#WTF THEY ACTUALLY RELEASED IT AAA

[xxcrossroadsxx]

What stands between reality and fantasy is a wall of clouds.

Full cover of Volume 21 has been officially revealed!

[borathae]

Chapter 35

it was a pretty bad dream. I tried to make it stop”, MOM I LOVE HIM

we are in his room 👀👀 what happened afterwards “You got pretty drunk last night and then insisted on sleeping with me so I wouldn’t feel lonely.” oops lets see what all she did 😭😭

“I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.” PERIODT

“You’re a terrible fighter, especially when drunk.” 😭😭😭

are you telling me that you were awake the entire night?” EDWARD CULLEN WHO??

TAE IS GETTING RELEASED YESS YEEHAW WE DID IT

he want to see her happy oh oh

“Also your cheek is really soft, it feels nice to kiss”, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS INFO?? CRY? SCREAM? YEET MYSELF OUT THE WINDOW? PUNCH A WALL? SHIT BRICKS? PULL OUT HAIR? AAA

“Whatever, I’m leaving AAH HE IS SUCHA CUTIE PIE I CANT PLEASE MY TSUNDERE KITTY my lil yogurt

WAIT IS THAT FORESHADOW OR SOMETHING or just me overthinking?? didnt say something like that last chapter( wait that was me jumping into conclusion in the review🤡)

“Nuh-uh you’re not. XD this is so funny, like she just did that haha i love them both pls

You shouldn’t assume the worst, especially when Yoongi is trying so hard to be better for you. You should be better for him too and finally stop doubting him. He is a sweet man, a little rough and cold at times, but at his core Yoongi is a good man. wow just called us all out for having mixed feelings about him BUT I ALSO LOVE HIM STINKING SOO MUCH

HE GAVE US SWEET DREAMS, taking "sweet dreams/goodnight" to another level

“You should have come to me whenever it happened. I could have calmed them down.” oh my yoongi bear

she is so nice, cuz i would have chosen violence for joon

“it offends me that you think so lowly of me.” im sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️

“No, of course not”, he grumbles. ofc he is 😭i love him and his new feelings, the way u subtly describe those changes aah

“Test you?” you giggle, “come on Yoongi Boongie, relax”, you tell him, leaning down to kiss his tensed neck. you have officially broken him

“It’s just how the pants are cut”, he mumbles. sure sure i believe you

The Creator of vampires possesses a sensitive neck and is shivering from mere kisses. AAAAH

another panties ripped #justiceforpanties #stoppantyabuse2024

their chemistry is just 😭😭

“Yeah?” you try not to sound too affected by his confession, but honestly you are. me at you

His voice was made for such dirty words, they sound so sinful when his tongue forms them. HISVOICEINCONCERTSAAAAAA

“Tell me what to do next” I HAVE ASCENDED

“uhm, damn Yoongi, give me a moment. I, I wasn’t ready for you to be so into this.” sis is shooketh, im her she is me

WE ARE RIDFING HIS FACE??

Since when did he get so hot? "Always was”, he says.  WTF SHUT UP U DIDNT HEAR THAT SNEAKY MY

"Christ. Stop teasing hold on yoongles is bc, LIKE BC cuz he is 3000 holy shit, my mind is blown

His hair tickles your nose, it smells of mint and green apple. where did he get green apple scented shampoo

"I think”, he croaks, fingers squeezing your hip.  HE IS HAPPY YES MY YOON

HE IS ARCHING HIS BACK “Princess, s-slow down”, he chokes out. YOONGI UR TOO HOT UR KILLING ME

Yoongi furrows his brows and lets out a soft sob. It sounded desperate and high-pitched.  I HAVE DIED, RESURRECTED AND DIED AGAIN

“I’m your willing s-slave”, boi u cant just say that out of nowhere my heart just gave out

you can devour me IM GONNA BITE YOU, VAMPIRE HEALING WONT DO SHIT TO THE HICKEY IM ABOUT TO GIVE YOU BABY

they are so hot and adorable together i wanna give them my unborn child

it was a pretty bad dream. I tried to make it stop”, MOM I LOVE HIM

I LOVE HIM TOO GAAAH

“I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.” PERIODT

he is actually so important to me

“You’re a terrible fighter, especially when drunk.” 😭😭😭

jJFASJDF he is so sassy I love himm

he want to see her happy oh oh

*sobs so hard she dies*

“Also your cheek is really soft, it feels nice to kiss”, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS INFO?? CRY? SCREAM? YEET MYSELF OUT THE WINDOW? PUNCH A WALL? SHIT BRICKS? PULL OUT HAIR? AAA

ME FRO REAL LIKE OMFMDFM

“Whatever, I’m leaving AAH HE IS SUCHA CUTIE PIE I CANT PLEASE MY TSUNDERE KITTY my lil yogurt

omfg "my lil yogurt" is unironically such a cute nickname OMFG I MIGHT NEED TO MAKE HER SAY IT TO HIM ONCE IIIHIHIHI

WAIT IS THAT FORESHADOW OR SOMETHING or just me overthinking?? didnt say something like that last chapter( wait that was me jumping into conclusion in the review🤡)

mhhhhhhhhhhm 👀👀👀

“Nuh-uh you’re not. XD this is so funny, like she just did that haha i love them both pls

fajdsjf I love her she is so hot

You shouldn’t assume the worst, especially when Yoongi is trying so hard to be better for you. You should be better for him too and finally stop doubting him. He is a sweet man, a little rough and cold at times, but at his core Yoongi is a good man. wow just called us all out for having mixed feelings about him BUT I ALSO LOVE HIM STINKING SOO MUCH

fjasdjfj HE IS THE CUTEST YOU CANT BE MAD AT HIM GOSHH

HE GAVE US SWEET DREAMS, taking "sweet dreams/goodnight" to another level

😭😭😭😭

“You should have come to me whenever it happened. I could have calmed them down.” oh my yoongi bear

LIKE HE IS SO COMFORT!!!!!

“No, of course not”, he grumbles. ofc he is 😭i love him and his new feelings, the way u subtly describe those changes aah

jadjsf htank you!! heheeh

“Test you?” you giggle, “come on Yoongi Boongie, relax”, you tell him, leaning down to kiss his tensed neck. you have officially broken him

boy is officially fainting (real)

“It’s just how the pants are cut”, he mumbles. sure sure i believe you

jfajsdf I love how he is always lying lIKE BOOy

The Creator of vampires possesses a sensitive neck and is shivering from mere kisses. AAAAH

*feral noises*

their chemistry is just 😭😭

THANK YOU IT IS LIKE IT'S MAKING ME INSANE

“Yeah?” you try not to sound too affected by his confession, but honestly you are. me at you

JADSJF

His voice was made for such dirty words, they sound so sinful when his tongue forms them. HISVOICEINCONCERTSAAAAAA

DONT I WILL CREAM

“Tell me what to do next” I HAVE ASCENDED

I forgot that I made him say that- OGOODBYE

WE ARE RIDFING HIS FACE??

*dies*

Since when did he get so hot? "Always was”, he says.  WTF SHUT UP U DIDNT HEAR THAT SNEAKY MY

I NEED HIM SO BAD

"Christ. Stop teasing hold on yoongles is bc, LIKE BC cuz he is 3000 holy shit, my mind is blown

jfasdjfjas he is indeed JFJADSF

His hair tickles your nose, it smells of mint and green apple. where did he get green apple scented shampoo

THERE IS ACTUALLY GREEN APPLE SHAMPOO YOU CAN BUY IN MY LOCAL STORE IT SMELLS SO GOOD

"I think”, he croaks, fingers squeezing your hip.  HE IS HAPPY YES MY YOON

boongie yoobi baby :(

HE IS ARCHING HIS BACK “Princess, s-slow down”, he chokes out. YOONGI UR TOO HOT UR KILLING ME

HELP I FORGOT ABOUT THE BACK ARCHING WTFFDSFSA

Yoongi furrows his brows and lets out a soft sob. It sounded desperate and high-pitched.  I HAVE DIED, RESURRECTED AND DIED AGAIN

I forgot about this too *dies*

“I’m your willing s-slave”, boi u cant just say that out of nowhere my heart just gave out

I DID NOT FORGET ABOUT THIS I THINK ABOUT IT DAILY

you can devour me IM GONNA BITE YOU, VAMPIRE HEALING WONT DO SHIT TO THE HICKEY IM ABOUT TO GIVE YOU BABY

ME FOR REAL LIKE SREIOUSLY

they are so hot and adorable together i wanna give them my unborn child

HELP HAHAHHAHA THIS IS SO FUNNY HAHAHHA

[ranhaitanisgf]

BUT ANYWAYDHDJDJ

yessss! esp. with everyone's obvious or not-so-obvious-but-implied less than ideal background (home life, family life, or lack thereofdhsjdjs). or even if they have a kinda?? happy home life? circumstances always happen. like. the sanos? or the kurokawas before izana goes to an institution. like. shinichiro literally became a leader of gang and introduced mikey to that life eventually leading to kisaki meet mikey and turn toman rotten in all the timelines. and izana fjsjdjd and emma's mom turning to gambling and (implied?? look at her makeup and the way shes dressed mmm queen! she can step on me) prostitution. heck! izana's father's affair???

and yesss! do not get me started on takeomi. omgg i say senju's only family member in her life was her brother, omi, but. hmm. def. not the best role model! like. wtf???? it was him who was pushing senju to make that prostitution deal with those guys fjsjdjd all for his own twisted ambitions. vomits.

YESSSS!!!! QUEENS FR! I LOVE ALL MY GIRLS. akane too! i see such hate on akane esp. with the release of the third season djsjdjd like. ??? SHES A TEENAGE GIRL? WHOSE LITTLE BROTHER'S BEST FRIEJD HAS A CRUSH ON? a little gross. but akane is such a sweetheart! a smart kid with a dreamy, light, "appreciate the small things," mature aura. maybe??? she just said that to koko so as not to break his heart later? (there was no later but shh) she still thought of and cared about koko to thebpoint of not wanting to hurt him and shatter his little world. fjsjdj yeah, she perhaps (and again,,,, choices and final decisions here!!!!) went about it the wrong way; didnt put a stop to koko's crush sooner; didnt make her platonic feelings for him known. perhaps she saw him as her other little brother alongside seishu. maybe ahe saw some of herself in him? saw how smart he was like her? saw the little romantic in him? like. theres no way she isnt that maturedjdje like a female, "from a happier home than ran" haitani ran. (idkdjsjs) caring for seishu by herself while her parents go to work and then along comes koko who is always hanging around seishu rather than at home. yeah we dont know the kokonui home/family life outside of akane. but i refuse to believe it wasnt the best. maybe not toxic or abusive like tora's. but maybe a bit neglectful? busy, working parents? no way koko's that mature at such a young age djdjdj

but yeah yeahhhhh!!!!! OMG YUZUHA SPIN-OFF! FR?! add that to the list of potential spin-offs alongside a bonten spin-off fr. aaaaa i wanna know about this fanclub yuzuha has at school. those girls are so real for making one for miss queen! let me join!!!! i want in! actually,, i want more hina-yuzu interactionsdjdjd HINA INTRODUCING HER TO EMMA ??? and them arranging girls nights and sleepovers?? djdjdj YESS!! YUZU'S FIGHTING STYLE TOO?! THAT KICK?! SO BOSS OF HERRRR!!!! WHAT WAS TUAT?! AND THE WAY SHE TOLD BD TO LAY OFF HAKKAI AND HER DJSJD PLS AAA WHAT WHAT WHAT?! SO HOT! AAAA WOAH WOAU WOAH! i also want a final timeline spin-off with emma and hina and yuzu and akane ?? maybe? and senju forming a sukēban (or jp girl gang)!! like. 1) mikey letting in senju as a girl?? like? as cool as the idea is fjsjdjd male gangs never let girls into their gangs and 2) EMMA ALSO TOOK MARTIAL ARTS FROM GRANDPA SANO! DONT FORGET THAY, YOKYOREV FANDOM! i am sure she knows a few moves herself. hm maybe the spin-off could be about the girls helping out their brothers and bf and making some kind of alliance with toman? gathering info? bc who the hell looks at a girl and thinks twice about her being a snitch for another gang. AND AGAIN!! AKANE IS SMART AF! and hina fr her sukēban's heart and soul and charisma like takemichi, akane is her sukēban's brain the way kisaki was toman's brain, while the rest of the queens are the muscle! aaaa

. i . i thought about all this way too muchdjsjsj i sent so much in this one. oh god help me!

UR SO RIGHT W TAKEOMI !! like honestly i just feel that the whole akashi family could have had a lot better circumstances and lives if he had actually stepped up more and good decisions for both his younger siblings (esppp haruchiyo like i felt so bad for him !!) + he was encouraging some not so good stuff w/ brahman when he knew that senju didn't want that kind of image for the gang !! like ugh i just ... dont like him ....

WITH THE WHOLE AKANE THING i think a lot of people r quick to hate bc of what she said to koko abt "oh ill wait for you " or smth which i can kind of understand because there honestly wasnt a whole lot of detail/scenes w her to rlly know their dynamic, yk? i mean on a surface level it definitely comes off as creepy, but honestly like you said, what was she supposed to do in that situation ? sure, she didnt rlly handle it correctly, but shes kind of sweet girl that would feel terrible about breaking kokos heart !! i feel like to truly get a good sense of what happened and to really 'pass judgement' (that sounds so cringe ) on her, we would rlly need to see more of their interactions !! but i really don't think that she was exactly encouraging kokos feelings and was actually serious about 'waiting for him', she probably just said that to not hurt his feelings !! wish we saw more of the seishu/koko/akane backstory tbh <//3

tokyo revengers girls sukeban WOULD LITERALLY END EVERYTHING BC OF HOW GOOD IT WOULD BE !!!! honestly though theres sooo many spin offs we need, like the current one w baji and chifuyu is so amazing and i want all of these little prequel moments and stories bc i want to see more of everyone !! & wakui pls give all the girls interactions tgt bc i know they would be bsfs !! AHHHH we just need more of the tok rev girls in general, but I WOULD KILL FOR THEM TO BE IN A GANG TGT OR SMTH !! yuzuha and emma would fs be the main fighting force, emma literally did training w mikey & baji who r both super strong ??? like ???? i refuse to believe that shes not strong af !! AHHHH !! & if in the final timeline what if taiju teaches yuzuha how to fight that would literally be so badass ??? like THERES SO MANY POSSIBILITIES !!!

[seokmthw]

REALL KINGMES R SO RARE im probs one of the four kingmes in my country (and they’re going here for aaa wtf!!!!) and bro LAST FLOWER!!!! if gfent doesn’t release it after hok7 i will be sooo mad. as for my bias, i actually have two!! louis and hwon hehe wbu??

anon i am so sorry omg it's been sooooo long since i've been on this account! but i double bias dann and arthur :3 dann is my ult bias in general as well hehe

[mapleandgingeroatmeal]

CR2E109- Frigid Propositions

Ooops! I've been moving and then road-tripping the past few days, which makes for a high volume of podcast consumption and a very low amount of blogging time. I also have a week off now, so I plan on going back and categorizing my Rumblecusp thoughts, because I have many. For now though, I want to keep up with this project so I'm writing while things are fresh in my mind. So! With that said, here's 109 thoughts!

I always love a shopping episode. Is that weird? Idk, they're usually light-hearted and role-play heavy, which are two things I love. This one was no exception.

It's so funny to see everyone go completely fucking wild the first time they get any kind of wealth in their pockets. Illegal Fireworks! All the paper in the city! A million stink bombs! A 5,000 gp ring that I will never need! It makes sense for people who live so much in the moment to spend the way they do, but god its also so funny how ecstatic they are to have spends .

Fjord and Yasha are so good together?? Hey? Fjord is such a charismatic guy, he should be good at this, but Yahsa has zero impulse control and he likes to be spontaneous sometimes, so it's like she sucks all his common sense and people skills right out of him when they're together. What a great dynamic omg.

Veth is totally That Mom who makes everyone take terrible matching-christmas-pajama photos and I am so here for it.

It makes me happy to see Veth with her family, but I do always get this feeling like the relationships she has there are so forced and fleeting. They've never spent more than a few days at a time together since she's been back! Matt even makes a point of saying how much Yeza's changed and has become a different person in her absence. I honestly feel Veth and Yeza are really tip-toeing around each other at this point.

Also we went through all of Rumblecusp and we haven't once had a convo about how Veth is feeling/adjusting to her new body? I want that info so badly, but I also totally feel like this is a deliberate character choice on Sam's part. He knows how to constructively interrupt if he wanted a scene of her talking about it, which makes me think Veth is in hard Denial Mode about her feelings and wants and needs rn.

(also over in Widowbrave land, Veth could've given Caleb anything, but she chose a thong?? If that's not a you-can-join-me-and-my-husband-sometime flirt then wtf is it?)

Ashley Johnson came for my entire soul with that church scene. "I think I'm being rebuilt, too". EXCUSE ME I'M SOBBING?? I have been so in love with Yahsa's ard since Obann, some day when I have time I'm gonna scream for an hour about the Wings scene.

Ok not that long ago I said that I wasn't feeling the Fjorjester buildup super hard; I am now revising that opinion. Travis has definitely been laying the groundwork. That unicorn was Fjucking adorable, and I love how he matched Jester's goofy playful energy when he gave it to her. You can see him trying so hard to speak her language and it's just so precious.

And it was so interesting that Caleb pushed them together with the knowledge that he's been a little in love with Jester for a while. I guess he's seen enough of how her and Fjord pretty obviously feel that he's trying to get himself over that one. Also the fact that he may lose Veth has forced him to confront how in love with her he is

It really is incredible how far Beau and Caleb specifically have come. None of these guys are at all who they were at the start, but I feel like the change is most obvious on them. Caleb isn't quite at forgiving himself, but he's slowly letting himself be happy. Beau is reading books and allowing people to love her and commanding a position of responsibility.

Caduceus is finally opening up to friends about his issues and I'm so proud of him? Even if it's just that very little bit. Beyond what he said to Yasha specifically, you can really tell by the things he doesn't say that he's been doing some quiet self-reflection. I mean, "patience can curdle into apathy", hello, projecting much there bud? Think maybe you're not even talking about Yahsa's issues so much any more?

also we got a hint of aro/ace Cad here with his comments about finding the dancing awkward. I am so excited that talks is back, and I cannot wait for someone to ask Tailesen about the choice to create a character with that identity specifically. God I love Caduceus Clay with all my heart and soul. I would die for this wise baby cow man.

AAA I've gotten to Eiselcross I cannot fuckin belive I'm here!! I know I'm still many episodes behind, but I've officially reached the place where I really started seeing enough cr around my lurker feeds to decide I should get into it myself. So it honestly feels like I've reached some arbitrary "caught up" point in my head, bc from here on out I vaguely saw fan reactions to live episodes as they were released. I know whats coming here, and I am SO EXCITED to see it all for reals.

I might be able to do a pseudo-livebloggy thing with the next few episodes since I'm on break, so if there's anybody out there who actually reads these things and was sad I skipped so much, maybe that will make it up to you.

[mothsocks99]

Sally face chapter 5 spoilers warning!

Okay so questions I have that may or may not be unanswered since I have yet to see anyone surely unlock all the secrets/Easter eggs/etc:

It’s eluded to that Larry may or may not have committed suicide, I want to know exactly what happened/why we never really get a concrete answer. It’s almost like he knew he “had” to do it, or something along those lines? Idk

Speaking of which, where’s Larry’s body? It was said they never found it, was there a reason for that?

Bouncing off that topic, is it ever going to be explained why he disappeared when the treehouse burned down? Or how he aged? Or where he went in all that time? Or why he disappeared at the end?*

*i have a feeling you can unlock a secret so you know more or can save him from disappearing or smth like that

Wtf was Larry’s dad? He’s a time traveler? Not human something-something? I feel like there was more to it that tied into the story but again, I can’t place it. Perhaps there’s more secrets around that to be unlocked?

Was the cult lore supposed to be vague or am I missing something? I’m getting the feeling a few things tie together, but I can’t place it. Travis’s dad is the leader, and their bloodline had been the leader of it for years.. The man from the sky is Sal? I’m forgetting the other names, but they tie into ash (with the power of Sal) I believe, as well as Addison also being a part of the lore?? Why murder children exactly? What’s the cults main purpose? Aaa? It’s confusing, and a LOT to take in with no previous mentions of a lot of it, you know?

^if anyone understands it and wants to summarize it for me you’d be an actual life saver

Why didn’t the bombs in the cult detonate? I have a feeling there’s a secret you can unlock to have the option to actually do it but? I’m not sure?

Will the red eyed demon ever be fully fleshed out or explained? Does he play a part in the cult, is he separate and it’s just a coincidence?

Was the “dogman” who shot sals mom (and Sal) part of the cult? He was, right? He was wearing a similar cloak I think.. did Sal just happen to get to close? Was there a different more intentional reason I’m missing?

I’m sure there’s a lot more questions I have I just can’t think of them rn. If anyone has answers, I encourage you, spread the knowledge!!

I thoroughly enjoyed chapter 5, don’t get me wrong, but it left me with a lot more unanswered questions, and let me feeling like there should have been more to it? Best case scenario, there’s a secret part 6, or a lot more unlockable secrets to be found that explain things more thoroughly, or an epilogue?? That people seem to be talking about?? Or, this is a big maybe, but perhaps Steve will release a new game that starts we’re chapter 5 left off?? I’m hoping at the very least we get a little more content, more answers and explanations, or tied up loose ends.

[mirrorxiii]

Things i hate about modern JRPG part 1

Yeah, i’m making this after playing Tales of Xillia, i got the world map and... a question, does this game have an actually open world map? or is the Tales of equivalent of Final Fantasy XIII?

but... i digress, this is a list of things that i hate about modern JRPG, in no particular order.

- Fields instead of a world map:

uhmm, guys, sice when this

is better than this?

why is this a thing? do the developers wanted to save time to, who knows, watch football, fap or something? you can’t make a field map like that without looking extremely LAZY, because that is what it is, is LAZY, i can forgive it (somehow) to games like hyperdimention neptunia, or anything from compile hearts (although, what other games do they have? Fairy fencer F? what else?) they are not jrpg’s, they are dungeon crawlers, with focus on making missions in different dungeons (just like the name specifies), but in a tales of, or any other AAA self declared JRPG game? sorry, but you can only be one kind of game, or you are a dungeon crawler focused in missions, short storywise gameplay and graphic novel elements like HDN or you are a rpg, you know, a genre that focuses in EXPLORATION... oh and story, and character development and stuff, but believe me, if you don’t enjoy how you move from point A to point B, then what is the incentive to focus in the story and the characters? oh and i’m not finished with that yet, just wait.

But, let’s be honest, this is not the biggest insult to the JRPG genre ever, i actually liked TOS:DoTNW, i liked Emil, Tenebrae and Marta, in fact, my favourite scene is when she give birth to both Batman and Superman revealing that they are secretly brothers...(ok, that scene never happened, i just wanted to make a Batman V Superman ending joke, you know, in a time when NOBODY does that joke anymore because is tired and not funny anymore) but regardless, it had it’s problems, like the pokemon-ish mechanic with the monsters that become useless once the original cast joins your team, the original cast is slow and difficult to control, the story looked like it wanted to be something, but halfway trough the game it changed its mind, the villain, the fact that the original cast are caricatures of themselves and they “just enter your team and leaves” with no impact whatsoever... so yeah, the only reason i liked the game was for the new main characters, oh, and for Decus and Alice, i really liked those two too, but... that’s it. And i said this was not the biggest insult to, not only JRPG, but RPG genre in general... BECAUSE THIS IS!!!!

-Final Hallway XIII

And yeah, if this were a top 10 from least offensive to most offensive, this would be number 1, remember when i told you that i decided to make this list when i played Tales of Xillia? well, then answer me, what is worse, a RPG with broken exploration, or a RPG with no exploration at all? with field map at least you can pass the cursor to see the world map and select the city or dungeon you want to be, but here!? is nothing but a hallway, a hallway with only oneway to go, oh wait, this one is not a hallway, it’s a Y... yeah, it’s the same, it may be a large hallway with space to explore and find... stuff, but it’s a hallway anyways, i actually had hope for the game at the begining, but i was expeting the moment when the world map opened for me, in Symphonia it kinda happened instantly, and the tutorial was just one fight and you already know the essential in the gameplay, but i thought, maybe is something like Final Fantasy VII when you had to make some story before entering the world map, i was wrong, from this point it was like if i was crossing a dungeon, one after another, waiting for my precious world map to appear, then it happened, Alvin (the only character i’m liking at this point) give me this infamous... EJEM “world map” with the only utility to teleport me to another point where i already been before, wait, you mean... something like this?

so, this far the game have been a huge Super Mario 3d world level gameplay with enemy encounters, leveling up and Final fantasy X’s crystal system of adquiring abilities (BTW i actually like this mechanic)? when i found out this i was really disapointed, because Tales of Symphonia is my favourite JRPG, i like it even more than Final Fantasy VI, and it counted with not only one, but two excelent maps to explore and travel with the rheairds, and a lot of post game content within it, a hidden treasure box somewhere in certain level that you have to teleport there to gain is not exploration, is tedious and tiring, for those persons that will tell me that the 1:1 scale in maps actually is a plus, because it makes the maps more reallistic and therefore it improves the inmersion in the game, uhm, no, just no, it actually makes it worse, unless you make a huge world like in breath of the wild or Skyrim, the only thing you are doing is a cell, a huge cell sometimes, but a cell nonetheless, i don’t feel free to explore whenever i want to like in any classic JRPG from the good old times, but instead, i feel trapped in a eternal dungeon with no escape and with only one direction to go, but hey, you can go to this hallway, and return to it later in a shameless excuse of backtracking, that counts as exploring right?

Sigh, le... lets talk about something nice, uhm, the story seem nice so far, i like Jude as a protagonist, i like Alvin so far, Milla... uhm, lets just say, i don’t like her that much, but it’s a theme for another point in this list; and, uhm... at least give it credit it’s not Final Fantasy XIII... i think.

Ok, i get it, with the new generation of games it was obvious that the genre have to change, i mean a current generation JRPG with a classic JRPG world map with enough graphical quality to apeal those who consider graphics as more important but without sacrificing the exploration factor, that would nev... oh, wait, why that sounds really familiar... oh yes, NI NO KUNI: THE WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH, ANOTHER GAME BY NAMCO!!!!

and this game was released a year before Tales of Xillia, i mean WTF happened here, and considering that Tales of Xillia 2 suffer from the same problems that Tales of Xillia, it makes me really afraid of buying Tales of Berseria, i don’t want to play another Final Hallway XIII, i’m going to finish Tales of Xillia just because i already wasted 19.99 dollars in it, but only for that.

You wanna know what i want? a JRPG with an open world map like in Ni No Kuni, and the combat gameplay of a modern tales of game (the gameplay was the only thing Ni No Kuni lacked, but i still forgive it), that is my wet dream, in another note, i’m looking forward the sequel of Ni No Kuni,  Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant kingdom, judging the trailers, it look like it’s going to the right direction

je je... i love how the first thing that the trailer show us is the world map, like it want to say: “yeah, this is what is all about”, and they are right, for any company or indie developer who want to make an JRPG, take note: you can be creative with the combat gameplay, but the map MUST stay, or else, you are stripping a JRPG what makes it a JRPG and you will make another Final Hallway XIII.

to be continued...

[extraquarterblog]

I'm now addicted to Hero Siege

During the Steam Fall and Winter sale last year, I generally pick up several titles. Be it the big AAA titles or small low budget indie games. Even titles with lower scored reviews, if it has my attention, I need to try it. That's the beauty of Steam sales, light on the wallet and loads of new games to play. I kind of went overboard and realized its going to take me several months to get through all the recently purchased games. Top of my list to start off playing was Hero Siege, a harmless looking 16 bit game.

Big Mistake. As I found myself completely addicted, wasting hours away while my missed phone call list began to grow...

" I cant waste hours after hours straight on a game. Yet somehow, I find my self looking at the clock, it says its 2.05 am."

Hero Siege, previously was completely under my radar. I had no idea what it was about or who made it. I viewed a few game play videos and read a couple of reviews, then thought, sure why not. Little did I know I would be putting over 15 hrs in just the weekend alone. I'm a grown man, I got shit to do. I just cant waste hours after hours straight on a game. Yet somehow, I find myself looking at the clock, it says its 2.05 am. I think just one more round and i'll call it a night... Maybe. 

The best way I can describe Hero Siege is a combination of Diablo meets Realm of the Mad God with a sprinkle of Bind of Isaac. Any Realm of the Mad God fans? If you played it, you'd know what I'm talking about. But basically the game has a degree of randomly made assets with what seems an infinity random different items to obtain. In a nut shell, no two play through's are the same. 

The visuals are wonderful too. Sure its no benchmark in the graphic departments but for its style, i'd same its damn near perfect. I also love the large pool of different classes you can select from, all with their own unique play style and skill trees to invest points in too. Once you start to get that drive to level up and explore other characters. Its over, your done. You will be hooked and never looking back. It also helps due to its random generated design, you'll never feel your running the same stage over n over. Sure some of its visual ques will look the same but where the dungeons will appear or what boss may spawn, will always be a roll of the dice. 

So here I am, burning hours through the evening while my 16 bit character runs around an arena, dodging bullets, traps, arrows and more. Slaying wave after wave of monsters and collecting any potions I can.  My attention wavers just for a second and stray fire ball hits my guy. I die. There's a rush of frustration, as you can die so easily in this game. I take a deep breath, grip my controller, and continue once more. 

While I do have fun playing this game, there is a degree of frustration and WTF moments that do cause me to step away. The game isn't perfect and sadly its on-line multiplayer is still a work in-progress. I'm lucky, and I'm talking lucky when ever I'm actually able to connect to anyone in the lobby. However the developers did say the multi-player is still in Alpha, which was clearly stated, so I cant argue too much. I just hope they can iron out those issues swiftly. 

There are other issues but maybe their more personal nit picks then actually bullet points to whats wrong. I still feel my blood boil when I'm so far in to the game and I die. Dying, not by a massive wave of monsters, or at the hands of a giant boss that's spitting lighting bolts. No, I die when I enter a dungeon and the first step I take is on a spike. While a spike shouldn't kill you, if you have full health that is. No, only I had 3/4th my health, so thus I died. I had such great items collected too, I could almost feel a tear leave my eyes. Maybe I wouldn't be so upset if I went out a blaze of glory against a onslaught of bosses. 

But no, a spike did me in. That's life in the world of Hero Siege and i'm genuinely surprised more people arn't playing. 

=UPDATE=

Oh whats this, right before I was about to post this write up, out of no where the developers released a massive patch, i'm talking BIG. Addressing many of the games issues but also updating several visuals, stage layouts, monster skills and abilities, making the game even more challenging and at the same time fresh/exciting. Running through some of the stages felt completely new, despite putting in almost +40hrs towards this game. 

All of the sudden, I felt myself being sucked right back in.