#(or the time to play if i'm being honest since I'm very backlogged with games and have a limited amount of game time to play anyways)

[starlit-roses-ships]

before i change my theme to suit my current f/o fixation i suppose now is a good a time to mention that asta.rion from bg3 is an f/o now lol 😅

[light-wolf]

Ok, time for some of my Nintendo Direct thoughts! I'll go in announcement order:

Mario & Luigi: Brothership: Well, this came out of nowhere! After the closure of AlphaDream, I assumed the M&L series was dead, at least for the time being, so this was a really cool surprise. Mario RPG fans are eating good lately. Game looks really fun and charming and I'm looking forward to it!

Fantasian Neo Dimension: I'm not super familiar with this game but I've heard cool things about it so it's nice seeing it on Switch. I have soooooo many JRPGs in my backlog already though...

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD: This one was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. Not that I don't like seeing a great game get an upgraded version available on a modern console, but man... it's been 10 years since the last original DK game, and all we can get is yet another remake? This is one of Nintendo's biggest and most iconic franchises and it feels like all they do with it these days is using it as Mario spin-off fodder. It's just sad. Oh well. Great game, though, highly recommended.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake: I haven't played much DQ outside of DQV (which is one of my favorite RPGs of all time) but this one is said to be a classic and I like the HD-2D look so it's definitely on my radar. Nice to see the first two games get remade as well. But I can't help but feel that what I really want is a DQV remake in this style. xD

NSO stuff: Great to see Four Swords live again in some form! Also ZERO MISSION FINALLY!! I've been wanting to replay that one lately. I'm not really interested in Turok or Perfect Dark but I guess it's a good thing that the West also has an "adult" version of the N64 app now, as that opens the door to more games.

Super Mario Party Jamboree: I've never been much of a Mario Party fan, but this one looks quite fun! At least it seems more interesting to me than the other Switch ones. I probably won't get it since I'm more of a solo gamer but I'll keep an eye on it.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: HOLY SHIT!!! YES! YES! YES! Oh man, I'm soooo glad that this game exists! I LOVE 2D Zelda and I've been wanting a playable Zelda for so long. Also the gameplay looks so creative and fun! Not a huuuuge fan of it reusing the "toy" art style of the Link's Awakening remake (even though I loved it in that context) but I feel like this game has enough differentiating stuff to have its own identity, so I'm fine with it. Absolutely love this. Probably my favorite thing about the Direct, and it's releasing quite soon too! Can't wait!

Stray: Not a lot to say about this other than it's a game I really wanted to play back when it first released but I didn't have access to it. So it's great to have it on Switch! If the port doesn't suck I'll probably get it at some point.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection: YESSSS!! These two are the only AA games I haven't played yet, and while I've considered emulating them for years, this is even better! Also great to see the second game get an official localization. So all around a great thing. AA7 when, Capcom? :P

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: Oh man, what can I say? It's real. Seven years after being announced with just a logo, we finally got a real first look at it. A very short first look that didn't really show much, but a first look nonetheless. It was a bit disappointing seeing it get a 2025 release date, but oh well. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being a cross-gen release. We'll see. Can't wait to see more, and find out what's the deal with Sylux.

Overall I'd say it was a pretty good Direct! Nintendo is still giving the Switch a lot of love during its final years and that's great to see. Now, to keep working on that backlog...

[kraefishh]

nintento direct thoughts

yeah so hi i deliberately stayed up until 7am on a work night in order to watch this and do not regret a thing.

-> splat3 dlc looks cool!! will i play it? no. does it look cool as hell? yeah!!! I personally don't like splat3's actual single player campaign so unless im able to access the dlc without finishing the main campaign then... im not playing it lmao. it looks cool as fuck though!! i like whatever the hell they had going on with the glitchy taz hunger looking goop that produced skeleton fish. pearl + marina lore is also a win in my book -> i dont actually have all that many thoughts about the smrpg showcase but MAN it looks cool as hell. at first i didnt like the revamped graphics but now theyre growing on me.... plus the trio attacks??? HELL YEA! i hope the remake will make me actually finish the game this time around instead of start it twice in the past three years and then quit within the first few areas (<- i say as if this isnt a normal problem i have regardless. thanks, its the adhd)

-> SaGa Emerald Beyond actually looks interesting?? like I know nothing about that game series but the character designs look very cool and i like the concept of a multiple outcome story based entirely on which character you play. do i think i'd actually play this game? no, probably not. looks cool tho

-> despite me being The pokemon nerd i have nothing to say about the new detective pikachu game. i dont like the voice they gave pikachu imo. i think thats just cause im spoiled on movie detective pikachu being ryan reynolds... i joke i kid. kinda. also i never like. actually played any detective pikachu games so i got nothing

-> WAS NOT EXPECTING A TROMBONE CHAMP PORT, TO BE QUITE HONEST

-> cool that were getting a new wario-ware!! not sure how i feel about like the.... forms? is that what theyre called?? w/e regardless im not sure how i feel about em. but its a wario-ware game so its bound to be weird but like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-> FUNKY KONG DIDDY KONG PAULINE RELEASE FOR MARIO KART WAS NOT ON MY LIST. SO SO HAPPY THOUGH. peachette is whatever. no idea where she came from

-> gotta say i completely forgot among us was on switch so seeing the crewmates i was like "are they making a fucking spin-off game for switch?" no. i just forgot. the fungle is a funny name though i appreciate it

AND THEN

THE LAST THING I WAS EXPECTING

A PAPER MARIO THOUSAND YEAR DOOR REMASTER.

I was laying there in bed at 7:40am and was like. oh cool one last thing before its over. its probably gonna be just another title release of something or a sneak peek on some dlc.

and then i hear the music.

THAT NOSTALGIC MUSIC THAT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE IM SEVEN YEARS OLD AGAIN

-> yeah anyway so i screamed "WHAT!?" at the (metaphorical) top of my lungs (because it was 7:40am and people were sleeping). ttyd getting a remaster is so so cool. and now that i know its possibly getting a re translation that makes me even more happy. give us trans vivian....... i also just think its very funny that ive been playing ttyd on twitch for the past. year now? (ive taken a shit ton of breaks) and theyre making a remaster?? now? not complaining im having a blast playing it with my cohost but HHADGHGAKDFJ

-> i'm mostly just excited for the remaster cause it'll hopefully bring traction back to the paper mario series. idk about like the general consensus of the fandom but like. the paper mario series has been needing a pick me up for a HOT MINUTE.

-> no i am not going to play the remaster of ttyd for stream. maybe on my own time. we'll see. i dont see the point of finishing the og only to then, like a year later, play the remaster. especially when i have a TON of games backlogged on my list since i only stream once a week. more often than not, not even that. i am planning on doing rpg tho

[ketamie]

What are the furry things you’re into like idk the games or something or is it comics. I want to see what this is all about

i don't know where to even start i got into the furry thing when i was literally like 12 so there's a lot of backlog for me. i used to interface with the "fandom" via comics mostly at the time. though which i don't remember plus they're probably awful. & redacted. the first thing i've read that sticks out is grant by captaingerbear LMAOOOO i don't consider the thing particularly pornographic plus it's almost entry level furry-wise not that it really matters (the distinction isn't all that interesting imo). i've heard there's a wealth of some genuinely interesting gay furry comics (not grant) that i've just never gotten to. the internship by jackaloo comes to mind as something that's praised but i read it and did not care soooo. if you're more interested in pornography just dm me and i can point you in several directions im just not doing it here because look at me i'm completely normal.

nowadays what i like most about the fandom is the visual novels anyway like. what got the poison to start spreading for me was playing morenatsu back in 2014 which is like one of the progenitors of the gay furry dating simulator genre it's definitely not the first of its kind but i literally see its icy paw still clawing into modern gay furry visual novels. i'm not saying it's "good" but it's literally the template. there's a lot of things considered abhorrent about it that i've seen people try to fix in a certain fan-made remake but it'll never be the original morenatsu. for better or for worse. also the game was never finished but it did enough damage already

since then i've played. let me see. extracurricular activities, minotaur hotel, nekojishi, password, pervader, the human heart, distant travels, after class, house of beef, echo, the smoke room, adastra, arches, khemia. i've touched interea, badtime stories, morenatsu revisited, willy bear beach, lagoon lounge. i could be forgetting a couple. there's also a lot more i never bothered with. almost none of these are finished so far with the exception of echo, adastra and nekojishi to my knowledge because the entire "market" exploded maybe half a decade ago and people are still printing these out on the renpy engine on a very slow update schedule considering most of them are passion projects for broken gay men

if you'd ask me what seperates them from other gay media i think it's the only thing the fujoshis and "allies" havent infiltrated yet considering that being a gay furry requires like deep layers of investment i think. like it's very clear these things are written by gay men for other gay men and even though the quality is often atrocious i think it's so often beautifully camp that it doesn't matter. i always cite extracurricular activities as one my favorite pieces of camp media ever made. morenatsu has that feeling of insane longing embedded in its fabric even though i seriously doubt it was intentional. i could also just be projecting though. but yeah it's an insular community and that adds to its unique charm

if you'd ask me what i'd recommend... morenatsu but watch out (there's really heinous elements to it). echo 1000000% as honest to god some of the most amazing fiction that i've ever read but a lot of its text is dedicated to subverting already established tropes that you'll only fully appreciate if you read it as your n-th gay furry visual novel. but despite that it doesn't matter. adastra as a really well written gay romance. i thought password was interesting and it's something you can sink your teeth into. minotaur hotel.... it's alright. most of these are published on itch io as free games so you're very much free to pick and choose what you think you'd like. it's not that deep at the end of the day. if you want to hear a more detailed opinion on what i think is good or bad literally just dm me i'll talk your ear off like i've done to several mutuals in the past

and if you want to get a better grasp on what being a furry entails in general i might not be the best person to ask even though i'm literally obsessed with the visual novels i'm very much not all that knowledgeable about much else that goes on i was never a furaffinity baby i don't really know the artists the important pieces of work or whatever that means... i simply read.

[teecupangel]

Anon from last night:

Nah, I was not the anon who asked about a kink with Basim*.

I would send in a fic prompt about top!Desmond and bottom!Ezio but I have no actual ideas atm, it’s just a concept in my brain, but if I think of something I’ll send it.

If I could send a gif to convey how I felt about your smutty!headcanons it would be a gif of the end of the Actual Cannibal Shia Labeouf Music video, when Shia give the one person standing ovation. *chefs kiss*. (I forgot to mention that altdes is also my ac otp last night). Everything that you put down I picked it up and was like ‘yes yes good’ and put it in my pocket like a shiny rock.

*ok, so like, to be honest (and adhd over shared mood activated), I haven’t played very many ac games. I’ve only completed ac1, and I played half of ac4 and then watched my brother beat it. I have watched other people play bits and pieces of other games, but I honestly know nothing about the newer games. That being said, I did in fact read your Desmond #destroys Basim fic and it was very very good, #goodsoup (why am I in an old memes mood today oof). I really liked how you did the whole Desmond (clone? Half?) and his Ancestors thing that was really good, and kinky and nice.

Mmm, one more thing before I go! Thanks for letting me know about the whole won’t post an ask if you ask thing, it’s really good to know! (I don’t….. need that for this ask, unless you just don’t feel like answering it🤣🤣🤣🤣).

Take your time with your prompt, nonny :)

Hahahaha, I'm glad you enjoy my headcanons. I had fun writing them.

Yeah, I can understand why some people don't play all the AC games. Honestly, AC wiki is a good site for summary (and TVTropes too).

Since we're sharing our AC games experience (long rant ahead), the first time I played Assassin's Creed was at my best friend's place and she just gave me the controller and told me to whack people with a broom as Ezio while... I think we were waiting for her printer to finish printing our report or something? I don't remember anymore, all I remember was my main idea of Assassin's Creed before was that I can whack guards with a broom that sounds like a freaking hammer. We were in college then and I was a pure 'JRPG' purist back then so I was really confused by what this game was supposed to be. I know it was related to Prince of Persia in some way and the only reason why I know about Prince of Persia back then was because I watched my brother play all the games on the PS2. How times have changed, hahaha. Anyway, it would be a couple of years before I even actually play AC1 and AC2, then half of AC Brotherhood before dropping it, only coming back like maybe 3 years ago to play the entirety of Syndicate and its DLCs because my childhood friend suggested I would love the Victorian-era setting (I did) and I've been buying AC games either 2nd hand or when it goes super cheap in PSN as they've been part of my backlog since my best friend was a huge fan (she stopped playing after AC3 though XD) so I have all of them just gathering (digital) dust. The truth is, I finished AC Brotherhood to Valhalla only like... last year. From September last year to January this year, in fact. While it's never too late to play the other games, I'm not going to tell you to play them if you don't have the time or if there are any games that you want to play more. I do believe that if you can't play a game, watching let's play (with or without commentary) is an okay alternative and sometimes you can let it play while maybe grinding on the game you're currently playing. (just, FYI, all of the AC games except AC1 are available for free if you are subscribed to PS+... I think the 2nd tier at least? Ezio's Trilogy to Valhalla is free in PS+ as far as I know.)

Anyway, back to the Basim fic. Thank you! I really enjoyed writing about Desmond (considering the narration calls the ancestors 'shades', I think it's okay to call him Desmond's shade as well) and his questionable relationship with the other shades.

No problem! And I like answering asks so, yeah, I'm posting this hahahaha

[retphienix]

Okay okay okay, so here's the short of it.

I own a very large bundle of games and haven't explored much of it at all. It's where I played NitW from for instance but that's "roughly" all I've explored.

I went browsing it with the intent of just 'starting' a ton of games and making a short post on em all for fun until I found the motivation to start a serious game for the blog- still plan to do that!- but I IMMEDIATELY had to stop for this one!

UNDERHERO IS SICK!?!?!

I have NEVER heard of this one!

(Now I intended to post a song from the game here as BGM to the post and an example of what's going on in the game but I realized I don't own the OST and can't post a video since I'm using a video in this post already so just check out a random song like Ghost Party which I found by looking at their bandcamp, it's nice stuff)

It's got a fun bit of humor going for it that was willing to be more "This isn't rated E" than I expected lol. That's on me, I really haven't been playing a lot of indie games beyond ridiculously large ones people shout at me to try (which often clearly and immediately say "This game is violent" "This game is 100% cheery" or what not) but yeah, there's some blood from a murder that I did in the intro cutscene.

But yeah it's got this charming humor to it, spent the bulk of my first hour just talking with people and enjoying the little bits here and there.

You're some minion for a big bad in a world where big bads rise and fall to new heroes every other week- it's normal and expected and kinda just the run of the mill of things.

But you kill a hero and their mythical talking weapon says it's your job to do the dead hero's work now and you're more or less just a push over who does what you're told so you're down (kinda, the promise of money helps).

Our boss is fun.

And he sends us out to return the hero's gems (and kills our witness). I'm lead to believe he's setting things up so a new hero can come, I mean he releases the princess too? It feels like some "The world runs like this, and I'm part of the clockwork around here!" deals which is fun in its own way (especially since he seems wild enough for this to be some eccentric plan?).

BUT WHO CARES ABOUT ANY OF THAT (I jest)

But seriously, there's more to the game than some charm- and if that was all the game had I probably wouldn't be talking about it because the beginning wasn't like 900% geared to my interests charm, it was just 'good charm'.

WHAT HAS ME INTERESTED IS THIS GAMEPLAY HOLY HECK!!!!

It's a hybrid of a lot of neat ideas and feels so GOOD!

Strangely, despite being so different, it scratches my paper mario itch most of all.

It somehow 'feels' like I'm playing that old timed hit gameplay, but with enough new and unique combinations of mechanics on top that it also doesn't feel remotely boring or samey as that?

Like, it feels entirely different, yet it scratches THAT itch in particular.

I mean look at this level up and tell me that doesn't scream Paper Mario lol.

To quickly run down some of the ideas going on in combat (this far in at least):

The game page describes it as a turn based RPG without the turns and they are right about that.

Instead you have stamina and dodging enemy attacks speeds up your stamina regen.

On top of that you can block and parry instead of dodging, there is bribery to skip fights, there's talking to enemies to get tips, it's neat from the word go to be honest.

So I spent an hour in Underhero, which is about how long I planned on playing each of the games in this 'rampage of my backlog' but uh.

I think we're one game in and we found a winner?

Like I think I might just play this through to completion as my next game lol.

It's REALLY good.

I've only just gotten to the first dungeon and saved the game and I'm already thinking of just cutting this expedition through my backlog short with a surprise home run.

Regardless of what *I* do, I say give Underhero a look. This game is SICK. It's 15 bucks on itch.io and isn't too hard to find.

I think it's pretty safe to say we'll be seeing more of this on the blog. Instead of making my next game be something predictable like the next Yakuza or a DQ game, maybe I'll toss this indie game I'd never heard of to the top of the list :P