#//an absolutely incredible and beyond delightful art piece i can and [[will]] be staring at forever ;;;w;;;

[cherrydreamer]

🍒Cherry Recs Some… ART! (Part 1) 🍒

For @gothyringwald‘s  Harringrove Feedback Fest

I HAVE to start this with @ihni ​ and her doodles because HOW CAN I NOT? They’re a fandom staple! (And yes I HAVE linked to her entire Doodle tag because going throught them ALL is a glorious way to spend a few minutes. I STILL laugh out loud at her genius and her comedy, and then one will hit me which is just such a perfect, romantic moment that my heart fills with love.) Naturally gonna pick the adorable Demon Billy one she did for my fic! (And OH that feeling when Ihni spots one of your fics or posts and is like ‘yeah I’m gonna doodle this?? UNPARALLELED! I was grinning for like a week after she did this!) All of her April prompts were genius, but I’m gonna have to pick Butterflies because of Steve’s lil love struck expression and then the hilarity that is Billy in the second one! Pure cartoon flailing!! And then, for a different seasons vibes, here’s a wintery one that got me thinking of so many lovely ‘Billy’s first snow’ thoughts.

And OK. A SECOND bullet point for @ihni ​ cause she can ALSO do these heart stoppingly beautiful realistic pieces like Flower Crown Billy and then ones that break your heart like This Billy and THEN such an adorable, beautiful lil Steve. And. Yeah. Basically go and look at Inhi’s Art tags and just lose yourself for a whole morning. You will thank me!

Now  @monochromegee is my beloved. EVERYTHING they draw is gold and has me gasping from how utterly brilliant their mind is. Lake is my happy place. It is beyond adorable and I have saved it to look at whenever I need an instant happiness boost.  The same goes for their Raccoon pic, just LOOK at Billy’s face! And then the emotion that Gold stirs in me still? Those EYES? Glorious. Mono’s Media tab on Twitter is a DELIGHT to go through.

@juu-riin  is a GENIUS. THEIR MIND. Their ideas! Lost in the Supermarket Billy and Steve (Parts 1 and 2) still have my giggling at Steve’s FACE and Billy’s whole EVERYTHING. And their doodles. It’s impossible to actually pick a favourite BUT there is such a mix of things like cute shell collecting and hilarious domestic boys and drunk!Steve antics and you just KNOW you’re in for a treat when they share a thread of them! And then they ALSO do things like Monster Hunting Boyfriends which is EVERYTHING! If you are every feeling any kind of sadness, Julie’s art will heal you RIGHT back up.

@opaldraws ​ OH OPAL! Softness and sweetness and such lovely drawings that make me melt into a puddle! Slightly NSFW lingerie boys has me salivating! LOOK at Billy’s arms and Steve’s moles and that beautiful lacy lingerie and the look of love and lust in their eyes! And then she goes and fixes Season 3 by giving us the ending we deserved (my HEART is healed with this one). And then this one of Steve in THAT perfect outfit because we ALL need more of that look in our lives!

@gravegroves ​ is​ another one of those artists who blows me away every single time they post! I salivate over their sneak peaks, and then I am just lost for words when they post masterpieces like Rainbow Billys (which shows how incredibly skilled they are! The different hairstyles and expressions?? I could (and most likely DID) stare at every single one for hours! And the Billy playing Violin one? It just conjures up SUCH an atmosphere, a whole story playing out so vividly that I can SEE him moving and playing, I can HEAR the music, I can SEE Steve standing there watching, and the moment that Billy notices and doesn’t even falter, doesn’t even miss a note, just raises an eyebrow and smirks and maybe instantly segues his tune into one that’s a little in-joke between him and Steve. So, yeah. Their art INSPIRES me. And I’m sure it’ll inspire you too.

@lazybakerart ​ pretty much got me into this fandom, first with fic and then with art.  They’re another artist I could just rec absolutely anything by and your jaw would drop and you’d be instantly hooked on their work BUT I HAVE to show off their Valentine’s Cards because I STILL grin everytime I see them. Those expressions! THAT HAIR! So utterly unmistakably LazyBaker!  And then there’s His and His Too which is so heartwarming and SO THEM. Just LOOK at Billy’s smirk! And that hand hold! 🥰 And this Street Surfing Billy where I can just FEEL those long, hot summer nights, I can HEAR the music from the houses and the cars he passes, and then the long stretches where it’s nothing but the whoosh of his wheels on the asphalt (until he skids to a halt outside a certain Loch Nora house of course and a pretty boy kisses all his freckles...)

@sasha-uria I w​ill NEVER tire of looking at their cosy nerd Billy and cosy romantic Steve and feeling an utter wave of calm and warm wash over me. And there are just so many little details to notice- Steve’s hand on the necklace, Billy’s lil curls and his bun, the pillows and rumpled sheets that you KNOW are squishy and sleep warm and just...COSY. That’s the vibe!

(Again. There are more to come! The sheer talent in this fandom is wonderful to behold!)

[crushzone]

Hi Nin! I know this might be weird of me to ask because you are an artist yourself, but I am rather new here and was wondering if you have any other artists you'd recommend? If not that is ok!

Hi there, not weird at all! I LOVE supporting fellow artists, I find their wonderful talent and dedication incredibly inspiring, seeing their beautiful works on my feed constantly reminds me to take a step back from my exhaustion and to simply remember why I love to draw to begin with: because it’s fun.

I’m usually really picky about artists I follow and their style, but when I find the ones that I enjoy, I go ALL OUT with my support. So without further ado, the following artists listed are those I am not only in love with, but those who I genuinely look up to. 

So make sure you stop by their page to show them some love and appreciation for their hard work (because hard work extends beyond the individual pieces they’ve made, it’s also for the countless hours they’ve spent on practicing and perfecting their craft, constantly challenging themselves to learn new techniques). 💛

👇🏼👇🏼 Nin’s Artist Recommendation👇🏼👇🏼

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@aku-jumbi - HQ!!, Various, You all had seen me share a BUNCH of their works on my blog, but it’s just because their art is so SOOOOOOOOO good. Your style leans toward photorealism, while still maintaining its painting-like quality, so if you had ever wondered how your favorite characters may look like irl, they’ve got you!!! Watching your speed painting is so fascinating, idk how you do it, but you’re always killing it every time (Like our process is so different, so it was really interesting to see how you approach your works you know?). This piece of Kei Tsukishima and Oikawa Tooru are two of my favorite works you’ve done!

@achieve-the-sun - HQ!!, Various, Let me start off by saying that I love Morghy’s art so much, that they are the first and only person I had ever commissioned from so far. They drew Keishin and I sooo adorably, it brings me so much joy to look at it on the daily. Your style reminds me of freshly baked cookies, or the warmth of bakeries, I can’t help but feel a sense of coziness whenever I look at your adorable artworks. This piece you did of Kageyama and Hinata was what had drawn me to you. Everything from your color choices, fluid gestures, and expressions are such a delight to look at!

@chaotickatts - HQ!! I am so in love with Katts, you all. I had never seen anyone draw like this, her style is really unique. I can go on forever about why I love your art, but one of the biggest things that drew me to your style is the way you draw bodies. I like the variation and realistic details you include, for instance, I absolutely adore the way you gave Sakusa more moles on his body, and the way you drew dad bod Osamu. Idk, I think there’s so many different types of body shapes and details out there, and it brings me joy to see you being so inclusive of them in your art.

@namusw - Hunter x Hunter. Was drawn to their Hunter x Hunter works and I don’t even watch/read that manga. Honestly, just check them out, I love everything about their works, they are also a killer at both traditional and digital styles. This piece of Hisoka, Illumi, and Chrollo was the one that made me fall in love.

@cranbearly - HQ!! I really adore the way they draw expressions and their coloring style (inspired me to attempt some flat coloring). This piece of Oikawa and Iwa made me follow them instantly. Expressions are so difficult to nail, and you’ve done such an amazing job conveying every emotion the characters are feeling, I’ve learned so much just from looking at your works, so thank you for blessing us with your craft.

@a-zebra-was-here - HQ!! Their art has a very carefree type of vibe and their coloring style brings me so much joy. I’ve really enjoyed your drawings of the Miyas’, this piece of the twin was what got me, and this other piece, the first image of young Miyas’ was so SO well done, I am in love with the way you colored that. 😻 

@erionmakuo - Various, dude....I want to cry, I don’t even know what to say, EVERY SINGLE PIECE of your artworks just BLOWS ME AWAY. The way you color your art is just so ethereal, the color schemes you had chosen, the way you mix the color of your lighting, textures, and everything in general, I can go on about this all day but just hop on to their blog and you will know exactly what I mean. I don’t have a particular piece that drew me in because I was blessed by all your works at once.

@uranarino - HQ!!, Your artworks bring me so much joy. If I have to describe your style like an experience in life, I would say it reminds me of how it’s like to fall in love with someone for the first time, if that makes sense. That sudden overwhelming feeling you get when you’re doing the most mundane things with someone you care about, only for time to stop as you realize how in love you are with them? Yea, your art captures that really well. These two pieces of Kuroo returning home with his groceries and of him taking a day nap with his cats was what had drawn me to you.

@queenoftheantz - HQ!!, Various, Their style is really unique, it kind of reminds me of an adventurous graphic novel or something you would see on Cartoon Network (idk, I thought of Chowder, but please, I really mean it as a compliment, I just really love the fun cartoon style you have.) They also do some animations! I really love this piece of Kyotani you did, the landscape and colors look SOO GOOD!!

@noodlemanjpg - HQ!!, Various, love LOVE your style and the way you draw expressions. I also really love how you color, your works “appear” effortless, but I know a lot of knowledge and precision is put into crafting it. This piece of Kuroo x Yaku being all cozy at the couch was what had drawn me to your blog, it makes me smile every time I look at it. Kuroo’s smitten expression is just...ahsdl;adjs I can’t help but smile with him.

@diabolism666 - HQ!!, c’mon, you can’t be in the HQ!! fandom without at least seeing one of their artworks. In fact, I had seen your art even before I’ve gotten into this show, and it was love at first sight, lemme tell ya. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. you had drawn are so good, it doesn’t even matter if it’s a more simplistic drawing or elaborate one, I am just always staring at it in awe. Thank you for being so incredibly active about it too, idk how, but you’ve produced so many amazing drawings and we’re just incredibly grateful for it. You draw some of best Tendou, Reon and Toshi out there. Your works have so much range, I really feel like you can draw ANYTHING hahaha.

@viria​ - Various, Viria *sobs* your works are so good. The way you draw faces and affection just gives me butterflies. I don’t even watch Fullmetal Alchemist, but this piece you did of Edward and Winry made me fall so deeply in love with your works. Your style has a certain softness to it, even when it is of an angry character, and I love it.

@nipuni​ - Various, another artist that I am incredibly nervous to tag because your works are just out of the world. You also seem so so nice and is always incredibly helpful whenever anyone sends you an ask. Just...I have the biggest crush on you and your works. EVERYTHING you had drawn is so stunning, and I mean it. The details, pose, composition, and coloring, it is just so perfect, I could pull up particular artworks, but I was really blessed by it all at once. If you are into fantasy-esque realistic looking portraits, check her out, she exudes so much knowledge and talent.

@hinamihere - HQ!!, Your artworks are soo stinkin adorable. Your color choices, expressions and the way you draw hair is just so cute, your art always bring the biggest smile to my face. This piece you did of Akaashi and Bokuto was what drew me to you, when I saw it, I “awhhh”ed so loudly, my hubby had to ask me what’s up, and when I showed it to him, he had the same reaction, even if he’d never seen Haikyuu!!

@oxxuri - BNHA, so SO good, the way you color, light, and draw is so beautiful. Every single detail, down to every lashes and strands of hair is so beautiful. You draw some of the most attractive faces I had ever seen, these drawings of Aizawa and Midoriya brings me so SOOOO much joy, and I don’t even know anything about BNHA.

@amezure - HQ!!, their comic strips always make my day, I was giving their blog a peep so I can pull up specific examples and my statement is instantly confirmed when I stumbled across their newest comic art of Kuroo and Bokuto and started laughing HAHA. 😂 Your self study sheets are incredibly informative and I find myself referencing them often, it’s so nice to see my favorite artists continue to polish their craft through endless amounts of studying, practice, and analysis. It serves as a constant reminder for myself to do the same. I love the way you draw people (check out this piece of Bokuto x Akaashi), but I ESPECIALLY love the way you draw animals. (Specifically anything that has to do with lil owl Bo and Akaashi 🥺)

@obobro - Avatar the Last Airbender, HQ!!, I am absolutely in love with the way you color and draw portraits. Your drawing and detailing has so much range; you have a series of hand drawings, and that alone already displays so SO much range. I was really drawn in by this drawing of Tsukki, Zuka + Azula, and of Sokka + Katara, you can really tell they were related and I love it so much. Your art has so much life to it, it’s truly fascinating. 

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I have a couple more artists to recommend, so if you’d like a part 2 to this, please lmk.

But yes, I genuinely stand by my recommendations, these guys are so SO good at what they do and I am currently sweating because the thought of tagging all my artist crushes in one post is actually kinda scary lol.

Hope this helps! ✌️ 

[loekas]

A ficlet of what I imagine was going through Thorin’s mind when he found Orcrist.

@thorinkingoferebor

The sword in his hands is the most offensive thing Thorin has ever laid eyes upon.

The alloy is exquisitely blended, breathtakingly tempered and seamlessly folded. The edge is honed to impossible sweetness, the hilt designed to provide the best conceivable grip no matter the shape of one’s hand, and all points of balance are pure perfection. It is, without a doubt, the most stunning, most magnificent blade he has ever seen, flawless in every conceivable way.

And it was made by Elves.

Feeling betrayed by its sheer perfection, Thorin returns the offensively gorgeous blade to its equally offensive scabbard with all the care this breathtaking work of art demands, and curses the Wizard for being right.

He, literally, cannot wish for a finer blade.

"Let's get out of this foul place," he calls to Dwalin, his friend standing near the entrance and keeping half an eye on those inside, half on those outside.

His words make Dwalin let out a great sigh of relief, before he grimaces with disgust as he’s forced to take a too deep breath of the nauseating stench drowning every inch of this place. Dwalin leaves quickly, not bothering to speak in his haste to get to fresh air. Thorin continues to take shallow breaths as he gives the cave a final inspection.

Most of his Company have already left after grabbing as much gold as can be brought along without slowing them down. Only Gloin, Nori and Bofur remain, having stayed behind to, in Gloin’s words, make a long term deposit. The three are in the process of burying the last of the gold. Because, unbelievably so, this hoard holds enough gold for there to be some left after a dozen Dwarves descended upon it.

Gloin, Nori and Bofur are visibly suffering from the vile stench of this place, expressions twisted with revulsion as they continue to fill the hole they’ve dug. Meanwhile, Tharkûn continues to admire the magnificent blade Thorin gave him, the breathtaking work of art as offensively flawless as Thorin’s own insulting beauty. The sight is made even worse by how Tharkûn seems to be wholly unbothered by the suffocating stench of this foul place.

Thorin gave the marvel of craftsmanship to the Wizard in part because the length means that Tharkûn is the only one aside from Dwalin who can use the gorgeous blade to the full potential it deserves to be wielded with, and in part because Tharkûn saved all their lives and deserves a greater reward than the others. Especially after the Wizard failed to take even a single piece of gold, something Thorin still has trouble wrapping his mind around. Even the Halfling has taken some. Incredibly little, yes, but he still took them.

Tharkûn has taken none.

Wizards. Thorin will never understand them.

The fact that he’s met no more than one, namely Tharkûn himself, doesn’t affect his opinion in the slightest.

"Bofur, Gloin, Nori, hurry up," Thorin orders while moving towards the entrance, more out of habit than necessity. The three are working as fast they can so as to leave this suffocating place behind.

The moment he’s away far enough from the cave’s horrifying stench, Thorin breathes in deeply, savoring the sweetness of clean air. After looking around and locating Oin, Ori, Dori and the Halfling, he makes his way to higher grounds so as to account for the others.

Aside from his sister-sons, who are in deep conversation with Balin, the others are cheerful and relaxed. All but Balin, Fili, Kili and the Halfling are fiddling with her newfound gold, delighted with what turned out to be a truly exceptional find. Yes, Thorin had expected to find some treasure, but he’d not expected an amount like this by far, and he’d definitely not expected to find not one but two priceless works of art.

Deciding to let them enjoy their treasure a little while longer, Thorin keeps half an ear on the chatter filling the air as he makes his towards Dwalin, standing nearby and keeping watch over his Company. Dwalin is idly caressing a pair of gold coins and appears to be wholly unbothered by his burns. An impressive achievement, given that his underclothes must be chafing with a vengeance.

There’s a small stream running next to him, suitable for Thorin’s purpose.

Kneeling next to the water, he dips the marvel of craftsmanship in the stream. Trolls might hoard all things shiny, but they make no effort to keep things clean after acquiring them.

Even though he knew it would happen, Thorin still has to take a moment to simply stare as the water washes away the worst of the grime and dirt.

It manages to make the already breathtaking work of art even more stunning.

Thorin starts cleaning the exquisite hilt with the gentle care it deserves.

Dwalin is giving the work of art an extremely offended look. One that grows more pained the longer he examines the marvel of craftsmanship.

"That, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," Dwalin declares as though it is the greatest of atrocities. Thorin feels a wry expression grow. He saw more beautiful things before Erebor was lost, but not when it comes to weapons. When it comes to weapons, this is by far the most gorgeous thing he has ever seen as well.

And it was made by Elves.

"It's even worse when felt," he returns sincerely. Dwalin scoffs with disbelief.

"I doubt that, I really do."

Thorin understands why Dwalin believes so, given his exceptional eye for weapons. This does not mean he agrees with his friend's assessment.

After he finishes getting the now radiant hilt as clean as it deserves to be, he holds it out towards Dwalin in part invitation, part challenge. Dwalin gives a suspicious look in return, but the temptation proves too great to resist, as Thorin knew it would be.

Dwalin puts his gold away and draws the magnificent blade. And immediately lets out an unintelligible noise that is equal parts awed admiration and pure agony. Thorin understands completely.

He starts cleaning the gorgeous scabbard, watching from the corner of his vision as Dwalin performs a few practice swings with a pained grimace. A grimace that grows deeper with every swing. Thorin himself feels a scowl grow a he hears the distinctive singing of the blade.

The edge is so fine it cuts air.

It takes an unbroken line of collaborating Master Smiths at least two lifetimes of constant crafting without room for even the slightest of errors to hone an edge so sweet. That’s without adding in all the other ways the work of art is so painfully flawless.

"Everything about this beauty is an insult to our kin," Dwalin declares after a few more swings.

"Agreed," Thorin concurs in an instant, meaning it from the bottom of his heart.

This marvel of perfection was made by Elves.

Unsurprisingly, Dwalin is incapable of not putting the breathtaking weapon through a routine. A routine that grows progressively more complex. Thorin, paying more conscious attention to his Company now that his friend is distracted, is planning to do the same after he finishes cleaning the gorgeous scabbard. He needs to familiarize himself with the blade’s absolute lack of resistance when swung.

He’s still cleaning the work of art when a flock of birds takes to the air, drawing both his and Dwalin’s attention. The bird’s flight causes the noise Thorin previously identified as distant animals roaming the forest to crystallize into the distinctive sound of snapping branches and earth being disturbed.

Something is coming. Fast.

Thorin spins towards the others while catching his Blade as Dwalin throws it back at him, racing to get himself between his Company and the nearing threat, Dwalin right at his heels with his warhammer at the ready.

"Something comes!" he warns while doing another headcount, ensuring that all are present. His warning causes all to draw their weapons and take up defensive positions.

Thorin absently notes that the Halfling is wielding a blade as well, small but of the same flawless make as his own and Tharkûn’s. Most of his focus is on locating the threat beyond a general direction, yet it’s moving too fast for him to succeed, far too fast–

Thorin swings his Blade on instinct as something burst through the foliage and blurs past him.

He misses. Partly because the Blade’s absolute lack of resistance throws off his aim a little, but the greatest cause is for his miss is that whatever large object he’s swung at has somehow managed to dodge his strike even at this close distance.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

Thorin blinks with confusion, not so much at the yelling as at the sight that meets his eyes when the blur halts and reveals itself to be... a sled? Pulled by rabbits, of all things?

He signals the others to hold their position, for there is but one Man on that sled, unarmed save for a wooden staff.

No, not a Man. Comparable in shape, but the similarities end after first glance. This being, with tangled brown hair and ragged clothes, and who wears an expression that speaks of an absence of the mind, holds a sense of Power that defies all rational explanation. A Power more felt than seen.

A Power Thorin knows but one other to have.

"Radagast," Tharkûn exclaims, not merely relieved but with a kind of warmth Thorin has never witnessed from him before. The Wizard sheathes his magnificent blade. "Radagast, the Brown."

Thorin grimaces, even as he sheathes his own work of art, causing the others to, if not put away, than to at least lower their weapons.

Another Wizard.

Thorin watches Tharkûn walk towards the Brown Wizard with a growing sense of dread.

The fact of the matter is that they encountered three Mountain Trolls. Not one, not two. Three. And all were intelligent.

The odds of that happening this far South are almost as low as those of his entire Company surviving the encounter unscathed.

Which means Thorin has to wonder. What, exactly, is going to happen now that there are two Wizards present?

The answer, is for Warg scouts to attack and for their remaining ponies to bolt, meaning they lose most of their provisions and are forced to attempt to outrun the following Orc pack on foot. Naturally, they fail. In no small part because the Brown Wizard, who possess all the attributes needed to be an amazing one, is the most incompetent decoy Thorin has ever had the misfortune of being forced to work with.

But perhaps the Brown Wizard is not incompetent. After all, even though they end up in another situation where by all rights at least one of his Company should have died, Tharkûn manages to save them all once more.

By forcing them to take refuge with Elves.

Wizards.

[ruffsficstuffplace]

And The AWRD Goes To... (Part 14)

“There are those who say you must simply accept what you are given and make the best of it, but we here at Atlas reject that notion,” one of the speakers at Atlas Primary Combat Academy had said—Diana couldn’t remember who, there had been so many of them. “When faced with adversity, with grim prospects, with danger that threatens our very existence, be it from without or from within,…

“We survive. We adapt. We rise.

“Because there are those who say we should all be content, being at the mercy of Fate and the Gods, but here at Atlas we leave nothing to chance, we leave behind outdated and ignorant ideas and beliefs, we leave behind the boundaries of what everyone else once thought was possible.

“Here at Atlas, we shape our destiny with our own hands.”

Diana supposed that they would have been so deeply disappointed in her for simply leaving Nick’s office like that, for not letting Blake have her turn before she marched straight back in, retracted her earlier agreement, and put forth a new, much more powerful and convincing argument, going back and forth with Nick for as long as she needed to till he conceded the leadership position to her.

But then again, she supposed they would have been even more deeply disappointed to learn that she had enrolled in Haven, not Atlas Academy.

Diana had made her decision, however, and she was just going to have to live with it—or more immediately, live with her new teammates, in their new dorm. She stood in front of the door, her scroll in one hand, and the power core in the other, staring at the well-worn and ancient wood, the bronze plaque with their room number.

“Hey there, Diana!” Amanda called out. “Lock yourself out of your room on your first night?”

Diana turned to her, her expression turning concerned as she saw Yang and Jaune with Amanda. The two ladies had suspect smiles on their faces, while trapped in-between with both his arms locked with his teammates, Jaune had the expression of a man being carried off to the firing squad, a rabid pack of Grimm waiting to tear him to pieces, or perhaps even disapproving in-laws.

“… No, no I did not, actually...” Diana replied. “I’m just… hesitant to enter.”

“Well, we’re off to go have some New Team Bonding down in the lower levels, and since Sucy’s not allowed out, you want to be our fourth instead?” Yang asked.

Jaune looked at her with the shocked but delighted face of a man who had just been hit with a small ray of hope in what was once pitch-black darkness.

As Diana looked at him and considered his predicament, Beatrix’s words came echoing in her head: “Sometimes, you will see someone in great and dire need, someone you will want to drop everything and rush to aid, but you must stop yourself, for they are beyond saving, and any attempt at rescue will only doom yourself along with them.”

“… I appreciate the offer, but no thank you,” Diana said.

You could almost hear the shattering sound of Jaune’s hopes getting crushed.

“Eh, suit yourself!” Amanda said. “Guess we’ll just find a fourth once we’re there anyway!”

Jaune looked at Diana as he was carried past her, the face of a man who did not blame you, but dearly wished you had acted anyway. Diana mouthed “I’m sorry,” before she swiped her scroll over the lock, stepped in through the door, and closed it behind her.

She stopped as she noticed Ruby and Akko sitting in the center of the still undecorated room, the latter holding the Shiny Rod in her hands and staring at it with such incredible intensity, as if she were trying to unearth its deepest, most guarded secrets...

“Umeboshi!” Akko cried. “It’s pickled plums, isn’t it?!”

Ruby shook her head. “Nope! Strawberries.”

Akko frowned. “Are you sure it’s not pickled plums?”

“Nope, definitely strawberries.”

Akko groaned as she laid the Shiny Rod across her lap, Ruby took out her scroll and started taking notes with her “quill” stylus.

“What in the world are you two doing…?” Diana asked.

“Oh, Diana, hi!” Akko said, waving and smiling. “Ruby here was just trying to teach me how to talk with the Shiny Rod, like she can!”

“It’s a really good way to both teach her the skill, improve my own understanding of it, and try to figure out the exact mechanics of its communication!” Ruby added as she wrote. “Well, in a very subjective, topical sort of way, but it’s better than nothing, and you don’t need to fully understand the mechanics of something to apply it.”

Diana nodded slowly. “And how’s progress…?”

“Terrible!” Ruby chirped. “The Shiny Rod seems to be incapable of the abstraction and symbolism involved in written and spoken language, and can’t comprehend words or even just single letters when we tried to go through the alphabet. Now we’re just testing for images, ideas, and emotions associated with certain objects, but it seems something’s lost in translation within the Shiny Rod, as it’s accurately replicating the signals and sensations it gave me but Akko is misinterpreting them, it’s heavily reliant on the mind and knowledge of its current wielder in its attempts to communicate, or some combination of one or more of those theories!

“I think this mistranslation happened because I was banking on strong emotional associations—strawberries are my absolute favourite—and it seems that it either brought up pickled plums for Akko because that’s her favourite food; its attempts at replicating the concept of small, reddish fruits frequently had for snacks here in Mistral was misinterpreted by Akko as pickled plums; it’s incapable of understand the concept of sweet vs salty and sour for its own lack of taste buds, or again, a combination of any of the above!

“It’s all really confusing, and hard to make sense of.”

“It’s okay to tune out when Ruby’s explaining so your head doesn’t hurt, by the way!” Akko said. “She doesn’t mind.”

Diana nodded again. “Thank you for the advice… I can’t help but notice you still seem to be in great spirits, however.”

Ruby chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I be? We’re potentially breaking new ground in weapons engineering here! Or is this more a subset of archaeology considering that the Shiny Rod is a pre-War artifact? Or is this both, as this could potentially be an artifact reforged or modified using modern day equipment and techniques, seeing as Shiny Chariot wasn’t exactly shy in using a LOT of tech for her shows, before she stopped performing?” she looked deep in thought, before she she started scribbling and writing in her scroll, the world around her clearly completely tuned out.

“It’s a real shame that she took that break from performing,” Akko said as she held up the Shiny Rod. “Maybe we could have asked her about it...”

Diana sighed softly, her expression falling. “Akko, I understand that your love for Shiny Chariot is probably beyond words, but for the sake of having a peaceful four years together as a team, I ask you to please keep the fawning and the adoration to a minimum, at least when I’m around,” she said as she headed to their shared closet, where Weiss’ luggage and Diana’s own bags were waiting.

Akko blinked. “You don’t like Shiny Chariot?” she asked, putting a hand on the floor as she turned look at Diana.

“No, no I do not!” Diana said as she slid open their closet, noted the unclaimed shelves and overall space. “Fair warning: keep pressing the subject at your own peril,” she said as she laid out one of her two suitcases, the “click-click” of the locks audible for how silent it had suddenly gotten.

Ruby put her scroll and quill down on the side. “Hey Akko, you want try talking to the Shiny Rod again?” she asked, oblivious. “I’ve got a new idea that might...” she trailed off as she watched Akko suddenly get up, walk over to the closet, and sit beside Diana.

Diana noticed her, slowly put her neatly folded clothes back in her suitcase, closed the lid, before she turned to her, her expression serious.

“Why don’t you like Shiny Chariot?” Akko asked.

“Many reasons, but chief among them is her irreverence, turning the sacred institution of Huntsmen into a gimmick for entertainment. About the only festivity that should be tolerated are the regional tournaments and the Vytal Festival, and aside from the fact that they’re only once or twice a year, they serve the purposes of fostering unity among the kingdom’s peoples, and driving huntsmen and huntresses to always better themselves and never rest on their laurels.

“In other words, they have a practical, useful purposes.”

(“Girls…?” Ruby asked weakly, watching them with a worried frown.)

“Oh, and making people happy isn’t something worth doing in your eyes?!” Akko cried as she threw her arms up into the air. “Grimm are literally attracted to despair and misery—Shiny Chariot was giving people hope and happiness, how is that a bad thing?!”

“It’s not! I would have enrolled in Atlas if I thought the arts and culture were mere frivolities, and the fact that I’m here in Haven arguing with you already proves my point! What I’m trying to say, is that there are things and acts you may commodify and make circuses out of all you like, but your being a huntress is not one of them!”

(“Girls!” Ruby called out, nervously clutching her cape. “Akko…? Diana…?”)

“Shiny Chariot was the reason I became a huntress, too!” Akko cried. “She’s why I enrolled in combat school, suffered through training and the curriculum no matter how hard it got or how much it sucked, why I fight as hard as I do and keep on going in spite of what happens!”

“Oh, and are you going to follow exactly in her footsteps, too?” Diana snapped. “Graduate, and instead of slaying Grimm and helping people out in there in the real world, you’re going to spend your days destroying mechanical constructs for the delight of people safely holed up in the major cities?!”

“Why was is it so wrong that she did what she did?!” Akko screeched, tearing up now.

“I could explain it to you, but seeing as you obviously will just be arguing with me until one or the both of us die, why don’t you ask the Shiny Rod? Did it EVER occur to you that the reason you’re holding it right now, why we found it deep inside that cave out in the Celestial Hills of all places might be related to why exactly she mysteriously dropped off the face of Remnant a decade ago?!”

Akko looked like she had been just been slapped across the face, her tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks.

Diana saw, and looked horrified, before she turned away, got up and made for the door in a hurry. “… I’m leaving now…” she muttered, barely audible.

Diana slammed the door on her way out for her rush; the sound echoed in the room for a few moments, no other noise but Akko’s sobbing.

Then, she turned to the Shiny Rod. “… Shiny Rod…?” she asked as she held it up. “Why were you in that cave, and why am I holding you instead of Chariot…? What happened a decade ago, before she stopped performing…?”

Nothing.

“Ruby…?” Akko asked. “Can you… can you ask the Shiny Rod for me…?”

Ruby hesitated. “Uh… I can try! But, uh… are you sure you really want to know…?”

Akko opened her mouth, closed it, before she sniffed, and looked down. “… I… I think…” she frowned, and shook her head. “No: I need to know.” She looked up at Ruby with a determined expression, thrust the Shiny Rod out to her. “Ruby, ask it for me.” She sniffed, still crying. “Please.”

Ruby hesitated for a moment, before she took it, held it in her hands as she closed her eyes. “Shiny Rod, why are you here with us right now?” she asked quietly. “Why did we find you in that cave? And what happened between you and Shiny Chariot so many years ago, why did she stop performing, and why did she disappear…?”

Akko waited, until the silence kept on dragging on, and her fidgeting grew worse and worse, until she could finally take no more. “Well?!” she asked frantically.

Ruby opened her eyes. “Two theories: one, the Shiny Rod is trying to communicate with me right now in a new, incredibly complex and unfamiliar way unlike all my earlier attempts at talking to it, because of how much more information it has to transmit to me. Or two, it’s giving me the silent treatment.”

“What kind of silent treatment?”

“The ‘You’re better off not asking ever again and just forgetting the question entirely’ sort of silent treatment, I think—kind of like when I asked Yang what an Inappropriate Steamboat was!”

Akko groaned.

“Want to go back to trying to figure out basic communication again…?” Ruby offered.

“No...” Akko muttered.

“Do you need a hug?”

“Yes.”

The Haven Library.

Diana’s mother, and indeed, Beatrix herself just couldn’t say enough good things about it, one of the largest, most extensive, and diverse collections of almost every piece of culture in Remnant, stretching from ancient times to the present day.  

Possibly even more than that, however, they loved the atmosphere: hard wood floors and walls, delicate carvings in the moulding and the bases of the columns, antique gas lamps providing a warm light that was perfect for reading and relaxing; luxurious rugs, antique wooden chairs with overstuffed cushions, lovingly woven fabrics providing hammocks or hanging perches; and of course, pieces of art on display everywhere, portraits and landscapes, sculptures, installations, relics, and what have you, modern or ancient, all of them protected by the expansive and extensive security system.

“There’s just something so comforting about being around so many old books and things, so lovingly taken care of, most of them still allowed to be touched and enjoyed by just about anyone,” Bernadette said.

Diana could have pulled out any number of those texts students were allowed access to; continued to catch up on the lessons she was missing; or even just wandered and gotten lost in the stacks, see where the winding and branching paths and stairs took her, as her mother loved to do.

But still, she just could not get the Shiny Rod out of her head.

Why did Shiny Chariot wield such an immense, great power mostly just for shows and entertaining people…? Why was its manifestation with Akko so different? Why was it so picky with its wielders, choosing her and Ruby alone? Why was it so violent and clear with its rejecting people it deemed unfit? Why be able to “talk” with just Ruby, and not Akko, even if the latter had possession of it the most? Why the vehemence that it not be taken to the Forge and examined properly? Why did Shiny Chariot lose it, and how did it find its way to that cave?

And most importantly of all: just what was it, why was it here, and why was it letting Akko and Ruby use it…?

Diana frowned, found the nearest information terminal—one of the few modern amenities allowed to “blemish” the ambiance—and started searching for the “Shiny Rod.” As she scrolled and scrolled, finding only news pieces about Shiny Chariot, declassified school records back when she was just Chariot du Nord, and not much else, she sighed, and started changed her search term:

“Ancient Weapons and Legends.”

It was unscientific, like Ruby had said, but it seemed Diana’s only real lead, too. And really, if myths and ancient texts alluding to direct dust infusion and ancient medical prostheses lead to her mother’s greatest work, it wasn’t entirely without merit.

She wasn’t surprised to see students at the appropriate section—many of the professors were infamous for insisting their students take advantage of Haven’s library, CCT research only for checking if the information was outdated or corrected. She was, however, surprised to find one of the professors there, several books and scrolls already stacked in her arms, the look on her face telling that she wasn’t particularly looking forward to reading them.

“Professor Ursula, may I help you with that?” Diana asked as she came over, already reaching out.

Ursula smiled. “Oh, that will be much appreciated, Cavendish, thank you!” she said as she unloaded off some of the lighter tomes. “May I ask if you’re here for school, or just pleasure?”

“Neither, actually,” Diana replied as she took them into her hands. “I’m here to see if I can’t find anything about the Shiny Rod.”

Ursula’s eyes widened, before she chuckled. “Ah, what a coincidence—that’s what I’m here for, too.”

“Would you mind if I join you in your research, then?” Diana asked as she gazed at the shelves and all the leather-bound books, paper scrolls, and the odd stone tablet.

“The offer is appreciated, but you really don’t need to,” Ursula replied cheerfully. “Dr. Schnee insists that I be as thorough as possible with any leads that may be even remotely connected to it, which makes me thankful the cafe here is open 24/7...” she muttered as she pulled out a new book, began to add it to her stack.

“Oh, but Professor Ursula, I insist,” Diana said as took it from her, took note of the title and the cover. “I feel like I won’t be able to get any sleep until I get at least some inkling of understanding about the Shiny Rod—perhaps even just what it’s really called, as I doubt that it’s true name...”

Professor Ursula chuckled. “Well, alright—I wouldn’t want to contribute to my student’s sleep deprivation; you’re already going to have quite a lot of that from all your reading assignments alone.”

“I’m well aware of, and prepared for that,” Diana replied.

They spent a while collecting more books and scrolls, until Professor Ursula thought that they’d had enough: two stacks of assorted texts that tested their respective upper body strengths.

“Still sure you want to help?” Ursula asked. “I won’t mind if you change your mind, and just help me bring all these books to a table.”

“I’m still sure, thank you for asking,” Diana said, feeling a bit of sweat begin form on her brow.

“Do you want to go call the rest of your team to help?” Ursula asked as they walked. “I’m sure Akko and Ruby would be interested.”

Diana frowned, hesitating for a moment before she replied, “No, no thank you; they’re busy with their own research with the Shiny Rod, actually. Ruby’s trying to teach Akko how to talk with it, you see.”

Ursula noticed. “I wish them luck in that endeavour, then.”

They walked and scanned the tables in silence for a few moments, before Diana broke it. “Professor Ursula, may I ask you a question about Shiny Chariot and the Shiny Rod?”

“Go on ahead,” Ursula replied as she slowed down.

“It’s just… I’ve been wondering, Akko managed to demonstrate the sheer extent of its power… why do you think Shiny Chariot used it mostly for shows, instead of keeping to the field, fighting Grimm? It seems the latter was a much better purpose for such a weapon, especially since it’s picky but not entirely exclusive with its wielders.”

Ursula got a thoughtful look. “I don’t know, Diana. Clearly there’s a lot we don’t know about the Shiny Rod… maybe its power was incredibly limited, it was more Akko’s power than it back in the Celestial Hills, or some other reason we can only guess at.

“Here’s to hoping our research turns something up!” she said as she finally found a suitably empty table, set all her books down.

Diana followed suit. “Here’s to hoping...” she muttered as she rubbed her arms, before they both got straight to work.

[terryblount]

Resident Evil 2 Review: Gruesomely Gorgeous

Ah, Resident Evil 2, the 1998 survival-horror classic adored by millions! And now the 2019 survival-horror classic-in-the-making adored by ever growing multitudes. Two games, both excellent, but how does this new RE2 compare? Thankfully, it retains the original survival-horror charm while also delivering a modern experience. Unfortunately, a bit too much outdated design causes it to occasionally stumble and fall like a clumsy zombie. Read on to discover the joys and bugbears of 2019’s RE2.

Atmospheric Horror-Delight

By far the most brilliant thing about RE2 is the stunningly immersive world built for you to slowly explore and unravel. There’s a palpable feeling of despair mixed with hyper-focus on graphical detail making every room, passageway, and crevice a wonder to discover.

The famous S.T.A.R.S. room. So much 1990s detail! Much pretty!

The moody vibes of the abandoned city and desperate plights of the few survivors meshes perfectly with a spectacular visual presentation. Get ready for one visual and aural treat after another.

Setting Up the Story

You begin on the dark, rainy city streets outside Raccoon City, a fictional US city with a disturbing history. By way of one ill-fated event after another, you go from surreal police station, to the sewers, and beyond. Thanks to the cutting-edge graphics engine and superb game direction, delving deeper and deeper into this twisted underworld is gruesome, gorgeous, and mesmerizing.

Never before has such an iconic and impressive survival horror world been crafted, and RE2 exudes character and personality from the very floors, halls, and walls of its macabre locations.

Just another pleasant stroll through zombie-infested sewers. It’ll be fine! (Run!)

As far as the actual story goes, it’s best you discover it for yourself. There’s zombies, an evil corporation, corrupt authorities, and experiments gone wrong. All the usual stuff.

The story is presented through excellent cutscenes with extremely detailed characters and facial animation combined with smooth motion capture and top-notch voice acting. There’s some standout performances here, but just know there’s only handful of story cutscenes. RE2 gives you just enough plot to make sense but not enough to sink your teeth into, just like the original 1998 game. That’s not a fault per-se; it’s just its style.

Bloody Zombie Survival-Horror

Besides the immaculate RE2 world, the enemy design is absolutely incredible. The attention to detail in each shambling zombie, ferocious dog, and other creature is best in class. Particularly impressive is the zombie dismemberment system that keeps you finding creative ways to eliminate, outmaneuver, and overcome the undead underlings found all across the environments.

This zombie’s just been hit by an acid round. He’ll be fine…feel the burn.

These ghastly and imposing enemies sometimes seem too much to contend with. At first, you often don’t have enough ammo and perhaps question how you can survive. After a while, you learn how to think quickly and overcome RE2. This empowering feeling of increasing mastery is just like how I felt when I played the original back in the day. Speaking of which, let me address this topic.

Disclaimer: RE2 is Special to Me

I should disclose that 1998’s RE2 was my first Resident Evil game. This was back when 3D graphics were young, and I adored this “realistic” PlayStation CD-ROM work of art.

I remember going over to a friend’s house and playing late at night, slowly inching forward through scary hallways on the edge of our seats. It was creepy, scary, and fascinating. I have wonderful memories of playing and replaying the game, finally unlocking the extra weapons and modes, feeling like such a pro.

Even to this day I consider RE2 one of my defining video game experiences. Just keep in mind that a new player to this remake might have that same “revelatory” experience I had in 1998, while I may be more critical of this remake than someone who doesn’t know the brilliance and joy of the original game. Back to the review!

Third-Person Puzzling Exploration

The heart of RE2 is a puzzle-like level design that sees you exploring, discovering, unlocking, backtracking, and going around in circles as you attempt to piece together the mysterious reason for all this horror. The game is quite cerebral in how you must pay very close attention to what items you need, where to use them, and how to make the most of your limited resources.

Fortunately the game provides a very helpful map, without which you’d probably go insane. The map does an excellent job of indicating which rooms are unexplored or still have items left in them.

You’ll be spending quite a lot of time deciphering the map. At least it’s a nice map.

At this point, a large warning should be issued: this is not a typical third-person shooter where you are pushed forward from one set piece to another. No, RE2 retains the sometimes obtuse 1998-style item and level design that seems to revel in hindering the player.

Each item has a specific and often unclear purpose much like an old point-and-click adventure game. For example, you might find yourself going to the lounge room to find a metal tin you must examine to find a film roll to develop in the dark room to reveal a puzzle about a lion statue that unlocks a key to a door to a secret room. Because obviously that’s what the metal tin is for! Duh!

At least the items all have wonderful detail! I love shiny medallions! I want to bite it hard!!

Some players will love this esoteric puzzling retained from the original game, but there will surely be times you’ll leave an essential item back in storage and find yourself out of ammo, isolated, and possibly very dead. Speaking of items and storage space…it’s time to discuss one of RE2’s more tiresome aspects.

Inventory Woes Like It’s 1998

For all the graphical and controls modernization in RE2, what’s confusingly archaic is the inventory and item design. For those of us who played the original PlayStation era Resident Evil games, we all remember the massive headache of organizing a far-too-small inventory with far-too-many items. Sadly, this headache is back in a lesser but still frustrating way.

Sorting through items is way more fun than actually playing the game! NOT!

Most bizarrely unforgivable is how RE2 does NOT bring forward all the excellent quality-of-life changes included in the last 14 years of RE games (over six titles). Faithfully recreating what people loved about RE2 makes sense, but purposefully taking us back to the bad-old-days of Resident Evil inventory design is not cool.

Irksome Item Issues: A Story

So what are these serious inventory issues? Let’s start with an easy one: you can’t use items directly from the pick-up screen. Think this is no big deal? Let me take you on a very scary true RE2 story that’ll have you weeping and gnashing your teeth by the end (or not).

Picture this: you’re one hit from death as you finally limp to a First Aid Spray (fully heals you). So glad to have finally found healing, you attempt to use the item immediately. Sorry, you can’t! Your inventory is full! You confusingly exclaim, “Um, I don’t need to put it in my inventory…just pick it up and use it!”

Being an imprisoned zombie is how it feels to engage in full inventory item management.

The game smiles and patronizingly says, “Nope, sorry, we didn’t build ‘Use’ into our interface…you’ll need an empty inventory slot, you pathetic player.” As the game mocks you, you attempt to find a solution. Every second gone by you can feel the dehumanizing horror of 1998 item management coming back to haunt you.

Suddenly a brilliant idea sparks your mind. You guardedly ask, “Ok…well, can I quickly drop another item to make room and then pick that item back up from the ground?” RE2 begins boisterous, unnerving laughter… “No, silly player! Feel free to drop an item but it’ll be PERMANENTLY deleted as punishment for your full-inventory sins!”

Now you’re livid. You shout furiously, “What about RE4, RE5, RE6, and Revelations 1 & 2?” [Deep breath…] You begin to speak in a low, quivering tone: “This idiotic conundrum was solved years ago in 2005 with a simple ‘Use’ prompt upon item-pickup! How do you not know that?! How, RE2?!”

You continue and defeatedly plead, “Heck, Resident Evil 0 Remaster from 2016 even let us drop items and would display them on our map to be picked up again later! It was the best feature ever introduced to Resident Evil!”

Claire is repulsed at RE2 removing all the inventory improvements from prior RE games.

But RE2 doesn’t respond. It merely smirks, knowing that you’re going to have to PERMANENTLY sacrifice one of your items just to immediately heal yourself…and then you’ll have to stare at that newly created EMPTY inventory slot because “this is old-skool survival-horror.” More like “this is real bad design.”

Item Woes Continued

Ok, maybe I went a little off the rails in the last few paragraphs. But seriously folks. RE2’s inventory system is obnoxious, and I’m not done yet describing the issues!

Did I mention you also can’t use items directly from the storage transfer screen? Then there’s times the game isn’t smart enough to automatically combine the same ammo types when using gunpowder. Just weird.

Another bizarre design choice is how the game forces you to manually discard items with no further use. Past games like the RE0 and RE1 remasters would do this for you because why waste the player’s time? It’s strange that RE2 is so polished overall but has these dumb, rough inventory edges.

This is engineer Claire. She loves trains. Let’s be happy and forgot our item woes!

Some players will defend these design choices saying all this is “part of the experience” and it “builds tension” and challenges you. Yeah, it builds artificial and nonsensical tension. Maybe you’ll disagree, but I feel all these issues do nothing but frustrate and slow-down the actual playing of the outstanding game.

All this dubious design needlessly complicates what should be simple player-to-game-world interactions. They damage immersion and anger players. RE2 would be a VASTLY better game if it included all the excellent inventory improvements the series has seen in the 20 years since 1998’s RE2! Enough said on that.

The Stylishness of RE2’s Story: Multiple Playthoughs

Exactly like the original RE2, this modern incarnation keeps the same story-framing style: multiple playthroughs. Most modern games try to fit everything in to one playthrough, perhaps having a New Game Plus mode just for fun. RE2 defies this approach and asks, nay, dares you to play over and over to unlock the full experience.

Let’s explain RE2’s campaigns real quickly. RE2 is broken into four main campaigns, each telling the story from a slightly different angle with modified items, enemies, locations, and puzzles. Upon first playing, you have the choice of two main campaigns: Leon or Claire. Leon’s campaign is what 80% of players have chosen to begin with, according to Capcom.

The game nicely tracks your various playthroughs, urging you to go faster next time!

Upon completing Leon’s campaign, the game abruptly ends and you unlock a “2nd Run” mode, which is a slightly shorter remixed version of Leon’s original campaign that must be completed to reveal the true ending.

However, most players will want to play Claire’s campaign after finishing Leon’s first campaign, in order to break up the Leon-monotony. Claire’s campaign features a large amount of unique content, including important characters and entire environments not found in either of Leon’s runs.

Getting confused yet? RE2 doesn’t do a great job of explaining these four campaigns, and the menu system isn’t so helpful either. It makes sense that some players will get confused as to the “proper” order to play everything. Basically, the most common pattern will be Leon, Claire, Leon 2nd Run, and then you can choose between Claire 2nd Run or Extra Mode 1.

Will you be able to unlock the secret “Tofu” mode? Do you even want to try?!

Speaking of Extra Modes, if you complete the campaigns fast enough, you unlock two semi-silly modes that each take about 10 to 15 minutes and are pure run-and-gun/survival modes. There’s no saving, and you either die or reach the end. Honestly, most players will attempt these modes a few times and quit in frustration because they’re not particularly well-balanced and rely on memorizing enemy locations and behaviors.

All told, it’ll take you somewhere between 13 to 20 hours to unlock the true ending, at which point what’s left is completing optional objectives, speedruns to get that coveted “S” rank, and Achievements if that’s your thing. So RE2 is definitely a premium title, giving you short but memorable gameplay as opposed to the larger, more expansive action/adventure/RPG/sim games.

I’m so proud of my “S” rank. Let’s celebrate, Resident Evil style! (Just don’t invite the Tyrant.)

Audio: Crisp Creaking and Much Moaning

On the aural front, RE2 deserves special praise for the atmospheric audio touches placed all over the locations. From creaking floorboards, flickering and shorting electrical panels, pouring water, shattered windows, and other horrific matters, this game builds a wondrous world for your ears. It all works extremely well, although the combat sound effects aren’t quite as good as the world sounds.

And the music is very forgettable…you can buy DLC (yuck) to unlock the original PlayStation soundtrack and effects, which some may enjoy for nostalgia reasons. Regardless, RE2’s music isn’t a highlight.

Technically Near-Perfect

On the technical side, RE2 is a dream. The load times are often just one or two seconds even on a non-solid-state drive install. Seriously, how does this game load so fast?! Overachieve much? Please also note I never once had a crash or glitch, and the game alt-tab’s like a champ. Basically RE2 is too legit to quit (working).

There’s only a few slightly odd graphical shimmering effects with the lighting engine, but that’s very minor. Occasionally the game will freeze for a split-second upon entering new areas or finding collectibles, but it’s not a huge deal.

For new players, who could this mysterious lady be? For fans of the series, look who it is!

The game also features a very robust graphical customization menu. It’s wonderful to see the robust configurability that the PC platform deserves. Being able to adjust the FOV, motion blur, depth of field, lens flares, and chromatic aberration is much appreciated. So kudos to Capcom for creating such a native PC experience!

Zombie Bullet Sponges & Damage Issues

Another contentious point is how unexpectedly tough zombies are. It’s clear RE2 is trying to be a “hardcore” survival game rather than an action game, but there’s something profoundly unsatisfying when you put six to nine bullets directly into the head of a zombie and it still gets up again.

As detailed as the zombies are, they’re heads don’t realistically deform when shot with bullets. They simply have blood textures applied instead of starting to cave in and lose parts. This is an unfortunate lack of detail. Also missing are blood pools around some dead zombies. Fans of the original game will lament this omission.

Especially galling is how occasionally you can pull out your shotgun and directly blast a zombie in the head an arm’s length away and sometimes still not kill it! In this shotgun case, you only can truly count on a one-hit-kill with a fully upgraded shotgun. This makes sense in “video game progression land” but it’s contrived and unsatisfying. Watch the GIF below in abject horror.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3NxgDeGa7iQEcWPK2Z/source.mp4

When a shotgun at point blank can’t explode a zombie’s head on Normal difficulty it brings to mind the meme: you had one job, shotgun, one job! Zombie’s head should go boom.

What’s also missing is the satisfying (but unrealistic) blood spurting when you decapitate a zombie with a powerful weapon. The original RE2 was so enjoyable in this way, and RE2’s “head split” animation is just not nearly as enjoyable as the original. Oh well…

Dinky Combat & No CQC

What makes the zombie bullet sponges even more unfortunate is the little sense of power and lethality of most combat engagements, which is perhaps intended to once again “heighten tension” but doesn’t feel very good to play. Your aim is inaccurate. Bullets hitting zombies can feel more like foam darts. Your knife slashes are imprecise and feel like you’re attempting to slather butter on the zombies rather than expertly slash and murder them.

Sometimes scripted sequences override player actions, which is a big sin. At one point several zombies were around me, and one  grabbed me. I used my equipped flashbang to stun it, but another zombie grabbed me a split-second before the flash detonated. Despite a flashbang going off right next to it, the zombie played its scripted grab animation and badly damaged me. These conflicts between player input and scripted results happen too often.

Another huge issue is the player has zero close-quarters-combat (CQC) skills. You would think you could at least have basic self-defense moves when your ammo is gone. Nope. You can’t kick, punch, push, or otherwise repel zombie attacks. You just stand like a fool as zombies lunge at you. They’ve artificially limited your ability to respond to threats, which makes the game a lot less fun to play.

Claire was never taught to KICK when a zombie chews your leg. Another poor education.

It’s just too jarring to have Leon and Claire, both fit and athletic young people, be unable to duck, weave, roll, dodge, and quickly outmaneuver zombies…unless it’s in a cutscene when suddenly they stop being movement morons. I personally hate when games have characters do things in cutscenes that are taken away from you when you actually play. Not cool.

So once again some of the combat improvements in the more modern games have been stripped out…an unfortunate design decision perhaps done because Capcom was too afraid to deliver “an action feel” after the utter disaster that was RE6.

Some Kind of Tyrant

I’m not going to say much, but during the game you’ll encounter this one guy who follows you around and tries to kill you. You might enjoy these segments. More likely, you’ll find them a bit annoying by the end. I personally found these segments to be fairly brief, so I’m not knocking or praising the game in this regard.

This guy is not the Tyrant, but this guy is also disturbingly scary. He needs serious therapy.

Keyboard and Mouse Issues

If you’re using a controller, you can move very slowly by barely pushing the analog stick (like nearly every third-person game). Sadly Capcom forgot to include a keyboard binding for this “slow walk” style, so if you’re playing with keyboard and mouse you’ll be unable to avoid detection in certain important areas. All it would take is a menu option to press down “Ctrl” or whatnot to get your creep on and safely avoid serious consequences. Needed more PC testing.

DLC Costumes, Unlockables, & Promised Content

On the very negative side, one thing they haven’t kept from the old days is quality unlockable costumes. Rather, they’ve opted to modernize things with unacceptable DLC outfits. You only unlock the original 1998 outfits by playing. The interesting outfits…you need to pay for them. I will never condone this practice in a full-price release.

No! Charging for what used to be free unlockable costumes is NOT cool! A terrible practice.

Also sad is how much more annoying it is to unlock the good infinite ammo weapons in this modern RE2. It’s just silly to lock the best stuff behind modes about maybe 2% of your players will finish.

On a brighter side, Capcom has promised three mini-stories to be released for free in the future. They’ll probably be very short, but free post-release content is nice.

Other Minor Annoyances

There’s a 20 save-game limit for some silly reason. This means you won’t be able to keep all your save games from the four different campaigns (eight counting the Hardcore modes), which makes hunting down missed Achievements or unlockables a bit more tedious. I don’t see why the game couldn’t keep separate save “folders” for each playthrough…this isn’t 1998.

Here you play as a little girl. It was the most terrifying part for me. Play it to find out why.

While you can skip all the major cutscenes (thankfully), for some bizarre reason you cannot skip other short cutscenes such as certain item placements and death scenes. When you’re playing the game for the fourth time you really don’t need to sit through a 10 second sequence seeing yourself torn to shreds…just let me load my game already.

It’s also too bad that RE2 lacks a photo mode since this would be a perfect fit for a game as visually attractive as this one! Oh well.

Overlooking Faults: Yes or No?

In reading the overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews and mostly glowing critic reviews, I think it’s fair to say most players are choosing to overlook the larger issues of RE2 perhaps out of nostalgia or relief that Capcom mostly delivered. These issues chiefly are the less-than-stellar combat, lack of CQC, muddy maneuverability, and the tedious item management.

Another gorgeous, breath-taking scene. Amazing what 20 years of technology can do.

As a critic I can’t just overlook any issues, even if I also love RE2. Therefore, what we have here is a faithful and gorgeous remake that retains the original’s mood but lacks the fluid and intelligent modern gameplay it truly deserves.

If you can overlook the faults, RE2 is as perfect a recreation of the 1998 survival-horror experience as you’ll ever get. I still love the original RE2 and the remake brings back all that I love, even if it also drags in a bit too much less-lovely archaic design.

Perfect atmosphere & mood

Optimized & efficient engine

Gorgeously detailed world

Balanced survival-horror

Super-fast loading times

Immersive locational audio

Extremely faithful remake

Free content updates

Inventory annoyances!

Lack of any CQC defense

Some flimsy/quirky combat

Bullet-sponge zombies

Some obtuse item puzzles

Semi-short campaigns

Pointless 20-save limit

Good costumes are all DLC

Playtime: 26 hours total. Nick completed Leon’s “scenic” playthrough in 7 hours. Next was Claire’s in 4 hours. Leon’s 2nd Run took 3 hours, and Claire’s 2nd Run came in at a quick 2.5 hours. Nick proceeded to unlock Achievements and collectibles for a good while more. He’s looking forward to maybe attempting Hardcore mode someday…maybe.

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using an Intel i7-3930k CPU, 32GB of memory, and a nVidia GTX 980 Ti graphics card.

Also read the Resident Evil 2 PC Performance Analysis.

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