#especially Zero and Code Veronica

[no-celebration]

While I don't post about Resident Evil a whole lot, it's still my favorite video game series of all time. This is great news! Can't wait to see what Capcom comes up with next! (please give us a Code Veronica remake already 😭)

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

With the way the recent Resident Evil games are turning out (especially 7, Village and the RE4 remake), I feel like Capcom saw all the memes and criticisms about how the plot of each RE game was shallow and cheesy and decided that they wanted to make a change. Because as someone who grew up with Resident Evil, these recent games honestly have the best/most engaging storytelling of the entire franchise.

And that’s not me over-exaggerating things. Even the RE games that I love (Code Veronica, 2, 4, Zero) are all a little shallow in terms of plot. These recent games have the most effort I’ve seen from Capcom in trying to deliver an actually engaging, well thought-out storyline.

Three theories for the change in Capcom’s approach:

1) Capcom is trying to honor its competitor, Silent Hill, since the franchise died (until last year).

2) The negative reception that RE6 got was the last straw for Capcom

3) The Last of Us had Capcom shook

[hamstermastersamster]

Chief Irons is for sure utterly unhinged in the RE2 remake, but he just ain't as creepy as he was in the OG game.

Originally, Claire comes across him as a passive non-hostile. You get immediate Bad Vibes from him and his weird fixation with the corpse of the mayor's daughter . . . and then you look around his weird office and private collection room, and you get More Bad Vibes that you have discovered yourself through environmental storytelling, but you don't really find out just how fucked up he is until later when you (again, YOU as the player!) discover his private dungeon. The game shows you, it feeds you clues, but it leaves you to put the pieces together.

Contrast with the remake, where (in scenario B at least) he's openly hostile the second HE finds YOU, vile and swearing and an abusive dick to women and children alike - an obvious enemy. The game screams at us that he's a Bad Guy. We don’t find his creepy office until after we already know this, at which point the reaction is *shrug* “guess that tracks”. And then we even get subjected to diary entries in which he explicitly revels in his guro fetish, just in case we hadn’t had it rammed forcefully down our throat hard enough.

But that isn’t even his final form! We then learn that he's director of an orphanage? That does evil experiments on innocent kids? Right in the middle of the city? While he's promoted as a huge lover of charity in local newspapers?

Okay, okay, game. I get it xP He’s a Bad Man.

This sorta leans into one of my big issues with Resi as it progressed as a series and started adding to original canon, but particularly post-RE3 and in the RE1 remake, and that is . . . it makes Umbrella and its agents cartoonishly evil. The true horror of Resi was never the zombies - they're a side effect of the terrible things that terrible human beings are doing to one another, and amping up the theatrics like the remakes do sucks away all the implicit horror in that slow-burn discovery of the details.

I know the original few games aren't winning any awards for great dialogue and voice acting, but the underlying premise wasn't farfetched at all. In fact, I'd argue that "big pharma company secretly owns huge swathes of American infrastructure, politicians and public figures, and is developing bioweapons under the table because it's rich and ethically bankrupt, and is covering up/oppressing attempts to bring that to light" is MORE believable in this day and age than any other! The clue is in the (Western) franchise name! It's RESIDENT evil, it lives here right with us, under our noses!

But the characters and the monsters and the scenarios just increasingly veer into the cartoonishly silly in some of the later games. I feel like it started in Code Veronica (which, okay, I DO love, but I can still have complaints about it xP) with Ashford's OTT theatrics (’crazy’ people are simply not as scary as ‘sane’ people deliberately doing horrible shit), and Wesker’s transition to his Matrix persona. RE4 with its cult (wandering away from scientific threat and into the occult) and its tiny manzombie antagonist. Absolutely fucking everything about RE5 but ESPECIALLY Jill randomly getting turned into an evil bulletproof kung-fu master until you successfully grope a parasite or whatever out of her cleavage.

After which I completely stopped playing new Resi games until the HD remake era, hoping that we would get back to the more grounded aesthetics and narratives of the OG games. But then there was whatever the hell RE Zero was all about (opera singer leech monster on a train say whaaaat? Whyyyyy D:). And in the RE1 remake, adding all that unnecessary shit about the Spencer family and Lisa Trevor and just . . . ughhhhhh. The more they pad out the lore, the less I like it xD

Maybe that’s a controversial opinion, I don’t know. Lots of people love Resi for its cheesy, silly, unbelievable nonsense, to the point that it’s almost become part of the franchise aesthetic. But I do feel that, in the early games, it was perhaps unintentional, and they just doubled down on it later. And if you like the cheese, you know, more power to you! Personally I just really love to see Umbrella treated like a serious threat, and it kinda breaks my immersion when I’m about to kill Evil NeoWesker for the 65 millionth time and he opens combat by dramatically throwing his sunglasses slow-mo into my face.

It’s funny, though, I’ll give you that.

For the most part, RE2 remake does a decent job of remaining as realism-grounded as the original. But it definitely felt like a narrative mis-step with Irons. He was much more fun as a sinister creep than an in-your-face monster. I wasn’t going to right away, but maybe I’ll play through the Claire A scenario and see if they handle him with any more subtlety in that.

[emchovy]

What I've Read in 2022 So Far:

This is gonna be an incomplete list, but I didn't want until the end of May to start making these and there's no way I'll remember what I read from month to month. So, with that said, here we go!

Novels:

ASoIaF: Game of Thrones

This was a big one. I read the first Asoiaf novel, which I've been meaning to do for forever, and finally got done. We watched the first season of the TV show at the same time, and that was fun. This style of writing is very appealing to me.

Dune: Messiah

This is the first Dune sequel. I read the original Dune in Summer 2021, and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to read Messiah, especially because I knew a lot of people disliked it when it was originally serialized. I liked it a lot, especially the end. The portrayal of ladies in the series does...remain a little weird, but hey, no extremely jarring homophobic content in this one!

Resident Evil Novels: Zero Hour, The Umbrella Conspiracy, Code Veronica

These are video game novel adaptions. You love 'em or hate 'em. I loved 'em. S. D. Perry has a pretty fun writing style, and she keeps things moving. I don't LOVE her portrayal of Wesker, but it's fine. It works.

Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn

Got this off an internet reclist for gay fantasy, as one of the earliest series with positive protrayals of gay characters. Interesting read for that purpose, but ultimately I didn't enjoy it that much. Just not really my style of writing, and the way the author talked up aikido just made me laugh. Still an fine book, tho.

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

A "fantasy of manners" rather than a regular swords 'n dragons fantasy, this novel was pretty fun. I liked a lot of the character writing a lot. My main detractor here is the main couple, which I didn't not care about, so I'm hopeful the sequels, which should be less about the romance and more about other characters, help that issue out.

Manga:

All of Humanity is Yuri Except for Me

Definitely other stuff, but I can't remember it right now.

I got this one mostly because I'd read a bit online on dynasty-scans a while ago and liked it, and I love when a whole manga is all in one big volume. Ultimatellllyyyyy, I didn't like it that much, as I felt the ending dropped off a lot.

FANGS

Vampire BL. It's pretty good, but I'm ultimately feeling eh on it. The most notable part of this one is how the cashier at Barnes and Noble wanted to talk to me about how much she loved it, which was sweet and funny.

I read a lot of manga!

Light Novels

I'm In Love With the Villainess Vol. 1-4

The premise of "Oh no! I've been isekai'd into the body of the lady villain of an otome game" is getting ever more popular, and this is like, a little to the left of that. The MC gets isekai'd into the body of, well, the PC, and ignoring all the eligible bachelors, decides to pursue the lady villain. It's a pretty cute romance, and there's a surprising amount of discussion about like, LGBT identity, and what that means to people. 'S good.

Scum Villain's Self-Saving System Vol. 1

Me and my brother, in the early fugue of 2020, read the online translation of this bad boy. It was something that only quarantine could've motivated me to do, as MAN was that translation bad. The first three chapters narrowed in on word-salad. This translation was much better. Anyway, I love Scum Villain but I'm sooo ambivalent on the main couple. C'est la vie.

Nonfiction:

The Dungeon Master's Guide, The Player's Handbook, The Monster Manual, and some other books. These count.

Okay, all of these aren't teccccccchnically done yet, but I've been working on them. I wanna start DMing this year, but it's been a slow process.

[fonulyn]

I need to scream about RE ID bc like. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, I did. Was it. Just wrapped up way too nicely and quickly? Also yeah. I was a little disappointed by it tho, like the length, and the flashback scenes weren't as clear as I think they should have been? Like I understood what was happening, but it took me a little too much brain power to like keep up with what was and wasn't a flashback lmao

Also I wanna say, I get wanting to keep Jun See alive but god, that did not look fun. Just let him die, dude, no one wants to live like that, smh.

Thank god they kept Leon's one liners tho, like thank you for that at least lol also Claire, my GIRL, I love her holy shit. Honestly she was amazing, like, just perfect. Not sure why she has a gun in the promotional poster, bc she just. Never has a gun throughout the entire show, I don't think? Also can we talk about how she took that guy down with that lamp, and then hopped on top of him just fucking ready to continue to beat the shit out of him? Chris would be so proud 🥲

Okay also, I saw what you said with that flirting scene, and I agree that it seemed like Leon was trying to lighten the mood, but it so didn't need to be put in there at all @ the writers. Like this show could have gotten away with no romance, or just that one moment near the end with Claire and Leon (which, I don't ship them much, and that moment at the v end where she was like "are you ever gonna stop treating me like a kid?" And he responded with "probably not" or whatever kind of ruined whatever was shown earlier? Like it feels like she's had that convo with Chris before too, so I'm like hm no don't imply romance and then imply that he treats her like a little kid every time they run into each other, now it's weird lol) and been fine. None of the story was contingent on any kind of romance between anyone.

Now with that said, can I just say Patrick absolutely wanted to suck Leon's dick? Like he was smitten, and I bet you they at least fuck after all this is said and done, if not date for a short period of time. I thought they were gonna kill Patrick off, I'm glad they didn't tho, he was v wholesome lol.

Also I wanna mention that every serious moment (save a small handful) I just. I couldn't take it seriously, it was too over the top. Acid? Really? That's the self destruct measure? Slowly rising acid? I dunno, that doesn't seem quite right to me, I don't think that's how it works lol

Honestly they should have just made this into a new movie, bc making it a series implies more to follow and in general a longer narrative, but these eps were barely 20 minutes each, so there's almost no point splitting it like that. Did I enjoy myself? Yeah, I always do when Leon is involved, but it could have been so much better.

Also the silly little shipper in me is kind of desperate for more interaction between Chris and Leon, bc as far as I'm aware it's just RE6, RE vendetta, and RE ID (and I think the person who told Chris to save Claire in either code x or Veronica was Leon? Not 100% about that tho lol) where they actually interact with each other, and considering that they're the two main characters of the franchise, they should probably meet up more? Idk, that's just my gay ass hoping for more Chreon content lmao but still.

ANYWAYS yeah, I would rate the show like a 7.5/10? It wasn't amazing but it wasn't garbage, either. Probably my least favorite of the four animated movies tbh, but I will take the Leon content, thank you Capcom. Also it was interesting to see Leon around the time following/around RE4 and RE degeneration, I thought, I dunno.

oh boy I agree 100% it was wrapped up way too quickly in the end. like killing Jason? by just dropping him in the acid? it was way too simple and easy if you ask me. and like, why didn't he yeet Leon into the acid when he had him by the throat? him not killing Leon makes zero sense to me??

asdfg yeah I get they weren't ready to let Jun See go, but I bet Jun See really would've preferred to go...

I am so happy that they kept the one liners!! Leon felt very, very in character which I loved so much. I was afraid they'd tone it down or make him super serious or so, and it was such a relief they didn't. he was so eager to help and so goddamn kind to everyone I don't know if my heart can even handle it ;;;;;

also Claire!! so badass!! I loved the part where she attacked the guy with the lamp (yes Chris would be super proud haha) and THE HEADBUTT seriously, one of the top highlights of the entire series :'D

(but honestly this is gonna get long i'mma gonna hit that read more here)

and the flirting scene, I do think they could've left it out entirely and it felt a little strong-armed in. but I'm trying to look at the silver lining? Leon was super goddamn adorable in it, like, so cute it hurts :'D and Shen May didn't seem bothered really, it was more this joking thing between them. so while yes, it was unnecessary, i'm focusing on the joking feel of it and choosing to interpret it as such :'D

also, can I just say, the "romantic moment" with Claire and Leon near the end didn't feel very romantic to me? I know it's a romcom cliché (or at least a fanfic cliché lmao) how they ended up in a pile after the rescue but ...it didn't scream romance to me? although I do kind of like the pairing! (not a top fave but a cute one)

and yes, the whole "when are you gonna stop treating me like a kid?" "probably never" felt SO much like a sibling moment!! such big brother energy from Leon, and I don't know, that made me super duper happy?? I want them to be friends. I neeeed them to be friends gdi. which is why I am unhappy with how mad Claire seemed to be at Leon in the end and how they left it off like they did. I am hoping that it sets things up for a second season? and they for whatever reason need them on kind of the opposing sides at first? because otherwise it makes no sense to me for her to be that disappointed in him. in Degeneration they already establish they work in different ways towards the same goal, and for that to do a 180 now feels... like a disservice to the characters? idk?

lmaooooo but yes Patrick 100% wanted to suck Leon's dick he didn't even try to be subtle about it :'D idk I would've wanted Patrick to have more depth and screentime too, i so wish they would've made it a longer series and given the characters more development. because I liked pretty much all of the new characters they introduced! but it feels none of them reached their actual potential!

then again that is kind of the whole deal with resident evil in general, they set up awesome characters and end up wasting them half of the time :'D guess i shouldn't be surprised.

THE SLOWLY RISING ACID PISSED ME OFF lmaooo c'mon!! it doesn't seem like a good self destruct measure. especially since ...you'd need different acid to dissolve organic matter and to dissolve inorganic matter if we're being nitpicky. and how would it be plausible for them to store enough of it safely to even do this?? they should've just detonated the whole place and blown it to smithereens or something, the acid was. stupid.

i agree, it feels like a movie. but I think @tirsynni is probably right when saying that it was sort of a test run to see if they should make more? which I am so hoping for. because even with the complaints I have of this, I DID enjoy it, a lot!! and I do want more! and maybe this time we get Claire and Leon actually working together for more than fifteen seconds! :'D

also I definitely would not say no to more Chris and Leon interactions. (yes it was Leon who told Chris to save Claire :) at least that) it... in general makes no sense to me how capcom seems to think friendships work? like how Sherry is all "Leon and Claire are my best friends" and then they imply they haven't met in years? if not more? idek it's. weird. it's like their characters go into storage containers in between their missions to be stored away so they can't even accidentally have personal lives or friendships or anything. weird.

(what I said about having amazing characters and ending up wasting their potential? yeah)

for me, personally, it's... well, my score for the show would depend on whether I just focus on the characterizations and what I liked, or if I try to actually take the plot and all into account too :'D but I did like this more than Degeneration! already the fact that Leon has actual facial expressions is enough to put it way above that one. (and for the record, I don't hate Degeneration either, I do like it, but... Leon is such a cardboard cutout with zero personality in it, it's super frustrating)

idk I think I need to still process this a bit to see how I will like it in the end :'D there are things i'm super hyped about in it, and things i'm disappointed in, let's see how they'll weigh in the overall experience eventually.

[residentevil2remake]

Hi! Have you played the Resident Evil 0 and 1 REmake? Would you recommend them to someone who is relatively new to the series? I've only played bits of RE4 and RE7 and I've enjoyed them so far but I'm not too sure if I'd like the aforementioned titles.

Hey there! Yep, played both and replay REmake constantly and it’s one of my top games ever and in RE series, can’t say for zero thought.

I’d say if you enjoyed re7 then you gonna enjoy re1remake very very much. Basically, re7 was really inspiried by early REs, especially re1. It has options for easy difficulties and options to have better controls (not tank ones), so if you found re7 hard or something like that you gonna be fine. 

However with re0, I wouldn’t say i’d recommend it that much? I mean, it’s an engaging game that tried new stuff, but it has really frustating elements (there is no save box, lots of backtracking cause of that, managin inventory isn’t fun, controling TWO characters isn’t that good implemented)  in comparision of all classic stuff. I found even Code Veronica to be more simplier with it’s backtracking.  But it has Billy and Rebecca, whom I love, so if you want to check them for that. It also has plenty of bonus content, which is good.

If you either to play them, I also would say it’s better to play in order RE1make -> RE0.

Overall, both of them are classic I highly recommend despite RE0 flaws.

[carelessgraces]

@srgnt​ said:   the hierophant / justice / the tower / the world   ( major arcana  | accepting )

05.  the hierophant  :  what are your muse’s morals / ethics ? do they follow their moral code strictly ?

     astoria’s moral code, if it can really be considered a ‘code’ rather than a vague collection of convenient limitations, is extremely flexible. there are a few hard limits for her: she cannot tolerate the intentional harm of children; she cannot tolerate a ruler’s neglect; she cannot tolerate the meaningless harm of the people she loves. pretty much anything else, she can deal with — there’s plenty she won’t endorse, but she’ll benefit from a lot without trying to shut it down if she can spin a way that it’s for a ‘greater good.’ she doesn’t turn to something greater to define her moral code — her belief in the maker and respect for the chantry can only take her so far, and she is a firm believer in creating society to fit her needs, rather than just working with what already exists. 

     part of this comes from astoria’s very genuine belief that she’s above it. it’s not a knowing display of pride, though it’s definitely due to her pride: astoria knows that she’s in a position of power, and as such, she needs to be willing to bend and break her own rules whenever necessary, so long as she gives the appearance of not doing so. as per machiavelli’s the prince, which doesn’t exist in this universe but is a huge influence for astoria’s characterization:  

Since, then, a prince must know how to make use of the nature of the beast, he should choose from among the beasts the fox and the lion; for the lion cannot defend itself from traps, while the fox cannot protect itself from the wolves. It is therefore necessary to be a fox, in order to recognize the traps, and a lion, in order to frighten the wolves: those who base their behaviour only on the lion do not understand things. A wise ruler, therefore, cannot and should not keep his word when such an observance would be to his disadvantage, and when the reasons that caused him to make a promise are removed...

Therefore, it is not necessary for a prince to possess all of the above-mentioned qualities, but it is very necessary for him to appear to possess them. Furthermore, I shall dare to assert this: that having them and always observing them is harmful, but appearing to observe them is useful: for instance, to appear merciful, faithful, humane, trustworthy, religious, and to be so; but with his mind disposed in such a way that, should it become necessary not to be so, he will be able and know how to change to the opposite. One must understand this: a prince, and especially a new prince, cannot observe all those things for which men are considered good, because in order to maintain the state he must often act against his faith, against charity, against humanity, and against religion. And so it is necessary that he should have a mind ready to turn itself according to the way the winds of Fortune and the changing circumstances command him. And, as I said above, he should not depart from the good if it is possible to do so, but he should know how to enter into evil when forced by necessity.

Men in general judge more by their eyes than their hands: everyone can see, but few can feel. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few touch upon what you are, and those few do not dare to contradict the opinion of the many who have the majesty of the state to defend them...  Therefore, let a prince conquer and maintain the state, and his methods will always be judged honourable and praised by all. For ordinary people are always taken in by appearances and by the outcome of an event. And in the world there are only ordinary people; and the few have no place, while the many have a spot on which to lean.

- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, translated and edited by Peter Bondanella (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 60-2.

11.  justice  :  does your muse find it easy to be impartial in emotional situations ?

     sometimes !! astoria is very good at removing herself from a situation to get a better understanding of it; she’s practical, and pragmatic, even though she’s also deeply dramatic. with a handful of exceptions, such as a violation of her very limited code, astoria is able to create and maintain emotional distance, so as to ensure that her decisions, whatever they are, are made with a specific goal in mind. as merchant princess, that’s typically the betterment of seleny, but when she’s making a choice simply as astoria, it’s for her own benefit / the benefit of the people she loves. 

     when she can’t be unemotional, however, she becomes vicious and intense in her feelings. if she should be angry, she’s furious; if she should be sad, she’s devastated; if she should be happy, she’s euphoric. if there comes a point when astoria’s emotional control lapses in an intense situation, she’s going to go from zero to a hundred in no time at all. 

16.  the tower  :  what event drastically changed your muse’s life ? do they resent that event or are they glad of it ?

     for astoria, in any verse, it’s always the carrows, and it’s always less of an event than a series of events: here, the carrows arrive in seleny after the death of astoria’s grandmother, escorting her ashes back home after she dies and is cremated in tevinter. they stay with the grimani family — they were close to veronica, her mother, and are astoria’s godparents — and ask to be a part of her life and her education. through blood magic, they put her under a thrall, and begin using her to try and unseat her grandfather as part of an attempt by a rival city to annex seleny. 

     so, basically, astoria’s being used to kill her own grandfather. this is the period when she’s abused, physically and psychologically, and it’s also the period at which she realizes that nobody else is going to save her, and she has to do it herself. this isn’t an easy feat, mostly because alecto and amycus are both significantly stronger than she is; she knows, then, that she’ll have to manipulate other people into doing what she can’t. she sets a trap, she puts her own life in significant danger, and she waits for someone to show up and help her. the help comes in the form of her personal guard, lorenzo; his aid is the only thing that prevents her murder. 

     it comes down to a few lessons learned, for astoria: first, she cannot rely on anyone, except lorenzo, to protect her. she has to protect herself. she has to be the smartest person in any room; she has to know all the ways out of a crisis; she has to be ruthless; and if she’s going down, she has to take other people down with her. it’s not an easy thing to learn at any age, but especially not at fifteen. second, she is not safe anywhere, even at home. safety is not guaranteed; it’s bought, usually with her own bloodshed. she leaves seleny for six years, refusing to return home even for holidays, and she goes instead to orlais, where she studies at the university at val royeaux. there, where everyone is perpetually playing the game and constantly at war with everyone else, she feels safest: not because orlais is remotely safe, but because she’s always alert. and third, she is not ready to rule seleny. her inability to prevent the carrows from controlling her could have destroyed her city; if she can’t protect her city, she has no value to it. she spends the time she’s in orlais training as a bard, certainly, and begging lorenzo to supplement her training, but more than that she learns how to read people, how to understand them. she’s small, and her greatest advantage in a fight is her size, but put her against a warrior or a mage and, unless she has the element of surprise, she’s done for. she’s perfectly adequate in combat, but that’s not a guarantee of anything. she has to fight her battles in more subtle ways, to ensure that she is never put in that position again. astoria’s battlefield is a throne room, a war table, a diplomatic engagement, and she must always excel, and she must always win.

     she doesn’t regret it, even though she hates that it happened. she tells herself that these lessons were necessary, and that without them she would be too weak to have any right to rule; it’s not a healthy outlook, and i don’t think it’s one she ever changes. she’s not grateful for the suffering, but she is proud of the strength she develops in its aftermath, and of herself. 

21.  the world  :  is there one thing in life that your muse must accomplish ? what will they do when they complete that goal ?

     found here !!

[thetoxicgamer]

Resident Evil’s Indie Cousin is Now Available as a Free Game on Gog

Resident Evil has inspired many horror games over the years, from Silent Hill to Dead Space, right up to 2022’s The Callisto Protocol. But there’s one third-person shooter with an especially strong – although complex – connection to RE and Capcom, particularly the wonderful Resident Evil 2 Remake from 2019. If you haven’t played it and want to try it out, the good news is it’s available now as a completely free game on CDPR’s GOG – but you need to act fast. Daymare 1998 originally started life as an unofficial fan remake of Resident Evil 2, dubbed Resident Evil 2 Reborn. In 2015, however, the small development team, Invader Studios, was invited to Capcom’s HQ and asked to discontinue the project, since an official remake was secretly in the works. Rather than abandon the game entirely, Invader renamed it to Daymare 1998 (in homage to the year of the original Resident Evil 2’s release) and even managed to recruit a couple of RE series veterans to help with development – Satoshi Nakai, an enemy designer on Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica joined the team, as did Kazuhiro Aoyama, director of the original Resident Evil 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiHduYUMVc The resulting game is a loving homage to RE’s campy, horror roots. Investigating a leak at a chemical facility (that old chestnut) you play as multiple characters utilising limited ammo and save points to defeat zombies and mutations, while also solving a series of logic-defying puzzles. It’s like an alternate universe version of Resident Evil, a lot of familiar ideas, but presented and designed in different ways. If you’re a big horror fan and you’ve not tried Daymare 1998 before, it’s completely free on GOG until January 2, so grab it now. You might also want to snag some bargains from the Epic Games Store sale, or perhaps check out the highlights of the current Steam sale. Alternatively, pick up some other great free Steam games, to get 2023 off to the perfect start. Read the full article

[taaroko]

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Time for the Long Weekend of Ultron. If you’re looking for a negative review, this will not be that. Maybe I am easily satisfied, but I dislike zero of the MCU movies. As long as characters I love are onscreen and being awesome and especially when they’re interacting with other characters I love, I’m going to end up with overall positive experience. That being said, this movie is my least favorite in which Thor appears, and it’s probably close to the bottom of my ranking.

I saw a post yesterday pointing out that this is the only movie in which Thor uses lethal force against humans. In the opening sequence when they’re taking down the latest in a long series of Hydra bases, he’s wasting a bunch of dudes without hesitating. Like the person who made that post, I’m pretty sure Thor is not cool with your fascist BS, especially if he knows that they love using Norse symbolism.

Is this the only time Steve uses his motorcycle as a projectile? Because I kind of think it’s not, but I can’t remember for sure. 

“Can we hold them?” “They’re the Avengers!”

I love Thor and Cap’s combo moves so much.

“Good talk!” “No it wasn’t.”

“Please be a secret door please be a secret door please be a secret door—yay!”

The lullaby is always going to be hilarious now.

Well that was an extremely effective way of activating Tony’s guilt complex.

What’s Wanda’s deal? She saw what Tony saw, right? She knows Tony’s greatest fear is failing to stop an alien invasion and Earth’s destruction—of surviving all of that while his friends don’t (ooooouch). Is she already doubting the plan, or what?

“Tales of sprained deltoids and...gout.” Thor is so very wonderfully bad at backtracking from a foot-in-mouth moment.

Oh wow, Tony asked Thor for permission to keep the Scepter long enough to check it out before he’d take it back to Asgard.

“Will...Thor be there?” SAME, GIRL.

“We don’t have time for a City Hall debate.” This is the last time Tony will be so averse to oversight.

Okay so I’m confused. Did Tony recycle part of an interface Hydra was building? Because that would kind of explain how it ended up thinking humanity was too defective to be allowed to live?

Ultron killing JARVIS hurts so much worse than I ever would’ve expected it to hurt to watch an electronic butler get killed.

Thor is telling a bunch of old veterans war stories! That’s so great!

“This was aged for a thousand years in the barrels built from the wreck of Brunnhilde’s fleet. It is not meant for mortal men.” Wait a second. Brunnhilde? As in, Valkyrie from Ragnarok? Seriously? She gets a name in this movie but not the one she’s actually in? But it’s pretty cool they made kegs out of her ships. I’m assuming this wreck happened before the disastrous attack on Hela, which means Brunnhilde could probably decide how to repurpose all the wood. Barrels of mead definitely sounds like something she’d sign off on.

Also does this mead get Steve drunk? I feel like it should at least be able to do that. And it’s great that Thor hands some to him in the same breath that he says it’s not for mortals. He thinks very highly of Steve.

I wonder how often Steve hangs around with old veterans.

I’m completely fine with Bruce/Natasha. ...But my ship is Bucky/Nat.

Hehe, it’s Steve’s turn to be Natasha’s wingman.

The hammer scene is fantastic.

I saw a review thing where someone talked about how there’s a stupid gag where Bruce’s face lands on Nat’s boobs, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember what that was. Well I just found it, and...that is not how you play something like that for cheap laughs. They don’t linger on it, they don’t make risqué comments. Nat is so not bothered by it that she doesn’t even acknowledge his apology, and Bruce doesn’t even seem that embarrassed. Nat is entirely focused on making sure what’s happening around them isn’t enough to make him hulk out.

Okay yeah, Ultron went straight back to the Hydra facility after they killed all his Iron Legion bodies, which definitely makes me think they used some of Hydra’s interface to make him. And I think Tony was so willing to do it because of how Wanda messed with his brain, cranking up the paranoia about alien threats.

Thor is not happy that Tony spent the time he graciously allowed him before taking the scepter back to Asgard messing around with it like this.

Is it weird for Andy Serkis to play human characters after doing so many mo-cap roles?

“Keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which.”

Ultron has so far talked about evolution, quoted scripture, and quoted famous poetry. He’s gotten remarkably cultured already, and he’s let it make him super pretentious.

I’m pretty sure they realized going in that they were never going to top Days of Future Past’s version of Quicksilver, so they didn’t really try and then also killed him off so they wouldn’t have to. But where that Quicksilver is ridiculously fun, this one has more emotional weight. And an arc.

Okay. So I think Wanda tapped into Tony’s fears (born from his glimpse through the portal) and Thor’s slight aptitude for foresight (as indicated in his dreams of Asgard burning in Ragnarok). Steve has neither of those things, and she made him see a messed up version of the past he wishes he could go back to. She made Nat see the past she regrets, and she just made Bruce hulk out. I don’t think Wanda herself has any ability to see the future.

Oh hey, Wolfram & Hart are in Thor’s dream.

Also foreshadowing to his level up in lightning powers. Hmmm. I wonder if Heimdall’s warning is that Ragnarok will pave the way for Thanos.

The entire Veronica sequence is awesome. But the best part is Tony’s jackhammer punches/Chinese finger trap. Also Tony’s face after Hulk spits out a tooth.

The wind down of the fight is the origin of “Earth hate Hulk.” Aww.

I do not understand the hate Clint’s family gets. I could not have been happier to discover that the reason he doesn’t have a girlfriend is that he has a wife and kids. Statistically, it’s nice that at least one Avenger has a family. It’s okay for there to be a stay-at-home mom somewhere in the MCU. And it’s wonderful that Natasha has kind of been adopted by the Barton family.

Thor and Steve’s faces during the whole bit where Thor steps on a toy house are hilarious. Awwwwwwwww Thor left because he’s worried he’s a danger to them, because of his vision! That’s so sad!

Ooh, was that the first time Clint’s been called Hawkeye in the movies?

I don’t understand the vitriol against Natasha’s attitude about being sterilized as a young teenager. That moment was the rite of passage that sealed her role as a KGB assassin. To her, it is symbolic of everything she did for them and gave up for them. And it’s their philosophy that motherhood could compromise an agent, not the movie’s. This doesn’t mean she wishes she could be Laura Barton. She plays all these different roles and weaves all these different lies because it makes it easier to hide from her past, and Wanda just brought that all back to the surface. She’s allowed to be upset that she let a hostile government agency mutilate her and limit her options for the future. It’s tragic, not problematic, that she, as the sum of her entire past, considers herself monstrous. This is just more “I’ve got red in my ledger.” And she’s a little bit playing this up because she wants Bruce to stop fighting what they could have together. She doesn’t want him thinking something like that she deserves more than someone like him.

You don’t have a dark side, Steve. Don’t be silly. But here are sown the seeds of Civil War. Winter Soldier has made Steve very opposed to using force as a preventative measure, and it has also made him very mistrustful of putting someone else in charge, but now Tony’s giving him reasons not to trust him either. For Steve, there will never be a time to retire. This is why I’m convinced he’ll die in Avengers 4, and why I desperately hope Tony will be allowed to retire.

“I need your help. It’s dangerous.” In the deleted scenes, yeah.

“Guy’s multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit.” *snort*

Clint’s darts game is great.

“Hoo, I’m decrypting nuclear codes and you don’t want me to.”

What is this power Ultron has to make big chunks of stuff move? Is it magnetic? Because that wouldn’t explain him moving chunks of road.

Bruce and Tony interacting is so great.

AHAHA! There’s a reason Ultron didn’t do something obvious like launch all the nukes! JARVIS was stopping him! JARVIS’s surviving protocols were making sure he didn’t do everything you’d expect an AI with internet access to be able to do. Okay. Biggest plot hole isn’t actually a plot hole. Boom. However I do think that Ultron’s plan to destroy the Earth meteor style was part of his melodramatic god complex personality.

Ultron 3.0 looks awful. Should’ve streamlined a bit. He looks like he’s on steroids.

I very much do not like that Vision can fly without visible means of propulsion. It looks doofy. And Vision is a doofy name. However, points for taking Thor as inspiration when it comes to style.

Not a fan of Clint’s weird tunic/coat thing. Would’ve worked better if there was a belt.

Wow I never realized how often “monster” gets tossed around in this movie. Nat, Bruce, Vision, the Avengers collectively. Even Cap makes a joke, “What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on him?” This movie is pretty much asking if they have any right to do what they do. If they’re a menace or a benefit. In the end, the answer is pretty unclear. They did kinda make Ultron. They save the world from him and come out with Vision and Wanda on the team, so it’s probably a net gain, but the Sokovia Accords are an extremely understandable consequence. Wanda has that dilemma herself. She thought she had to destroy the Avengers to save the world, and she nearly destroyed the world by helping Ultron, but then she helped save it by defeating him. At great personal cost.

Yay another Thor+Cap combo move!

Pietro is so petty and obnoxious to Hawkeye, and it’s great.

Aww it’s the nerdy guy from Winter Soldier! And thankfully he survives this movie.

“I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast...I am running out of things to say. Are you ready?” His grin is my favorite.

The Maximoffs are the most functional, affectionate siblings in the MCU. :/

The number of Ultron robots somewhat strains credulity. Also, why didn’t he just send one to go chill across the world as a failsafe? Ultron is kind of stupid.

Rhodey’s reaction to Vision is priceless.

Aaand there Hulk goes. Apparently through a portal to trash planet, eventually.

If the meta-narrative of the first Avengers was “Can this exist?”, then the meta-narrative of Ultron was “...But should it?” The answer to the first question is “Absolutely it can.” The answer to the second is “Only if it doesn’t get arrogant or reckless.” I think Infinity War’s question is “Can it keep getting bigger like this and still survive?” and Avengers 4 will determine the answer. My guess is that it’ll be “Not without sacrifice.”

Anyway, that “are we monsters” thing is pretty much the individual arc of most of the main characters—except Steve. He makes a reference to it, but he is constantly the voice of caution and reason and he’s the one who pushes for zero civilian casualties in the city. This is the beginning of “We don’t trade lives.” It’s okay to sacrifice yourself, but not to play a numbers game with other people’s lives. Steve is and always has been rock solid. He’s a good man. He trusts his instincts, and they are pretty much always right. But that means he can never stop. He never gets to rest.

Clint is the other character who doesn’t have an “am I a monster” arc. His arc is just the kinda adoptive dad thing he has with the Maximoffs, and us finding out so much more about his life. He’s trying to retire, like Tony, but he’s willing to die for this if he has to. (I hope he doesn’t. But if most or all of his family got Snaptured, then it’d kinda be okay, though devastating, for him to sacrifice himself so they could come back.)

Natasha, Bruce, Tony, and Thor all have the monster arc, and I think Vision is supposed to be the answer at least for Tony and Thor. They created something good. Natasha didn’t get the guy, though, because she betrayed him to get Hulk back for the battle. And Bruce lost big time.

Maybe the reason Ultron is so low on my ranking of MCU movies is that it’s kinda muddled. There are great character moments and the main theme is an important one for the MCU, but in the end we have a snarky, grandiose villain with an army of disposable soldiers (again, only the villain is waaaay less interesting than Loki), coupled with the same plot as “I Robot, You Jane,” one of the worst Buffy episodes of the entire series. (Demon ends up in the internet because of the negligent actions of the good guys, tries to get impressionable young people to work for it, has a robot body built for itself, then gets locked inside that body and out of the internet, then destroyed.) I think it got spread a bit thin trying to set things up for Phase 3, too. Setting up Wakanda, Ragnarok, Civil War, and even Infinity War. Maybe if it didn’t need to do all that, it could’ve been more focused.

[chaoticclaire]

RESIDENT EVIL WEEK

Day 4: Alternate Choice - Free Day

~ ~ ~

Okay, this is a longer and personal post…

For the Free Day I chose my favorite and/or most memorable scenes. To be honest, I could have chosen so many more, but I limited it to two per main game. Resident Evil is a big part of my life for over 20 years now - the games, characters, story, music, EVERYTHING, mean so much to me ♥

~ ~ ~

RE ZERO: Billy playing the piano (I let Rebecca play first because I knew from RE1 that she could play… who would have thought that Billy can play so well! I really love the little song he plays) /// “Thank you, Rebecca” … this thumbs up, so cute! I can’t help it, Billy is one of my favorites ♥ Why wasn’t he referenced in Vendetta, why?! ;_;

RE1: Okay, so the first zombie scared the shit out of me but what REALLY destroyed my childhood were the dogs jumping through the window! Bye, bye innocent childhood! My parents and I also knew from that moment on that this game was something different, something new – and we just couldn’t stop playing from thereon! /// Chris and Jill holding hands in the helicopter… the moment my OTP was born!

RE2: The intro just blew me away and Claire and Leon meeting for the first time was just great! From “Don’t shoot!” to the conversation in the car, I love every second of it. And of course seeing Claire for the first time… who would have thought that THAT would influence my life so much ♥ /// Claire and Leon in the S.T.A.R.S. office. I felt so sorry for Claire that Chris wasn’t there… and the music, so sad yet beautiful :’)

RE The Umbrella Chronicles: “The Death cannot die!” HUNK barely making it out of the RPD. I really hope he gets a more fleshed-out scenario in the RE2 Remake, he’s one of the best villains! /// Wesker returns! RE hasn’t been the same since he’s gone… I miss him :’( (and, to be fair, Ada’s escape level was also nice – we finally got some answers on how she survived)

RE3: The first encounter with Nemesis… I was so scared, I didn’t even notice the option selection at first XD That guy is so iconic for a reason! /// The ending, especially the news report. Raccoon City’s fate is so sad… (love the ending song, it’s one of the best RE songs ever!)

RE Code Veronica: “Remember your promise” Chris and Claire, finally reunited and they don’t want to lose each other again :’) I love their sibling relationship, they are the best! /// “Hey, I always keep my promises” Chris, my favorite big bro ♥ ♥ ♥

RE The Darkside Chronicles: My Claire being so strong :’) I love how she is one of the more emotional characters, it makes her more human. Alyson also nailed her performance in this game ♥ /// Leon and Krauser as comrades… why did it have to go downhill from thereon :’( I like Krauser on both, the good and the bad side, but still… I’m glad their past got fleshed-out in TDC, he deserved it!

RE4: The beginning of the game. Seriously, I have played the village part so many times, it always cheers me up when I’m in a bad mood or sad. RE4 is not necessarily a good RE game in my opinion but damn, it’s one hell of a game! AND SAVE THE DOG! ALWAYS! /// Leon and Krauser – now as enemies. The knife fight was so intense. I remember my friends and I playing it over and over again because we had so much fun.

RE Revelations: Quint and Keith, I love those two dorks! RE isn’t RE without its cheesiness and that duo delivered that perfectly! I want them back, even if it’s just a BSAA behind-the-scenes cutscene :D /// Parker “dies” :’( What an emotional moment, I really liked Parker, he’s a good and honest guy! So glad he survived in the end!

RE5: My OTP reunites!!! Fighting Jill was difficult, both gameplay and emotional wise. Not shooting her but TALKING to her was well done and it really gave me the feels. I don’t care if they are just partners or a couple in RE canon, I was just glad they reunited again ♥ /// Chris in the ending, his “Yeah, it’s worth it” line always makes me smile. He’s my RE hero, I can’t help it :’)

RE Revelations 2: “That IS Wesker, Alex Wesker!” I mean, we all more or less knew it, but still,… I hope she returns, we need a constant villain again and her being a Wesker is even better. /// Claire saves the day! Claire is always amazing but that cutscene blew me away so much! She finally kicked some real ass again and although her ponytail is iconic I really love that she cut her hair. It kinda marks an end/new beginning part of her life I guess. Also, don’t you ever fuck with a Redfield and their family or friends. You. Just. Don’t.! That ending has everything a RE ending needs: a helicopter flying into the sunset, a cheesy one-liner, a rocket launcher to the face, a slow-motion bullet… THAT is RE guys, THAT is RE :D I don’t care if it has been done a thousand times before, I enjoyed the whole ending so much :D ♥ (”I HAVE THIS!”)

RE6: Chris “papa bear” Redfield and his soldiers. From being a rebellious young soldier that got kicked out of the Air Force to a leader figure with his team looking up to him – my boy has come a long way ♥ /// Sherry sharing her past with Jake. I was glad Sherry was back and her “His research killed him” line got me by surprise… so glad Claire and Leon have been there for her after Raccoon City ♥

~ ~ ~

Like I said, I could have chosen so much more…

I kept the pictures dark for a reason and only highlighted the most important part(s) to emphasize what’s important to me :)

Thank you Resident Evil for so many good memories. I really wish I could thank the person who introduced me to the games, but he passed away before I could, unfortunately :’( I met so many friends offline and online because of the games, I started with cosplay, improved my drawing skills, etc. It’s a huge part of my life and will be forever ♥ I’m so glad I got my Made in Heaven tattoo as a tribute ♥

Also thanks a lot to everyone who read this to the end, it really means a lot to me :’) ♥  ~ChaoticClaire

[lostboiking30]

I'll do this because I don't really do a lot of other fandoms and I like this game series so here you go. 1. if you could save one character from their demise (consequences to the plot be damned) who would it be? 

Lady Dimitrescu. I thought it was a hate crime that she wasn't in the game longer than she was.

2. what b.o.w would you least like to find entering your room at night?

This was hard especially considering all of them are terrifying, but I think the clear winner for me is Eveline in Grandma form.

3. any characters you feel were done absolutely DIRTY by capcom? are they victims of wasted potential or character assassination or what? 

LADY DIMITRESCU. I thought it was an absolute travesty that she didn't have more screen time. Like I get it in the grand scheme of the video game, but like...Capcom made it seem like she would have a much bigger role. I also hated that she turned into such a beastly mold creature

4. what was the first game you played?

Definitely Resident Evil on the Ps1 back in like 1999

5. whats your favorite save room theme? 

I do like the one in RE1

6. any nonplayable characters you wish were playable? 

Ummm...not really. I guess

7. do you like any ships? platonic or otherwise

I never thought about ships in the series. Maybe Ada Wong and Jill Valentine?

8. any characters you want to kiss on the mouth? 

No...? I'm not sure. I gotta think about it.

9. what do you think is the scariest game in the series?

Okay so I have played through Zero, RE, RE3. I have seen gameplays of RE2, RE3, RE7, RE8. I have not played or know anything about Code Veronica, RE4, RE5,RE6. So out of the ones I know...RE7. I still haven't played it yet. I'm really afraid to TBH. Marguerite scares the shit out of me. Insects in places they don't belong gross me out. and fucking GRANDMA.

10. do you like playing with tank controls when theres an option to? 

I *HATE* tank controls with a fiery passion. Look in 1999/2000 when that's all there was sure. But I am a product of my generation and I enjoy free rotating cameras and fluid movements. Over the shoulder control type is much better. It was frustrating to go back and play Silent Hill 1 and 2 for me for the exact same reason.

11. which characters would you just fucking die for? 

Lady Dimitrescu. She can have me.

12. favorite boss battle? 

Nemesis in the RE 3 remake. Jill Valentine using a rail gun was the most badass and hilariously unreasonable thing ever.

13. any characters you want to sock in the gut? 

Grandma

14. favorite pursuer/stalker to get chased by? 

Mr. X. I screamed so loud when I played the RE2 remake for the first time.

15. things/characters you feel are overrated or underrated? 

Donna Beneviento is a tragically underrated character. I would have loved to know more about her.

16. sections you hate having to play through when you get to them?

RE1 Remake-forgetting to light a zombie on fire, forgetting they're there and running into a crimson head.

17. have you seen any of the movies or the show? thoughts?

I have seen the first movie, the second movie and the third movie. I really enjoyed the first two movies. They used elements of their source material but they weren't video game to movie recreations. After the second one though I felt kinda meh about continuing them. I felt like Alice's storyline was becoming too convoluted.

18. favorite quotes?

"You were almost a Jill Sandwich!"

"Stupid man thing!"

19. have you read any of the comics? thoughts?

I haven't read any of them.

20. any characters you would love to be friends with?

I'd want to be friends with Ethan Winters. He's had a rough time and probably needs a hug...and a head.

21. moments that you think about a lot?

THE GIANT BABY

resident evil ask game

because i cant shut up about resident evil and i dont want anybody else to either :))

1. if you could save one character from their demise (consequences to the plot be damned) who would it be? 

2. what b.o.w would you least like to find entering your room at night?

3. any characters you feel were done absolutely DIRTY by capcom? are they victims of wasted potential or character assassination or what? 

4. what was the first game you played?

5. whats your favorite save room theme? 

6. any nonplayable characters you wish were playable? 

7. do you like any ships? platonic or otherwise

8. any characters you want to kiss on the mouth? 

9. what do you think is the scariest game in the series?

10. do you like playing with tank controls when theres an option to? 

11. which characters would you just fucking die for? 

12. favorite boss battle? 

13. any characters you want to sock in the gut? 

14. favorite pursuer/stalker to get chased by? 

15. things/characters you feel are overrated or underrated? 

16. sections you hate having to play through when you get to them?

17. have you seen any of the movies or the show? thoughts?

18. favorite quotes?

19. have you read any of the comics? thoughts?

20. any characters you would love to be friends with?

21. moments that you think about a lot?

[wazafam]

The 25th anniversary of the Resident Evil series is happening soon, and Capcom has big things lined up for 2021 and beyond. The original Resident Evil was released on the PlayStation in 1996, spawning the survival horror genre by streamlining elements from Alone in the Dark and Sweet Home into an action-packed experience.

There are a number of big video game anniversaries happening in 2021. While it's unclear if all of them will be celebrated - no one is expecting any news regarding Castlevania or F-Zero on their anniversaries, after all - Capcom has been pushing the Resident Evil franchise over the past few years, especially following the success of the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes. There are several Resident Evil games in development, and there are rumors that more are waiting to be announced.

Related: Resident Evil 9 Has Been In Development Since 2018, Insider Reports

The Resident Evil franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. The original game was released on March 22, 1996, so Resident Evil's 25th anniversary will occur on March 22, 2021. Capcom kicked off the celebrations early, with costumes from Resident Evil 2 appearing in The Division 2, but the company has also said it has other things in store for later in the year.

Capcom revealed during TGS 2020 that it will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Resident Evil series "starting" on March 22. It's unclear if this means new announcements will drop on that day, especially as the pandemic might have stalled plans. Even if things kick off on March 22, some of the bigger announcements might be pushed back until later in the year. Capcom has Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil Re:Verse, and a Resident Evil TV show coming in 2021, so the year is already stacked with Resident Evil content.

There is a lot of speculation that Capcom will announce a Resident Evil 4 remake on March 22. Resident Evil 4 is one of the most popular entries in the series, and a remake announcement would be a suitably huge reveal for the anniversary. It's also possible a remake of Resident Evil - CODE: Veronica or a new entry in the Resident Evil: Revelations series could be announced. 2021 is already a huge year for Resident Evil, so it's likely that any new game announcements will be for projects planned for different years down the line. Capcom's main focus is likely promoting Resident Evil Village, as that's due to be released in May, but the anniversary celebrations could still be focused on making fans excited for the future of the Resident Evil franchise.

Next: Resident Evil Village Locations Shown Off In Ray Tracing Demo

Resident Evil: What Day The 25th Anniversary Actually Is from https://ift.tt/3t0WQhv

[werehogdog]

Fire Emblem Heroes rant spoilers probably I guess people play the story so fast that I doubt it's​ really a spoiler

So after paralouge 3 was released I need to just go on a rant with feh theories. Sorry if nobody wants to hear about this but I have no friends who are into fire emblem heroes. Please chat with me about this stuff I love talking about this game. To begin seemed like when feh first released a lot of people including me thought that the Masked man is Zacharias. But now it seems like he's probably named Bruno, as the data mined code suggested, and is most likely that Prince Bruno that Anna mention. Especially considering that it seems like he's looking for something to help him and Veronica that has to do with a bloodline curse. But I was wondering does anyone else think that is it possible that Zacharias and Bruno are the same person? Assuming that's the case and assuming he is a prince of Embla it would sorta make sense for him to lie about his name to Alfonse and the others since it doesn't seem like Embla and Askr are on good terms. It was also fit what Anna said about the prince rarely being seen. The only real problem with this theory is Zacharias' letter. Assuming that it was really from Zacharias why would he try to shift the focus of the Order of Heroes to Bruno if he and Bruno are the same person? It doesn't make sense. Assuming that Bruno and Zacharias are separate people. And that the Masked man is Bruno. What has Bruno done that was significant enough for Zacharias to tell the Order that Bruno is the true evil after a long time of having zero contact to the Order of Heroes? And if the Masked man is this Prince Bruno does Veronica know? Like does she know she's​ having tea parties with this blood relative of hers? Why does he seem to be less impacted by this blood curse thing? Just in general no matter who Prince Bruno is, what exactly is Veronica's blood to him? Like is he her brother, cousin, half sibling, or some distant relation? I really happy they're updating the story but I really wish it updated at a faster pace.

[nanna-melissa]

The 30 Day Resident Evil Challenge Answered in a Single Post

Day 1: Favorite RE game

I have too many to just name strictly one game. The REmake and 2 along with Revelations 2 and Outbreak.

Day 2: Least favorite villain

Not a huge fan of Simmons. He’s just too cliché for me.

Day 3: Do you like the movies? Why or why not?

I like the 2nd live action film and the two CGI ones that have come out so far. Otherwise I don’t really care for the rest of them. The story sucks, the acting is sub-par, the camera work is meh….They are just too predictable due to the amount of action movie clichés contained in their time.

Day 4: How many RE games do you own? How many have you currently beaten?

Oh lord…I own 1, 2, 3, Survivor, Code Veronica, Outbreak, Outbreak File 2, REmake, Zero, 4, 5, 6, Operation Raccoon City, Revelations, Revelations 2, Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles, and the deck building game. I have also beat all of them ;))))

Day 5: Favorite female character

CLAIRE REDFIELD FUCKING HANDS DOWN.

Day 6: Favorite weapon

Chris’ grenades in REmake

Day 7: Least favorite male character

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mark from Outbreak

Day 8: What was the first RE game you played?

Resident Evil 2, Claire A campaign since that’s the only one I could play for 10 years aaaaaay.

Day 9: Favorite creature

I really like hunters along with crimson heads.

Day 10: Have you read any of the books? If so, what ones?

YES! I own 6 of the S.D. Perry Novels. I’ve read the Umbrella Conspiracy, Caliban Cove, and City of the Dead along with the novelization of the 2nd live action movie. Yeah..the movie one wasn’t great but the S.D. Perry ones are really good! I also have the Revelations art book but I haven’t read the entire thing yet.

Day 11: What part in the games scared you the most?

Any of the nemesis encounters….especially the one where you obtain all the things needed to get to the clocktower and he’s in that tiny ass alleyway. Ugh…

Day 12: Favorite villain

Wesker…

Day 13: Was there any parts in the games that made you laugh?

The voice acting in the first game, O’Brian when you scan him with the genesis ‘what does the reading say? That I’m one sexy mofo, right?’…the goddamn raid mode faces in that game are also pretty top notch

Day 14: Favorite male character

BARRY MOTHER FUCKIN’ BURTON.

Day 15: Do you prefer the zombies or creatures infected with Las Plagas?

Eh…I kinda like zombies more but also I do like the more active infected like the enemies in Revelations 2. Depends on my mood, really.

Day 16: Least favorite female character

Maybe Excella. I used to say Helena but after playing RE6 again I grew to like her a lot more.

Day 17: Favorite boss battle

Maybe the final Birkin fight in the A-scenario in 2. I also really like Nosferatu in Code Veronica. His bossfight just really sticks out for me.

Day 18: Least favorite RE game

Operation Raccoon City…shit’s fucking awful.

Day 19: Do you own any RE merchandise besides the games?

I do! I own a few figures: 3 hunters (the funko figure, a RE1 hunter and a Remake hunter), a crimson head who came with a Cerberus, a chimera, a webspinner, Jill from RE1 and the funko figure, a licker funko..I think that’s it for figures? Then I have three shirts, an Umbrella umbrella, an Umbrella keychain, an Umbrella tattoo on the left forearm, a necklace that’s supposed to be a little T-virus sample, wall stickers, a replica of Leon’s jacket from RE6…uh…yee.

Day 20: Least favorite creature

The leech-infested doctors in the Hive Outbreak scenario…or maybe in Outbreak File 2 with the Flashback scenario with the zombies with plants on their heads that inflict poison…they’re also pretty annoying to deal with.

Day 21: Best line someone has said throughout the game series

Barry in Revelations 2 when Moira asks ‘Do you need me dad?’ and he’s like ‘I always need you…but for now…I have THIS’…gets me every goddamn time. I love it.

Day 22: Least favorite boss battle

All of the goddamn Simmons fights…ugh.

Day 23: What’s the highest score in Mercenaries you’ve ever gotten?

Um…..With RE4 it was like 160,000+ with Krauser in the castle but in RE6, according to my RE.net page, it’s 1,247,105?

Day 24: Do you have any favorite characters from the movies?

Does Claire in Degeneration count? She’s my fuckin’ bby, son.

Day 25: What do you think is the most challenging RE game?

CODE VERONICA HANDS DOWN..with Revelations 2 as a close 2nd.

Day 26: Leon or Chris?

Oh man…probably Chris. I just wish they would do more with Leon but with Chris they tackle mental health issues and his relationship with Claire in 2 and Code Veronica and also his relationship with Jill and Barry n shit.

Day 27: Favorite concept art from RE

I really like the concept art for 2 with the zombies and the police station and everything. Revelations is also pretty good.

Day 28: Least favorite weapon

The stick in Outbreak. Just…it’s nothing but a stick. You toss it and boom, done.

Day 29: Have you cried at any parts of the games?

When Steve died I did a little bit…also when Chris punches the fucking boulder but that was tears of laughter, mostly.

Day 30: Anything else you want to talk about that’s related to RE

Not especially, no. I’m just mostly upset I can’t play RE7 xP

[theconservativebrief]

House Democrats will unveil details of their first bill in the new Congress on Friday — a sweeping anti-corruption bill aimed at stamping out the influence of money in politics and expanding voting rights.

This is House Resolution 1 — the first thing House Democrats will tackle after the speaker’s vote in early January. To be clear, this legislation has little-to-no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate or being signed by President Donald Trump.

But by making anti-corruption their No. 1 priority, House Democrats are throwing down the gauntlet for Republicans. A vast majority of Americans want to get the influence of money out of politics, and want Congress to pass laws to do so, according to a 2018 Pew Research survey. Given Trump’s multitude of scandals, it looks bad for Republicans to be the party opposing campaign finance reform — especially going into 2020.

The issue is being spearheaded by Rep. John Sarbanes (MD), a longtime advocate of campaign finance reform who has long disavowed corporate PAC money. Sarbanes and other House Democrats have been working with progressive heavy hitters in the Senate including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA), whose own wide-ranging anti-corruption Senate bill was recently introduced in the house by Sarbanes and progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA).

On Friday morning, Sarbanes and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (who is poised to become the next House speaker) will introduced the latest details along with a group of freshmen Democratic members, including Angie Craig (MN), Veronica Escobar (TX), Mike Levin (CA), Tom Malinowski (NJ), Ilhan Omar (MN), Chris Pappas (NH), Dean Phillips (MN), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA), and Susan Wild (PA).

“You’re hearing the same clamor, which is, ‘Let’s fix this rotten system and restore people’s voice,’” Sarbanes told Vox in an interview last month. “You have to show them that you get the underlying issue. You want to, in a sense, clear the decks for democracy to work. That’s why we’re leading with that.”

Sarbanes says the goal is to have a bill, which has many details yet to be hammered out, ready to be voted on by January 3 — the first day of the new session.

There are three main planks the bill covers: campaign finance reform, strengthening the government’s ethics laws, and expanding voting rights.

Campaign finance

Public financing of campaigns, powered by small donations. Under Sarbanes’s vision, the federal government would provide a voluntary 6-1 match for candidates for president and Congress, which means for every dollar a candidate raises from small donations, the federal government would match it six times over. “If you give $100 to a candidate that’s meeting those requirements, then that candidate would get another $600 coming in behind them,” Sarbanes told Vox this summer. “The evidence and the modeling is that most candidates can do as well or better in terms of the dollars they raise if they step into this new system.”

Passing the DISCLOSE Act, pushed by Rep. David Cicilline (RI) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), both Democrats from Rhode Island. This would require Super PACs and “dark money” political organizations to make their donors public.

Passing the Honest Ads Act, championed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Mark Warner (VA), which would require Facebook and Twitter to disclose the source of money of political ads on their platforms, and share how much money was spent.

Ethics

Requiring the president to disclose his or her tax returns.

Stopping members of Congress from using taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment cases or buy first-class plane tickets.

Giving the Office of Government Ethics the power to do more oversight and enforcement and put in stricter lobbying registration requirements.

Create a new ethical code for the US Supreme Court, ensuring all branches of government are impacted by the new law.

Voting rights

Creating new national automatic voter registration that asks voters to opt out, rather than opt in, ensuring more people will be signed up to vote. Early voting and online voting would also be promoted.

Restoring the Voting Rights Act, part of which was dismantled by a US Supreme Court decision in 2013. Ending partisan gerrymandering in federal elections and prohibiting voter roll purging.

Beefing up elections security, including requiring the Director of National Intelligence to do regular checks on foreign threats.

The anti-corruption reform effort is nothing new for Sarbanes, who stopped accepting PAC money seven years ago and once joined a frigid walk in zero-degree weather across part of New Hampshire to commemorate Doris “Granny D” Haddock, the late activist who trekked across the entire nation to make a point about campaign finance reform.

The influence of lobbying and money has been entrenched for years on both sides of the aisle, but Republicans especially have been in the news for it. Vox’s Tara Golshan and Dylan Scott noted a total of four House Republicans were embroiled in corruption scandals before the midterms — two, Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter, were reelected despite those scandals.

But even though they have a good foil in House Republicans, Sarbanes says his party needs to undergo a serious reckoning of its own.

“Walk the walk, and we’ve got to walk it quick,” Sarbanes told Vox in a recent interview. “A lot of [voters] don’t believe it can happen because the system is rigged. That’s why when you come with a plan for that, too, it sort of caffeinates everything else. It makes them feel like, okay now you’re talking.”

“It’s not until you come here and begin to serve that you understand how woven it is into the fabric of how Washington operates,” Sarbanes continued. The Congress member compared his own refusal of PAC money to putting on “night-vision goggles that have you then see how money flows everywhere here.”

Democrats know they don’t actually have a shot of passing HR-1 through the Senate, nor getting it off the president’s desk. But they recognize they need to get serious about the issue, even if the other party won’t.

Original Source -> House Democrats unveil their first bill in the majority: a sweeping anti-corruption proposal

via The Conservative Brief

[virginieboesus]

My Top 7 PlayStation 2 Survival Horror Games

Survival Horror has always been one of my favourite genres when it comes to video games. There’s just something about the innate fear and adrenaline rush that these games give you that makes me come back for more. No matter if they are more action focused or designed to just get under your skin, Survival Horror games have a way to stick with you for years after you’ve finished them. They’re just so memorable.

Admittedly, some are memorable for all of the wrong reasons, but that will be a separate feature post in the future. Today, we’re going to look at my personal top 7 PlayStation 2 Survival Horror games. So, let’s get started!

7. Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 has to be on this list, doesn’t it? I mean, it is my second favourite in the Silent Hill series. The reason I didn’t include it higher on the list is that, when I went back to it, it didn’t hold the same levels of tensions that it used to. Silent Hill 2 gave us Pyramid Head and an incredible story, but honestly, as a game, it didn’t really do that much different. The gameplay itself feels very normal, with nothing that truly stands out. It just felt like the first game with better graphics.

The music, however, is outstanding. I still listen to the soundtrack regularly. On top of this, the game does instil a sense of fear as you make your way through the town. But Silent Hill 2’s real selling point is the storyline. The characters, plot and events are all incredibly memorable and can be interpreted in many ways (except for the twist, as that is pretty clear-cut).

6. Resident Evil: Outbreak

The Resident Evil series had already received a small number of spin-offs by the time we got to the release of Outbreak. From the utterly atrocious Resident Evil: Survivor for PSX (there’s a review of this game here) to the truly dreadful Resident Evil: Gaiden for the Gameboy Colour, none of the spin-offs had been particularly good. So I went into Resident Evil: Outbreak with very low expectations. Don’t let that fool you though. The reason I ended up loving the game is that it was put together almost immaculately. Again, I have revied RE: Outbreak here, but it is safe to say it was the first spin-off done really well (note: Code: Veronica isn’t a spin-off, as it was originally named Resident Evil 3 in development, with Nemesis as a planned spin-off)!

The changes in gameplay, such as multiplayer that didn’t make the game easier, an infection rate and the ability to combine household items into weapons were all great additions to the game. On top of that, it managed to really capture the struggle and fear of being in Raccoon City during the titular outbreak. To this day, RE: Outbreak is one of my favourite games in the series, so it was always going to get a spot on this list.

5. Forbidden Siren II

The Forbidden Siren series (known simply as Siren outside of Europe) has all but faded into dust now, with the latest game (Blood Curse) coming out on the PS3 and nothing really happening with the series since then. Considering how amazing the second game in the series was, this is a real shame. Set on a lonely island that is inhabited by monstrous-looking people with murderous intentions, the gameplay is where Forbidden Siren II really stood out from the crowd.

For example, the enemies are largely indestructible. You can hurt them enough to stall them if you are lucky, but they never actually die. That means that you’re always being hunted! That, in and of itself, is a terrifying feeling. However, nothing with really prepare you for the sight-jacking ability in the game. With this, you can “jack” into enemies that are nearby to work out their positions. It is designed to make it a bit easier to avoid confrontation. But when you jack into an enemy and realise they are looking right at you, the sense of sheer dread that fills your body is unexplainable.

4. The Thing

Funnily enough, my favourite horror film of all time is John Carpenter’s The Thing. The man is a genius, and the movie is incredible. So, the fact that the PS2’s The Thing is a canon sequel to the movie (and thus also the recent prequel movie) is a huge bonus right off the bat. However, that isn’t the only reason why The Thing is featuring on this list. It also has the honour of being one of the very select few games made from movies that are actually good!

The Thing manages to capture the constant feeling of dread and loneliness, as well as distrust and psychology unease that the movie portrayed so well. You actually get the same sense of fear buried deep inside you that you would if you were in the movie yourself. On top of this, the game managed to mix slightly more action-orientated gameplay with the themes of Survival Horror without taking away from the fear itself. This is something later games in the genre (such as Resident Evil 5 and 6) completely failed to do. As such, The Thing definitely deserves a spot on this list, at least in my opinion.

3. Resident Evil 4

Okay, let’s be honest; you probably knew Resident Evil 4 was going to make this list. I mean, how could it not? It was the last true Survival Horror game in the series until the release of Resident Evil 7 for the PS4, and it revitalised the genre, bringing it back to the forefront of the gaming industry. The radical changes to gameplay, such as Resident Evil switching from fixed camera angles to an over-the-shoulder view, were huge. In fact, such a massive change wasn’t seen again until the aforementioned Resident Evil 7 switched to first-person.

On top of this, the fact that the game is essentially a giant escort mission adds so much to the tension. Not only do you have to survive, but you need to protect an absolutely useless character that follows you almost everywhere. The enemies were fun and new, yet still felt like they belonged in Resident Evil, and the bosses hadn’t quite got to the point of being giant insects that you fight on top of skyscrapers yet. Leon also finally made a return to the series, after not being seen in a mainline title since Resident Evil 2. This was a huge game and was immensely successful.

2. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Time for an unpopular opinion now; whilst Silent Hill 2 is an amazing game, it isn’t my favourite in the Silent Hill series. It is very close, but Shattered Memories actually takes the prize. I know that many of you are now planning how to feed me to Pyramid Head, but honestly, I just preferred the psychological elements of Shattered Memories. The fact that the game changed depending on how you acted, what you looked at in the game and what decisions you make was incredible. In fact, the enemies themselves would also change design and shape depending on how the game psychologically profiles you. That is an outstanding piece of game design right there.

Sure, the actual “otherworld” areas weren’t anything like as gory or terrifying as other Silent Hill games, but they didn’t need to be. It was the changing nuances of the game that really freaked you out. The fact that the game was reading you and adjusting itself to scare and unnerve you specifically was unreal. This was definitely, for me, the most memorable Silent Hill experience I have had to date.

1. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

My personal number one pick for the best Survival Horror game on the PS2 goes to Fatal Frame II (also known as Project Zero II). Why? Well, the best way to explain it is to tell you just how long it took me to finish this game; 5 years! It is the only Survival Horror game to ever bury its way so deep into my skin that I had to stop playing it. Everything from the atmosphere to the ghosts themselves drives that dread deep inside you. The storyline is outstanding, dealing with ritual sacrifice and the afterlife, through the eyes of two young sisters.

On top of this, the only way to defend yourself (as is the main gameplay mechanic in Fatal Frame games) is with a camera. You need to take photographs of the ghosts to hurt them! This means you need the time and skill to line up your shots and take them at the opportune moment to deal high damage. Everything about Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is incredible, and to me, it is the pinnacle of Survival Horror game design.

And That’s All Folks

Those are my personal top 7 Survival Horror games for the PS2. I know that many will not agree with me, especially about Silent Hill 2, and that’s ok. After all, if we agreed with each other all of the time, life would be pretty boring. So I stand by my decisions because that’s just what they are; my decisions based on my opinions.

Do you have a favourite PS2 Survival Horror game? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/my-top-7-playstation-2-survival-horror-games/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-top-7-playstation-2-survival-horror-games source https://smartstartblogging.tumblr.com/post/173466301300