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Finished Markus' DLC.

Other than getting to enjoy some time with characters I like again, it was, as expected, a waste of time. I couldn't feel anything from the lack of buildup and even meeting Momo's original self didn't amount to anything.

So, all the DLCs were a waste of time and none justified this long wait for them. Lovely.

Final rating: whatever/10

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Finished the Seign DLC. SPOILERS

Marginally better than the Marisa DLC but that's really not saying much. As a whole, it was nice getting to play as Seign and hang out with his posse again since I very much like his character, but other than that, this story offered very little intrigue.

You don't learn much at all except that you meet Grace, who was Arthur's girlfriend, and she's currently leading the resistance. And she's bad at directions; so much that they make a running gag of it at every opportunity. (Funnily enough, that was supposed to be Mio's issue, but looks like it got transferred to Grace instead.)

That's...pretty much it.

She's not a bad character, but there's very little to say about her as well. What's surprising, however, is after you beat the DLC, she...actually becomes useable at HQ in the base game, which...causes quite a bit of confusion considering she was never mentioned at all, and you'd think she would have been relevant to the plot at some point if that was the case.

You can't really do anything with her other than put her in your party, though. She's nowhere in the castle, you can't cast her in plays, challenge her to a card game, or send her on missions. Kinda a waste, really.

You can just tell this was a piece of the main game that was cut out to be sold back to the player, which is unfortunate to consider among other problems that have been going on behind the scenes.

The villain of the DLC, Baron Hassel... The best thing I can say about him is he delighted me with a wonderful treat of being voiced by none other than Simon Templeman, but it feels like Templeman's talents got sorely wasted here with how pathetic and poorly used Baron Hassel was. He's supposedly a technophile to the extreme, yet they do literally nothing with that. He's no less cartoony than the villain of Marisa's DLC was and it's extremely disappointing.

I can't decide what I'm more letdown by: the whole lot of nothing in Seign's DLC, or the wasting of Templeman's talents.

It's at this point, I'm not even expecting anything of the Markus DLC, or really anything else from this game's creators. It's just been one letdown after another.

Rating: one lackluster vae victus/10.

PS: I feel so bad over how much I bullied the poor Rune Golem. I'm so over levelled, he could barely land a hit on me. Poor thing. 🤭

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Suikoden LIve thoughts:

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*I totally predicted there was going to be a Suikoden II anime and a Suikoden I stage play announcement. (Which I'm completely fine with.) Hoping they'll both be excellent.

*Looks like I have another guidebook to buy. lul

*Having the ability to halt the timer so you can get the Clive Quest without the stress of going through the game fast is certainly welcome. I had to use GameShark back in the day to stop the timer just to get it. Thank god for this.

*I kinda figured there was going to be a mobile game at some point. I just hope it has some quality to it. Not expecting too much, but we'll see. Wonder what returning characters there will be, though... *crosses fingers for Razro and Kyril to show up*

*I want that Tir nendroid. Nuff said.

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So, just finished the Marisa DLC. Spoilers.

That was impressively, unfathomably...

underwhelming.

The whole DLC can be summarized as "found robo-girl in a temple and some air-headed ditz disrupting the peace and through contrivances and shallow writing, we all became friends. The end."

What a waste of time.

The dialogue was far worse than before; not helped by the awkward internet memes being forced in. I was able to tolerate it in the base game for the most part, but I found it insufferable here. Probably because the characters in this DLC are insufferable. (Mainly Leene. How many fucking times do we have to hear about how lucky she is? What a complete toss of a character.)

The story has nothing going for it. It just jumps around, meandering to try to make this feel worth it, and even ends spontaneously with nothing satisfactory to it. It just...ends.

As for the gameplay? Well, apparently we're Pac-man now. You have to run around collecting "fuzzy things" to unlock doors in the Runebarrows. How exciting.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Marisa, but I was willing to give her DLC a chance, and all it did was make me care even less for her, and made me despise Leene.

And the villain...forgot his name, was pathetic. That's all I have to say.

Can only hope the Seign and Markus DLCs will be better.

Rating: 2.5 Guardian Scum/10.

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🙏🙏Suikoden IV remake, Suikoden IV remake, Suikoden IV remake!!🙏🙏

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(Late posting) I.Q Intelligent Qube platinum.

I had played this game many years ago and had some unfinished business with it, so this was a great opportunity to revisit this game after all this time.

And what can I honestly say? This game is probably one of the best puzzle-based games I ever played, even though I readily admit I'm not great at it at all.

Good graphics, mind-bending puzzles that give your brain a good workout, and phenomenal music.

An excellent game that deserves more love, I'd say.

Also, Elliot is such a dork. In a good way.

Final rating: 9.6/10

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MediEvil for the PSX platinum. (Late posting.)

After this game, you can officially call me a Sir Dan Fortesque fan. I did not know what to expect from this game, but it definitely caught me by surprise with its witty British humor and interesting story of a disgraced dead knight trying to reclaim his honor in a crappy world rife with absurd hijinks.

It does suffer a lot of jank, however, but that's to be expected with old games. Fortunately, the rewind feature helped with the more frustrating parts such as the "Pools of the Dead" level. The visuals are beautiful, especially Crystal Cave, the music is splendid with some of my favorite tracks being in the Mausoleum level, the Ant Caves level, and many others. (Bob and Barn are extraordinarily talented composers).

Dan himself is so endearing, even though he doesn't have much dialogue. The other characters, particularly the heroes, don't have a lot of character, but they're all right, I'd say.

Admittedly, the story does seem to forget what it was doing late in the game, and the levels do get ridiculous in an ill-fitting and out-of-place kind of way (such as the pirate ship level, and the level that you need the dragon armor for felt pointless). Even so, it didn't necessarily ruin the experience.

Overall, a really fun and charming experience.

I rate it: 7.8 delicious drumsticks/10.

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Platinumed The Gardens Between, (Late post.)

Not too much to say about this one. It's visually stunning with lovely music, using a lot of symbolism of the kids' time together in the form of interesting puzzle-structure. Can get a little tricky at times, but simple enough. Where the story is leads to is pretty obvious, but still a nice little experience.

Not bad at all, and a pretty easy platinum.

Eight thrown pieces of popcorn at Frendt/10

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Watched the State of Play stream with @philian-arkhiv. Here are the games I'm interested in:

-Lost Soul Aside by Ultizero Games -Tides of Annihilation by Eclipse Glow Games -Darwin's Paradox by Konami -Lies of P Overture by Neowiz -Directive 8020 by Supermassive Games

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It's Aerith's birthday today, so I decided to take some photos of my Aerith figurine to celebrate! (With Cloud joining, of course. Heheh.)

Happy birthday, Aerith!

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Glamrock Bonnie has finally finished his tour and arrived at last!!

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Woo-hoo!

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Playstation 2024 wrap-up summary.

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2024 Wrap Up

Sharing the books I read, games I played, and things I watched throughout the year. The "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" will indicate what I enjoyed and what I did not. A mix is for things I thought was "middling", and which I leaned more towards in my likeability of it.

Books: Earthbound/MOTHER 2 novelization by Saori Kumi (👎👎👎👎) The Shining by Stephen King (👍👍👍👍👍) The Box Man by Kobo Abe (👍👍👎) Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (👍👍👍👍👍) Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (👍👎👎👎👎) Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (👍👍👍) Gibbet Hill by Bram Stoker (👍👍) Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner (👍👍)

Books I started, but have no finished The Hero of A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (It's good so far, though.)

Movies: Wicker Man (1973) (👍👍👍) Toy Story (1995) (👍👍) A Bug's Life (1998) (👍👍👍) The Shining (1980) (👍👍👎👎) Doctor Sleep (2019) (👍👍👎👎) Crime and Punishment (1970s, Russian) (👍👍) The Tenant (1976, French) (👍👍👍(Fuck Polanski, though)) The Mothman Prophecies (2002) (👍👍👍👍) Phantoms (1998) (👍👍👍) The Cell (2000) (👎👎👎👎👎) The Exorcist (1974) (👎👎👎👍) Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) (👍👎) Alien (1979) (👍👎👎) Event Horizon (rewatch) (1997) (👍👍👎) The Thing (1982) (👍👍👍👍👍) Halloween (1978) (👍👍) A Goofy Movie (1995) (👍👍👍👍👍) The Iron Giant (1999) (👍👍👍) Suspiria (1977) (👍)

Games: Death Come True by Too Kyo Games/Esquadra (👍👍) Lake by Gamious (👍) Artful Escape by Beethoven and Dinosaur (👍) Legend of Dragoon by SCE (👎👎👎👍👍) Earthbound by Hal Labs/Ape Incorporated (👍👍👍👍) Earthbound Beginnings by by Hal Labs/Ape Incorporated (👍👍👎👎 (fucking random encounters...)) Tomb Raider Remastered 1 by Core Design/ASPYR (👍👍👍👍) Tomb Raider Remastered 2 by Core Design/ASPYR (👍👍👎👎) Songbird Symphony by JoySteak Studios (👍) Eiyuden Chronicle by Rabbit and Bear Studio (👍👍) Alone in the Dark (2024) by Pieces Interactive (RIP) (👍👍👍) Call of the Sea by Out of the Blue (👍👍👍👍) Silent Hill Short Message by Konami (👍) Donkey Kong Country 1 by RARE (👍👍👍👍) Donkey Kong Country 2 by RARE (👍👍👍) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake (👍👍👍👍) Kona by Parabole (👎👎👎👎👎) The Gardens Between by The Voxel Agents (👍) MediEvil by SCE Cambridge Studio (👍👍👍👍👍) Silent Hill 1 by KCET/Konami (👍👍👍👍👍) Silent Hill 2 by KCET/Konami (👍👍) Silent Hill 3 by KCET/Konami (👍👍👍) Silent Hill 4 by KCET/Konami (👍👍👍👍) Silent Hill 2 Remake by Bloober/Konami (👍👍👍) Dino Crisis by Capcom (👍👍) Clock Tower ~Rewind~ by Human Entertainment/WayForward Technology (👍👍👍👍) Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain by Silicon Knights (👍👍) Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 Remastered by Crystal Dynamics/ASPYR (👍👍👍) Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Remastered by Crystal Dynamics/ASPYR (👍👍) Dreamed Away Demo by Nicholas Petton (👍👍) I.Q. Intelligent Qube by Sony Interactive Entertainment (👍👍) MediEvil: Resurrection by SCE Cambridge Studio (👍👍👍)

Games I started but have not yet finished: *Tales of Phantasia by Wolf Team (The original. Am enjoying it so far, despite the archaic combat.) *Tales of Zestiria by Bandai Namco (Will finish it, but goddamn does it shit itself hard. Trying to disguise its shit as a rose makes it worse.) *Little Kitty, Big City by Double Dagger Studio (Definitely intend to finish this cute little game.) *Mystic Pillars by Holy Cow Production (Nifty puzzle game that I intend to finish.) *Tales of Eternia by Namco (Revisited. Still holds up so far in my honest opinion.) *Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 by Crystal Dynamics (This game seems like it's going to be extremely rough, even by the LoK series' standards.) *Breath of Fire by Capcom (Not a whole lot I can say, but there's certainly a lot of jank, and the translation is absolute ASS.) *Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages by Flagship (Didn't get too far, but it's interesting.) *INSCRYPTION (Has my attention.)

Shows: Hazbin Hotel (S1) (👍👎) Rectify (S1) (👍👍👍) Cherry Magic! (👍👎) A Man Who Defies the World of BL (👍👎) Wednesday (👍👎👎) Succession (👍👎👎) Edge of Sleep (👎👎👎👎👎)

Anime: Demon Slayer (S1) (👎👎👎👎) Made in Abyss (S1) (👍👎👎)

Shows/Anime I started but have not yet finished: *ReBoot (Reliving this old classic series. It's amazing how it starts out as a simple Saturday morning cartoon show, then gradually starts getting darker and following story arcs that are actually pretty well-written.) *Word of Honor (Ep. 3) (Fascinating show.) *Yu Yu Hakusho (Ep. 29) (Very much intend to get back to this. This show is still amazing in many good ways, despite a few early flaws here and there.) *Migi & Dali (Ep. 3) (Definitely interesting... Not sure where it's going, but I am intrigued enough to see how it plays out.) *NieR Automata (Ep. 3) (So far, so good.) *Frieren (Ep. 4) (Really need to get back to this.) *Tales of Zestiria (Only watched one episode so far, and it was all right. What are the odds it'll be better than the game?) *March Comes in Like a Lion (Ep. 10) (A little boring sometimes, but I do like its lead a lot.)

Games I plan to start in 2025: (Note: This list is not limited to these game. These are just the ones that stand out the most in my mind.) Final Fantasy XVI by Square Enix Legacy of Kain: Defiance by Crystal Dynamics MediEvil 2 by SCEE Tomb Raider 3 Remastered by Core Production/ASPYR Balatro by LocalThunk Gensou Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remasters by Konami Dreamed Away by Nicholas Petton MediEvil 2019 Remake by Other Ocean Emeryville Mario and Luigi: Brothership by Acquire Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 by Toby Fox Mouthwashing by Wrong Organ Star Ocean 2: Second Story R by tri-Ace/Gemdrops House in Fata Morgana by Novectacle It's Just A Prank by Bober Bros MOTHER 3 by Hal Labs/Brownie Brown

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My Christmas haul!

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Finished Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain!

My main issue with this game is its gameplay. For the most part, it's really simplistic and easy to understand, however, it is extremely unpolished, and very dated, sometimes making it frustratingly difficult. The load times in particular may drive you mad (though I heard this problem is solved on the GOG version). The dungeons also get really repetitive and the obstacles become especially annoying after a while. Especially if you're going for all secrets. (I did not do this, capping my adventure at around 90/100 secrets discovered.)

Despite this, the story is great. I tend to enjoy gothic fantasy quite a bit, so this was right up my alley. Plus, it's not often I get to play as an unapologetic villain protagonist who makes no attempt to justify any of his appalling actions, and just simply revels in it instead. Kain is so entertaining to listen to, and it was such a delight to play as him.

The pixel art is wonderful as well, and I enjoy how much lore/symbolism/foreshadowing is told through the environments. I am disappointed that the towns and their civilians all look mostly the same, but given that they're all fodder in the end to Kain, it kinda makes sense.

Naturally, the CGI cutscenes didn't age well at all, but what can you do. I admire the brutality they showed in them, though.

The music, sound, and definitely the voice acting is also excellent for what kind of game this is. Simon Templeman is brilliant as Kain, and listening to Tony Jay (rest in peace) in anything is always a treat.

As a whole, I love this game's story, main character, artwork, and music. The gameplay and mechanics is what holds it back the most, but only because of it being unpolished from it being dated.

Overall, I give it a silver Vae Victis/10!

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Finished Clock Tower: Rewind! (Mini-review under the cut. Will have some spoilers.)

Still holds up as being one of the best horror games I've ever played. The ambiance, the beautifully made sprites/graphics, the atmosphere, the subtly disturbing story, and the mansion design... All of it comes together so perfectly to make it one of the most, if not THE most, high-tension filled experiences I've ever had in a horror game.

This game comes with two versions: the original Famicom release, and a version based on a romhack that took the extra content from First Fear, the PSX version, and stitched it into the original, along with new things; this is the Rewind version.

I did the first playthrough on the OG version, getting the B ending. After, I did the rest of my playthroughs on the Rewind version. I'm one of the few that doesn't mind the slow movement of the OG, but the QoL improvements were a welcome addition, as well as changing how Bobby, the Scissorman, works.

I avoided spoilers before getting my physical copy, so I had no idea how they changed him from the OG. Instead of having just triggered appearances, he now can appear at random, and has many new ways to be triggered as well. This new addition caught me by surprise and had me more paranoid than before. There was a part where I was playing that I had Jennifer standing idly in the garage while I was talking to @philian-arkhiv about something, thinking it was completely safe, when suddenly the chase music started up, catching me completely off-guard, because I knew for a fact Bobby couldn't just waltz into a room unprovoked; at least not in the OG. And yet, here he was on his way, throwing my mind (and calm resolve) into a complete frenzy.

That was a terrible surprise, but a good one, even if I would be haunted by it for days to come.

I don't know what it is about Bobby that gets to me so much, but these new mechanics amplified him as a terrifying horror villain for me. Thankfully, Jennifer was given more ways to defend herself as well. Definitely appreciate that. ^^;;

That said, there were some slight issues I had with this version. For one, there is some jank. There are times when I'd click in one direction, but Jennifer would go in the opposite. There also may be an event missing from Rewind? In the areas that consist of only a door and a window, you can sometimes see eyes looking in, or the window would suddenly burst open from the wind. It happens in the OG, but for as long as I stayed there, it never seems to happen in Rewind. Perhaps it's a bug or it simply didn't happen on my playthrough. Either way, I just hope it wasn't cut from this version.

The other issue I have is more a personal preference, but I don't really care for the anime art. It's not terrible, but I feel it doesn't really suit Clock Tower. The realistic artstyle worked much better in my honest opinion. But fortunately, it's not used in the main game at all, so it doesn't bother me that much.

For the record, I do enjoy the new track "Sharp Laughter" sung by Mary-Elizabeth McGlynn, even if it is a little extravagant. The end credits theme by Emi Evans, however, is a little too "Nier" for this game. Nonetheless, I don't hate it. It's nice hearing more from these two icons.

That all said, it's such a treat to finally have this game be officially available worldwide. It really is a classic, and I'd encourage anyone who loves niche horror to give this game a try.

Silent Hill is my favorite horror series, but Clock Tower has always been a close second, and I still stand by that stance.

So, I rate this game 8.7/10

Great to have you back, Clock Tower! I hope there will be more to come in the future! Please bring in more remasters and/or remakes, WayForward! I'll happily buy them! 'Cept CT3.

By the way, here's a funny little aside: there was a part where I walked into the mannequin room by accident, turned to leave, and ran into Bobby outside. I had nowhere to go, so I ran back in and prepared to confront him. When I successfully managed to best him with the panic button, no joke, the mannequin in the back suddenly laughed, as if it were amused by Bobby getting knocked over by Jennifer. Had me and @philian-arkhiv laughing a fair bit at that. XP