brutally murdering district children every year for entertainment compared to how people call Muslims terrorists while bombing (or supporting bombing, or funding bombing, or ignoring bombing) thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza to death, including children.

#the hunger games #hunger games #thg #thg series #the capitol #district 12 #free gaza #free palestine #stop palestinian genocide #stop gaza genocide #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #all eyes on rafah #free rafah #rafah #rafah under attack #israel is committing genocide #stand with palestine #stand with gaza #gazaunderattack #i stand with gaza #i stand with palestine #social commentary #dystopian society #social justice #human rights #activism #gaza awareness #palestine awareness #gaza #palestine

[squarebracket-trickster]

By the way, lurkers are welcome on my blog<33

Yeah, yeah, Writeblr is a community and all that. But I get it.

Some of us have anxiety disorders. Some of us are (or were once) minors on the internet who had it drilled into us to never make our presence known in online spaces lest we get stalked or groomed.

It's okay if interacting is outside of your comfort zone.

Some of us aren't actually on tumblr enough to make making a Writeblr intro worth it.

Some of us prefer to take a few months, maybe years, observing the community to learn the rules. And let's face it, there is a huge learning curve to Tumblr culture. I came here from Pinterest in like 2018 and hooo boy was it intimidating!

Like, I was that 17 year old pinterest lurker with an anxiety disorder who was taught that internet safety meant "never comment on anything" who took a few years before I felt comfortable enough with tumblr culture to reblog things with tags, let alone make public posts.

So I guess what I am saying is, I can't judge. Because I've been there.

Writeblr is a community. And the community (for me) is the best part. And remember that if you don't contribute to the community you don't get to complain about it either. But this is also a public space. Silent observers are to be expected. And on my blog you are welcome.

#I do really think we people who have been here a while forget just how many social rules there are in tumblr culture #I mean ask games and tag games have etiquette #then theres reblogging with commentary versus leaving a comment versus talking in the tags #then there's what tags are appropriate to use on an original post #then there's tumblr's specific vernacular and sense of humour #then there are post formatting conventions #and just learning what tags exist and how to search them #how to organize and sort your own blog #I'm forgetting something but like There is So Much