#I do my nails and watch horror game playthroughs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

becca-e-barnes · 1 year

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I can't bring myself to think of anything except a submissive dbf Bucky on his knees, shirtless and just short of begging to be allowed to touch you. (Probably inspired by this tiktok that I've watched SO many times)

Even his very first kiss is frantic. He usually starts off gentle; almost tentative but within minutes he's holding the back of your head, keeping you close and it's such an indulgent kiss, it makes your head swim.

"Fuck." His mouth latches onto your neck, groaning quietly when he realises you already have the first couple of buttons of his shirt undone. He's already lost any desire he might have had to take this slowly.

You pull him back up to kiss your lips with a hand gently cradling the back of his neck. He doesn't voice any objections, following your lead and letting his warm lips slide over yours until your tongue teases his.

He's practically melting already and it's so rewarding to watch how easily he crumbles. Your lips don't part from his while he shrugs his shirt off and as soon as his neck is free of the collar, your hand replaces it.

His eyes open when you start to apply pressure to the outside of his throat, careful to avoid pressing on any of the more delicate structures. "Harder." He needs this. You have no problem indulging him.

"You're so good for me." He's flushed already but you swear the praise makes his cheeks blaze even hotter. His lips are pink and slick and he's long since forgotten his need to kiss you. Up until you use your grip on his neck to direct him to kneel on the carpet.

You let go of his throat, the release of pressure gives him a head rush and it's written all over his face. He's looking up at you expectantly, desperate to know what's coming next. Are you going to tease him about being so submissive? Slap his face a little? Spit in his mouth maybe? A little part of him isn't sure what he'd prefer more.

You do none of the above though. Instead, you perch on the edge of the bed while you play with his hair, letting the seconds tick past, not saying a word.

He almost feels deprived of touch, going from so much to so little in a short space of time. Your knees are pressed tightly together but he kisses up one of your bare legs regardless, worshipping every inch of skin he can press his mouth to.

"Spread your legs." It's only a quiet murmur but his tone is off. He's not in a position to be making any demands.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" It's almost funny that he thinks he'll get what he wants by addressing you like that.

"Spread your legs please." The emphasis seems genuine. He engaged his mouth before he engaged his brain. It happens and you forgive him, parting your thighs and letting him shift the skirt of your dress out of the way.

You hadn't bothered to wear underwear. It only gets in the way and Bucky seemed appreciative that he didn't have to waste any time taking it off you.

"You're so wet already." This wasn't news to you. Even just the thought of him on his knees for you is enough to get you worked up, never mind the reality.

One of your hands instinctively settles on the back of his head and you feel him start to glide his tongue over your slick sex. He kisses your body like he did your lips earlier. The pressure and intensity feels indulgent, long strokes of his tongue that allow him to taste you the way he's been dreaming of.

The slick sounds are obscene. His quiet moans are filthy. He sinks two thick fingers into your body, curling them while his tongue laps at your clit and you can't help the way your legs shake.

The pointed tip of your shoe presses gently to the front of his trousers and he gratefully grinds against the sole. His pleasure can't and won't be forgotten, although it seems like that wasn't a concern of his anyway.

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mousemousemoose · 3 months

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I wanna start writing about the games I play so here's a little review on Clock Tower. "Review" in the sense of looking back on it, not in the sense of like. IGN 8.9/10.

I first played Clock Tower on an SNES emulator in middle school with friends. One of them said it was the scariest game he'd ever seen (watching it on YouTube instead of playing it himself). We'd hunch around a computer and sort of try to figure out how to play it. Now that I've played it myself in twenty twenty four, I can see why it was such an uphill battle.

I played the game (again with friends) at first blind, and after about an hour of trying and failing to grasp it I looked up a guide. Turns out, there are a bunch of intricate (and semi-random) systems in place that more-or-less obscure the path towards completing the game. Rooms that shift locations, items that might not be in the same place between playthroughs -- it's an interesting method to increasing playtime, but not something I think makes the game more engaging. I think the designers wanted the search for the true ending to require trial and error. But (in my mind) trial and error really only work if the results are deterministic, and the fact that they aren't makes playing the game multiple times confusing.

Despite the clunkiness of the gameplay (and not to mention the kind-of-thin story), Clock Tower nails presentation. The house is gorgeous and the sound design is probably my favorite from any game of its generation. The footstep echo and the scissor noises stand out especially. And the music! The music rules! I'm not knowledgeable enough with music stuff to know if it's technically impressive on the hardware, but I haven't played anything from this era that sounds anything like it. The only problem with the music is that it makes it too obvious when you're safe -- it only plays once scissorman isn't pursuing you, and so it's all too clear when you're safe.

Speaking of scissorman: he's the most engaging part of the game by far. His appearances are effectively shocking and his pursuit of Jennifer feels dangerous. At least, it feels dangerous until you realize you just need to mash the "panic" button on him and you can win pretty consistently. But some of his scares are brilliant. When he topples the doll in that weird mannequin room, or when he crashes through the ceiling in the garage -- it was cool and felt true to the horror movies that clearly inspired the game. One friend I was playing with agreed with me that it felt a lot like Suspiria, which is a cool movie and it's cool to play a game in the same vein (lo and behold, the game's director has said that Clock Tower was made in homage to Suspiria's director! Wow! Intertextuality!).

The game has some other 1990s game weirdness going on. Needing to stand still for health regeneration, bizarre actions you need to take to solve puzzles with seemingly obvious answers, but honestly (and I say this as someone who played with a guide) I found a lot of that stuff to be kind of charming in the way that a lot of old games are charming. I especially loved the character portraits and sprite CGs (made by digitizing photos of real people! that's so cool!). There's a sequence where Mrs. Barrows (one of the antagonists) lifts her face up to catch more shadows and look more menacing. It's only a three frame animation but it absolutely rocks. I feel a little bad for having played this game with a guide since, incidentally, playing with one meant I missed some content. However, I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have finished it without one thanks to my thin patience for unneeded slowness, something this game has in abundance. It was definitely worth the revisit, and I'll happily espouse the impact this game had on me as a kid. I'm excited to see what the upcoming remake ends up looking like, and if they'll change anything about the original.

If you made it to the end of this, thank you for reading! I'll probably do more of these going forward since I had fun with this one and it made me think more seriously about the game and how I felt about it.

edit: typo lol

#clock tower

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kindofblue28 · 9 months

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I found your post recommending Faust the other day when I was looking for recent posts about the Gadget games, then went ahead and watched a playthrough, and I’m glad I did even if I don’t fully understand the story. That GameBoomers forum thread did help to clear some things up, at least. I don’t know where the hell the Wikipedia plot summary describing Marcellus as the Devil got that idea from, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all, somebody should change that.

Man, that final part with Giselle hit pretty hard, though it’s undercut a bit by that sitcomy ending. This game has a tone problem, that’s for sure. Do you think it’s an exaggeration on my part to call Geoffrey Bateman (I think that’s him?)’s performance as Mef one of the best vocal performances for a video game character? The character displays a wide range of emotions and he nails it, when he laughs it sounds like he’s laughing for real. I’m so glad that the voice of Loge/Loki from RLOTN got to be in the spotlight for something somewhat better.

I think Drowned God and - to a lesser extent - Gadget have already filled up too much real estate in my brain for me to want to dive super deep into the lore and stuff, but I’ll be looking forward for your fan website to see the concept art and all that! As one of the very few people on this Earth who has bothered to document Drowned God’s completely absurd story and try to explain it, plus Gadget’s too a little, I get how kinda lonely it feels to want to reach out and tell others about such a weird thing that has interesting ideas despite its faults.

I’ll be busy for the next several days, but maybe in the near future I’ll make a TV Tropes page for Faust, and if I have any questions about characters and story elements. I feel like that site can do quite a bit to spread the word about these types of media and help clarify stuff.

Hey! Just wanted to say thanks for sending me this ask!! I'm very glad that post helped you find that game, and really happy to see another Gadget fan too. I can understand being confused about the story- I was very confused on my first couple of playthroughs too, if you have any questions I'd be glad to answer them about this game. Wasn't even aware of the stuff with the Wikipedia article- I'll try and look and see what I can do about that, because… whew, that's VERY wrong! Also completely agree with you on the part with Giselle. Really hits me hard and like, 9/10 makes me cry whenever I play thru that part- its message really helped me. Though yeah, I agree on the ending too. I feel like this game has such an issue of like, going way faster than it needs to be. I feel like a lot of the messages don't have enough time to really sit and get their point across, like, you just immediately get thrust into the end stuff after that, and doesn't even let the horror element of what happened sit? It stinks, and even if I hold this game in a really high regard, it's VERY flawed and all over the place.

Also, I definitely think Geoffery Bateman did FANTASTIC as Mef. I've listened to his roles in other Arxel games and this definitely feels like one where he got to shine- I feel like his other roles he's stuck in ones where he just sounds monotone and disinterested, where his performance of Mef sounds like, super believable and not forced at all :)

Also, can understand not wanting to dive super deep into the lore, I mean, it's been like that for me with Gadget, Faust took up too much of the braincells for this year and even if I own most of the supporting material for Gadget I just don't think I have the brain energy to dive super deep into it right now, so I totally get ya. Also cool you're a Drowned God fan- I meant to play that sorta soon, it's a game that's been on my list for years, if you took the time to play Faust, I got to at least give you the time with Drowned God too. More of these small games like these really need to be remembered- they have something to say! About the site, I hopefully should have SOMETHING up eventually. I've been kinda conflicted on the stuff in regards to Faust though, as I've debated having it moved to a wiki framework- and that might just be too much effort for one game, and I wouldn't want to be the one to make a wiki on Arxel Tribe games, as I haven't played most of them. I was planning to host the website on Neocities but my website building skills are VERY poor and that's just been stopping me from doing the pages themselves, I have the info, just not the skills :(

Either way, thank you for your ask (and your time!), you've been very kind. If you want to talk about the game at all I'm here on tumblr or on Discord (same username) :) Peace!

#asks #faustposting #7gotsposting

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icharchivist · 6 months

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https://youtu.be/zLI09EVqnOk?si=Z0tKvqIRzw494Le5

Seofon

(Also me tbh, I hate horror movies, but sometimes I get curious and I read the plot online and then I go "Well. Now I know" and then I never think about it again)

Anyway, this is what dating him would be like

The Cardyverse grows

Belial would love scary movies, I just know it. Any excuse to hold you tight and get grabby. Even if he probably doesn't get scared by anything in the movie proper. Sometimes he'll scare you during tense moments by suddenly making noise at you. Also he gets immediately aroused when violence happens, so that's. Something. I just know it

(link) you sent it scaringly fast after he posted this i'm crying

the fact we've done this so much that now any new Tom Cardy song is an opportunity to just project our favs on them.

But also you're right, i could totally imagine Seofon that way, just, not minding it on an intellectual level but cannot deal with the scares itself. ("there's a 90% chance i won't shit my pants" which still means 10% chance of shitting your pants reading the wiki i love it)

(AND HELPPPP. That's the way to go, atta anon. Ironically i love horror games' playthrough but i don't really care much for horror movies, so i do often read some stuff up online but otherwise i really stick to games. So this is funny to me. I'd terrify Seofon like :) we're not watching a movie, just a game :) and then, pain.)

but you're right this is what dating him would be like. Love it.

and yeah Belial would love horror movies and you nailed it so well i can't even add anything to it. It's just up his alley, and he gets to do all sort of things thanks to that. He is super attentive to what would scare you so that later when you're back at home he would set up situations to reproduce the scariest scenes just to freak you out. He's a nightmare. Never watch horror movies with him.

Anyway. amazed the Cardyverse still grow everyday. Best thing that came out of all those anons fr

#ichareply #ichafantalks gbf #anonymous

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little-lee-stories · 4 years

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Liar, Liar: Face on Fire

(oh god guys I’m doing this it’s been sitting in my docs for like a week while I tried to get up more motivation because for some reason my brain decided my first tfic should actually be a series of tifics???

This is Patton’s part and I’m trying to get myself into the mood to write Roman’s part, but after that I have like zero ideas for Logan and Virgil but anyway here you go guys, my first terrible tfic aaaaaaaa)

tagging @oliviaischillin1204 because she’s my torture/inspiration

In addition to occasionally appearing to Thomas when he told a few white lies, Deceit had taken to popping up on the other sides when they told lies he thought were worth exposing. Even better – Thomas and the other sides wanted the truth? He would see to it that all of their truths were set free like birds from cages.

Starting with Patton and his penchant for lying about his feelings.

It started, as many things do with Patton, with cookies. Roman, deciding he deserved a sweet treat after all of his morning adventuring, went straight for the cookie jar while Patton made sandwiches with help (okay, he was basically only getting things from the fridge, but still) from Virgil. Before Logan, sitting at the table, could even begin to scold him for ruining his appetite, Roman had stuck his hand into the jar only for a look of confusion to pass over his face.

“What thievery is this? Wasn’t the jar at least half-full yesterday? Now it’s completely empty!” Roman exclaimed, pulling his cookie-less hand out of the jar and waving it in the air with his usual dramatics. Virgil shrugged, but Logan rose an eyebrow.

“Patton, have you been partaking in those “second cookies” again? Having that much sugar is unhealthy.” He stated, causing Patton to turn from his sandwich-making with a surprised expression.

“A second cookie is nice once in a while, Lo, but I haven’t had any recently. You guys are more than sweet enough for me.” Patton exclaimed happily.

“Liar.” Suddenly Deceit was standing just behind Patton, picking at some of the sandwich fillings as yet untouched, nonchalantly eyeing the peppy side with a smirk. Patton and Roman jumped, while Virgil practically threw himself across the room to get away from the suddenly close snake. He scowled at the new figure.

“What are you taking about, Deceit? No one needs you here –“ the purple side snarked. Deceit blinked at him with mock-innocence, before turning his attention toward Patton.

“Well, in light of deciding that lying isn’t good, I thought I’d show you just how prevalent lying is for us. Patton, care to share?” Patton got over his surprise and smiled.

“Share what? The sandwiches? I made them for everyone, silly, take your pick!” Patton moved closer to Deceit and the sandwiches, gesturing for the snake side to view them. Deceit placed a gloved hand on Patton’s shoulder, leaning around him to see Roman, about to speak when he realized Patton was scrunching his shoulders a bit. He squeezed Patton’s shoulder, making the other let out a kind of yipping noise, before pulling away with a hum.

“Well. I guess I am needed here, after all.” And with that, the well-dressed side was gone, and everyone else was left to wonder why he had even appeared…except for Patton, who was busy blushing at the noise he’d made and quickly stepped out.

The next time Deceit appeared, it was right behind Patton while the others were listening to Roman’s ideas for the new series for Thomas.

“That’s a great idea, kiddo, I love it” Patton responded to Roman’s idea to expand their one horror game video into a series of playthroughs for The Evil Within 2.

“Are you sure about that?” Deceit whispered in Patton’s ear, the air blowing into it quite tickly. Patton scrunched his neck and shoulders up with a squeal, startling the others and alerting them to Deceit’s presence. The snake side smirked at the others and disappeared as quickly as he came. Patton managed to reassure the others that he was fine, just surprised, and left it at that.

But it didn’t stop there. It seemed Deceit was always there every time Patton told the littlest untruth to the others. Just things to make sure he didn’t hurt their feelings, honest! Showing a little more interest in Logan’s schedule than he really had, trying to assuage Virgil’s fears, reassuring them when he wasn’t feeling his best…Deceit just kept showing up, and the things he was doing kept escalating.

“There’s nothing to worry about ki – eeeehee!” Spidering in between his shoulder blades.

“Huh? Oh, of course I heard, Lo – ooooh gohosh!” Fingers jabbing into his underarms.

“I’m fine. AhHA!” A few squeezes to his sides.

The others were getting concerned, but Deceit only smirked and Patton only blushed and avoided their questions. Until finally enough was enough.

Alone in his room, feeling down but not quite knowing why, Patton took a steadying breath.

“I’m feeling really good today!” This time Deceit merely appeared in front of him, an eyebrow raised.

“Really? That’s the best lie I’ve ever heard from you, Patton.” Patton chose not to reply, wringing his hands a bit and looking down so he couldn’t see Deceit’s face at his next words.

“Deceit…I want you stop doing that thing you’ve been doing recently. I don’t like it.” He said hesitantly, feeling nervous and a bit giddy. He peeked up at Deceit to see a glint in his eyes and a smile on his face, and felt his own lips twitch upwards a bit in response.

“What, you mean tickling you? Does it tickle too much?” Deceit asked, stepping closer.

“Ye – no! Uh…” Patton gasped, head lifting as he backed away. The little game of cat and mouse ending abruptly when Patton’s knees met the bed and his balance was thrown off. Deceit took advantage of the situation and pushed Patton to sit on the bed before crouching at his feet. Patton kicked his feet away slightly, giddiness overtaking any other emotion and a nervous, inexplainable smile taking over his face.

“Wh – what are you -? AH!” Patton gave a squeal as Deceit took hold of one of his ankles, wasting no time in removing his slipper and sock. Deceit grinned up at the fatherly side, wiggling the fingers of his free hand inches from his bare sole. Patton pulled at his trapped foot and scrunched his toes, tittering nervously with his hands in front of his mouth.

“You see, Patton, I think you’re lying to me. I think you’re not very ticklish. Let’s prove that theory, hmm?” The side smirked and let his fingers touch down on Patton’s arches, nails skittering over the wrinkles in his scrunched foot quickly but delicately.

“Ihihi’m noohohohot! Stopihihit!” Patton broke into giggles immediately, kicking his free leg and pulling at his trapped one. He shrieked as Deceit found a particularly sensitive spot on his arches just above his heel, pressing his arms against his stomach and falling backwards onto the bed, almost causing Deceit to lose his grip on the other’s foot.

“EEEEE! Plehehehehehehease!” Patton begged.

“Hm? Please tickle you more? Why Patton, I’d hate to.” Deceit said sweetly, letting his other sets of arms grow out to grab Patton’s other foot. He stripped that one of it’s slipper and sock as well, pulling back Patton’s toes and tickling underneath them while the other foot continued to have its sensitive arch played with.

“NOHOHOHOHOOOOO DEEEHEHEHEHEHE! IT TIHIHIHIHIHICKLEHEHEHES!!!” Patton rolled on the bed, squirming and trying to scrunch his toes and kick his legs while laughing uncontrollably. His face was red and he felt like he was on the verge of mirthful tears but…he felt better. It was far less embarrassing to be tickle attacked by Deceit in private, and let him actually feel what he had been too overwhelmed to before – joy. Letting himself go like this was, dare he say, nice. But it seemed almost as soon as he began enjoying the feeling, it stopped.

“Does it? That was all you had to say, my dear!” Deceit exclaimed, releasing his feet and drawing his extra arms back into himself. He came to lay next to Patton as he panted and wheezed the last of his giggles out. As he calmed, Patton turned his head toward Deceit and opened his eyes to see the other watching him nonchalantly, hands holding up his head.

“Consider that a little lesson in lying. Did you like it?” Deceit purred. Patton flushed again and before he could stop himself –

“No!” He exclaimed, hands going up to cover his red face. He didn’t see the grin spread on Deceit’s face, but he certainly felt the hands that shot under his exposed arms, making him pin his arms – and subsequently, Deceit’s hands – down with a shriek.

“Now now, what did we just discuss? I think another lesson is in order…” Deceit trailed off as his fingers gently wiggled in Patton’s trapped underarms, starting his laughter up anew.

“DEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!”

#my writing #ler deceit #lee patton #Liar Liar series

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boog-shitposting-edition · 4 years

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So I been playing a ton of Kenshi and watched all of the Mandalorian in a single day shortly before and it’s got me thinking about what makes what I consider a good action hero, because there was definitely a time where I thought the phrase “good action hero” was an oxymoron.

I grew up around some angry, unstable dudes who had that bad habit of watching horror movies and opining that in the same situation they would simply shoot the monster with the gun the character was holding. I got some views on the model of masculinity that sees the male ideal as functionally a tool for performing violence, condescension and occasional reddit-approved banter with all other emotional responses pared away or suppressed. This seems like a good way to manufacture a product for performing labor rather than developing a whole functional human being. So I generally veer away from that sort of thing pretty hard.

So I’m resistant to the Mandalorian at first, right? All the ads are basically star wars apocryphica and a power armored fighty gun boy. The last star wars thing I’d seen was The Rise Of Skywalker and my faith in the franchise is low. But it’s been a hot minute, the hype dies down, and my girlfriend is a better and more patient fan than I’ll ever be so we give it a go. And the first thing that really nails it for me is what a DORK the mando is. I’m delighted, his life is violence interdispersed with being an absolute buttfumble disaster. He slips and falls over things he could never have predicted, he burns his life down for a baby he finds in the desert. Pedro Pascal references Boba Fetts stiff menace and plays it off as someone who has no social skills other than stiff menace and it’s FASCINATING. Him explaining to the village woman who is obviously into him that he hasn’t taken the armor off since he was thirteen isn’t a badass declaration of martial devotion, it is the single saddest and most awkward interaction I have ever seen filmed and it hits all the harder for the fact that this is a character I’ve mostly ever seen as an action figure with a spring loaded missile backpack. Instead of being a faceless emotionless action-cudgel, Pedro amps up the body language in his acting to really sell you this heavily psychologically damaged, desperate, viking-space-catholic mess with no life skills other than violence and a devotion to his people’s creed that borders on obsession. Rather than paring himself down making him a psychological fortress, the Mando is an incredibly obvious walking raw nerve (”I’m not sad-” “Yes you are.”) So, Kenshi.

I’ve heard about this game on and off a few years and finally got it a few days ago. It’s been in early access since 2012, appears to be mostly getting finished by its modding community, and glitches like absolute woah. There’s no core storyline, just a post-apocalyptic setting with some surprisingly detailed autogenerated NPC interactions with some options for starting conditions and the sole goal of surviving. It’s essentially a rapid sequence of story prompts hidden underneath a closely interlocked system of XP grinding, survival mechanics and dismemberment algorithms, and is appallingly my shit.

My first run at the game got pretty far, went from a lone confused desert wanderer to a 13 man village running a tidy copper-mining operation to trade with the ant people. In the early game, fight mechanics are basically a death sentence; my first character immediately got her leg torn off by a goat and I had to restart. All skills grow only by excersizing them; you have to fight to get better at fighting, you have to LOSE fights to gain toughness, and when you lose a fight the consequences can range from “these bandits are stealing all your food” to “this monster is eating your leg/heart/head” to “these slavers are taking your character away and your game experience is Different now.” And while I was proud of myself for finding a way to survive, grow and thrive with a low-combat squad, once I tried the basebuilding mechanics that basically just meant my town was a source of free food and money for local bandits while my squad starved to death, unable to abandon our locale. So I got fed up and restarted.

As mentioned the game gives you different start positions; wanderer gives you 1 character, some money and pants. Guy and his dog gives you a dog, which is fun. Exiled officer starts you with good skills and the hatred of your former commander, which complicates things. Cannibal Hunters starts you already in a fistfight with 30 cannibals. It’s exciting times. But I figure this time I’d like to start my squad a LITTLE more capable of defending themselves, so I look at the Holy Sword start; you’re a bandit who starts with a stolen holy weapon, minuses in most skills, no money and a 20,000 bounty on your head from both major factions.

So I proceed to character creation and notice I can pick whatever I want for player species/subspecies with this start. There’s robot people and warriors made of stone and baseline humans and all sorts of fun options, but you remember those ant people I mentioned before? In game they’re called the Hivers, you find ‘em in 3 recruitable varieties (prince, worker drone and soldier) and they have an interesting in-universe quirk; ones that grow up in the hive are pheramone-addicted, chemically wired into the needs and wants of all of their fellows, but if you’re away from your kin for over a fortnight this addiction dries out incredibly fast and cannot be reinstated. Hivers who ever spend any time away from the hive are declared “lost ones,” and are often taken advantage of in the outside world as they long for a new community.

In survival sims I dont often play dedicated fighters, I always feel like being a brutal fight-beast isn’t really in the spirit of finding a niche to exploit and growing from a fumbling plebian to a major power. But I was already starting this game with my ONLY advantage being a nice sword. And the soldier hivers gain a buff to experience gained for melee attack and toughness, and a debuff to literally all else.

Manual labor. Science. Engineering. Farming. Cooking. First aide. In a setting that heavily prioritized your ability to survive using multiple vital skill sets, my character would start with negatives in his skills for putting on band-aids and FEEDING himself. So I gave it a go.

Getting more wild here, it turns out the Holy Sword opening also takes place in a time in the setting with more recent warfare, so a bunch of the starting villages are destroyed and it appears that more of the nearby cities are controlled by the factions that have a bounty on me. So my character CAN’T rely on other people or meet anyone to recruit at first. He can run, he can scrounge and scavenge, and as mentioned above starting characters can take lethal damage from GOATS so he can’t even hunt for food; the only way I was getting a meal was if I robbed someone or ran into merchants on the road I could hawk my salvage to for a scrap of bread.

He eventually finds someone willing to join him on his travels in spite of being flat broke, a shek named Ruka running from a dishonerable loss on the battlefield, and comparing their skills he’s so useless for everything besides combat that I assign him to bodyguard her. And again, this game’s appeal is that the survival mechanics make good story prompts, so imagine that in character.

“Fine, I need a change. I’ll join you.” “Thank god. Lead the way boss.” “What?”

Things regarding my characters bounty are starting to heat up in town, so we head north into hiver territory. We get attacked by bandits and heavily injured, my soldier gets knocked out, so Ruka picks him up and carries him until we find a hive town. I saw these guys all the time in my last playthrough, I survived by selling to them, they’re super friendly, should be fine. Ruka walks into the local shop and before I can have her ask for directions and a medikit the shopkeeper is already shouting- “SKREEE! LOST ONE! GET OUT! LOST ONES BRING MADNESS”

Apparently, my protagonist being a hiveless hiver means there’s a THIRD faction that’s hostile to him; his own goddamn people. Ruka has to leave him under a tree not just outside but like 50 feet from the edge of town, and just has to hope none of the local wild megafauna eats him while she rushes back in to buy things from the now abruptly friendlier shopkeep.

I’m finally sitting there, having Ruka watch my soldier hiver sleep while she cooks scavanged meat and waits for him to finish healing, that I realize what the story being generated here is and it’s a good one; a Hive soldier whose only skills are violence, frantically scavenging and stealing to survive until he can find the one circumstance where he’s comfortable, sacrificing himself to protect others. He steals a sword that’s obviously important to two major governments, just because he knows it’s powerful and thinks that power will justify his continued existence as a hiveless soldier drone, essentially buying his way back into his people’s good graces by performing his function. Literally wandering the world until he found a single person who was willing to boss him around again and devoting himself to their defense to a state of pathological damage just to feel like he has a hive again. It’s sad. It’s badass. It’s deeply, unsettlingly pathetic.

But I also think it’s what makes a really really good gruff action hero!

Hypercompetence in violence is really interesting when you acknowledge the damage it can do to your humanity in the storytelling! The Mandalorian is unsuccessful in repressing his empathy response so he just tries to tough through the pain it causes him as best he can, until he meets The Child and it snaps. The Hiver is essentially playing pretend at being still valued as a product for committing violence, even in the face of being openly rejected for his previously esteemed role. This stuff is INTERESTING.

TL;DR version, a lot of these “supersoldier raised by the military/fight wizards/karate” characters are super boring and obnoxious when they’re put forward as power fantasies, and really interesting when you realize that being raised by Fight Wizards is why they’ve never had a girlfriend and called their handgun “mom” once.

#kenshi #star wars #mandalorian

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morethanaprincess-a · 3 years

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@dxfiedfxte said: 15: What is the oddest muse you’ve picked up that you didn’t think you would? & 10: If you have multiple muses who are two you’d choose to interact together if you could RP with yourself?

Munday Stuff!

15. What is the oddest muse you’ve picked up that you didn’t think you would?

I don’t think I’ve picked up a muse that would be odd, at least for me to write beyond a guest/NPC appearance in another muse’s thread? Pretty much everyone I’ve written for in the past, from OCs to canons, I’ve been inspired by in some way to write new stories featuring them. They don’t all have everything in common either, but it’s more whatever type of muse I’m particularly feeling at that time. For the past 10 years or so, that’s been upper-class society, royalty, and historical-based muses mostly. For starting in the tumblr indie RPC, I was torn between writing for Haru Okumura (Persona 5) and Sonia Nevermind, and eventually decided on Sonia based on wanting to write about royalty, her horror interests, and the fact that Danganronpa is easier for me to understand and play (or watch playthroughs) than anything Persona is. The Persona games are too hard for me to play (I’ve said it on here before, but: I’m really bad at video games. I did not grow up with them and they aren’t really a hobby of mine save for a few select genres and titles, which is ironic considering the muses I want to write) so I’ve only seen some of the anime adaptations.

I think the oddest situation (which I can laugh about now), was thinking that at ages 16-20, I definitely knew everything I needed to to write a muse in their late twenties and everything they’d have to face as adults. I wrote a lot for Misato Katsuragi (Evangelion) and Julia (Cowboy Bebop) during those years and wow, I was sure I nailed it.

Looking back? Holy crap, did I get a lot wrong of what being in your twenties, especially mid to late-twenties and fast approaching thirty, is like. There’s so much I’d write differently if I felt compelled to go back and change my plotlines, or pick up those muses again (which I’m not inclined to do right now).

10. If you have multiple muses who are two you’d choose to interact together if you could RP with yourself?

Because of my activity over here, it’s really hard for me to keep more than one blog going and I have no interest in writing a multi. Partially, because only one muse (or fandom) tends to speak to me at any given time and I don’t like being pulled in to write someone else if I’m not feeling it. So, the only two muses who are ‘technically’ active right now are Sonia (you are here!) and Fujiko Mine from Lupin III over at @ladylooter, whom I haven’t picked up in awhile because I think I prefer writing Fujiko on discord or in 1x1 storylines. My first few interactions over there left a sour taste in my mouth.

So, nah. I’m okay with Sonia and Fujiko never meeting, or at least nothing terribly complex. I like giving them their own separate universes and situations. I also don’t like roleplaying with myself: at that point, I’d rather write fanfiction.

And I already have a neglected Riverdale fic I should finish (though the canon storyline has been shit since season 2) and a fic idea for Danganronpa that’s been kicking around in my head for the past three years. I’ll probably write that should my RP adventures ever slow down on this blog.

#more-than-a-princess answered #more-than-a-princess musings #dxfiedfxte #(Munday Stuff!)#(Thanks for the asks!)

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hellotherekenobi · 4 years

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oh god I should be asleep but. I hope these happy asks do their job :-)) pink eyeshadow, crossed fingers, and black nail polish? 🖤🖤🖤

Oh my goodness, Karina, I hope you've gone to sleep! I love you tho thank you for sending in some asks :)

pink eyeshadow: pasta or pizza?

This is every Italian's worst nightmare to choose between. Hmm. I'm going to say pasta because there's a lot that you make with it and hell yeah I'm all about that.

crossed fingers: using no negative words, describe your hair.

I'm not sure what counts as negative but very thick, dark brown, floofy, frizzy, super curly.

black nail polish: what do you do to pamper yourself?

Honestly, I do as little as possible. Usually wash my face and watch horror game playthroughs in my pjs with a cup of tea. Or some days I'll do a full on spa day. Treat yo self!

Send me a question! 💞

#it's definitely helping ty hunnie #:obianswers #karina tag #kaminobiwan #ask game

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theseerasures · 4 years

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Conspicuous Media Consumption, 2019

i mean, everyone's doing these write-ups, right? might as well hop onto the bandwagon

towards the end of last year i had one of my typical existential crises about my media consumption: am i slowly disappearing up my own ass because i no longer care about most of the pop culture people like to discuss ad nauseam? but on the other hand, isn’t it more responsible to find the niche items made by non-mainstream and marginalized creators? on the third hand, wouldn’t i be much happier if i just watched FMA Brotherhood over and over again, preferably while starting a new Mass Effect playthrough at the same time?

the answer to all these questions is probably “yes,” but i decided to try something different going into 2019. for every week of the year, i would try to get through a year’s worth of content for some kind of media, be it comics, video games, TV, etc--they didn’t all have to be recent, or even new to me, but once i was done with that week i’d be done, even if i didn’t finish the content, and i’d make a judgement based what i’d seen on whether i want to continue. mostly, i was trying to avoid what happened to me with video games in 2018, when i was hating every second of playing Uncharted but still felt obligated to finish because everyone and their houseplant liked Uncharted or listlessly doing the Master Hunter achievement in RDR2 because the main quest made me miserable.

the actual outcomes of this Project(tm) are a little more complicated than anticipated--some media i could finish in a day, while trying to play through ALL THE CONTENT OF AN MMO understandably took much longer than a week--but it all kind of evened out. in the end i did 48 weeks of this, and used December as my catch-ups month to follow up on some things i didn’t get to finish. i thought i’d give my thoughts on each of the things i consumed this year as part of this project below in a concise manner--and yes, i know the people who’ve read even one (1) thing i’ve written are probably laughing right now, particularly given how long i took in this introduction just to get to me point, but i really am going to try!! it’s all an exercise in shameless self-indulgence, basically, but hey: if any of you want to chat at length about any of this stuff below, hit me up.

(quick note: you’ll only find media that i chose for this particular project below, so things i watched socially with friends--like certain film properties slorping me back into Disney’s gelatinous monolith--are not included)

Devilman Crybaby (anime, finished 1/5/2019): honestly i should have twigged onto what the year was going to be like when the first thing i drew from the metaphorical barrel was demon tiddies and apocalyptic existentialism. i was determined to dislike it for most of the year due to fundamentally disagreeing with its main thematic thrust, but i kept THINKING about it even months after. at this point i’ve kinda mellowed out. it’s definitely not a must love, but there’s enough queer metaphor and philosophical richness in it to make it worth checking out.

Attack on Titan (manga, 3 volumes finished 1/12/2019): this is the second time i’ve tried to get into this franchise and...yeah, no. i still don’t see the appeal. the fascistic overtones juxtaposed with absolutely no one having a sense of humor wigs me out to no end.

Young Justice (TV, 2.5 seasons finished 1/31/2019): honestly, what even is there to say? they’re my kids. they’re back and grown up and making even more terrible decisions. i screamed when i saw Babs in her wheelchair.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf (book, finished 2/10/2019): i tried VERY HARD to like this book, given how much i liked Brief History of Seven Killings, but it just...didn’t click for me. which honestly is fine, since i don’t think it was made for me either.

Dragon Age (3 games, finished 2/28/2019): i feel like there’s always a part of me that’s going to think of this series as “the other one,” but y’know. it’s good. it’s my second playthrough (as a mage for all three) and it’s good! i even went around killing all the dragons in Inquisition because Knight Enchanter was a blast. appreciate the higher queer content vis-a-vis Mass Effect, even though i couldn’t care less about any of the plot. Dragon Age II is the best one, do not @ me

Bitter Root (comic, 4 issues finished 3/1/2019): i love intergenerational dramas and i love stories about vampire slayers, so this was aces. my only complaint is the pacing was a little slow for a story that was going on hiatus after five issues.

Pearl (comic, 6 issues finished 3/3/2019): i know that he’s done great things and grudgingly admit that he’s probably a net positive in the industry but Brian Michael Bendis can suck my entire dick

Lazarus (comic, 5 trades finished 3/ 4/2019): i really thought this was going to clench the position for comic of the year. it’s Rucka doing Highly Relevant Dystopia! it’s a corporate Lannisters AU! it’s a highly personal story about a woman with high privilege and little agency! what more could you want

Immortal Hulk (comic, 2 trades finished 3/ 4/2019): i vibed with the horror feel, but i don’t honestly think it’s THAT exceptional. being set in 616-verse means there was still ton of baggage i didn’t know or care about, since i’ve now swung more to the DC side of things

thank u, next (album, finished 3/5/2019): didn’t Ariana Grande get canceled this year for some reason? oh well, i liked her album

When I Get Home (album, finished 3/13/2019): i vividly remember listening to this for the first time and feeling vaguely disappointed that it wasn’t more like Seat at the Table until i realized that i was covered in goosebumps. still don’t understand the magic but it is Good

The Bird King (book, finished 3/23/2019): pretty much everything you’d expect from a G. Willow Wilson book--spirituality, the female lead finding Themselves and the Answer and learning they’re the same thing, etc etc. i’m slightly resentful that her Wonder Woman was so lackluster while this was so good, but whatevs

Psychodrama (album, finished 3/29/2019): possibly my favorite album of the year? dense and emotionally raw in a way i really appreciate. Dave has a Mercury and he’s younger than me

Mass Effect (4 games, finished 4/7/2019): wow guys did you know that Mass Effect is good! it is. all of it is actually, even the Mass Effect 3 ending, another controversial finale to a big franchise that i will obstinately defend. even Andromeda, which isn’t AS good as the trilogy but still has a lot of heart. all its bugs have been exhaustively patched since launch anyway

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV, 4 seasons finished 5/13/2019): i’m...still kind of mad about this finale, but can’t exactly deny that this show is one of the best things to ever happen to me, or television probably. i didn’t even mind new!Greg that much! tho he was probably the nail on the coffin of me jumping onto the Nathaniel train.

Knights of the Old Republic/The Old Republic (3 games, finished 7/4/2019): did you guys know that KOTOR II was my first ever video game? i feel like that...explains a lot about me. anyway, the first game is a classic and the second is a deconstructive classic and playing either of them is basically a fun way for me to turn off my brain these days. even the MMO wasn’t as much of slog as i worried it would be. the Imperial Agent storyline had some nice surprises and i dig the general atmosphere of ruthless pragmatism and crushing loneliness.

Wanderers (book, finished 7/13/2019): Chuck Wendig is a very well-intentioned man in dire need of a strict editor. still good tho! some VERY punchy emotional bits and an ending that still leaves me with vague existential terror.

Code Geass (anime, 2 seasons finished 7/20/2019): i feel like this is on the polar opposite of the spectrum as Devilman Crybaby, because i don’t think Geass is GOOD on like, any basis, and i actually find its central moral message kind of abhorrent? but some part of my lizard brain LOVED the High Imperial Family Drama (it’s been a good year for me and Lannister types, hasn’t it? well, with the obvious exception of--never mind), so...yeah. have i discovered the true meaning of guilty pleasure

The Farewell (movie, finished 7/23/2019): how could i not a) watch this and b) love this and c) feel emotionally cold towards this at the same time because the situations depicted were so similar to mine that i ended up feeling kind of alienated

The Nickel Boys (book, finished 8/8/2019): i STILL haven’t read Underground Railroad, but here i am a book late and a dollar short to appreciate Whitehead’s new book. the man’s stylistic versatility is jaw-dropping and i appreciate the plotting in contrast to like, 90% of the litfic out there that’s just “protagonist sad in different milieu”

Durarara (anime, 2 seasons finished 8/31/2019): it’s fucking bonkers and i loved pretty much every second of it? even the second season, where i finally got the BruceNat AU i deserved??? the first anime i’ve seen where everyone was relatively soberly dressed. the answer was love and having feelings and asking your middle school best friend to hurl you like a projectile so you can chop your girlfriend’s head off with a demon katana

Lover (album, finished 9/1/2019): i feel like with all the Discourse surrounding Taylor Swift re: she’s the devil incarnate or re: she’s good, actually the fact that she makes fucking bops gets kind of lost in the conversation. i have no vested interest in her as a person but i liked Lover, even though London Boy was “what if Style but stupid”

Are You Listening (comic, finished 10/2/2019): my actual choice for best comic of the year if i were giving out awards like that. it’s coming of age! it’s grief! it’s queers! it’s trauma! it’s magical realism! it’s cats! it’s expressive gorgeous art! Tillie Walden has an Eisner and she’s younger than me

High School DxD (manga, 2 volumes finished 10/10/2019): i don’t even know how to talk about this series?? i actually kind of came around to the whole “main character is a perv but goes hard for consent” by the end of the second volume, but it’s still...bad. i only can have lingering conflicted feelings about one Japanese adaptation of Christian mythology per year

Ghosteen (album, finished 10/18/2019): much like Immortal Hulk i thought it was fine but over-hyped. it’s Nick Cave doing his Nick Cave ethereal music thing. i still can’t tell what any of the lyrics mean, except Jesus is there sometimes

Watchmen (TV, 2 episodes finished 10/29/2019): i am nOT FUCKING CAUGHT UP so please watch out for spoilers. it is on my high priority list of things to be caught up on tho--i appreciate that the plot is blatantly unsubtle but still manages to give me aneurysms and i appreciate the political overtones just kinda...balances on a razor thin wire and also gives me aneurysms. i wanna say i have no expectations and would be fine if it does a full dive into the horrible bland depths of the both-sides porridge, but i’m sadly a fool who wants to believe in Damon Lindelof

Syllabus/Making Comics (2 comics, finished 12/24/2019): it’s funny--even before Making Comics came out i was like “man i miss Lynda Barry” and then BAM. it’s incredible how her work just makes me feel taken care of, even when we’re wrestling with tough topics or she’s demanding that i draw a Batman in 30 seconds. kudos for immediately shooting to the top of my gift list for my sister also

Allegiance/Choices of One (2 books, finished 12/24/2019): fun and largely inoffensive, but i was honestly hoping for more. the level of Empire apologia going on was too much for me, someone who thinks Mara Jade is the best Star Wars character of all time (still?????? still). it reeked a little of Zahn believing his own hype as the only valid guy in Star Wars Legends of whatever

Aldnoah.Zero (anime, 1 season finished 12/24/2019): turns out i also can only have “trash but my trash” feelings about one Japanese mecha show with higher art pretensions and patriotism verging into jingoism per year, and this one ain’t it. it’s not as good as Code Geass and Code Geass ISN’T GOOD. at least Geass attempted character complexity and moved at enough of a breakneck pace to distract me from its questionable bits. Aldnoah is just...bland, and nothing gets accomplished or revealed in 12 episodes, except the baffling and contradictory motivations of the main bad guy.

Baldur’s Gate (game, unfinished): yet again something i really wanted to like, given *gestures at all the BioWare above*. i think it’s mainly the Seinfeld issue, where it actually predates my own experience with video games and was so formative for the Western RPG genre that what was innovative just comes across as kind of staid now. i didn’t DISLIKE it, and will probably play the sequel since it’s supposed to be more character-driven, but by the time i finished the vanilla campaign i just didn’t have it in me to squint at more tiny avatars on the screen, so the expansions ended up a no-go.

most prominent thing i noticed about this list is that only one 2019 movie made it on the list and ZERO 2019 video games did so. the former i’m okay with because i currently live with two film people with whom i’m happy to tag along to the cinema. the latter bums me out a little more, because there WERE a few things i wanted to play this year, but all of them came out just as my semester was reaching its catastrophic boil, so i had no time. maybe i’ll use my free time after the New Year festivities to catch up on those.

to conclude: this worked out pretty well! i ended up finishing all but one of the things, and only a few were bad enough that i have no interest in seeking out more content. i’ll probably do this again in 2020--we’ll see if the scheduling can withstand a full year of grad school hell

#let's break out a new tag for this since this isn't really meta #conspicuous media consumption

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pixelgrotto · 4 years

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A penny for my Witchery thoughts

The Witcher Netflix series was released at the tail end of last month, giving Geralt of Rivia the interesting distinction of a literary character who’s now a well-known TV protagonist but just happened to achieve international fame through video games first. (Aye, there was a Polish film and show in 2001 and 2002 which called Geralt a “Hexer” instead of a “Witcher,” but they’re not exactly good, though perhaps worth a peek on YouTube for chuckles.)

Geralt’s adventures - both in the stories written by Andrzej Sapkowski and the games developed by CD Projekt Red - are close to my heart. I’ve spilled a fair amount of digital ink writing about the franchise, and my playthrough of the games and subsequent devouring of the books from 2014 to 2016 reignited my appreciation for fantasy and served as the impetus that got me reading more genre fiction and eventually delving into tabletop RPGs in 2017, leading to my current obsession with Dungeons & Dragons. I’m naturally protective of material that means a lot to me, so when the Netflix series was announced I viewed it with only subdued optimism. After all, with the possible exception of a certain HBO thing based on George R.R. Martin’s books (which now seems to be viewed worse in retrospect after the final season), fantasy doesn’t have a great track record on the small screen. I also wasn’t especially impressed when Henry Cavill was cast as Geralt, since I primarily know him from the recent Superman movies, which paint the guy in such a dour light and force him to constantly grimace like someone who’s just taken a dump only to discover that there’s no toilet paper in sight.

But now the show’s out in the wild, and after scanning some mixed reactions (not to mention one truly baffling “review” by two Entertainment Weekly twats who only watched the first episode) I cautiously consumed it with my girlfriend over Christmas break...and can happily report that it’s good. But, it’s also a show that expects its viewers to skip through some mental hoops as we bear witness to three intersecting story lines, all of which are taking place in different eras. Then you’ve got your standard variety of fantasy names, terms and themes, several of which might be tricky to grasp if you’ve never read the books or played the games. For instance, I don’t think they ever bothered to fully explain the “Conjunction of the Spheres” (the time when planets aligned and monsters and humans came to the world, uprooting the indigenous elves and dwarves) or the “Law of Surprise” (when a person’s fate is intertwined with something unexpected - usually an unborn child). I can also see how the show’s numerous mentions of the word “destiny” could seem like wacky dialogue to viewers unaware of the fact that Sapkowski’s realm really does have a strong undercurrent of inescapable fate running through its veins.

Unique structure and terminology aside, the first episode was more of a slow burn than I’d imagined. It starts with an awesome sequence of Geralt fighting a Kikimora, but then transitions into a fairly serious interpretation of “Lesser Evil” from the first short story collection, The Last Wish. The episode then cuts into the exodus of Ciri from the kingdom of Cintra, an event mostly described in flashback in the second short story anthology, Sword of Destiny. The scenes of death and destruction as Ciri flees her burning kingdom are fairly meandering, as are the interspersed interactions between Geralt and Renfri, a woman with seven loyal followers who was supposed to be a grittier version of Snow White in the books. There are some great fights near the end, but as I watched, I couldn’t help but think that I probably would’ve made the opener speedier and a bit pulpier, especially since the tone of these early Witcher tales was more “tongue in cheek fairy tale deconstruction” than plodding epic fantasy.

The second episode also took its time, though the decision to detail the plight of Yennefer the sorceress before she uses magic to change her hunchback form into something that she sees as more conventionally attractive is a good one, since this was once again only flashback material in the novels. But the cream of the hour was certainly Jaskier the bard, who’s going by his moniker in the books rather than the “Dandelion” translation that the games used. He’s played by actor Joey Batey with a perfect blend of magnificent bastard bravado, surpassing his portrayal in the games with a larger than life theme song that’s now something of a cult phenomenon, and his characterization made me feel like the show knew what it was doing at the end of the day.

Episode three is where things truly came together for me, since we barrel straight into the Geralt versus Striga battle from Andrzej Sapkowski’s first Witcher short story. It’s a full-on horror interpretation (which I liked but my girl found too spooky), and also full-on fan service for someone like me who still watches the intro cinematic to The Witcher 1 on occasion. And in later episodes, as my head began getting used to the nuances of the three character timeline, the show seemed to find its footing with this delicate blend of fan service, pulp and seriousness. By the time episode 8 rolled around and the character arcs of Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer came full circle with the Battle of Sodden Hill - yet another event that Sapkowski mostly wrote in flashback - I found myself wishing that season two would arrive sooner than 2021, and my girlfriend felt similarly. I also realized why the showrunners decided on the unorthodox timeline - this is a series that’ll probably excel on rewatches, particularly if you already have an idea of what to look out for.

Series producer Lauren S. Hissrich (who’s quite a joy to follow on Twitter) has mentioned in interviews that this is a show that expects a tad of patience and effort from viewers, but will give a lot in exchange. I’m inclined to agree, and while this depiction of Sapkowski’s lore has some initial roughness around the edges, it ultimately reminds me of how The Witcher 1 was janky even upon its 2007 release but exhibited a unique magic to anyone who stuck with it for more than a handful of hours. Many professional reviewers tend to avoid giving fantasy shows patience and effort (Game of Thrones is an anomaly), which may explain some of the negative reviews. But The Witcher seems to have found a strong-as-nails following from audiences, who made it one of Netflix’s top efforts of 2019, and even friggin’ Anne Rice liked it. (Geralt of Rivia now possesses the other interesting distinction of being a literary character/TV protagonist/video game hero who’s been mentioned in the same breath as Lestat the vampire.)

Speaking of Geralt, I owe Henry Cavill applause. I didn’t think much of his casting, but he pulled through in the end, delivering a silver-haired hero that’s clearly influenced by the games - particularly in the voice and the occasional spell slinging - but still very much his own take, with nary a “where’s the toilet paper” grimace in sight. Audiences can now take their pick between an iconic video game interpretation of the White Wolf and a likely-soon-to-be-iconic TV version, which is a rare choice to have in fandom, especially for a franchise that was once little known outside of Poland. Toss a coin to your Witcher, indeed.

#pixel grotto #musings #the witcher

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genderfreezone · 5 years

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Do you like the Evil Within 2?

Yeah! Certainly not as much as the first one (i was not immune to being sad they left out fan favorites Jojo and Ruvik's Cube)

The rest of this post is me rambling about things i didnt like about the game, and then things i did like (most of my issues are how they treat the female characters tbh)

Its missing kind of the action-noir-gone-horrifically-wrong feel of the first game. The scare factor also suffers bc our player character has been through this before, hes a veteran at dealing with this crazy shit, it doesnt phase him anymore and by extension it doesnt phase the player. They really like tripled down on the Evil Corporation thing and both the intrigue and horror suffer for it.

This game did not drink its respect women juice (the first one didnt really either, case in point: Everything About Kidman) Sebastian is surrounded by 5+ female characters and only 2 of them survive (and one of them is his 7 year old daughter hes spent the whole game trying to rescue... and yet they never bothered to give her any kind of characterization or agency. A highly empathetic and supernaturally powerful little girl in a monster-infested hellscape?? HELLO???? Lily really had the potential to be the most interesting, sympathetic, and complex character--especially as she slowly lost her innocence--in the WHOLE GAME, but she was just sort of relegated to Plot Device McGuffin) The rest of the female supporting cast are killed off for Sebastian's Man Pain. In fact, THIS ENTIRE GAME IS CENTERED AROUND SEBASTIAN'S MAN PAIN. Torrez is a walking stereotype, shes literally just Vasquez from Aliens. Hoffman was the most likeable and believeable, except when it Turns Out She Was In Love With Liam Or Whatever (psst, guess what, i dont care. Also O'neal was kind of a dick anyway? I dont care x2)

And you know who i SUPER dont care about? Bland-White-Bread-And-Mayo-Sandwich Myra. Where's the no-nonsense firecracker of a police lieutenant Sebastian married? Not here, thats for sure. Her entire personality is "mother" and "worries about stressed-out husband". We got more characterization of Myra in seb's jornals from the first game, where she never even made a physical appearance! Horror media does this SO MUCH, women are either A. Sexy Lamp B. Hurts Men (Sexily) C. Mother or D. Innocent Virgin. It sucks. Do better.

The story lacked the "digging up old buried memories" and "theres more to this than meets the eye" of the first game. It felt too...... Straightforward. Everyone told Sebastian the truth. EVERYTHING WAS EXACTLY WHAT IT SEEMED. It all felt too simple, too easy, like there SHOULDVE been something else beneath the surface. And yet there wasnt. (I watched markipliers playthrough and i loved his theory that Kidman was actually Lily. It had such potential. Kidman's entire resume for the police station was fabricated, who's to say the rest of her past wasnt fabricated as well? It would retcon a lot of stuff and like 80% of her backstory from the DLC, but you know games like this arent above retconning important shit, and at least it wouldve been sacrificed for something with actual intrigue. Maybe it wouldnt even retcon anything! Consider: tiny Lily is taken by Evil Corporation and dropped off in a non-nurturing environment that would lead her to become the kind of person who would willingly join & work for an organization like Mobius. At least wouldve been a nice excuse for why Kidman and Lilys face models looked so similar... other than... yknow.... "WomEN ARe hArD tO DRaWwwwwee")

Okay okay ive been ranting for long enough. It probably makes it sound like i kinda hate this game, but i dont! It certainly doesnt hold the same place in my heart as the first one (which i still have very glaring issues with lmao Kidman deserved WAAAAAAY better), but i do like it! It brings back salty, grizzled, tsundere Sebastian Castinellos. It brings back spooky monsters that kill you dead. It brings back having a fun theatrical over-the-top villain who takes himself a litte too seriously.

I love Stefano. Probably not in the way some other fans do, but i love him as a ridiculous theatrical over-the-top villain. He sucks! And i love that he sucks! I love him BECAUSE he sucks! Hes terrible and exaggerated and completely up his own ass and ITS GREAT. He isnt as ACTUALLY THREATENING as Ruvik was (even in his bad assassin's creed cosplay. I could go on and on and on about why Ruvik is simultaneously a ridiculous AND frightening antagonist and how much i love it but uh..... maybe later) but hes such a FUN villain! Hes the kind of pretentious art snob shitheel i cannot STAND irl, but in this game i LOVE to HATE him. Hes just SO over-the-top you kinda wonder if he actually subscribes to the pretentiousness he spouts, or if hes just being Exceptionally Extra.

The other villains? Theodore was.... forgettable. His monsters were forgettable. (Its like how i completely forgot that Frank Manera was a character in Whistleblower for like... 5 years lmao i guess this game also kinda followed that "having multiple named/characterized antagonists in one game" thing that Outlast did) Myra, i just didnt care. Her final design was kinda cool, i liked the red clusters of insect eyes. Her monsters werent really gross enough to be memorable. The only reson theyre gross at all is bc they kinda look like theyre made of semen. (I checked the wiki and apparently Myra's white goo is "psychoplasm" and her monsters lost 99% of their gross factor. I just dont care.) The Administrator literally just looked like a 3D human model of Maxwell from dont starve, and i have to laugh every time i see him. Hes not terribly threatening, all he does is threaten characters to work faster and doesnt actually follow through on those threats. He doesnt even make fun threats like HABIT or anything. He thinks hes so powerful and ominous that his mere presence will frighten the player but hes just kinda all bark and no bite. Hes The Big Bad Company Man so you know hes gonna get whats coming to him, and you know Kidmans gonna be the one to do it to him, so hes not even that much of a threat. Hes whatever.

Stefano definitely got all of the coolest monsters. Many Arms Buzzsaw Lady was terrifying and i love her. And OBSCURA was just *Chef's Kiss* Anima was cool, she kinda looked like a mix of Laura and Samara. The Harbingers were neat, but really only bc ive got a thing for gas masks. The rest of the monsters werent really unique or weighty/threatening enough to be memorable. Now the first game is a fucking TREASURE TROVE of unique monsters *muah* you got Sadist, Sentinel, Keeper, Amalgam, Heresy, Laura, Shigyo, the Twins, Alter Egos, and im probably forgetting some!! But holy FUCK!!!!! And if we're includong the DLC?? MOTHER FUCKING SHADE. SPOTLIGHT LADY. LIGHT WOMAN. SEXY LEGS. Whatever you call her, i fucking love her. Her design is so simple. Helmet. Sheet. Legs. Her voice? Unnerving as hell. Love it. (Also i just personally love the diving helmet. Also like you know how a lot of games have a spotlight mechanic where you have to avoid the light and if it lands on you, you're fucked? LET'S MAKE AN ENTIRE MONSTER OUT OF THAT. She's PERFECT.) Oh and also those weird crawling exploding dudes. They made gross sounds and it was great. (Tbh Keepers still probably my favorite, if only for horny reasons)

TATIANA HOW HAVE I NOT FUCKING TALKED ABOUT TATIANA. Shes like the ONE female character that i fucking LOVE in the sequel. I love how they finally gave her a personality, and that personality is literally just "fuck you, Sebastian" Oh GOD its great shes SO FUNNY. I just.... god i love Tatiana lmao. I love how she makes you kinda uncomfortable too, like she knows something, but she wont tell you bc youre stupid. I didn't like the kind of "all-knowing guide" thing they did to try and make her creepy (like she's a "guide" but then also turns around and is like "no i wont tell you what you need to know bc you """have to discover it on your own""" or whatever") it serves no purpose since she never gave you any actual information, and it didn't succeed in making her creepier, all it did was frustrate me. She was at her creepiest when she IMPLIED she was doing something behind the scenes or knew something you didn't know and then didn't elaborate (not REFUSING to elaborate, just... stopping talking and leaving the statement to hang in the air, like the "getting her nails done" and "its been a long time, detective" and the "now what makes you say that" from the first game) and she was at her funniest when she was interacting with Sebastian from the sidelines, her snide little comments and sarcastic clapping cracked me the fuck up. Tatiana not treating Sebastian seriously was a fantastic touch for a game that otherwise would probably take itself so seriously it would double back around to being silly. Without Tatiana, it would've been just another male-centric gun-toting "survival horror" game, and for the most part, it was just that. She was definitely a much-needed source of slightly derisive comedy and a definite high-point for me, even if they didn't so a great job of making her creepy or fulfilling her "purpose."

Oh I also really love the COLORS in TEW2. The first game fell into the trap of having the colors be totally washed out that a lot of horror stuff does, but it also kind of worked for it. Especially with the color pallette of our main villain and how the whole thing was His World. The saturation of the colors in the second game is a breath of fresh air and gorgeous to look at, and you can even see the color motifs of the game change with each new villain: the game starts out with Stephano has lots of blues and purples and dark reds, when Theodore takes over we get bright orange and yellow contrasted with black and brown, and in the climax with Myra the game goes back to having washed out colors and white (and with her villain design? Let's face it: they were kinda just trying to do Ruvik again) We did get portions that were still kind of wahed out whites and greens and greys, but it wasnt the ENTIRE game, even the big blood-and-brains splatterhouse sections of the first game kinda had their colors weirdly muted for that "Horror Aethetic."

In conclusion, i do like the evil within 2, but i also had a lot of problems with it. And i complain about these problems because i like the game and know it couldve done better, tried harder, and been a LOT more than it was (the wasted character potential is my real overarching pet peeve, probably becuase i loved the characters in the first game, and character development is kind of my whole jam) . But all in all, it was still a fun monster-zombie romp with at least one entertaining villain and fun-to-look-at designs and environments. It wasn't character or horror or even REALLY story driven in the way I know it COULDVE been, but i still had a fun time and enjoyed myself.

#long post #875asks #anonymous #the evil within 2 #i couldnt put a readmore on a mobile post so you all have to suffer with me #my paragraph about stefano got cut out so i put it back in lol

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tapatapreview · 3 years

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November 04, 2020 at 06:32AM https://ift.tt/2I7pdbM Gaming

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope provides me somewhat hope for the way forward for Supermassive Games’ horror collection. Some sensible gameplay tweaks make sure that Little Hope nonetheless highlights Supermassive’s important function within the trendy journey house, but it surely additionally highlights why the studio’s future video games have to be higher than this for these sensible adjustments to actually shine.

Little Hope, like its instant predecessor Man of Medan, is a mashup of horror tropes and subgenres. It borrows iconography from The Blair Witch Project. It borrows its Puritan-era paranoia from The Witch (and Arthur Miller’s non-horror play The Crucible). And its conceit, which finds a gaggle of faculty college students and their professor stranded within the woods after their bus crashes, hangs on a premise that will probably be acquainted for followers of Stephen King’s The Mist or John Carpenter’s The Fog. As the sport progressed, I grew to become more and more skeptical that these threads would come collectively in a satisfying approach. In the top, they do not, however I nonetheless had fun on the journey to that disappointing conclusion.

Little Hope begins with a flashback to the Nineteen Seventies and a quick introduction to a troubled household of six. Dad is a heavy drinker. The older sister feels remoted and depressed. And, in a touch on the religious warfare that may dominate a lot of Little Hope’s second half, the youthful sister has been held again repeatedly after church to talk with the reverend. These glowing embers of drama quickly blaze up right into a literal raging hearth when the youthful sister leaves her doll on the stovetop. In the following blaze, each member of the household meets their grisly demise, save Will Poulter’s Anthony, who helplessly watches on.

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Our focus quickly shifts to a different group–a professor, John, and 4 college students, Andrew, Angela, Taylor, and Daniel–who try to regain their bearings after a bus crash leaves them stranded within the woods. The bus driver liable for the crash is lacking, and the field-tripping group finds themselves surrounded by a mysterious fog that sends anybody who ventures into it again within the course they got here. Each member of this group is a useless ringer for a member of the household from the sport’s opening. And, because the group ventures into the deserted city of Little Hope, they start to have visions of earlier doppelgangers, former inhabitants of the city caught up within the deadly paranoia of Seventeenth-century witch trials.

Despite the sprawling solid, you solely management the present-day variations of the characters. As you do, you make dialogue selections by pointing the needle of a compass at considered one of two spoken choices or the ever-present possibility to only be silent. Your decisions have an effect on the dynamics of character relationships and in addition trigger adjustments to their character traits.

As this story unfolds, it turns into more and more clear that Little Hope’s time-hopping ambitions impede its capacity to do a lot profitable character work within the right here and now. I’ve solely obscure concepts of who John, Angela, Taylor, Daniel, and Andrew are. In earlier video games, Supermassive has introduced characters as well-acted archetypes, then allowed gamers to additional outline their personalities inside these boundaries–playing to or towards sort. Here, the kinds are so ill-defined that it turns into tough to even have an opinion on what every character would or would not do. In a bonus unlockable interview with Will Poulter, the actor described his character as socially awkward. “I guess he was socially awkward,” I believed. But, as I believed again via the sport, I spotted that impression got here from a line the place his character, in impact, informed one other character that he was socially awkward. There is not practically sufficient within the moment-to-moment character interactions to floor these particulars. As a consequence, Little Hope’s central solid do not feel like three-dimensional characters. Some of them aren’t even profitable archetypes.

As you discover, you management your character’s motion and flashlight beam because the digital camera frames them in old-school Resident Evil-style angles. This is considered one of my favourite quirks of Supermassive design; it is one of many few studios in trendy mainstream video games carrying the torch for fastened digital camera horror. But the truth that a lot of Little Hope takes place on a lonely street signifies that Supermassive would not have as a lot room to mess around with viewpoint. Most of the time, Little Hope employs what quantities to a barely zoomed out third-person perspective, which looks like a missed alternative given Supermassive’s expertise for shot composition.

There are some optimistic adjustments, although. Little Hope appears much more technically sound than Man of Medan, and the story handles Supermassive’s trademark branching paths extra easily than ever because of this. While Man of Medan noticeably hitched at occasions because it tried to convey every little thing collectively and, presumably, cycle between totally different variations of cutscenes relying on which members of your get together had been nonetheless alive, Little Hope feels prefer it’s telling one seamless story. Little Hope genuinely nails the sensation that every little thing that’s occurring is authored. For instance, in a single scene that might play out with burgeoning couple Taylor and Daniel alone or with the pair accompanied by older nontraditional scholar Angela, Daniel says one thing to the impact of, “We’ll both get out of this, you’ll see.” It works as is when it is Daniel and Taylor alone. But it turns into a character-building second when Angela is current and, excluded from Daniel’s “both,” pointedly clears her throat. In this fashion, Little Hope manages to make use of the constraints inherent to its versatile narrative to do some good character work, even when that work is squandered of their total growth.

Additionally, the QTEs that outline Supermassive’s adrenaline-pumping method to life-or-death motion are at their greatest right here. Instead of simply popping up randomly, the timed button presses now seem first as a warning–smartly positioned on-screen to reflect the position of the button on the controller–before you might be required to press them. This would not take away the strain, but it surely does offer you a greater likelihood of succeeding with out first spending a number of playthroughs studying the timing.

The Traits system, nevertheless, pushes the opposite course. As you make selections, the character traits, like “Fearful” or “Reckless,” are accentuated. If you make sufficient selections leaning in a single course, a padlock image will seem subsequent to that trait in your character profile, indicating that that trait is now an unchangeable a part of your character. I can clarify it now, but it surely took me two full playthroughs to grasp how this method works as a result of none of that is defined upfront. This system, which is opaque and never tutorialized, has main penalties late within the sport. But as you play, no context is given for the lock showing subsequent to the trait, and it is immensely irritating to see a personality’s destiny tied to a system the sport did not clarify. Tying character traits to a personality’s destiny could make narrative sense, but it surely’s introduced in such a murky approach that it ends in sure late-game character deaths that really feel fully out of your palms. While the UI has been improved to its greatest iteration in Little Hope, the Traits system ensures that shepherding your characters via the sport remains to be a irritating five-hour-long train in trial-and-error.

Still, regardless of its faults, Little Hope can not help however remind me of the explanations I really like Supermassive’s tackle the trendy narrative journey sport. The studio is masterful at producing pressure via gameplay so simple as a well-timed button press, and Little Hope is a high-water mark for the studio’s technical proficiency. While the story and character work are uncharacteristically lackluster, Little Hope nonetheless manages to supply a strong basis for Supermassive’s future.

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codenamesailordarillium · 6 years

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Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and tag 10 blogs you would like to get to know better.

Tagged by @regalpotato lol I haven’t done one of these in ages m8, thanks

A - Age: 22, and constantly frustrated to be living in an alcohol-free home despite having reached the legal drinking age over a year ago

B - Birthplace: Dhaka, Bangladesh (specifically the Red Crescent Hospital ~ Red Crescent is the Muslim country equivalent of Red Cross, so for all intents and purposes I was in fact born in a Red Cross hospital)

C - Current time: 7:24 AM, which it’ll definitely be well past once I’m done filling this out

D - Drink you last had: honey tea that my mom made me because I’ve been coughing up a storm since like 5:00 AM

E - Easiest person to talk to: my best friend who is also more or less my wife, my mind just seems to instantly clear and I’m able to communicate all my thoughts thoroughly to my complete satisfaction with her <3

F - Favorite song: who has just one favorite song anymore lol, but in general probably something Lady Gaga

G - Grossest memory: idk I kinda tend to repress that stuff nowadays, and in general whenever faced with something gross my mind hyper-fixates on the goal of cleaning/washing up whatever’s grossing me out tbh

H - Horror yes or horror no: haha this is where I have to assert the disclaimer of ‘sorry for being a demon’ once again because lol I kinda love that shit, tho tbh I have a hard time finding horror movies that really interest me so I’m more into watching people’s horror game playthroughs on the YouTubez

I - In love?: don’t think I’ve ever been, but hope that I might get to be someday (closest I think I’ve come is aforementioned best friend/wifey)

J - Jealous of people?: yes, like the sad little cunt I am, but it’s because of my own shortcomings and I try never to begrudge people their personal achievements ‘cause that helps exactly no one

L - Love at first sight or should i walk by again?: maybe...I think sometimes it’s possible to sense that you *could* fall in love with someone upon meeting them, tho I don’t think you can literally be in love with someone by just looking at them

M - Middle name: Nahrin, tho it isn’t so much my middle name as it is my original surname which was then supplanted to middle name status when my parents stuck my dad’s surname onto all of our names when we immigrated from Bangladesh to the US so we’d look more like a family unit or smth...OH, ALSO according to my dad it means RIVER (or riverS plural but still!!) which means BITCH MY MIDDLE NAME IS RIVER like what kind of serendipity tho...

N - Number of siblings: one (some of you may know Empress Fuzzy, the sweet adorable baby sister bear of my heart)

O - One wish: that I will someday climb out of the abyss that is my perpetually shite mental health and actually have even the slightest sliver of control over my life (whoops, didn’t mean to get too real, but it’s the truth)

P - Person you called last: my mom, yesterday, when she was coming to pick me up from school

Q - Question you are always asked: "Has she graduated yet?” NO I HAVEN’T PLEASE STOP REMINDING ME *continues to sob, shout, and scream bloody murder into the void*

R - Reason to smile: I must agree with Katie about dogs, last night we went to my aunt and uncle’s house for dinner and I was predictably left cooing over their two little loud stinkers called Benjy and Beulah like the utter dog person I am

S - Song you sang last: idk most likely “Diamond Heart” off of Gaga’s album “Joanne” (even tho I prolly shouldn’t be trying to belt out those lyrics with my throat in the state it’s been but YOLO amirite?)

T - Time you woke up: 5:00 AM after only sleeping like 4-5 hours because my respiratory system decided to see if it could qualify on the Richter scale

U - Underwear colour: striped in two shades of aqua blue with a black waistband

V - Vacation destination: really just wherever as long as I have my wifey by my side *blows kiss*

W - Worst habit: biting the fuck outta my nails when I’m stressed and then getting scarily compulsive about how ugly they look and attempting to trim them with a proper nail clipper to look slightly less ugly only to be in constant stinging pain because I’ve breached the boundary of how far you can trim a nail before it starts to hurt (yeah I might’ve done it a few days ago and hate myself for it why d’you ask)

X - X-rays: haven’t actually had one in literal years now that I think about it...tho who knows, might need one soon to see if I’ve got some kind of infection now that’s the reason why I’VE BEEN SICK LIKE OVER SIX WEEKS OR SOME SHIT SOMEONE PLEASE END MY SUFFERING FUCKING FUCK ME T_T

Y - Your favorite food: generally anything made of the potato

Z - Zodiac sign: Pisces, and boy do I never forget how much of a fish cunt I am according to literally every goddamn horoscope/zodiac post I encounter on the internet *sigh*

Alrighty then, hope that wasn’t too depressing/ranty. I don’t think there’s anyone left that I can tag, but if you’re really dying to do this taggity-tag type business, literally feel free to tell me so and I will come back and retroactively tag you in this so that y’all don’t need to feel left out because I’m all about that inclusion life yo.

#in which i was tagged #about me

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plush-anon · 7 years

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ptagged by @lethotep (i haven’t gotten to do one of these in absolute AGES, i’m so excited)

Rules: 1. Post the rules 2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. And tag 11 people

What’s something you wish you could spend more time on? Probably my writing, or maybe working on creating/fine-tuning cosplay costumes - nowadays, between increasingly-stressful work and general adulting, combined with general introvert related drainage (right now, I am the only one on phone duty for my sector of the department, and have been for almost a month as we move over to a new application system - I’m normally just slated for three afternoons a week, which makes it even more stressful), I can barely function when I get home apart from tending to my pup Sophie and other general adulting stuff.

What’s your favourite Pokemon? Now that’s a toughie. Ummm... Imma go with my new current fav, Alola Vulpix (it’s just so freaking cute!).

Would you rather live far from other people in the middle of nowhere, or in a busy city? While I like my privacy and ability to retreat, in order to really function I NEED to be in a city. So, busy city it is.

What’s your favourite horror film? Hm... Depends on the horror type I suppose. I’m not terribly big on newer horror films (it’s not my preferred genre, but they can have really interesting stories or character concepts). I’m more for the older horror films, tbh - but if I picked a current horror film, I’d prolly go with The Babadook or the new IT movie - both focused more on characters than jumpscares with very good actors and character development. For the older horror films, I’m torn between classic Bela Lugosi Dracula and Psycho.

Top five animated cartoons? Scooby Doo Where Are You?, Gravity Falls, Batman: The Animated Series, Steven Universe, and a tie between Teen Titans (original version) and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited. (And not necessarily in that order, either).

If you could have any TWO superpowers what would they be? Flight and invisibility. OR: Flight and shape-shifting.

Sunny day or rainy day? Rainy day. I am tremendously peeved whenever the weather forecast shows a 50+ % chance of rain and all we get are clear skies l:(

If you could learn one new language instantly, what would it be? Spanish would be the most useful, buuuuuuut I am a sucker for French literature and film.

Pokemon or Legend of Zelda? Pokemon, since it’s what I grew up with (back when the used versions were suuuuper cheap to get at GameStop for Gameboy Advanced). I think if my family had had the bigger gaming systems, I would have loved to play LoZ games - and I currently enjoy watching playthroughs of them on Youtube when I get the chance - but they were either never available to me or too freaking expensive or on another system. Ahhh, such is life.

Favourite genre of music, and favourite artist in that genre? Oof, too many to speak of. o_O I’ll go for Alternative Pop/Rock (since it covers... a lot of my stuff, really) and Panic! at the Disco / Fall Out Boy. The other option is Musicals/Broadway, but that one’s a little trickier to nail down in terms of artists.

What do you think of puzzles of all sorts? I enjoy Sudoku and Crossword puzzles on occasion, love Pictograms, highly enjoy Logic Puzzles (so long as they have those nifty grids), and, whenever I have the space, go crazy for jigsaw puzzles. I’ll dabble in others from time to time, but those are my faves.

All righty then, time for my eleven questions to issue:

1. Star Trek, Star Wars, or Doctor Who, and why? 2. Favorite fantasy book? 3. What’s your favorite monster or cryptid and why? Least favorite? 4. Who was the rudest person you ever encountered at work? 5. Favorite drink? 6. What are your favorite pajamas/clothes to wear to bed (if any)? 7. Least favorite texture and why? 8. Who’s your favorite Gotham Rogue out of Batman’s villains and why? 9. What was your first/favorite stuffed animal or toy growing up as a kid? 10. If money, time, and skill were of no issue, who would you cosplay as at San Diego ComiCon and why? 11. What movie are you most looking forward to seeing in the next 12 months and why?

tagging (if it tickles your fancy, of course): @perfectlynormalhumanbeing @gretchensinister @emeraldembers @returning-on-tuesday @everystarstorm @avablook @spiffylindster @phantoms-lair @lithefider @ksclaw @phantom-of-the-keurig

and anyone else who might be interested, of course :D Have fun!

#ask meme #answers #plush gets personal #have fun kiddos!

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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Resident Evil 3 Review — A Jill Royale With Cheese

March 30, 2020 11:00 AM EST

Resident Evil 3 is an excellent remake of a fan favorite game that features great action gameplay, jaw-dropping visuals, and not enough Carlos.

The Resident Evil franchise has long been one of my favorite series in gaming. I vividly remember staying up late into the night, devouring the Resident Evil remake on GameCube. More than anything, the original game’s lore stuck with me, so I quickly went out and bought all of the S.D. Perry novels based on the games. I was so into the story of Resident Evil that when the first movie came out, I begged my mom to rent it. She finally relented, on the condition that I didn’t let my brother watch. So, he sat in the other room and I just described the movie to him. The obsession was real.

Anyways, because I came to the series relatively late and never owned a PlayStation One, the two series entries that always evaded me were Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Granted, I knew the basic story from the novelizations, but never got the chance to play them myself. So, when Capcom announced the Resident Evil 2 remake a few years ago, I was ecstatic to finally play the games that had evaded me for so long. Fortunately, Resident Evil 2’s remake was a masterclass in how to update an old classic for modern audiences and would have been my Game of the Year in 2019 if not for the sublime Judgment.

With the success of RE2, it was a surprise to literally no one when Capcom revealed they would remake Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Both games are fan-favorites that deserved the update and, after seeing what the team did with Mr. X, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we needed to witness how the stalking mechanics would evolve with Nemesis. But, given the totality with which the RE team knocked RE2’s remake out of the park, how could they possibly hope to top it with RE3?

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“[Resident Evil 3] is an absolute must-play.”

Well, the short answer is that they didn’t. Now, don’t take that to mean Resident Evil 3 is a bad remake. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. However, while many of the designer’s decisions help to make the game better, there were enough niggles that kept the RE3 from completely surpassing its predecessor. That said, this game is an absolute must-play whether you’re a fan of the series or not.

The first thing that really stands out to me is the visuals. It’s not just that RE3 looks beautiful (and it does), it’s the detail Capcom has put into everything. I mean sure, Jill’s model is absolutely stunning, but what I really want to talk about is a blink-and-miss-it moment at the very start of the game.

After the opening cutscene, you wake up inside Jill Valentine’s apartment. On one wall of her apartment, she’s filled this massive board with clippings, notes, and connections about Umbrella Corp. Imagine the conspiracy board from the Pepe Silvia scene from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but with zombies and secret buildings owned by a pharmaceutical company. Next to the board, there’s an oscillating fan that’s been left on, presumably to beat that late September heat. As the fan moves back and forth, you notice that when it points toward the board, all the notes and string sway in the breeze. I’m not an expert on oscillating fans in video games, so, while I’m sure others have done it before, this was the first time I’ve seen it.

Either way, the point is that Capcom’s attention to detail is incredible. Here, they’ve taken a minuscule detail that most people likely won’t notice and made sure that it feels as lifelike as possible. That focus on detail in the graphics and animation is apparent throughout the entire game. From the viscera you see on each and every zombie to how they’ve altered Nemesis’ design to make him look like even more of a barely contained monstrosity, RE3 nails just about everything it goes for visually. And you cannot convince me that they didn’t give Carlos Oliveria that doofy haircut for any other reason than to show off their top-notch hairtech. The RE engine is a powerhouse and Resident Evil 3 is my favorite example of it so far.

But this beauty pageant winner doesn’t lack substance. In fact, in a few ways, the gameplay actually feels better than the RE2 Remake, depending on what you’re looking for. For the most part, if you’ve played RE2, you know what you’re getting. RE3 is, at its core, a survival horror game with a heavy emphasis on mitigating danger over mowing down zombies. Instead of clearing a room by killing everything, it’s much more effective to pick and choose who and where you shoot. If you can blow off a zombie’s leg, you force them to crawl. These even slower moving zombies are much easier to deal with and avoid than their still walking brethren. Even some of the larger, more deadly monsters you face are often easier to avoid than kill outright.

However, Capcom has given you a new move in your arsenal that makes avoiding enemies much easier. Like the original Resident Evil 3 game, the remake lets you execute a perfect dodge as enemies close in. Compared to the original though, this version’s dodge is much more cinematic. As far as I could tell, the game doesn’t really tell you how to do it, so the first time I pulled one off, my jaw hit the floor. It’s such an action movie-esque move that completely changes the game. Instead of feeling constrained by both the enemies and the environment, you feel like you can make it past anything. Of course, the move does take some practice to truly master, but once you have it down, you’ll be dodging Nemesis and all his undead friends on your way to victory.

For some people, this is going to be a net positive. You absolutely feel like the baddest chick in town every time you perfect dodge past a string of enemies while Nemesis is breathing down your neck. That said, for me, it takes away a lot of what made the RE2 remake so scary. Sure, you can dodge enemies in that game once you get the controls down, but it never felt as easy as it does in RE3. And, unfortunately, I think the improved dodging takes away from the game’s main antagonist.

“I never really felt in true danger when facing (Nemesis).”

In RE2, Mr. X felt menacing. His constant presence in the police station filled me with dread. Nemesis, on the other hand, feels more like a nuisance. I never really felt in true danger when facing him. So, while his presence in the game is absolutely more explosive, and his threat isn’t simply contained to one area, I didn’t think he was as effective an enemy as Mr. X. His design is phenomenal and the way he can arrive nearly anywhere is incredible, but your increased moveset makes him feel like a lesser version of what he could be.

One big thing RE3 does better than RE2 is how tight the campaign is. Playing through two separate campaigns for Claire and Leon always felt a little weird. Their playthroughs are supposed to be happening at the same time, but it never really feels like that’s the case. RE3 ditches the multiple playthroughs and gives you one streamlined campaign. Given the way it’s structured, Capcom could have easily made a campaign centered around Carlos and filled the game out with filler missions. Instead, they’ve built a cohesive, action-packed journey that incorporates both characters flawlessly. Obviously, the focus is mainly on Jill, but Carlos’ sections feel absolutely vital to the story.

And, if you want to play through the game multiple times, Capcom gives you plenty of reasons to do so. Not only are there unlockable difficulties, but you earn points through completing challenges. You can use the points to buy new equipment and costumes to use in your next playthrough. It’s a fun system with some cool rewards that led to me jumping back into the campaign right after finishing to see how fast I could blow through the whole game again.

Speaking of Carlos, what a joy his sections are. While Jill feels incredibly powerful with her new perfect dodge skill, Carlos is an absolute war machine. He starts the game with an assault rifle (Jill also starts with this on Assisted difficulty), which literally cuts zombies down to size in seconds. Remember earlier where we talked about how effective shooting off a zombie’s legs is? Well, Carlos can do that to a room of zombies like it’s nothing. He also has his own version of the perfect dodge where he literally punches a zombie in the face to knock it away.

If you thought Jill’s move was cool, you haven’t seen anything yet. Plus, Carlos’ mission takes you to a fun area that is full of callbacks to past Resident Evil games. To say more, would be spoiler-y and I don’t want to ruin the moment for you. I would’ve liked to play with Carlos for another section or two, but what we do have is a treat.

That all being said, by making the game a tighter narrative, you lose a little bit of what made RE2 special to me. There was something my brain loved about being stuck inside a building and having to carefully plan my route through the police station to make sure I was getting everything I needed in the most efficient manner. That’s not really necessary in Resident Evil 3. It very much feels like a linear carnival ride with much less backtracking. For some, that’s going to be a big positive. Personally, I think you lose a little bit of the Metroidvania-esque fun that was present in RE2.

“Capcom’s attention to detail is incredible.”

I also felt like there were several holes in the plot that just don’t make sense. Some of them are super minor but still took me out of the experience. For instance, in multiple encounters with Nemesis, he’s shown how easily he can just bust through a brick wall. Like, it’s nothing for him to just ram his way through solid concrete. But then there’s a section where you’re running away from him and narrowly dart through a giant metal door.

As you lock it behind you, Jill breathes a sigh of relief because he can’t get you. However, the wall surrounding the heavy-duty door is made of brick. And it’s not like this is a safe room. That I understand. This is just another room that Nemesis could easily chase you into, but he doesn’t. Obviously, it doesn’t really matter, but it completely took me out of the game. Why would something that he’d already shown would never stop him, randomly stop him now?

Some of the holes are much weirder to me. There’s a second U.B.C.S. operative working with Carlos named Tyrell Patrick. Every time you go to a new infested zone with Tyrell, he refuses to tackle the mission with you. He’s always sitting back and claiming he needs to do computer stuff. In RE2, when you meet Marvin, it makes sense that he can’t go with you. He can barely move due to a zombie bite.

As far as I can tell, Tyrell is completely able-bodied. There are zero reasons that he wouldn’t just go with you and lower the zombie threat for both of you. You could even explain it away by having him go search another wing of the building you’re in. Instead, he’s just playing Ski Free or something while you’re risking your life fighting zombies. Again, do things like this really matter? Not really, but they’re totally immersion breaking and I don’t remember them happening nearly as much in RE2.

So, usually, this is the point where I would wrap everything up and give you my final thoughts. I’ll do that shortly, but I think it’s important to talk about one more thing. It was oddly surreal to play this game while we’re living in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing cutscenes of people rioting in the streets and watching a city deal with a large-scale outbreak felt a little too real at times. Obviously, we aren’t in those stages yet (and hopefully never will be); however, I still needed to take a few breaks during my playthrough just to ease my mind.

If you’re someone who is struggling with your mental health during the ongoing pandemic, I would just caution you to know going in that RE3 can hit a little too close to the real world at times. I still think the game is worth your time. I just wouldn’t fault you for waiting a few months before you try it out.

It’s also important to quickly talk about Resident Evil Resistance, the free multiplayer mode included with Resident Evil 3. Basically, this is an asymmetrical mode. One player takes on the role of the “Mastermind” while the four other players are various survivors. The Mastermind’s goal is to stop the survivors from progressing through all three stages of the game within the time limit. They move through the environment by switching between different security cameras and can use different abilities to slow down the survivors. Masterminds have access to everything from normal zombies to several traps to super-powered bioweapons. They can also jump into their minions, taking control of the fight against the survivors.

The survivors, on the other hand, are trying to solve puzzles and shoot through the hordes on their way to victory. As mentioned, the whole thing is timed, so you need to move quickly to win. You lose and gain time in numerous ways though, so, while speed is key, you also have to play smart. Currently, there are six different survivors, though Capcom has already confirmed that Jill is coming to the mode later. Personally, I’ve played most of my games as either Valerie or my boy Martin Sandwich. Each character has their own set of skills. For instance, Valerie has a ping that lets her mark items and threats and a free health spray. Martin, on the other hand, uses his engineering skills to build mines and flashbangs.

Because the mode relies on players working with strangers, it can be a bit frustrating at times. It’s also currently very difficult to get into games; however, that problem will hopefully iron itself out when the game launches. That said, I do not come to Resident Evil games for this kind of thing. It was a fun distraction for a few hours, but probably not something I’ll be jumping back into. That isn’t to say the mode isn’t worth your time. There’s plenty to do, and it would not surprise me if Resistance built up a solid community in the coming months.

And Capcom has earned a bit of leeway given their recent track record. Even if Resistance isn’t a complete hit out of the box, the game definitely feels like something they could continue building out over the summer. I’m certainly willing to give Capcom some time to see how they support Resistance going forward.

“I would absolutely recommend Resident Evil 3 and would not be surprised if a sizable portion of the fandom ends up preferring this remake.”

With that out of the way, I found Resident Evil 3 to be a bit of a tough nut to properly rate in a review sense. The game is an absolute treat to play with action-packed sequences, tense exploration, and a few genuine scares. As mentioned above, I was having so much fun playing it, I immediately jumped back in and started again. However, from a survival horror standpoint, the game takes a significant step back from Resident Evil 2. But really, when you think about it from a thematic standpoint, that totally makes sense. In RE2 you’re playing as either a rookie cop or a civilian. Jill Valentine is the Master of Lockpicking and a battle-hardened member of S.T.A.R.S. It makes complete sense for her to have a few extra zombie fighting tricks up her sleeve.

So, while I probably prefer RE2 ever so slightly, most of that just comes from Mr. X and the police station just being one of my favorite sections of video gaming in years. I would absolutely recommend Resident Evil 3 and would not be surprised if a sizable portion of the fandom ends up preferring this remake. After all, it’s hard to top the excitement that comes with jumping back into the shoes of Jill. Regardless of which you may like more, it is so refreshing to see the Resident Evil franchise come back in such a big way. Here’s hoping Capcom can continue the momentum with whatever comes next.

March 30, 2020 11:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/03/resident-evil-3-review-a-jill-royale-with-cheese/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=resident-evil-3-review-a-jill-royale-with-cheese

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Scott’s Top 10

December 27, 2019 2:00 PM EST

2019 for me was filled with tons of games from different genres, and even though it was hard to pick 10, here are my favorites from 2019.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

Greetings and glad tidings, Shockerians? DualShockese? Sorry, I’m new, but yes it is the time of the year once again to share with the internet the video games that left a particularly large imprint on us throughout the past 365 days. My name is Scott White, and let my list be my humble debut on this fantastic site and introduction to you fine readers.

2019 treated audiences to titles that have been long desired, from Kingdom Hearts 3, Death Stranding, and of course, the Resident Evil 2 remake. The time between these behemoths was filled with other stellar titles from indie studios to large developers, rounding out the year and making it one with far too many games and myself with far too little free time for them all. However: I did play a bunch, so let me tell you about some of them!

As a brief note for readers: the first nine games I will list are in no particular order, but the final entry on this list will be my favorite of the year and noted as such.

Forager

What was a random suggestion on my Steam page turned into my go-to chill game of the year. With a bright and vivid cartoon pixel art style, Forager crafted its way into my heart. I found something incredibly peaceful and rewarding as I bought up the various islands faster than a land baron who struck oil, and worked to create my autonomous empire. With my army of drones collecting precious ore and gems, while my furnaces burned non-stop crafting new items, I could sit back and admire my work.

With the inclusion of many other indie darlings that you can dress your character up as (Shovel Knight, baby!) and flow of constant updates and additions from the single-man development team, Forager is a game that I keep coming back to, being charmed all the while.

Katana Zero

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting a dark narrative dealing with such heavy topics as PTSD, drug addiction, or child soldiers when I started playing Katana Zero. My sight zeroed *wink wink nudge* in on this game after watching the trailers with the neon visuals, the samurai who deflects bullets and mows down enemies, and the time-warping mechanic. What I ended up getting was so much more, and made me fall in love with this game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Katana Zero.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Yes, it’s an older game, but FighterZ has still been one of the games I’ve had the most fun with in 2019. With the drops of some of my friends and I’s favorite characters, my usual crew of friends were hopping into the lobbies and hurling beams at one another more than ever. With the recent release of the final Season 2 character with Dragon Ball Super’s Broly, there’s still no word on a Season 3 of new characters. You can count on it though, that if we do get another round of characters, there is a good chance you will see Dragon Ball FighterZ on my list next year, too.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age — Definitive Edition

Fact: Dragon Quest XI was one of my favorite games of 2018. Also fact, Dragon Quest XI S easily adds enough content and goodies to warrant being included on my list for 2019 too. With the addition of the orchestral track, new outfits, and a new game with the 2D version of XI included with all of its unique content, I gladly jumped back into the role of The Luminary. Any fans of RPGs and that own a Switch need to get this game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age — Definitive Edition.

Daemon X Machina

As a longtime fan of From Software’s non-Soulsborne franchise, Armored Core, the lack of complex mech customization action titles as of late left me rabid for this game when it got announced. Fast-forward a couple of demos and a release later, Daemon X Machina fills the void left by AC’s disappearance this generation. The tense combat mixed with a visual style that separates it from the pack is just *chef’s kiss* muah. The added fact that I can now run around as Geralt of Rivia in a giant robot is just icing on the cake.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Daemon X Machina.

Resident Evil 2

Growing up, the Resident Evil series was always one that I wanted to play, as the lore and concept behind it was so intriguing to me. Alas though, it contained a foe scarier than Mr. X and more crushing than Nemesis: the dreaded “tank controls.” The releases of the remasters had solved this dilemma of mine with Resident Evil 0 and the first game, and with the RE2 remake release, I got to finally experience Leon and Claire’s origin.

This game should be placed on a pedestal with a beacon shining on it that never gets extinguished as an example of how remakes should be done. By everyone. Forever. It is simply a suburb horror title that nailed this vibe. The first time I was being chased by Mr. X remains the most nerve-wracking horror experience of 2019 for me. Bravo Capcom, bravo.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Resident Evil 2.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

With magical whip in hand, I ventured forward into the night, vanquishing all manner of demonkind, skewering myself in the chest along the way to absorb the abilities of my foes. In a similar vein as Daemon X Machina scratched my mech itch, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night gloriously scratched my Symphony of the Night itch. Plus, David Hayter is a demon-slaying samurai, so that instantly gives it +120 bonus points.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Kingdom Hearts 3

In the convening years between the releases of Kingdom Hearts 2 in 2006 and Kingdom Hearts 3 this year, I evolved from a senior in high school who had no idea what he was doing, to a full-fledged adult…who has no idea what he is doing AND paying rent! What a decade it’s been.

I may have grown out of the raging hormones and living with my parents, but it turns out I have not grown out of the wide-eyed reaction to seeing Keyblades, Heartless, and Sora+Donald+Goofy Co. teaming up and vanquishing evil with the power of friendship and deus ex machina. It’s far from a perfect game, or even a perfect Kingdom Hearts game, but when a game makes me tear up from the title screen, there’s no way I couldn’t include it on my list. I love this game, this series, and all the craziness that comes with them. I can’t wait to see what lore-f***ery comes with the upcoming Re:Mind DLC in January.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Kingdom Hearts 3.

Randomizers

Not relegated to a single game, but more a family of fan mods, this year saw me really dive into retro game randomizers. These nifty mods mix all sorts of stuff up inside a game–chest contents in Zelda as an example–to create new experiences in each playthrough. Whether it was having Kent in Fire Emblem rocking as Bard or Yoshi being King of Figaro with his twin brother Master Chief in Final Fantasy 6, these mods stole a lot of my time this year.

My Favorite Game(s) of the Year: Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 1-3

Spending more than 250 hours with a cast of characters, experiencing their world, their struggles and triumphs this year, I’ve found myself completely enraptured by this series of RPGs. Imagine the materia system from Final Fantasy VII, the social bonding and links from the later Persona titles, and blend them together with a constantly expanding narrative, and you have Trails of Cold Steel.

I felt I had to include these games as a single entity on my list. So many moments of these games left me aghast; they lifted my spirits with hope and pained my heart with loss. This is a series that needs to be experienced by more people. I can only hope that 2020 will see the localization of the end of this saga with Cold Steel 4.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 27, 2019 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-scotts-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-scotts-top-10

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