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darksoulszine · 5 years

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Interview with AlvhOmega

Today we interview AlvhOmega! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.

Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?

If I’m not wrong, I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid, I started to draw thanks to Rayman, and all this time my style has been changing quite a lot, but there are still things that remains, like doing comics, I still have all the comics I’ve drawn during my childhood.

Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?

I personally like CSP (Clip Studio Paint), for me it’s the perfect all-in-one software for drawing/comics/animation. It has plenty of tools and plugins and also, it’s easy to learn. Regarding traditional media, I always like to draw with ink in my toned sketchbook. If you ask me, I’d prefer digital because I can do clean drawings, and I don’t need to spend a lot of money in new materials. But I can perfectly understand why traditional feels more “organic” and “real”.

Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?

I do both, years ago I was afraid of making my own content but on 2017 I decided to create my own OCs, and even started my own webcomic. It feels really good when people enjoys something created 100% by you.

Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?

Aside from Tenebrism, the art of video games give me inspiration. For example the Soulsborne saga (obviously), Alice Madness returns, NieR: Automata, BioShock… regarding artists, it’s hard to say because there are too many choices, but for example, Kentaro Miura (Bersek creator), Echiro Oda (specially when I was teenager), and HR Giger (Alien artist).

Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?

I’d say: I understand you, living for art is quite hard, hard but not impossible. I’m not gonna be like “If you keep believing the dream that you wish it will come true uwu” because I prefer to be honest with you, reality is tough for us and maybe only 1 among 10 artists reaches this goal, but you can be that one among 10.

Being artist for me is 50% art/creativity skills, and 50% social skills, in order to sell your content, engage with the public, and create a fanbase who is willing to support you.

Don’t expect getting popular in 24h, just work hard, don’t give up, accept criticism in order to improve, SHOW your stuff and promote yourself, and above all, most importantly, ENJOY doing art. I would be here hours talking about this tbh, but I think you get my message.

Q: What do you like about being an artist?

We artists have something special, and that’s the skill to create something new from scratch… concepts, ideas, characters, environments… that’s something I love about art, creating your own stuff and see people enjoying it.

Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.

That’s quite a hard, because Twitter don’t have gallery and Tumblr is pretty outdated, but I’ll do my best.

This is Midir, I personally like this drawing because animals aren’t my strongest point, and this one I’m, pretty happy how it turned out.

This gives me heavy metal cover vibes, I like how the colors looks.

This is from Monster Hunter, when I saw this buddy I wanted to draw him so hard, and there is. I’d say this is special because is an hybrid, between traditional and digital art.

I made this like 2 years ago and still today it looks fantastic, and that’s something really weird, from someone like me who see a drawing from 3 months ago and thinks looks old and shitty (haha).

tbh I feel like all my Nier Automata pieces were a bit underrated. If I had to choose one I’d say this, because I felt totally inspired and the execution is cool to my eye.

Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?

My Twitter where I post all my stuff. https://twitter.com/Alvh_Omega

My instagram where I post exclusively my inkings and soulsborne stuff. https://www.instagram.com/alvhomega/

My webcomic where I write stories about silly goth girls doing silly things. https://twitter.com/BS_Gothventures

I have a print store where you can buy prints. https://society6.com/alvhomega I’m currently preparing a patreon page, but still needs some fixes. Follow me and stay tuned.

Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?

Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2 > Bloodborne > Dark Souls 3 I haven’t played Demon Souls because I don’t have ps3, sadly. My favorite one is Bloodborne, the art, the boss designs and the crazy story is really my jam.

Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?

I honestly don’t remember, but I think I was already aware of mimics in my first playthrough

Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you’d like to share?

The Taurus Demon, that son of a… witch. The first time I played Dark Souls this was the reason I left the game and started to hate it. But one day a good friend suggested me trying it again because the game is worth it, aaaaaand here I am, drawing art for a zine.

Get the zine at: 🔥 [ THE FIRST FLAME ] 🔥 info page

𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞:

on tumblr @darksoulszine

on insta @DarkSoulsFanZine

on twitter @SoulsFanZine

#thefirstflamezine #interview #alvhomega #darksouls #dark souls #fanzine #dark souls fanzine #art #artists on tumblr #illustrators on tumblr #gaming

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eggoreviews · 5 years

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Playstation All Stars 2 - Dream Roster! (PART 1)

I love Smash a lot. And I really wish that PS All Stars was a bit, you know, better. A few mechanical tweaks and the addition of some sorely missed character could turn All Stars into a genuinely awesome fighter, so here’s my dream roster for if Sony did ever attempt to clean up the slight mess they made the first time.

Note: I’ve cut a few from the first game. I’m keeping it to one character per franchise. There’s 42 altogether (because I don’t know when to stop) so here’s the first 21!

Aloy (Horizon Zero Dawn)

Here’s a fairly obvious pick, with Horizon being one of the Playstation’s most recent flagship RPGs. The star of Sony’s answer to Breath of the Wild but with added machine animals, Aloy’s tale of discovering her place in her beautiful, post-apocalyptic world is certainly a heartfelt one and it’s easy to get attached to. Plus, she has her bow, spear, traps and focus chip, so the moveset just sort of makes itself.

Astro Bot (Astro Bot: Rescue Mission)

The arguable mascot of Playstation VR, I think Astro Bot would be an unusual fighter, yet a perfect fit into an All Stars sequel. I’m sure they can think of a cool moveset from Rescue Mission and his brief cameos in the VR Playroom! I mean, if Nintendo can weaponise the Wii Fit Trainer, Sony have it easy with Astro Bot.

Big Daddy (Bioshock series)

The first character I’m carrying over from the first game, I think Big Daddy is just such a surprising character that I didn’t have the heart to cut him out. He’s a cool looking robot and I really liked Bioshock Infinite. So Daddio stays.

Cloud (Final Fantasy VII)

In an act I can only describe as ‘big oof’, Nintendo managed to swipe up Cloud to appear in a certain other fighting series, despite the fact that Cloud is most heavily associated with Playstation. And his home game is the most iconic game on the PS1. Hey, I’m not saying I don’t want him in Smash (he’s my main I love my big sword twink), but can’t they share? He’s gotta be here too, come on.

Colonel Radec (Killzone series)

Being 100% honest right now, I know basically nothing about Killzone. But what I do know is this guy has a cool helmet and probably uses a lot of guns. So he can stick around I guess. Plus, I’ve been meaning to try Killzone out for a while.

Crash Bandicoot

As the previous mascot for the PS1, Crash was one of the most glaring omissions from the first game. He’s got enough different ways of jumping around and riding motorbikes to make for a cool moveset, so if they’re doing another one, Crash really does need to be onboard.

Dante (Devil May Cry series)

Dante is heckin cool and his moveset potential is awesome and that’s kind of all there is to it, so I think he kind of needs to come back. In terms of design, it doesn’t matter too much, but it would be REALLY cool if they either went back to the original PS2 design or to his new DMC5 model. Either way, Dante would be one people would miss.

Deacon St. John (Days Gone)

The protagonist in Sony’s upcoming zombie thing Days Gone seems like he’d pretty cool in a crossover fighter, that is if they can make him unique. I doubt having him run everyone over on his bike would quite cut it, but it seems like Days Gone is gonna be pretty good, hopefully good enough to justify his place here. Bring on the bike dad.

Delsin Rowe (InFAMOUS: Second Son)

I’ve replaced Cole MacGrath with the series’ most recent protagonist, Delsin Rowe. I feel like this chaotic rebel with big ol superpowers would fit just as well as Cole, but seems a little more recognisable due to him being a little more recent.

Doom Slayer (Doom)

A lot of people have been speculating that we could be seeing Doomguy in Smash, but I think there’d be much less need for censorship if we saw him in a PS All Stars. They wouldn’t even need to tone him down at all, he can just go full out gun. You can’t tell me that wouldn’t be fun.

Ellie (The Last of Us)

I mean yeah, there’s Joel, but I think Ellie would be the much cooler pick, especially now she’s all grown up in Part 2. Not the most obvious choice for an over the top crossover fighter, but The Last of Us is Playstation royalty, and by extension, Ellie. And hey, she has enough usage of cool weapons to keep her place on the roster so I would be more than down for this.

Emily Kaldwin (Dishonored series)

I think Emily is pretty much my most wanted character. I love Dishonored and I toyed around with Corvo in my head for a while, but ultimately settled on Emily because I think her powers are a bit cooler. Such an obvious fit if you think about it, with her cool shadow reach thing and all her weapons. Basically, she needs to be here.

Fat Princess

Who is Fat Princess? Does anyone actually know? Because I don’t. The pure enigma around her keeps her on the roster.

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher series)

Monster hunter by trade. Wields two swords and a crossbow. Has access to several magic signs that allow to create magic traps or set things on fire. Plus, he’s the protagonist of one of the best RPGs of this console generation. Put him in pls.

Heihachi Mishima (Tekken series)

Another veteran I’m keeping, as I think the sequel would still need its representation from an actual fighting game. I mean, Nintendo got Street Fighter so it’s only fair Playstation get to keep Tekken. And no one’s gonna be mad, he’s from a fighting game so of course his moves would be cool.

The Hunter (Bloodborne)

It was either this guy or Solaire of Astora, so I thought I’d stick with the one that’s the PS exclusive. I imagine the Hunter as a fast-paced fighter who’s a bit jumpy, which would be a good contrast to some of the other heavier fighters. He’s got plenty going for him and he’s from a great game, so he seems an obvious choice.

Isaac Clarke (Dead Space)

Everyone’s favourite janitor who’s in way out of his depth, Isaac Clarke, is here to stay. Access to fun weapons and would probably be a nice break for him to fight Fat Princess rather than the necrofuckery he normally has to deal with. Oh, but don’t make him DLC this time.

Jak and Daxter

The poster boys of some of the best platforming on the PS2, these guys were clear picks for the first game and it’d be a little sad if you cut them from the sequel.

Joker (Persona 5)

I am BEYOND excited for my best boi to get into Smash, but it also makes a little too much sense he join in for an All Stars sequel. After all, P5 started life as and still is a PS4 exclusive, though I suppose that’s likely to change soon. Still, let him and Cloud join the fun too!

Kat and Dusty (Gravity Rush)

I have never played Gravity Rush, but I’ve heard that it’s pretty much amazing, so I thought I’d leave a spot for these two and carry them over. Plus, their designs are cool so I’m here for it.

Knack

Yeah, yeah, I know. Knack was kind of rubbish and Knack 2 was more rubbish. But how cool would Knack be in a fighting game? He could be a really technical fighter, switching between two separate movesets for his bigger and smaller forms, a bit like Pokemon Trainer in Smash. And he’s owned by Sony so he’d be easy to slot in. Sure the games weren’t great, but as a character concept, yes please.

So there’s the first half! Curious as to my other 21 picks? Drop in next week to see who they are! If you’ve got characters you’d like to see, let me know down below and we can all talk about a game that will probably never happen. Have a gr8 day.

#persona 5 #final fantasy #dishonored #the witcher #playstation #ps #list #gaming #gravity rush #horizon zero dawn #bioshock #killzone #Crash Bandicoot #devil may cry #the last of us #infamous #tekken

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killscreencinema · 6 years

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God of War (PlayStation 4)

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So I missed out on God of War.

Back in 2005, when the first game was released by Santa Monica Studios for the Playstation 2, I was finishing up college. I remember reading about the game’s development and being fascinated by the concept - a Spartan warrior who decides he wants to kill the Greek gods? Cool. I never got a chance to play it upon its initial release because I was a broke college student and had probably spent what little money I had on some other game. I considered renting it, but no, no, this was a game I needed extensive time on and didn’t want to binge in order to get it back to the video store on time.

Before I could get ahold of it either way, some college buddies of mine bought the game and so began playing the ever loving crap out of it. Every time I came over to hang out, they were playing God of War, which bugged me because the whole game was being spoiled for me. When my friends played a game, they had this sick compulsion to REPLAY it over and over and over (whereas I finish a game and move on, like a sane person). This went on for at least 2-3 months before my desire to play the game myself was replaced with resentment for the entire series.

I had always meant to play the trilogy at some point, but other games took precedence. So when the 4th entry into the series, simply titled God of War, was released this year, and it was clear that the game was a kind of soft reboot/sequel (in the way that Resident Evil 4 was a soft reboot/sequel), it seemed like a perfect jumping on point for a newb like me.

Now I want to say normally I’m very uncomfortable just jumping into the the middle of a series like this. I don’t like to say things like, “I’m OCD”, because I feel it trivializes an potentially serious mental illness in order for people to make themselves sound less boring, but... I think I have mild OCD, especially in that I’m incredibly resistant to watching movies and TV shows out of order or playing video games out of order. It’s not just a preference thing - I get physically out of sorts when someone insists I watch something like The Raid 2, but I haven’t seen the first one. They might be like, “It’s an entirely new story with different characters, you don’t need to see the first one” to which I’m like, “No, you don’t understand, I NEED to see it.” However, I don’t think I’m actually OCD because many times I’ll break down and just get over my weird fixation on watching/playing things in order. My introduction to the Elder Scrolls series via starting with Oblivion and never looking back (Morrow-what?) is evidence enough to me that I am perfectly capable of skipping games in a series without feeling terribly bad about it.

The point of this dumb tangent is that I was dead set against playing this new God of War until I played through the first three, but it seemed to me like the developers went out of their way to make this game accessible to people who are new to the franchise, so I pulled an Elder Scrolls and blew caution to the (Morrow)wind. I’m kind of glad I did too, for reasons I’ll explain further when I discuss the story.

The game takes place years after the third, with the legendary “Ghost of Sparta”, Kratos, having retired into the mountains far away from his homeland of Greece. When we meet Kratos, he is in the process of building a pyre with which to cremate the remains of his dead wife so that he and his son Atreus can take her ashes to the “highest peak in all the realms”, according to her final wishes. At first Kratos is reluctant to bring Atreus on the journey, believing him to not be ready, but his hand is forced after a god named Baldur, brother of the Nordic god Thor, unexpectedly shows up to pick a fight with Kratos. After barely surviving the encounter, Kratos realizes that he and Atreus both would be more safe on the move than staying in one place long enough for Baldur to show up for round two. However, along the way, Kratos uses the journey as a opportunity to continue training his son to become a man, while Atreus is insatiably curious to learn more about his stoic badass of a father, but Kratos ain’t talking because he doesn’t want his son to know about his true godly nature.

So yes, the new God of War game is, at its core, a story about an estranged father and son bonding during a journey. Cue “Cats in the Cradle”:

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Kidding aside, I absolutely loved this aspect of the game and I enjoyed the back and forth between the characters throughout the story. This was helped by excellent voice acting by Sunny Sulijic as Atreus and Christopher Judge (of Stargate SG-1 fame) as Kratos. Evidently, Judge took over the role because the game developers needed someone who was physically closer in size to Kratos in the game for animation purposes. While I’m sure this was regrettable for fans of Carson’s work with the character, Judge is no slouch, and does such a great job even diehard fans of the series have to give it up to him as worthy of the mantle.

Fans of the series may be quick to point out that I may not feel that way if I were more familiar with the series, and that’s fair. Like I mentioned before, though, I’m glad that I’m coming in fresh, because not only does that make me a little more open to a different sounding Kratos, but not being as familiar with mythos of the series makes me just as eager as Atreus to hear more about his bloody past. One might say it takes on a... mythical quality?

No, wait, please keep reading, I apologize!

The game plays like a brawler in the style of Bloodborne or Dark Souls, though certainly not as difficult as those games are infamous for being. That being said, God of War ain’t a cake walk either! The game has a respectable bite to it challenge wise, forcing the player to learn how to deal with individual enemy types beyond repetitive Dynasty Warriors style hack-n-slashery. The optional boss fights with the Corrupted Valkyries is an absolute treat in which to test one’s skills, leading up to a hell of a brawl with the Valkyrie Queen (whom I couldn’t beat... dammit). That being said, epic boss battles like that are way too sparse and the same enemies get overused a little too much.

While Kratos eventually regains his iconic Chaos Blades from the previous games (spoilers), his main weapon is an axe called Leviathan and ohhh what a fun weapon it is too! Similar to Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, Kratos can hurl the axe at enemies, and call it back at will. This spices up battles a lot, allowing you to pull off awesome moves like throwing your axe at an enemy to freeze them with its ice powers, and beating another enemy with your bare fists, before calling your axe back to you, which slices up or trips enemies in its trajectory back to you. Meanwhile, your son isn’t just sitting on the sidelines cheering you on (or warning you of attacks from behind, which is helpful) - Atreus jumps into the fray to help either by shooting baddies with his bow and arrow or he’ll often leap on their head and keep them prone long enough for you to deliver powerful, but slow, cleaving blows with your axe.

And anyone with traumatic memories of GoldenEye 64 escort missions need not worry - Atreus cannot die! Yay!

Besides the main story quest, the game offers a nice variety of side quests to keep you busy without being so overwhelming that you totally forget there even IS a main quest (which is something that often happens to me A LOT with games of this type). Fortunately, besides killing all 50 of Odin’s ravens, the side quests are actually a lot of fun and don’t involve insipid fetch quests. While some of them can be fairly time consuming, like the labyrinth in Niflheim, none of them ever felt tedious.

If my ramblings haven’t made it clear, God of War is amazing game, which delivers a compelling “cinematic experience”, but without sacrificing substantive gameplay (a formula a lot of AAA developers named after badly behaved canines have trouble balancing). However, you don’t have to take MY word for it...

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#god of war #playstation #playstation 4 #ps4 #ps4 game #santa monica studios #sony #kratos #christopher judge #stargate sg1 #action adventure #previously recorded #rlm #red letter media

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