#I haven’t heard all the music from 3d Sonic but I’m getting there One Game at a time

[octoooo]

Yall, Sonic music is so !!!

AAARUGJCHHH *combusts*

Like its REALLY intense and GREAT for a cartoon hedgehog and I LOVE it

This could apply to just about any Sonic song but I’m talking about the Sonic Heroes theme in particular.

[blazehedgehog]

What Sega Saturn games would you recommend?

Actual Classics

The Panzer Dragoon Trilogy. I think I mentioned this in my Panzer Dragoon review for TSSZ, but these were like... the original Team ICO games, in a way. Not literally, of course, but I get a very similar vibe from these games as I do, say, Shadow of the Colossus or whatever. Ancient, quiet worlds, completely unlike anything you get from typical medieval fantasy content. The first game is a bit simple, but things do pick up in Zwei and Saga.

Powerslave. This is apparently a white whale for Nightdive right now, as far as their efforts to revive classic FPSes go. The story of Powerslave is a really weird one. Depending on whether you play on Saturn, PC, or Playstation, you get a completely different game. As far as I'm aware, the bulk of people agree the Saturn is the best version, but it's definitely not unanimous.

Most Sega Arcade Ports. I say "most" because you should probably stay away from launch software (Daytona USA, Virtua Fighter 1, etc.) but there are a lot of stellar, almost-arcade-perfect ports out there like Sega Rally Championship, Fighting Vipers, Decathlete, Die Hard Arcade, and so on. Virtua Fighter 2 on Saturn apparently manages the rare thing of being better than the arcade version, with higher resolution output and smoother framerates. I wouldn't classify Daytona USA C.C.E. as a very accurate version of Daytona still, but it has tons of bonus content to make up for that fact, and that content has never appeared in any other release of Daytona.

Fighters Megamix. Not really Sega's answer to the Capcom vs. series, but close enough. All of AM2's fighters come together to battle it out and it's just a good time. Absolutely nothing in terms of story, but there's a surprising amount of single player content regardless. More than most fighting games, I'd argue.

NiGHTS and Christmas NiGHTS. Don't feel bad if you don't connect with these games, as they aren't for everyone, but if you do connect with them? They're incredible.

Mega Man 8. I know this was on Playstation, but the Saturn version is subtly different in a lot of ways, making it a little tougher. It also has exclusive bonus fights against Cutman and Woodman.

Curiosities

Mr. Bones. I don't think anyone would call this a "good" game, but it is a weird, wonderful game -- more of a minigame collection, with a bizarre storyline and lots of rhythm and blues music. Everyone deserves to experience Mr. Bones at least once in their life.

Bug!, Clockwork Knight, and Astal. Rumor has it these were three different experiments by Sega to find a replacement mascot to supplant Sonic. All of them failed for different reasons. The most interesting of the three is definitely Astal, in my opinion. Clockwork Knight kind of got Sonic & Knuckles'd, so even though there are two Clockwork Knight games, they're more like two halves of one larger project. And Bug... the second game plays better than the first but the second game also has some dated racist middle eastern stuff in it that's not great.

Resident Evil. You can probably skip this, but it's interesting insofar as Capcom had to remake a lot of the 3D models for this game because the PS1 assets were totally incompatible with the Saturn. So all the characters and monsters look subtly different. Gameplay is nearly identical, though there are a few small changes, and an extra "Battle" mode.

Legend of Oasis. Sequel to "Beyond Oasis" on the Genesis. Kind of Sega's "Zelda." I own a disc of this game and I've never been able to reach the third dungeon because the puzzles seemed kind of obtuse. But I also haven't played it in 15+ years.

Shining the Holy Ark. I'm putting this here instead of the "classics" section because I've also never beat it. It's a pure dungeon crawler RPG, with grid-based movement and everything. Hard to play very far when your Saturn can't save data because the battery is dead.

Keio Flying Squadron 2. The original Keio was a Sega CD shmup, but this is more of a 2D platformer/action game. It's got that weird, Japanese sense of humor. Pretty nice sprites.

Sonic R. It's just interesting to see how slightly different this version of the game is compared to the PC version.

Shinobi Legions. This has been a mainstay at GDQ for a couple years now where they do a run during Awful Block. By all accounts it doesn't seem like a great game, but it does have a lot of sentai-esque live action FMV.

Super Tempo. Tempo on the 32X kind of reminded me of "Japan's Earthworm Jim." This sequel doubles down on lavish animation and absurd humor, which... kind of makes it unplayable! But dang, it looks good.

Games I've Never Played But Hear Are Good

Burning Rangers. I keep meaning to tackle this and just haven't. Thought about maybe doing it on stream one day, some day. Apparently a progenitor to the camera problems people had with Sonic Adventure.

Grandia. By all accounts it sounds like the Saturn version of Grandia is still the best, most complete version of the game... but it also never got localized in to English, so it's sort of lost to the ages.

The Mansion of Hidden Souls. Apparently half FMV game, half point and click. Was on Sega CD, too. I never paid any attention to it until recently when RetroPals seemed to sound positive about it after streaming both versions of the game.

Three Dirty Dwarves. From the developers of Ecco the Dolphin comes... a bizarre beat'em'up about rude medieval dwarves with attitude getting warped to the 1990's and having to fight monsters in an urban sprawl. Sega pushed it a lot back in the day and then the game fell off the face of the planet, but people have been rediscovering it lately and it doesn't sound like the worst thing ever made.

Shining Force III. I've heard good things about this game, but Shining Force games are turn based strategy and that's not my bag. Also, only episode 1 ever got localized in to English (and apparently the voice acting is stunningly cheesy). There might be fan-patches for Episodes 2 and 3, however.

Dragon Force. This was an early Saturn game that got propped up as a killer app for a while. Also a strategy RPG.

Guardian Heroes & Radiant Silvergun. These are classic Treasure games. I'm not a fan of shmups, so I never touched Radiant Silvergun. I think I own Guardian Heroes on XBLA, I just haven't ever booted it up.

Dark Savior. This is apparently a sequel to Landstalker and by all accounts seems to be a game people liked, but I've never ever investigated it even a little bit.

[natsubeatsrock]

10 Things I Enjoyed in 2020 that Aren’t Fairy Tail

Well... it’s almost over? With all the crazy stuff that’s happened this year, it’s hard to remember that there were some good things to come from this year. So instead of 7, here’s 10 things I enjoyed throughout this year.

#10. Sonic the Hedgehog

Not unlike many people, this would be the last film that came out this year I would see in theaters before everything shut down earlier this year. While I have gone out to watch movies throughout this year since, this happens to be the only movie I’ve been looking forward to that came out this year. Since the release of Detective Pikachu last year, the fraught history of video game movies has started to look a lot better. For all intents and purposes, I think this film is better than that one, and I’m a much bigger fan of Pokemon than Sonic. If certain spoilers are a sign of anything, a future sequel will be interesting to see and greatly anticipated.

#9. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

One of the blessings-in-disguise of being locked down with extra money is the ability to get and enjoy things you haven’t gotten the opportunity to before. In my case, I was able to play through some of the Pokemon games I’ve been waiting to play through. My favorite of the bunch has been the second installment of the Pokemon Ranger series. The Ranger games have been greatly underrated and overlooked by fans. I was reintroduced to the original last Christmas and believe it to be a solid game, but this easily blows it out of the water. While this year also marked the sad end of the 3DS cycle, I’m glad that this game came my way.

#8. 42

With the unfortunate passing of its lead actor, Chadwick Boseman, and the racial tensions which came to a head after the death of George Floyd, it makes sense theaters would reopen with this movie. Jackie Robinson’s story is one that’s interested me as the talks of integration and racism have gone on this year. He became the first African American MLB player because of both his talent on the field and his character off it. He wasn’t just skilled in stealing bases. He didn’t allow the anger he rightly felt towards racism control him.

#7. Bakuman

The famed writer and artist duo behind Death Note teamed up to deliver another smash hit manga for Weekly Shonen Jump. This time, about... a writer and artist duo who team up to make a name for themselves by delivering a smash hit manga to Weekly Shonen Jump. As I read Bakuman, I was struck with the genius of its construction. It’s one thing to read the information about Shueisha and WSJ this series shares in a book. It’s another for that information to be shared within the confines that the series itself describes. Special shout-outs go to Ayakashi Triangle and Phantom Seer which started in WSJ this year.

#6. Power Girl: Power Trip

Oh? Were you perhaps expecting to see some other female character owned by Detective Comics Comics who graced the silver screen take this spot? Well, maybe next year, depending on how things go. I love my comic book heroes with healthy doses of snark and existential crisis. While I might have gone in expecting the former, I wasn’t expecting the latter as much. If you know about Power Girl, you may know about her famous “boob window“, which is in lieu of a real symbol. It turns out that she was originally thought to be Superman’s cousin, but has recently been proven to be otherwise. I’m not so against DC that I’m unwilling to admit when they make books that I like.

#5. Carole and Tuesday

Carole and Tuesday holds a special spot as becoming the latest 10/10 anime I’ve seen. This is easily one of the most diverse anime that I’ve ever seen. It’s not just a matter of showing people of different walks of life, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. It’s also showing artists different music styles from folk to jazz to rap to electronic to new age to operatic rap. And none of it feels forced or unnatural, though some of it might come off as offensive. If you’re on as big a planet as Mars, you’ll expect to see all kinds of people and hear all kinds of music as long as you’re willing to listen. Shinichiro Wantanabe is one of anime’s best directors and this might be his best work yet.

#4. Lupin III: The First

If you told me a few years ago that one of the best anime movies would be a fully CGI film, I would have looked at you like you were insane. Nevertheless, this movie exists. I was skeptical about the idea of a fully CGI movie for a character like this. But when I saw a clip from the movie, I could tell they knew what they were doing. This movie is by no means anywhere as good looking as Spiderverse, but it looks amazing in its own right. Content wise, this serves as a great heist film for anyone regardless of proximity to the series. Arsene Lupin III makes  It makes a fine introduction to the world of one of anime’s most longstanding series, and a good launching point for his earlier antics. Props to Weathering to You for keeping this slot warm. (Ironic considering things...)

#3. John Byrne’s run on Sensational She-Hulk

So I wasn’t going to say this talking about Power Trip, but I need to say this here. American comics are at a weird spot. In attempts to reach a wider audience, they’re not doing a great job of keeping the fans they have. Or make actually new ones. The current run of Savage She-Hulk has been no exception to this. Though it wasn’t always like this and John Byrne’s runs on Sensational She-Hulk is proof positive. Byrne took Jennifer Walters with more fun than I’ve seen any author write any comic book with. This especially shows in one of the more notable abilities of She-Hulk, breaking the fourth wall. I was very worried when I heard Marvel Studios was going to do a series with Shulkie. But with this as inspiration, maybe there’s hope for this project after all. (Please be good!)

#2. Burn the Witch

Tite Kubo is back, baby! This spot doesn’t go to any of the sets of chapters to be published in Shonen Jump. Rather, his collaboration with Studio Colorido is my choice for anime of the year. Burn the Witch tells the story of a different Soul Society than Bleach fans may be familiar with. It’s almost cheating to compare this mid-length film to the other shows to come out this year, even if it was broken up into three episodes for streaming sites. However, film or otherwise, no other anime grabbed my attention as much as this did. This also marks the best anime from WSJ I’ve seen this year. Surely I’m not forgetting anything big to come out recently in saying this, especially from this year with everything that got delayed. Honorable mentions go to TONIKAWA: Under the Moon, Bofuri, BNA, Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!, and Misfit of Demon King Academy for nearly taking my spot.

#1. Skullgirls

This year has been a tough year for a lot of people, companies, and fandoms. Though, I’d be hard pressed to think of a fandom that has had a worse year than this indie fighter. One of its founders was revealed to be terrible, one of its parent companies went under, and a prime opportunity for the spotlight in EVO Online being cancelled, it wouldn’t be a mistake to say things aren’t going well. Thankfully, the fans and dev team have done everything they can to keep this game alive before and that didn’t stop this year. It feels somewhat on-brand for this series to have survived the kinds of situations that would normally kill a game off. This game would have made the top spot by virtue of being the most fun game I played this year. I’m proud to put it at this spot knowing everything that’s surrounded it this year.

For extra honorable mentions, Pokemon’s seventh generation of games, especially the Ultra versions, were fun to finally experience and they have the best stories of the 3DS era of Pokemon. Cobra Kai was a fun series and almost definitely would be here if I were more emotionally attached to the Karate Kid series. I rewatched Neon Genesis Evangelion and it’s better than I remembered originally. Finally, I’d move heaven and earth to add Oregairu or Hilda on this list, considering new seasons came out this year, but I know better.

As usual, check my list for EZ, which also has 10 things, and be glad we’re almost done with this year. See you!

[altalksaboutstuff]

Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero

From the 16th of this month, March 2020, to the 15th of next month, April 2020, Games with Gold has the excellent platformer – Shantae: ½ Genie Hero. As long as you have an active Xbox Live or Xbox Gamepass Ultimate subscription

It's “FREE” to download during that period but even after April 15th, you can keep playing it, it won't leave your library and if you let your subscription expire it will still remain, you just can't play it.

I have had Gamepass for about a year now, I wanted to kind of document my journey and time with games on Gamepass and one of the first that I played when I got the service last year was Shantae: ½ Genie Hero.  Unfortunately, this game is no longer available on the service and I thought back in September of 2019 that I had lost my chance to talk about it in a relevant sense, but lo and behold its back now – kind of, in a zombie-esque way.

The game expiring from Gamepass was actually the launching point for me to a Switch.  It was my birthday in September and Shantae was just about to be removed from the service, great present Microsoft.  I was kind of depressed that in this moment in my life that I had spent about a quarter of a year playing the game that was just going to up and leave.  Now I could have bought it and at a discount but if I did that I would be getting just the base game that I was practically done with.  I also had all this extra money from my birthday burning a hole in my pocket and instead doing something smart like putting towards my mortgage – I ended up buying a Switch to cheer me up.  And what does the Switch have but the physical version of Shantae: ½ Genie Hero that includes all the DLC.  

THAT – and the fact that one of my favorite games of all time was just remade – Link's Awakening. 

So I got those two games to cope with the fact that I wouldn't be able to play Shantae on Gamepass anymore in a few days ...but I had also gotten my wife a Switch Lite for our anniversary so I kind of wanted a reason to give it to them early and we had a Switcheversay on September 28th. 

NERD!

On a side note of this tangent – I feel like I'm always a little behind with Nintendo, with my earliest exposure to Nintendo being no different.  Way back in the dark ages of the early 1990s I was a Genesis Lad.  After school I was in a program where I first got to play a Nintendo game, there were NES consoles, games and Ataris as well.  While kids at school were telling me, “YA GOTTA PLAY Donkey Kong Country 2 and Mega Man X!” The cutting edge stuff of the time, I would root around and find other games like Donkey Kong Jr. and Mega Man 2 on NES.  Now don't get me wrong, those were great games I loved then and still love now but I was behind the times. I just didn't have a Super Nintendo, like most of my peers that I went to school with.  I just had the Sega. So when most were playing Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger and A Link to Past – I was playing Sonic... Sonic (Sonic 2)... and Sonic... (Sonic 3 but not & knuckles)

BUT Sonic is great!

When my friends had a Gameboy Advance, I still had a Gameboy Color.  When the DS was the hot handheld, I got a Gameboy Advance, I got a 3DS around the time Fire Emblem Fates came out when it seemed like everyone was clamoring for a new portable technology and I got a Wii U when it was all but dead.  As previous stated, I only got a Switch last September.  Heck, I haven't even played the new Mary-o yet

Pushing forwarding in the way back machine to the time when I was a still a young teen, at the age of 14, I remember a Gameboy Color game came out that I really wanted to get – Shantae.  I don't even know why I really wanted it other than it was a new Gameboy Color game when new Gameboy Color games weren't coming out.  Like, I remember the Gameboy Advance came out about a year ago but  I didn't need one according to my parents-

Me: Mom, can I get a Gameboy Advanced? Mom: You have Gameboy Advance at Home ::At home::

So the impact of a new Gameboy Color game coming out - blew … me … away.  

Of course - I didn't get that game either.

Now don't get me wrong, I still got games as a kid on birthdays and Christmas but I feel like the games I didn't get are the ones I look back at and think – If only...

(^I never had a Neo Geo but I wanted this game)

Love you Mom and Dad

Back to Shantae though

Tangents aside – why do I think I like this game?

Why is it when I played Half Genie Hero in June of 2019 did I really got hooked on it well until the end of summer? I play, play, played it – all the modes, collect the endings, the tedious achievements like Queen of the Seven Cheese where you have to beat Risky Boots by just chomping at her as a mouse doing 1 damage at at a time.... ugh!  For achievements I even … gasp (teeth noise) … speed ran it.  And successfully, not on my first attempt though!  Or … at least successfully enough to get the endings and achievements.  I've never speed ran a game before, at least on purpose.  I drew bad fan art!  

(^Unlike everything else on this post, I actually drew that [sorry])

For the first time in my life I even looked into Fan Fiction.  

Which, on a side note, I don't recommend you look at most of the fan fiction that I’ve seen if you are at work.

The game really got its hooks into me and I'm not exactly sure why but I think I might know.

Well, it feels like a SEGA Genesis game – long story short.

Short story long - I think the best way to classify what kind of game this is, is Metroidvania.  You have a mini map and you unlock powers that later allow you to explore the rest of the levels you had previous been to and there are collectibles and upgrades you can buy in game.  As you play you can upgrade how Shantae attacks by purchasing upgrades for her hair whip attack or armor but the big mechanic is the transformations – you can turn into animals with varied attacks and abilities as well as some other inanimate objects and living things like this tree 

- to help you better get across the stages and discover the secrets of Sequin Land.

I've also read its kind of Mega Man– ish which I had never really thought about before but yeah, because I do love some Mega Man.  It has a lot of obstacles/the levels are kinds of obstacle courses like the early NES Mega Man games and there are two areas particularly in my mind – The factory in Mermaid Falls and the Hypno Baron's Castle part of the … Hypno Baron's Castle stage.  Well most of it is actually like an obstacle course now that I think about it

The score is by Jake Kauffman and man, AND if I ever make a game I want that guy doing my music.  I mentioned the factory part of Mermaid Falls before – the best track in the game and maybe even in any game I've ever heard is Counterfeit Mermaids,  its such an earworm,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkXd26E_Ynw

I feel like this song and Neo Town Burning are the two best games 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yParHIzy1nA

You are going to be in the camp that one is better than the other (though Counterfeit Mermaids is clearly the superior track, ahem)

Its a great soundtrack, I find myself tuning into it during my commute to work and sometime even turning off my podcast or audio books to listen to this soundtrack (yes Even Neo Town Burning too).  The game's lead voice actress according IMDB is Cristina Valenzuela (sometimes credited as Cristina Vee) who sings the games title theme that also appears in the first level, Scuttle Town the first time you play the level and also when you first boot up the game its there too. POW! Give it a listen – sample plays and fades.  Its great.  This soundtrack is really memorable and still in my rotation almost a year after I played it for the first time.

The characters themselves too are varied in personality and the styles are now toted as being“in high definition”.  

Shantae is my least favorite but I think that works well in the sense of self insert. And that's not to say Shantae doesn't have a personality, she is kind of bubbly and she cares a lot about her ties such as to her family - such her uncle Mimic and her late mother - and to her friends.  The three main friends that back Shantae during her journey (that also get their own adventure in the DLC)

Sky - a somewhat more responsible friend of your that is out to give you some counsel and a ride to each stage on her cool bird

Bolo – who offers a bit of comic relief

Rotty Tops the zombie that is a true friend that shows up to support you and cheer you on, in one time literally too.  

By the way there is also Risky Boots (the best character, IMO) who is the larger than life antagonist to akin to a comic book villain.

But even with the “HD” graphics, and incredible score everything about just feels like … a Sega game.  I can't really put it to words to do it justice, like, it has the essence of games I grew up with.  I know a lot of people already had that nostalgia rush with Freedom Planet or Sonic Mania but I only just got Freedom Planet on Switch

Which is great so far, by the way

and Sonic Mania is on my to do pile 

so for me – Shantae was it.  

I felt that joy like I was 5 years old playing Sonic 2 for the first time.  I took me something embarrassing like 8 hours to beat the first time.  But after I beat it, I immediately wanted to play it again.  I almost NEVER want to replay a game after I beat it – Best case is I take a break and play it again in a year. While it took me a laughable amount of hours to beat the game the first time but by the time I was really invested and on the 3rd or 4th time replaying it, I was completing it in under 2 hours.  I was looking up speed running strats and Youtube videos of people speed running the game to compare and contrast how I played the game.  I never, ever thought that I would speed run a game. Super Metroid still takes me an embarrassing number of hours to play and I've beat that almost as many times as Shantae now.

Having played both the Xbox One and Switch versions they look pretty similar and seem to play about the same.  I noticed that the game seems to run a bit better on the Xbox One and the load times aren't as long

So I really recommend you get this game.  I'm super jealous if you've never played it, you get to experience it for the first time!  If you don't have an Xbox One but have a Switch you can get the physical version for pretty cheap, used I got this copy for about $20 and it has all the game content.  And with the DLC you can finally play as Risky Boots!

It goes without saying that the game I am most excited for this year, 2020 is going to be Shantae and the Seven Sirens.

If you don't have an Xbox or a Switch, the game is also on PC too. Steam has sales, last time the Ultimate Edition was on sale it was only about $21 (show pic) and with a plug and play controls great.  

And just as I was checking before posting this, it is on sale for $20.99 until March 30th, 2020

Its also on PS4, I guess if you don’t have any other options

[zeldauniverse]

Last week, in a tiny hidden bar typical of Melbourne’s inner east, Nintendo gave us hands-on time with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Nintendo Australia had hoped to get us in front of a newer build of the game (we would have loved to try King K. Rool and Simon Belmont!); however, the build was identical to the one we played at E3 some two and a bit months ago. However, where our time with the game at E3 was rushed and hectic, this time we had a solid two hours in a laid back environment which allowed us to get comfortable and explore more of what it had to offer.

And what a difference that makes to perspective.

To sum things up, we had a smashing good time, and we’re now more excited than ever to add Smash Ultimate into our gaming libraries. Our Publications Director David Johnson and Special Projects Director Shona Johnson were at the event. Here are a few of our thoughts on the game:

Shona Johnson, Special Projects Director

As a long-time Smash player — I’ve been with the series since the Nintendo 64 — playing Ultimate with a big group over food and drink was instantly familiar, taking me back to happy times when I played Melee for hours on end with friends or, more recently, Smash Wii U parties. Although it’s been a while since I last fired up a game of Smash, and I haven’t played since the demo at E3, my Smash instincts and muscle memory kicked in, throwing me into that wonderfully chaotic place where some of my favorite characters are beating each other up.

At E3 there were a limited number of play slots available (strictly one per person), and I signed up to play it competitively, which meant that part of my attention was given to attempting to win, meaning I played it safe with characters I knew well, in addition to checking out what was new and different. Fortunately, towards the end of the second day of E3, the lines died down to the point where the wait wasn’t hideous, so I was able to get in a few rounds of fun play where I could at least try out some of the new characters. I had fun and walked away from E3 feeling incredibly impressed by the game’s polish, but spending two hours with the demo gave me a chance to try out a lot more and really get a feel for the gameplay.

The demo for Smash Ultimate had 23 out of the game’s 103 stages to select from.

Also 30 characters of the roster were present, but a few classic fighters were held back.

Matches were limited to two-minute free-for-alls with up to four players playing solo or in teams. Items were on, and we couldn’t change any of the settings. A roster of 30 characters was available, and we could choose from 23 stages. I was able to play most of the characters and stages available. The event had multiple stations, most of which had Pro controllers, but a couple had GameCube controllers. It’s nice to see the GameCube controllers being carried through, as many Smash veterans are familiar with these, and, at the end of the day, each player will be able to set up their preferred controller configuration.

Existing characters feel familiar, and most of the changes to their moves are subtle if any have been made at all. Most of them appeared to be fairly well balanced, although it’s hard to say given that I was swapping characters a lot and playing against people of varying skill levels. Ridley and the Inkling were the new characters in the demo, and both had their own unique movesets that took some time to get used to (and honestly, I didn’t play them enough to get used to them). Ridley is slow and heavy, and I struggled with him a bit because I struggle with that sort of character more in general, and I found that the pace of the gameplay made it hard to spend time effectively splattering paint over everyone as the Inkling. That said, in one match while playing a different character I kept getting trapped in paint by another Inkling which was somewhat annoying for me but great for them I imagine!

The list of stages we had to choose from included both new and returning ones. A big difference in Ultimate is that players choose the stage before choosing characters, with the idea that players can choose a character to suit a stage, although that never really crossed my mind because it’s something I’ve never considered before; for me, it’s more the stages in general that I love or hate rather than playing on them with specific characters. And at this event, I was much more in the mindset of wanting to see everything and try it all out, so I never even thought about the stage while I was selecting my character.

All of the stages look amazing. Of the new ones, the Great Plateau Tower from Breath of the Wild is a fairly small one where the roof collapses in occasionally, and surprisingly this isn’t a hazard; it just looks cool. Moray Towers is the new Splatoon stage, and it’s a series of sloping levels stacked vertically above each other. I found this one hard to fight on because players were more spread out and on different levels which made it hard to land hits. I imagine this will be better suited to people who like slightly slower gameplay and having more chances to recover, or it might be more fun with eight players. Conversely, I cannot imagine how chaotic eight-player Smash is going to be on the Great Plateau Tower!

In Ultimate, having items turned on didn’t feel quite as chaotic as they have in past games, and I think they’ve been nerfed a fair bit. The once-almighty hammer — I got one and the guy next to me said “uh oh” as soon as he heard the music — didn’t produce the KOs or near-KOs I would have expected in the past. Likewise, Smash Balls didn’t always guarantee KOs like that did in Smash Wii U/3DS. They’re also harder to grab, although they also sometimes just land on the ground and stay still; the first time this happened we were all wary of the Fake Smash Balls and ran away from it until someone hesitantly kicked it and realized it was a real one!

I felt that I had to be very accurate when landing blows and dodging. It should lend to a technical playstyle that will suit competitive players and those who play for fun.

Overall, the gameplay feels faster and more precise. Thankfully there’s no Brawl-style random slipping and tripping, and I felt that I had to be very accurate when landing blows and dodging. Fast characters like Fox and Sonic covered ground incredibly quickly, and some of the heavier characters like Donkey Kong felt more agile. If you’re not paying attention, you can be sent flying off screen and not realize where you are at first! It should lend to a technical playstyle that will suit both competitive players as well as those who play for fun (because the core concept of Super Smash Bros. is fun).

Two hours of the one style of match flew by, so I can only imagine how many hours I’m going to get out of the game playing with different modes and rules. And that’s before I even consider any possible single-player modes, which I hope there will be for the times when I take my Switch with me on the go by myself. I didn’t want my time with Ultimate to end, and now more than ever I eagerly await December when I can get the full version into my hands.

David Johnson, Publications Director

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has all the potential to be the best Smash Bros. game to date. Thus far, everything Nintendo has shown oozes with that careful attention to detail that Nintendo is simply known for. While we don’t know all of its secrets yet — there’s this maybe “Spirits” mode on the main menu that we know nothing about that may be a major single-player component to the game(?) — I can’t help but be extremely excited for the series to make its way to the Switch.

How can I describe Ultimate? Well, the short answer is that it feels very much like Smash Bros. More specifically, it feels a lot like Melee, though admittedly I haven’t pulled out my GameCube to play it in quite some time. While there is a good dose of beautiful chaos in the game caused by items, assist trophies, and Poké Balls, it’s all a manageable sort of chaos. It just feels good to dart into piles of characters, take some pot shots (or get hit trying!), and then escape to go at it again.

At the event, they had a couple of stations with GameCube controllers set up, but I figured I would give the Switch Pro Controllers one more fair go, even though the default control scheme of every controller since the GameCube has made me want to cry. And while I still wasn’t 100% in love with the Pro Controller’s default setup, I did find myself hating it a lot less. But I still will either be using a GameCube controller or resorting to making a custom controller configuration for me when the game comes out.

Because we had two solid hours with the game, I went and truly experimented with characters both familiar and unfamiliar as well as played practically every stage that was on display. For the characters I was familiar with, I found the differences between the Ultimate fighters and their earlier incarnations rather subtle, though Marth especially seemed incredibly floaty, much more so than he was in Melee. (That said, I chalk this up as a good thing!) For characters I was unfamiliar with — Ridley, Inkling, and the host of DLC characters from Smash 4, they all felt incredibly unique from the cast of old, and that’s hugely refreshing. That said, the fact that many of the characters are becoming Echo Fighters (thus with the official salute that they’re “the same character” as some other), makes me happy; finally, we can hope to see so many characters truly become unique entities rather than carbon copies of one another.

And the stages were mostly fantastic. They look utterly fantastic, and they set the stage for a visually impressive game. And none of them felt like they detracted too much from the overall premise of the game: dominating over all your friends. That said, I still utterly despise the Mega Man stage brought forward from Smash 4, though I’m extremely relieved that not only can we trigger each stage’s Ω (omega) form but also simply play with the stages as is sans their various stage hazards. Finally, we can play the Dr. Wily stage without the Yellow Devil ruining an otherwise fun game.

The Smash Balls’ effectiveness has been nerfed quite a bit. In order to counterbalance that, the Assist Trophies seem much more powerful.

As far as the items go, there were only two major differences I’ve noticed in playing the game. First and foremost, the Smash Balls’ effectiveness has been nerfed quite a bit. Since Brawl, while it’s always been possible to survive a Final Smash, it was exceedingly unlikely. However, now the survivability has been greatly upped as the Final Smashes aren’t really so “final” any longer. Perhaps this is done in order to keep it in line with how short many of the moves have been made or just to allow them to not disrupt gameplay as much, but it really makes it feel much more balanced as a whole. (That said, the Smash Balls seemed extremely difficult to even get to as they moved far quicker than before!)

In order to counterbalance that, the Assist Trophies seem much more powerful. In previous games, Assist Trophies generally remained on-screen for no more than a few seconds at most. Now, many Assist Trophies have been modified to become temporary allies on the stage, giving you a not insignificant advantage. While the Assist Trophies are able to be defeated and don’t dish out overwhelming damage in one go, they possibly will be one of the more contentious design decisions for Smash Ultimate.

The gravity well item popped up quite a bit in the game, and its effects can be felt everywhere.

Thematically, Ultimate is full of so many little subtle details that show just how much Sakurai and his team love Nintendo and its entire legacy. The subtle changes to Link to bring about his Breath of the Wild form are carefully balanced by pushing Princess Zelda and Ganondorf to other parts of the timeline to showcase the breadth of the Zelda series. The fact that the Echo Fighters now exist allow for a greater depth of exploration into the various franchises without providing an overwhelming feeling of sameness permeating everything, such as when Dark Pit was announced as a separate character in Smash 4.

Outside of my hands-on experience, what I think impresses me the most about Ultimate is just how much variety there can be inside the ordinary Smash experience. Sure, there are tournaments and oodles of other features and modes, but having well over 60 characters to choose from and over 100 stages to fight on will give so many permutations of fighting that it’ll be impossible to play them all. Whenever I’m smashing it up with friends, there always comes to that point in the evening when I stray away from the characters I’m familiar with and start playing the characters I’m either terrible with or simply don’t play as much, and Ultimate will ensure that I’m always wanting to experiment and try another character again and again beyond that.

December 7 cannot come fast enough. Smash Ultimate, I’m desperately waiting for you.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be released on December 7 for Nintendo Switch. Thank you to Nintendo Australia for inviting us to come and Smash!

Two hours with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this might just be the best Smash so far Last week, in a tiny hidden bar typical of Melbourne’s inner east, Nintendo gave us hands-on time with 

[kiwi-le-survivant]

Kiwi-Le-Survivant’s Best Games of 2017 Post

I bought a PS4 this year, which means I was actually able to play five new games this year. It’s my hope that people will actually enjoy reading my thoughts, and soon I’ll be able to rival The Game Awards and announced Halo 6 or something right in the middle of my posts. Let’s jump right in.

Top 5 Best Games I Played That Came Out In 2017:

5. Tekken 7 - You know, I think I prefer Tekken to Street Fighter now. Although that might be a combination of me being slightly better at the former, coupled with Capcom having no idea what they’re doing lately. As shallow as it sounds, I think a big reason I love this game so much is the novelty of both a Capcom and an SNK character guest starring in a Tekken game.

Not as big on Noctis, though. I was hoping for either Kazuma Kiryu, or another fighting game rep. Although I guess you could argue Noctis represents Dissidia.

It’s at the bottom because the other games are so good. I hope they keep adding more content beyond what’s already planned.

4. Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony - Apparently opinions on this game are mixed among DR fans, mainly related to the ending. Personally, I liked the ending, and I feel the rest of the game is pretty much in line with the first two in terms of quality. I’m a fan of the new mechanics, like Debate Scrum and Psyche Taxi. The soundtrack is really good, too. I think everyone can at least agree this is a memorable game.

3. Yakuza 0 - I haven’t finished this one yet, but I’m told it’s a fantastic entry point if you want to get into this series. This is one of the few games I can think of where I actually willingly did sidequests, because a lot of them are actually funny, and even heartwarming.

2. Persona 5 - My most anticipated game of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. I’m a big fan of Persona 3 and 4, and I feel this game is just as good, if not better. I greatly prefer the Tokyo setting to the rural setting of Persona 4.

From the art style, to the setting and music, P5 oozes style out of every orifice. In fact, you could make a case for it being one of the most stylish games of all time. I thought for sure it would be number one, but one game managed to top it.

1. NieR: Automata - I heard this game actually sold really well, and that’s great news. Imagine telling someone that the sequel to NieR would outsell the newest Mass Effect. It’s amazing what an extra layer of polish and removing or altering some of the more tedious aspects of the first game can do.

Honestly, I’m bad at explaining why the game is good. Just play it. I genuinely believe it will go down as one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and that Yoko Taro can and should be thought of as the next Kojima. If you dismiss it as a Metal Gear Rising/Final Fantasy rip-off that relies on fan service, well, your loss.

Did I mention that both NieR games have strong contenders for best video game soundtracks of all time? It’s true.

This is pretty long, so I’ll include the rest of the awards under the read more.

Top 5 Best Games I Played That Came Out Other Years:

5. Kid Icarus: Uprising - I haven’t played this as much as I’d like, but I’ve greatly enjoyed what I have played. I don’t even really mind the controls, really. I haven’t used the stand yet.

4. Gravity Rush - I started playing this game a few weeks ago, and I already love it. Kat is one of the most likable protagonists I can think of. She should be Sony’s mascot. In all honesty, this is one of the most fun open world games I’ve played. The only thing I’d say is lacking is the combat, but it’s manageable.

3. Va11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action - A game about mixing drinks and talking to people, while trying to save enough money to avoid getting evicted. There are multiple endings, too. The one I got really got to me. 

2. NieR - I’d hate to say it, but for the longest time, the only thing I saw related to the game was the Zero Punctuation review, and I wrote it off as generic based on that. Thankfully, a few friends heavily recommended it, and since Platinum were doing the sequel, I figured “alright, I’ll check it out.” It turns out, generic is probably the worst word to describe NieR, and Yahtzee is an idiot.

NieR is a rough diamond, similar to Persona 3, or the original Yakuza. A game that has more than its share of flaws, but its originality makes up for them. The gameplay is, well, it’s no Bayonetta. It’s not even DMC1, but it’s there to serve the story and characters, which I found myself getting attached to.

I’d recommend playing this before Automata, if you have a say, but it’s not 100% necessary, and Square Enix could have made that option easier, so it’s up to you.

Check out @thathomestar‘s post about it, too.

1. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc - I knew of this series by reputation, and it seemed like the fanbase overlapped a lot with other things I was a fan of, but I got spoiled on who the lead villain turns out to be years before I played it, and I thought some of the character designs looked unappealing, so I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it.

It turned out, I enjoyed it a lot. It scratches the same itch as Ace Attorney for me. I like the characters a lot more now that I actually know more about them. Funny how that works. Except Hifumi. He looks awful, and is awful.

The second one is probably better in many ways (especially the protagonist), but I feel the first game has a certain humility to it. I get the sense that the developers didn’t think it would take off as much as it did, and some of the rough patches kind of add to its charm. I also think the ending was originally planned to be more ambiguous.

Also, I made at least one friend while playing this game. That’s a plus.

Top 5 Games I Want To Play But Never Got Around To:

5. Cuphead - I felt kind of bad for not having any western games on the last two lists, so here we go. Cuphead looks pretty fun, and I really respect how much effort and creativity went into the game’s visuals. It reminds me a bit of Skullgirls. Sadly, I don’t have an Xbox One, and I doubt my PC could handle it.

4. Sonic Mania - Like Cuphead, this is another labour of love. It was really nice to see people being positive about Sonic again for a few months. Then Sonic Forces came out, but oh well. In a similar vein, I’m also interested in the Crash N-Sane Trilogy, but since Sonic Mania is a new game, it gets the edge.

3. Super Mario Odyssey - Looks really fun. I’ve never played either the Galaxy games or 3D World, but from an outside perspective, Galaxy and Odyssey look like a lot more appealing to me than 3D World. Sadly, I don’t have a Switch.

2. NioH - I suck at Souls games, to be honest, but I find this game’s concept very interesting. I think I’d be into in a Souls game where I can play as an actual character, and not just a blank slate.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo has impressed me this year. I think this is the first time a 3D Zelda game and a 3D Mario game have come out the same year. I like this game’s art style, and I’m told it’s a breath of fresh air to a formula that was getting stale. However, no Switch, and no Wii U, either.

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of Next Year:

5. Kingdom Hearts III - Yup. This is definitely coming out next year. Always bet on Sora.

4. Red Dead Redemption II - I was kind of burnt out on open world games, but if this is even half as good as the original, it’s pretty damn excellent.

3. Dragon Ball FighterZ - I loved Dragon Ball Z as a kid, and if this game came out when I was a kid, I would probably say “holy shit!” and also “who’s Beerus?” I think this has the potential to make Arc System Works a big name with mainstream audiences. Then maybe we can get a Persona 5 Arena with graphics like this.

2. Yakuza/Hokuto no Ken thing - I never read much Hokuto no Ken, but this looks amazing. Right up my alley.

1. Soulcalibur VI - I just really love fighting games, man. There arguably hasn’t been a great Soulcalibur game since SCII, in 2003 (2002 if you only count the arcade release), so I’d love to see this series make a comeback. Put Cassandra in it.

If Devil May Cry V were announced, it would automatically be at the top of the list, but sadly, no. As for Bayonetta 3, I don’t think it’s coming out next year. With that said, while I don’t have a Switch, Bayonetta 3 is potentially a system seller for me.

[ohshimaacademy]

She Actully Has MySpace account and here is what her personality is like

Personalty:she is self-assured, outgoing, smart and witty. She's quick-tempered yet quick to forgive. She is athletic, neat, popular, nice to n3rd5, environmentally conscientious and she pops her gum loudly. She's Also into phrases like "So very cool!" and "Groovy!" and "What are you, some kind of freak?" and "Have some soup" and "I'm a dot" and "Bitchin'" and "Like, 'Duh'" and "This is SO bunk!" and "Don't let the door hit you in the butt!" her special powers include her Jump Spark Attack, Tacheyon Tornado and Hover (Figure-8). Tiara's Interests: General Hobbies include tennis, snowboarding, step aerobics, bicycling, rollerblading, dancing, electric bass guitar, my band, boys =P Favorite foods include tacos, soup and buffalo wings. Favorite colors are red and blue. Turn-ons include intelligent talk, Grunge music and puzzles. Turn-offs include rude people, dumb blondes and arrogant hedgehogs.

series of four color designs were created for discussion purposes in 1995. Each retained the same basic facial  and hair designs, but varied in terms of clothing. Proposed designs included a form-fitting red dress, a tank top with miniskirt, and a midriff-bearing version of the former. A design featuring no clothing changed her fur pattern.[9]

For the second to last design, Senn used the midriff-bearing design using a red and yellow color scheme.[1]However, Michael Kosaka envisioned the character as having more attitude, so Senn changed her accordingly. Along with her stance and visual demeanor, her clothing style changed dramatically. She was given tight pants, a bikini top, and tennis shoes. Additionally, her hair was shortened.[1] Chris Senn felt this design conveyed her attitude, but after the game was cancelled he admitted that her original, cuter design was his favorite

also Practically everything was unknown about Sonic X-Treme in the year 2006. How it felt to play, what the levels were, how many bosses, the story… When information was revealed about a female character, people wondered whether she was going to replace Amy Rose, and if she’d be the timid ‘damsel in distress’ type. Chris Senn, co-lead Designer and Art Director, has revealed concept artwork of Tiara Boobowski. Tiara is a Manx kitten, according to Senn. The concept was going to be a bandicoot, but the resemblance beared more of a Manx.

The character of Tiara was not going to be the helpless girly type, but rather someone more of a match for Sonic. “I didn’t steer towards or away anything other than what seemed to work right as a character I could see Sonic interacting with… she needed to be spunky, and match Sonic’s “tude.” I think the final sketch design of her captures that (at least for me).”

“Michael Kosaka wanted her to have this type of character, so we went in that direction. You’re right in that the “damsel in distress” was not what we were looking for and I think that exemplifies some of the (at least then) cultural differences between the Japanese and American markets.” If we’re going to be talking about cultural ideas as well, Tiara’s ‘well rounded’ figure not only is quite a link to the definition and traits of a real life Manx cat (long hind legs, raised rump and large chest) but also perhaps a (probably unconscious) decision to exercise some ‘girl power’ within the series with the ‘X-Treme’ (sorry!) feminity of the character. “Personally, I still like the idea of Sonic meeting his “match”… and seeing that involvement evolve through experiences together. Unfortunately, the back story that would support gameplay like this was never really a part of Sonic Xtreme. The storylines we had all pretty much focused on supporting the worlds and basic plot premise between good and evil… but didn’t delve into the involvement of the characters with each other as much as we could have. To make it a deeper, more rewarding game, I think this should take place…” Not only did Tiara have a matching attitude, she had matching gameplay too. Concept images were made showcasing how Tiara would look if played in the game. This shows that Tiara was under consideration as a playable character instead of a simple storyline piece, but as the project progressed Tiara was removed as a playable character due to time constraints. Click on the thumbnail to see an entire animation of Tiara running through the level, it also displays a lot of the 3D level manipulation that had been designed for the game.

As for Tiara’s occupation and background story, that’s still not been fully revealed to date. We know she is the daughter of a Gazebo Boobowski, who is a revered Professor living in the Castle of Light. An official ‘myspace’ account was created to reveal more on Tiara’s character, which can be accessed here. On this profile it states Tiara is a “Princess”. Which would make sense given her father’s abode and her name – Sonic characters are usually named in relation to their abilities or status. In fact, certain blogs being posted on Tiara’s myspace even appear to reveal certain plotlines to Sonic X-Treme, with references to “climbing the tower” and a recent entry containing the following:

“Breaker says station lost communication with Base Orbit – and I haven’t heard a peep from Dad. I’m worried. He never gets anywhere without contacting me. I’m gonna go run for awhile. Hopefully that will clear my mind a little.”

A blog on January 15th is written as an “Emergency Transmission”, with a broken ‘May Day’ message. Also of equal interest is Tiara’s apparent dislike for Sonic the Hedgehog – her profile mentions ‘arrogant hedgehogs’ as a turn-off, while she openly claims she wouldn’t ask Sonic for water if she was dying of thirst. Pretty bold statement. But is there real dislike there, or is it all a front? Time will tell, when information on the rest of the game is revealed…

[semi-sketchy]

Alright, so I beat Sonic Forces and I’m going to go into opinions on the plot and characters like Infinite, so if you don’t want spoilers, don’t read below.

Not gonna lie, I’m a little burned out after playing through the entire game in a few hours, so I’m going to give my opinion on the gameplay later when I get the chance to slow down and walk through it at my own pace. My opinions on the story could also change when I play through again without recording so I can hear all the details.

The story I liked, then it really slowed down to dialog before a stage. I like how each stage is very plot-driven and plays a purpose, but the ending. After 20 or so stages, “it’s the final fight!” 10 stages later “We won!” I felt that many stages with so little narrative slowed the plot to a halt. It lost the tension considering a third of the game was the ending.

While on topic of the ending, the ending was sweet, but...what about Infinite? He “flies” off after his boss battle, he loses his Ruby to Eggman, so what happened to him? Did the Ruby consume him? Did he vanish? I honestly thought it was going to be a cop-out like “SUCK IT I’M THE REAL FINAL BOSS” but no, he’s just...gone. I expected a lot more from Infinite. He had a really nice song that told so much about him.

“I was born in this pain, it only hurts if you let it.”

“I’ve been up against better, just take a look at my face”

“So look around you and tell me what you really see. You live a lie and that’s the difference in you and me”

Then...nothing. I felt he could have been an amazing character and I liked what I saw of him, but it’s almost like he wasn’t finished. I thought he was going to have a redemption arc or we’d at least know what happened to him, but we get nothing. Even the comic we got today doesn’t explain anything. We don’t ever see him unmasked in the game, even when Shadow beats him and he wants to hide his face. I get he’s scarred, but why? What turned him so bad? What made him want vengeance like this? What happened to him? I liked what I saw, but that’s only what I saw. His backstory is never told and I was under the impression that we’d get a lot more from him. I’m not sure but it almost felt like it was done so there would be room for a sequel later on. I feel he is completely capable of returning and I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Heck, make it a 3DS game or something where we hear about him, I don’t care, I’ll buy it.

It also took me until just now to realize we never had a Shadow or Chaos boss fight. I know Shadow beat us to the punch of fighting...himself. But Chaos? I would have liked to see that. Chaos was very tacked on, a lot like Classic Sonic.

Eggman was great as a villain though. Very prepared, you could tell he had a backup plan and had learned from his mistakes, which honestly made it a little annoying because it was “we got him down!” “no” “oh shit he had a backup plan for that backup backup plan” and I felt it dragged on. But he wasn’t stupid in setting all his eggs in one basket. (Heh, eggs.)

And can we talk about Sonic’s snarkiness? I literally screamed “I can’t believe the Encaged AU is canon” when I heard what was going on, although I’m sad we never got to see anything from Sonic’s side until he busted out. We just hear that everyone thinks he’s dead until “oh, he’s been held in solitary confinement on the Death Egg for 6 months and is being tortured” but we never see him struggle with any of it. It’s just “come, time for you to be shot out into space like Eggman’s SA2 plan” and “lol nope”. People go mad when being left alone for a long time and I get it’s part of Sonic’s character to be happy-go-lucky, but...we get nothing from him. We just hear “oh yeah he’s not doing good” yet he seems just fine. Most of the game follows a “tell, don’t show” route and I’m not too sure how I feel about it, but for Sonic’s case, I felt it was really lacking. This might have also been a design decision to keep the game rated E10+.

Another thing that’s a lot like Infinite was Silver. He is never explained at all. If you didn’t read the comics, you wouldn’t understand a thing. If you haven’t gotten into Sonic and knew about him in ‘06, you would think “huh I guess he’s always been around and I never noticed” because they don’t bring any attention to him. It’s not like “this is a time traveler that has mind powers” it’s more so they treat him as if they’ve known him for years and he’s nothing special.

I’m not too sure what happened with Omega. He was shut down, but...why? It was explained in the comics, but again, very little detail. Was it an illusion like everything else? Why did he only show up in the end like “yo I’m here”? More importantly, who fixed him? Also Shadow. I get the Shadow fighting was a fake and wow, everyone was REALLY wrong about the mind control (just had to rub that in for everyone who was like “MIND CONTROL IT HAS TO BE” when I said “no”). But, if Sonic was held captive for 6 months, what was Shadow doing? Was he just chilling in his Hawaiian shirt like “meh, someone else is doing my job”? It’s clear he’s fighting for the resistance, so why didn’t he join them earlier?

Tails for me is both a great aspect and a bad one. He thinks his best friend is dead and basically has a meltdown. I liked how we saw “he’s great, but still just a kid caught in the middle of a war” (I’m a sucker for that trope) and it was a very interesting aspect. A nice perspective and how when he met Classic, he was so desperate to have his friend back, he just latched on even though that wasn’t the Sonic he knew. I thought it was so cute when he got to reunite with Sonic, despite it being short-lived. However, I feel they totally tossed aside any development he had beforehand. Sonic had to save him in the city and when Chaos came, he cowered in fear screaming for Sonic even though he wasn’t there. I understand he’s in denial about his friend and it’s a habit, but didn’t he learn independence back in SA1? He fought for Sonic in SA2 when he believed he was dead, so why not here? I understand Sonic’s “death” hitting him hard, but Tails was never one to stray from helping in the fight.

The avatar I actually thought was handled decently rather than being a statue like Xenoblade X (seriously, how do you screw something up THAT badly?) which was one of my biggest fears. They weren’t given a backstory, which is understandable, but the way they made it was so your character felt important, but wasn’t the whole show (something I wish fan fiction would catch onto). It never felt unnatural and I wasn’t ever faced with the “ugh this would be so much better without it.” The story was built around the avatar and made to work with it and I didn’t think I’d like it, but I do. While the avatar returning wouldn’t be something I’d jump for joy over, I also can say I wouldn’t mind it.

One more minor complaint: despite this world being so clearly full of life, it felt empty. I understand the cities were destroyed, but aside from the ending with the army of resistance members, we never saw any refugees. Not a big issue, but something that stuck out to me.

The tone was really set and let me say....the soundtrack was amazing. I loved every second of it. I look forward to playing through the story again without talking over it so I can hear more of the dialog and music because that voice acting was the best it has ever been. The voice actors were amazing and I applaud every one of them.

I did enjoy the plot and I’m very welcoming to seeing the old characters again along with this darker story line. I feel it’s a step in the right direction, although it could have been done better here. It almost feels like they didn’t have the time to put in all the details they wanted in or couldn’t find a place, so they stuck them in side comics or tossed them aside all together.

[shyguycity]

GOTY 2017

Hey y’all, it’s time for my third annual game of the year list. I hope it’s not too boring or longwinded. I also hope you don’t go into this expecting reviews of each game; with very few exceptions this list isn’t going to go into deep dives about individual game mechanics or plot beats, and I also don’t bother explaining highly specific video game terms and genres that the lay person isn’t going to be aware of, which is more down to this seeming too long already rather than apathy on my part. Discussion or questions are very welcome! Anyway, before we get into the actual top 11, here’s a couple games that didn’t quite make the cut that deserve to be talked about, as well as some housekeeping as to why some pretty big games aren’t included elsewhere on the list.

Some friends and I are also looking into doing a podcast later on to talk more in-depth about our lists, as well as maybe some other year end awards-y type things for other categories in games. Anyway, here we go.

Games I haven’t gotten to yet: Ruiner, Pyre, Prey, Yakuza 0, Hollow Knight, Hellblade

Don’t @ me I’m sleeping: Resident Evil 7, Persona 5, Mario + Rabbids, PUBG

Special shout outs that didn’t make it to the actual list but are still good, quite good!:

Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together (Switch) - Absolutely everyone that owns a Switch and has someone to play co-op games with should buy Snipperclips, be it significant other, child, sibling or roommate. It’s a game where you each play as two pieces of paper that have to cut each other into different shapes to solve various puzzles, and it’s even way more fun and goofy than that description makes it sound. If I had been able to put more time into this game it probably would’ve made the actual numbered list.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (PS4/Xbox One/PC) - Wolfenstein’s story about an alternate 1960s where Germany won World War 2 and occupy America was so absolutely fucking bonkers and fun while at the same time bleakly sad and interesting. It’s a shame the actual game isn’t very fun to play, but this absolutely deserves mentioning somewhere. Get fucked Nazis.

Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) - Horizon has maybe the most interesting and well told story in any big budget, non-indie game I’ve ever played. It’s also maybe the best looking game I’ve ever seen, especially running in 4k. It’s a shame it released so close to Zelda and Nier, since I feel it’s going to be overlooked in a lot of other GOTY lists, but it’s absolutely worth playing. Also the main character, Alloy, is really fun and tells weird kings to fuck off when they try and hit on her.

Aaaaaaaand here’s the actual list this year:

11. Night in the Woods (PS4/PC) - More games should address mental health. I think the medium is especially suited for not only discussion of the matter, but potentially as a teaching tool as well. It’s especially neat in Night in the Woods because of its slice of life, shitty rustbelt town in fall atmosphere. The main character, Mae, is an unexplained college dropout that returns to her hometown to hang out with friends, and discovers that they’ve all started making progress towards various goals in life while she has largely languished. It’s a very personal and sweet story about reconnecting with your roots and rebuilding connections with loved ones, all while surreal shit is going on in the background and it’s always kind of unclear what Mae is actually suffering from.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that, much like Life is Strange (PS4/Xbox One/PC) before it, what starts off as a very simple and charming slice of life game eventually strays into much bigger, cosmic scale ideas, and it kind of feels out of place. Still, I was never bored or driven to the point of rolling my eyes, and I’ve never played a game with more realistic dialogue between goofy and awkward punk rocker friends. The fact that everyone is an anthropomorphic animal for no reason other than to make it look cuter is a huge boon as well.

10. Shovel Knight: Spectre of Torment (Switch/PS4/Xbox One/Vita/PC/Wii U/3DS/PS3/Xbox 360) - The original Shovel Knight was a very cute, very charming, very ok game. It never blew me away the way it did for other people, despite the fact that it seemed tailor made for me, but it was still pretty dang good. The two expansions, however, have been far more interesting games, and Spectre of Torment in particular is a love letter to the original Mega Man X (SNES), a game which has weirdly never had its formula and feel replicated or expanded upon. Having full freedom to select which order to complete stages, as well as finding hidden doodads within that let you purchase new weapons, really maximizes the replay value. Add to that a completely remixed soundtrack that’s way more fun and melody driven than the original, and you have maybe the best action platformer since Mega Man 9 (Wii/PS3/360).

9. Destiny 2 (PS4/Xbox One/PC) - I think Destiny 2 represents pretty much everything I hate about modern game design - approximately 8,000 unique currencies all with their own uses; different classes and subclasses that in broad strokes don’t feel any different from each other; no real sense of progression aside from seeing a set of numbers arbitrarily rise; needlessly large worlds that aren’t fun to explore; a heavy emphasis on story when the story is complete fucking trash; etc. And yet I still put dozens of hours into the game.

It’s a dumb game and I am a very dumb person. That said, despite the constantly online, shooter focused nature of the video game industry, there really aren’t any other shooters so devoted to cooperative play on a scale larger than team versus modes. I can’t think of a game that’s had more fun co-op in recent memory, and that’s enough to make up for the mediocre pomp and frills surrounding the actual game. Who cares that Destiny is borderline predatory when my friends and I are throwing lightning grenades at shadow emperor space worms?

8. Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS) - At one point in time I’d have considered metroid my favorite game series period, so watching its decline over the past decade has been particularly painful. I wouldn’t say this half remake, half new game is an unmitigated success. But for an outsourced, low budget, sidescrolling entry in 2017, a time in which the indie scene has completely taken over the space metroid used to occupy, Samus Returns is an admirable experiment.

Unlike most, I think making the game more combat focused than any previous metroid is actually a wise move, especially considering the developer pedigree; Mercurysteam, despite any other faults, has proven that they can handle designing engaging combat mechanics. And weirdly, even though the main heroine is a 6 foot tall amazonian space goddess with bird alien power armor and a cannon arm, the series has never had engaging combat encounters before this. The game definitely lacks some of the atmosphere that the series is renowned for, but it’s hard for me to fault the game too much for what it isn’t when what we have is an interesting interpretation of a classic game and a new entry in an amazing series that has been dormant for too long.

7. Sonic Mania (Switch/PS4/Xbox One/PC) - Sonic was never really that good, even the Genesis era games that people hold in such high esteem. I’m actually of the opinion that, prior to Mania, Sonic Colors (Wii) was the best game in the series - the gameplay possibilities added by the wisps felt right at home in a Sonic game, while not feeling like a cheap gimmick. Generally speaking, the original Sonic games feel far too simplistic in terms of the verbs available to you to compete with anything like Mario. And while Mania doesn’t give Sonic any new verbs besides a variation on spin dashing, the level design is so creatively above and beyond anything previously seen in the series that it feels like an entirely different beast. Honestly, chemical plant zone alone has more creativity in its two acts than the entirety of any previous 2D Sonic game, and that’s before it culminates in a freaking Mean Bean Machine battle against Robotnik. I liken Mania the most to Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) in its ability to capture everything that the previous entries in the series were known for while still being able to modernize its design.

Despite all of that, the best part of Mania is its unflinching devotion to its aesthetic. It truly looks like a long lost Sega Saturn game. And while the soundtrack isn’t quite as slavish to what came before, I don’t think I’ve had a more dumb grin on my face this year than when I heard the calypso style Green Hill zone remix for the first time. Mania is a celebration of all things Sonic the Hedgehog, which means different things to different people. To me, what the game most loudly celebrates is the untapped potential of a tragically mishandled series. Consider this game  the fulfilment of a promise the series originally made nearly 30 years ago.

6. Splatoon 2 (Switch) - If I’m being completely honest, Splatoon 2 is making it this high on the list almost solely for how fun the new four player cooperative mode, Salmon Run, is. You get stranded in various locations to take on hundreds of slimy zombie-esque salmon while terrifying horror movie music plays and you send out unheard pleas to the universe that you were paired up with players that actually know how to use the charger weapon (Splatoon’s equivalent to a sniper rifle that apparently takes more skill to wield than an actual real world sniper rifle based on my dozens of hours playing).

Salmon Run is fucking incredible. The rest of Splatoon 2 is also really quite fun to play. However: Nintendo is still so stubborn or incompetent or both when it comes to online play that any amount of fun you have with friends outside of Salmon Run is usually punctuated with spikes of rage the likes of which I’ve never experienced.

You can join your friends and play turf war (the standard Splatoon battle mode) pretty effortlessly at any point.

That’s good!

Every single match you play assigns you both to random teams, meaning you’re not always actually playing on the same team as the friend you’re attempting to play with. In fact, I swear there’s some kind of algorithm going in that actually assigns you and your friend to opposing teams more often than not.

That’s bad!

There is a mode where you can play with a dedicated team of two or four people, paired up against other groups of two or four.

That’s good!

It’s actually a ranked mode which is where all the professional Splatoon teams that stream on Twitch for hours everyday hang out, so you’re more than likely going to be facing off against a team of people who are so good at the game they make money off of splatting.

That’s bad!

Every few weeks there are big game-wide events called Splat Fests where each person chooses between two options, and then represents their selection and are paired up against players from the opposing team. These can range from pretty basic, such as cats vs dogs or ketchup vs mayonnaise, to the extremely goofy like Spongebob vs Patrick. Also, the music and backdrops of levels completely change during Splat Fests; all the levels are changed to take place at night, and you’re treated to ‘live performances’ of squid pop music. You even get exclusive in-game t-shirts based on the team you picked.

That’s good!

But your ability to play with friends during Splat Fests is even further restricted, limiting you solely to the aforementioned ranked mode. It’s to the point where it almost feels like Nintendo would just prefer you to play by yourself against strangers in some weird joyless, lonely world, which feels entirely counter to the kinds of games the company makes.

………..can I go play Salmon Run now?

I hope that this entry doesn’t come across as too negative, because despite all my personal frustrations with how Nintendo completely mangles their own online modes, the game is an absolute blast to play. And Salmon Run really is good enough to make up for a lot of these shortcomings! I just hope a Splatoon 3 really changes pretty much everything about the interface surrounding the game; we could really have something absolutely amazing if that were to happen, instead of a really fun game that has to be talked about with asterisks.

5. Steamworld Dig 2 (Switch/PS4/Vita/PC) - In a year that brought us the first new Metroid game in the better part of a decade, I never would have expected the best metroidvania style of game in 2017 to be a sequel to a pretty lowkey indie game that seemingly flew under the radar of the vast majority of both the industry and fans. I played the original and enjoyed it for what it was, but I never would have imagined that a sequel would be hanging so high up a game of the year list. And yet, it’s the best one of these in quite a few years, handily beating out recent darlings of the genre Axiom Verge (which was pretty ok) and Ori and the Blind Forest (which was really great). This mostly comes down to the new abilities you get in Steamworld; they’re not trying to subvert your expectations and knowledge of metroidvanias like a lot of recent games. Nope, you’re getting a damn grappling hook and jetpack. But these are the most satisfying and friendly grappling hook and jetpack mechanics in video games in a very long time. The game just has a very friendly vibe in general, from it’s warm, beautiful visuals to its amazing soundtrack. Even its upgrade system is extremely pleasant and forgiving, allowing you to swap out upgrade cogs with no fuss or punishment.

I’m also fully aware that Steamworld doesn’t quite fit into the metroidvania bubble; you’re constantly digging downward as opposed to exploring and re-exploring labyrinthine spaces looking for missile expansions, to the point where it’s almost a sidescrolling dungeon crawler. However, I think calling it a dungeon crawler is doing it a disservice due to certain connotations with that term. All you need to know is that if you’ve already finished Mario and Zelda on your Switch and are wondering what’s next, you can’t do any better than this.

4. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) - It actually hurts my soul that a brand new 3D Mario game isn’t even in my top three games of the year. Especially since it’s a really good Mario game! Most of that is down to just how stacked 2017 has been, but it’s also down to some disappointments I have with Odyssey. Let’s just get it out of the way - there really isn’t a whole lot of high quality platforming in the game. I went in expecting this from the moment the game was announced as a return to the exploratory style of Super Mario 64 (N64), but even adjusted expectations couldn’t assuage my disappointment in those regards after playing the game for a few hours; Mario is so fun to control in Odyssey, and has such a wide array of moves at the player’s disposal, that my soul aches thinking about a hypothetical version of this game with devious platforming on the levels of Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube). Despite all of that, you can dress Mario up as Don Draper and ride a moped as a t-rex chases you down an alley.

So the level design never even begins approaching manic perfection of Super Mario 3D World (Wii U). It’s hard to be too upset about it when you start to realize just how dense with content every single area in Odyssey really is. When you first touch down in each kingdom, you can barely take 10 steps from your ship without stumbling onto a handful of moons. And what the game lacks in regards to its dedicated platforming challenges, it makes up for with the fever dream of creativity that is allowing the player to throw Mario’s cap at dozens of different creatures and possessing them, each with their own unique controls, movement and abilities.

And look. Even though I’m sorta full up on nostalgia for 8 and 16-bit games at this point, I absolutely am ready for nostalgia for Playstation 1 and Nintendo 64 games, which Odyssey is hopefully kicking off here. I was six-years-old when I played Mario 64 for the first time, and as hyperbolic (and maybe sad) as it sounds, I consider clumsily using an analog stick for the first time to try and make Mario climb trees outside of Peach’s castle to be one of the defining moments of my life. Without spoiling anything, there are a couple moments in Odyssey that brought me hurtling back to that time in my life that nothing has been able to previously. It’s absolutely worth buying a Switch for just to experience Odyssey, despite my opening volley of complaints. Just feel free to stop well before you find all 880(!) moons if you want to leave with the best possible impression.

3. Nier: Automata (PS4/PC) - Generally I don’t consider myself a particularly intelligent person, at least in the grand scheme of things. But by and large, talking about games, especially the kind I like, is a pretty straightforward affair (“Kirby pilots a mech in this one!” “This is a dual ghost fairy type that dresses itself up like Pikachu to trick humans into loving it. Oh wow.”). With Nier though, I find myself mostly feeling intellectually incapable of talking about its story and themes in any meaningful way beyond that a game has never made me feel the way this one did. And maybe not being tempted to make a fool out of myself by talking about things above my education level is for the best, because I would consider being spoiled on such an amazing game in some idiot’s end of year list to be a true shame.

Nier might look like typical anime goofiness on the surface, what with blindfolded french maid sexy butt android fighting wind up toys with a katana. But the game is fully self aware of every single trope it uses, including all of the questions it asks about existence and humanity. It goes some places and has some things to say, man. The one message I feel comfortable in talking about that the game espouses: being human essentially means being in a community and taking care of one another. This is exemplified in what was, for me, maybe the most stunning moment I’ve ever experienced in a game, and during the end credits no less.

This has been a very hard year to be a human living on planet earth. And though Nier is unflinchingly bleak, the overall message of hope and positivity beneath the surface was something that I personally needed. There has never been anything else like this game, and though there are certainly better playing games in 2017, I don’t know if anything will emotionally stick with me the way Nier has.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch/Wii U) - Not since I was a teenager with nigh unlimited free time have I been so enraptured with a video game like I was with Breath of the Wild. I put 60+ hours into the game in the first week it was released; it was like Zelda became my second job, only I was being paid in korok seeds and bloodshot eyes. And I say all of that as a person that considers the Zelda series pretty low on my personal Nintendo franchise totem pole!

What Nintendo was able to do with the open world genre, a type of game they’ve never touched before, is nothing short of remarkable. Most ‘open world’ games are open world only in the sense that there’s a lot of empty space to drive around in to get to an arbitrary objective marker, with no mechanics to give players a way to actually have fun in all of that space. Zelda lives and dies by how the world reacts to everything the player (and enemies) are doing. Sure, there’s simple examples like rolling a boulder down a hill to kill an unsuspecting group of enemies. But getting into a battle with enemies shooting fire arrows at you on a grassy plain, having the hill catch fire, and then escaping after realizing that the wildfire has created warm air that can push you on your paraglider up and out of harm’s way is one of the most amazing moments I’ve ever experienced in a game.

There are definitely issues with the game. For a game with so much time spent in menus, you’d think Nintendo could have come up with a far less cumbersome menu navigation method. And I do very much miss having full length Zelda-styled dungeons (though I do think breaking them up into 120 individual puzzles is a very interesting design decision that totally fulfils its intended goals). It’s easy for me to ignore a few rough edges in a game that made me totally forget what it meant to live life away from a TV screen for an entire week, though.

1. Cuphead: Don’t Deal with the Devil (Xbox One/PC) - I hesitate to call many things, in any medium, “perfect”. And when I do, it’s things like Shaun of the Dead. No, Shaun is not high art in the slightest, but I can’t think of any other movie that so deftly delivers on its intent while making it seem effortless. With the way modern video games are developed, my ideal of perfect (besides being as subjective as it can possibly be) seems nigh unattainable; how is a consumer product that’s touched the hands of hundreds, if not thousands, over the course of years of development supposed to sustain a singular, unified vision across the entire experience? Even the two best games of the past few years, Bloodborne (PS4) and Super Mario Maker (Wii U), really fall flat on their faces in certain regards, albeit in completely different ways. Make no mistake: Cuphead is the perfect video game, as well as the best game in maybe the best year for video games ever.

It’s not just the game’s tireless devotion to the “rubber hose” era of animation. Nor is it just how the game’s biggest video game inspirations, Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis) and Punch-Out!! (NES) are in and of themselves two perfect action games. The combining of a long dormant style of art with a (mostly) dormant style of games is genius in a way that makes everyone else seem dumb for not thinking of it first. Cuphead feels like something that came from an alternate timeline where polygonal games never became the norm, but art in games continued to grow and evolve, unlike other contemporary retro-styled affairs. Which isn’t meant to disparage games of that ilk, but rather emphasize how Cuphead somehow manages to succeed as a game that owes a lot to works that came before it, while also not relying on direct references to, and nostalgia for, those inspirations. The references and nostalgia are there of course, but aren’t needed for the game’s accomplishments to be appreciated by just about anyone.

Put all of that aside though, and what you have is a really fucking fun game where you get to shoot anthropomorphic waffles with magic finger guns. And it has cooperative play! In fact, the only bad thing that can be said about Cuphead is that the second playable character, Mugman, is relegated to player 2. Maybe ‘perfect’ was a tad hyperbolic.

[rantsaboutponies]

My Little Pony: The Movie

Yes, this is the 2017 one I’m talking about. I’m not going to pull a switcheroo and review the 1986 one. Like I said, bad title.

If you want to read along while watching the movie, you may do so as long as you’re not in a theater. DO NOT LOOK AT YOUR PHONE IN THE THEATER. I don’t care if you turned the brightness down or if you hold it in your lap; EVERYONE CAN STILL SEE IT. YOU’RE BEING AN ASSHOLE.

Anyway, on with the review! Spoilers abound, so fair warning!

Oh, and this movie is rated PG for “mild action”. What the hell is wrong with you, MPAA?

Good lord, the absolute grandiosity of the title logo... All right, all right, I’m not going to nitpick something as minor as the logo. Calm down.

My thought process: “Hey, this synth bit sounds kinda like the intro to ‘We Got the Beat’ by The Go-Go’s. I wonder if they realize that.”

Two seconds later: “OH, FUCK, IT IS. IT IS THAT SONG. NO. STOP. STOP RIGHT NOW. RRRRRGGGGGHHHH.”

Well, THAT threw me for a loop! Holy shit, am I glad the show’s budget isn’t large enough to include covers of popular songs.

Ah, we’re showcasing the new animation with a flyover/through of Canterlot. I’m not going to be mentioning the animation quality every other paragraph (even though I could), so instead I’ll just say everything up front. I mentioned in an earlier post that it looked like the animators were suddenly unaware of how to use the program, as though they had all traded jobs or something. It turns out that wasn’t far off! According to sources, the animation software being used on this movie is Toon Boom Harmony, not Flash, so the animators working on this movie are either 1. the same animators using an unfamiliar program, or 2. different animators who are used to working with Harmony but are not used to animating this show. And if you look at the stuff they’ve worked on, they’re all either just 2D (The Simpsons, The Congress) or just 3D (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water), not anything that has attempted to integrate both. The opening shot of the ponies flying through the clouds and through Canterlot looks like 2D assets trying to move through a 3D environment! It doesn’t help that the 3D assets (like the buildings and the landscape) are all really, really cheap-looking, like they were resources saved from a movie from 10-20 years ago and never updated. Also, the 3D assets tend to move fluidly (like 3D assets do), whereas the 2D assets attached to the same figure move with a lower framerate (like 2D assets do), which is a little jarring.

And holy crap, look at those two characters walk towards the screen! That’s some first-year animation student work right there!

Okay, okay, I said I wasn’t going to harp on the animation the whole time. Fine. Instead, here’s a complaint I’m sure will sound familiar to regular readers: Wow, you really like your exposition dumps right out of the gate, don’t you, writers? Except this time, you don’t have the excuse of “Well, we only had 22 minutes, so we had to get all the information out there quickly!” This movie is 99 minutes long! That’s four-and-a-half times the length! At this point, it’s just sloppy!

Random pony: Princess Twilight is great under pressure!

Twilight: Oh, my goodness, I can’t handle this!

Trombone: Wah-wah!

Oh, goddamnit, are we bringing back the wah-wah jokes? Son of a...

GAH! That closeup shot of Twilight is just creepy! Adding more details just because you’re closer to a subject isn’t always the best idea!

“What’chu talkin’ ‘bout?” FUCK STOP FUCK STOP FUCK STOP FUCK

Still creepy! Why do her eyes look like that? This is unsettling! Please stop focusing on her face!

Ha, Pinkie Pie was blowing a balloon into the camera, and then she turned and revealed it’s actually a really long balloon, but we couldn’t see that because of the angle we were watching from! Ha ha ha! ...Was...was that meant to be a joke? Because I really can’t figure out what other reason you would have to show it that way. These new animators are bizarre.

Oh, hey, she was making Discord! He’s not actually in the movie, but, you know, fanservice!

All right, Angel dressed as a parrot made me chuckle, but why the hell would Fluttershy force him to do that?

“Faster if I do my Sonic Rainboom!” How? How would that help you complete this task any faster? What sense does that make? Oh, wait, don’t tell me...fanservice.

“Raised in a barn!” Yes, thank you. You have beaten that joke thoroughly into the ground by now. Please move on.

Ah, good, Pinkie Pie is continuing her trend of being loud, irritating, and making things worse by opening her stupid face. Some things haven’t changed.

Okay, this is two songs in the first eight minutes. Just how many are there?

“Eeyup!” HE SAID IT.

Yeah, you can show me Cheese Sandwich all you want. I know “Weird Al” isn’t in this movie.

Security guard #1: “Do you have visual on the buttercream?”

Security guard #2: “Visual confirmed, go for cleanup.”

...

Audience: *cough*

I mean, they left in a pause for laughter and everything. They were expecting that to get a laugh.

Balloon: *gets squished*

Random background pony: Bryan! Noooooo!

Me: 

I don’t...I’m not...are these...jokes? I’m...I...

You’d think they’d have heard of this villain. He seems like he has a wide sphere of influence.

“There’s one of you! And hundreds of us!” Yes, Luna, I’m sure they brought that giant airship because there’s only one of them. This is why you’re not in charge.

Wow, the, uh...the crystals forming over Cadence are, um...am I allowed to say anything more about the animation?

DURR HURR IT’S FUNNY BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY GOT TWILIGHT BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY DERPY AND ANYTHING INVOLVING DERPY IS FUNNY. FAAAAAAANSERRRRRRVIIIIIIIIIICE.

Every word out of this minion’s mouth makes me want to punch him. It’s Michael Peña’s best role since CHiPs! Apparently he ad-libbed most of his dialogue. It shows.

“Yay.” SHE SAID IT.

“Boingy boingy boingy boingy!” UGH.

Pinkie Pie: “Anypony up for a game of I Spy?”

Everypony else: “UGH.”

See? SEE?! I’m not the only one! She’s even starting to annoy the other main characters by this point! What are you even doing?

So Tempest got...a phone call...except it’s not a phone call, it’s a potion that you pour into a brazier...but it still has a ringtone...and it sounds like a dial-up connection... How do they use it more than once? Also, FUCK YOU WITH YOUR STUPID FUCKING

Why does the Storm King’s emblem look like the Starcraft II logo?

“Sorry, bad spell service.” FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Meanwhile, in the town from Assassin’s Creed...

“Hmm. Interesting.” Well, I know someone who’s getting a lot of furry fetish fanart made of him!

“I’ll take the picture of your sister!” Heh. Okay, movie. That’s two.

Wow, Taye Diggs’s voice does not fit that character design.

“...parts will fall off.” Did the guy immediately grab for his crotch when he said that? Wow, movie! Where’s your PG for “mild rude humor”?

Someone should tell the animators that Spike isn’t pursuing Rarity anymore. Since, like, Season 2.

Oh, god, don’t sing! I was kind of starting to like you, Capper! This doesn’t really seem in-character!

Why does it seem like this character would have been Discord if they hadn’t “redeemed” him like three times by this point?

Yes, Fluttershy is afraid of bats. Great knowledge of the character there, movie.

“Ooh! So many fun breakables!” Fuck you, Pinkie.

Good lord, Emily Blunt really could be intimidating if she weren’t undercut by Michael Peña at every fucking TURN! It’s the slugs from Epic all over again!

Yes, “The Girl from Ipanema”. A common song all throughout Equestria or the Badlands or whatever. The random popular songs interspersed throughout a movie (based on a show that does not HAVE them) that also has its own original songs really do not fit! They really don’t! Just because you can afford it now doesn’t mean you have to do it.

“WAIT!” *random cat noise* That...might have made sense if you didn’t play those two sounds at the same time. I’m not sure how he could talk and yowl simultaneously. Come on, sound editors.

Boy, how convenient that Tempest found them at that exact point, huh?

Y’know, showing Pinkie Pie grinning like an idiot as they’re all running for their lives doesn’t exactly endear me to her, animators.

Oh, no! Pinkie fell! What a tragedy! Maybe if you let her die, she wouldn’t keep fucking up your shit!

GOD, I HATE THIS FUCKING MINION.

Bird Guy: “We scar ‘em...”

Rarity: *gasp*

Bird Guy: “...emotionally!”

Fluttershy: *cries*

Pff... All right, you got me! That one was actually worth an audible laugh! That makes you three for...I don’t know, fifty?

I have a serious question. Was this supposed to be released in 3D, but then they dropped that for some reason? There seems to be a lot of “stuff coming straight toward the camera” action.

Are we seriously still doing the “people trying to kill each other stop when the shift whistle blows” joke? That was old 50 years ago!

I’m not sure I’ve seen a musical with songs this...out of nowhere. I mean, I’m sure worse examples exist, but none that I’m familiar with.

Are these pirates supposed to be...giant parrots (because, y’know, pirates and parrots)? Why does this world have giant parrots? Everything in the entire series is the size it is in the real world. Including the parrots we saw earlier in the movie! Why giant parrots?

Ah, good, Rainbow Dash is still a FUCKING IDIOT. Glad you’re keeping that change from the show, too!

So let me get this straight. Storm King is concerned about projecting an image of fearsomeness and strength...but he sells bobbleheads of himself as merchandise? You know, you don’t have to be this stupid, movie! You don’t! You really don’t!

GOD, they need to stop showing closeups of their faces. THEY’RE. SO. CREEPY.

“Oh, this is inteeeeeense!” WELL, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IF YOU HADN’T SAID THAT. LET A MOMENT LAND, MOVIE. LET. A MOMENT. FUCKING. LAND.

Oh, good, here’s where that terrifying shot from the trailer comes in.

And Rarity stopped to look at herself in the mirror while falling to her death. HURR HURR HURR.

Oh, look! Pinkie is about to get them killed again! GET RID OF HER.

“That’s it! I simply cannot even!” Oh, fuck off. Whoever wrote that line, fuck off.

“I hate epic adventures!” I’m sure starting to.

Wow, Twilight, you held your breath for, like, 10 seconds. Good job.

Well, here it is. We knew it was coming. Seaponies. Honestly, even though I should be annoyed (because FANSERVICE), they actually fit this world pretty well (way better than giant anthropomorphic cats or whatever the hell the inhabitants of that Badlands city were).

But then they turn the Mane Six into seaponies.

And I’m reminded of “The Crystal Empire (Part 2)”.

And you only introduced these characters to sell new toys of the Mane Six, didn’t you?

And fuck you.

“Yay.” SHE SAID IT. AGAIN.

Don’t sing. Please don’t sing. I think what makes these songs even more out-of-nowhere is the fact that all the other non-pony characters are immediately in on the song, no matter how they were feeling or what they were doing right before it started.

Um...Twilight’s not wrong, you guys! Everyone you’ve come across so far has tried to fuck you over! Including the seaponies! Why wouldn’t she just try to steal the thing?

But, of course, she wouldn’t get captured if everyone else didn’t leave her all alone to mark the act break. The rest of them are even seen sitting on a gray and dismal seashore afterwards! Jesus Christ, it’s like all the tropes from Scriptwriting for Children’s Movies 101 are in this thing! You are allowed to try harder than this, you know!

Twilight: Why are you doing this? You’re a pony, like me!

Me: I’m nothing like you!

Tempest: I’m nothing like you!

Me: Come on!

Oh, god, don’t sing. I can hear the lead-in. I can see you want to express your emotions and fill in your backstory so badly! Please don’t! Please don’t please don’t please don’t AGGGGGHHHHH

Man, I bet when the Ursa Major scratched her face, Tempest bled so! Ha! ...I’m sorry.

Are you kidding me? She has the same character motivation as Starlight Glimmer? Her friends (all two of them) left her in one particular incident, so now she’s sworn off friendship forever (instead of just, I don’t know, finding new friends? You had to have had more than two.)

Hold on, did Tempest...beam that flashback into Twilight’s head? Because otherwise, I don’t know how she would have gathered that information.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in! Himself!” Um...burn?

NO. BULLSHIT. HOW DID THEY ESCAPE? HOW? IT DOESN’T COUNT IF YOU DON’T SHOW IT. WHY WOULD YOU CUT OUT A POTENTIALLY AWESOME ACTION SCENE FOR THIS SHIT? NO. FUCK YOU.

Then again, there are only five pirates left. I guess the rest were slaughtered.

Honestly, the Storm King just looks like Tirek. They might as well have reused him.

Boy, I haven’t seen Liev Schreiber play such an nonthreatening villain since X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Blast from the past! I’m glad he’s been in the movie so much up to this point so that I actually give a shit about him being the main bad guy for the last 20 minutes!

Uh-huh. And where were the other two pirates hiding? Only three jumped out of that cake.

The guard was taken down by...cupcakes. Do you even care anymore?

HOLY FUCK PINKIE’S FACE IS TERRIFYING. NEVER SHOW ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN. YOU ARE SERIOUSLY GOING TO GIVE CHILDREN NIGHTMARES.

And he’s using Spike like a flamethrower. He can’t...oh, whatever.

Why does she even need her horn restored? She seems pretty powerful as she is.

“Why are you saving me?” “Because this is what friends do.” No, this is what decent fucking people do! if you’re about to watch someone die and you can do something to prevent it, you don’t have to be their friend to do so! You just have to be not a sociopath!

Oh, no! Twilight flew off with the main villain! She’s dead for sure! Oh, what? She’s not? What a shock. Nice heavy-handed angelic imagery, by the way.

Couldn’t she have blasted the XBOX rock out of the way or grabbed it or something instead of letting it hit her?

“So...now what?” “Now we rebuild.” No, wait, that’s the ending from San Andreas. A much better movie, I might add.

OH, THE FIRST ONE THEY DECALCIFIED WAS DERPY. EVERYTHING IS DERPY. DERPY DERPY DERPY.

Okay, who the hell was the “Way to go, guys!” pony? That was very obviously supposed to be someone specific, but I am unaware of this behind-the-scenes tidbit.

So they unfroze everypony, but they still didn’t fix Tempest’s horn? What a bunch of dicks!

“You know, your horn is pretty powerful, just like the pony it belongs to.” Didn’t I say that? What the hell was the conflict here?

That’s what you end the movie on, eh? Pinkie Pie’s squealing? Okey dokey then.

AND DERPY’S IN THE CREDITS TOO HERF DERF WERF LERF

And, of course, no kids’ movie would be complete without LUKAS GRAAAAAAAHAM.

Wait, Rachel Platten sang that cover of “We Got the Beat”? The singer who gave us “Fight Song”? Well, no wonder it sucked!

Rating: 1/4 stars.

This movie had a review embargo on it on Rotten Tomatoes until the release date. That’s never a good sign.

I think maybe they thought that, by making the movie darker, it would make it more suitable for theatrical viewing. It doesn’t. It’s just...odd. Especially when they add really stupid jokes to lighten the tone.

I can say that you can probably see the movie without having seen the show, which is a positive. There aren’t any plot details that require outside information to understand, but WOW is there enough fanservice if that’s what you’re looking for. In fact, it might be better if you haven’t seen the show because boy, oh, boy, do they introduce a lot of characters that the ponies on the show would definitely be aware of if this made any sense. On that note, if this is set in the canon Equestria from the show, then holy shit are the ponies the most callous and/or oblivious sociopaths I’ve ever seen in a children’s program. Not only are they all apparently completely unaware of the fact that everything outside of Equestria is complete shit (aside from the fact that everywhere seems to be impoverished, they’re all totally oblivious to the fact that the Storm King has taken over THE REST OF THE WORLD), but they don’t actually fix that by the end! I guess the hippogriffs can come out of hiding now, and the Storm King’s faceless henchmen all seem to be good guys at the end since they’re all at the party, but for all we know, the badlands are still inhabited entirely by goblin monster things and their shady black market shit! We never saw what happened to them! And if the parrots are now all pirates instead of merchants, does that mean they’re going to start robbing everyone? Congratulations, Rainbow Dash! You’ve significantly increased the amount of crime across the entire world! Good job, you fucking idiot!

Twilight is ridiculously selfish, which is really odd considering we know she knows better by this point. Her moral in this movie is that she has to learn to rely on her friends and not just try to do everything based on her own effort and ideas. Y’know, AGAIN. How many fucking times has Twilight had to learn this lesson over and over and over again? And people say that Fluttershy’s episodes are repetitive.

I was hoping that at some point I would become used to the animation. For comparison, Fantastic Mr. Fox has a really ugly animation style, but you don’t really think anything of it after the first 20-30 minutes. That never happened with this movie. Every time I thought I was getting used to the animation style, someone would turn or move or make a face, and it would just look creepy or just plain awful again.

You know what’s kind of sad, though? Emily Blunt is really good in this. She’s really putting in a lot of effort for this character, and the design is pretty good, too! She’s actually kind of awesome, especially compared to Liev Schreiber (who so could not have given less of a shit about his role) and Michael Fucking Peña, who are just terrible. Even if I didn’t entirely understand her nonsensical motivation, Tempest was honestly the best part of the movie.

Boy, between this and Leap!, if an animated movie advertises that it “features an original song by Sia”, run!

[jigretro]

JIGRETRO

Retro Videogame Blog

May 19 PLAY EXPO MANCHESTER

My fiancée bought me tickets for this event in January for my birthday. I’ve never been to an expo specifically focused on video gaming/retro gaming, although I have been to The Gadget Show expo on a couple of occasions and to the occasional Comic Con style expo, so I roughly knew what it would entail.

On the lead up to the event I checked out the website and copied the map/floorplan for the event. This got me excited as I could see that there was a big marketplace, free play arcade machines, pinball machines and console gaming area. I had a look at some of the talks that were scheduled but, to be honest, nothing grabbed my attention. On the website I noticed that there were some YouTube guests attending, such as Top Hat 🎩 Gaming Man and Kim Justice, and I was intrigued by the prospect of running into them. I was most excited about the marketplace, but felt that the prices would probably be way too expensive for me to get heavily involved in.

My first impressions of the expo was that it was a little on the small side, but with my only other experience being at The Gadget Show I suppose it would seem small. We quickly walked around the entire floor to get a feel for everything that was happening. I also felt that it was a little quiet; we arrived at 11am but it would become much much busier over the coming couple of hours.

The marketplace was what I was most excited about and I spent some serious time in that area. I browsed each stall and made a mental list of things that I might like to buy and where the stalls were, but I didn't buy anything on the first trip round. The prices seemed very reasonable to me, which was a huge surprise for me. Prices were similar to Cex really, perhaps a little cheaper, but some of the rare games were very expensive, probably for good reason. I haven’t got the knowledge to really know whether they were good deals or not. I would never consider buying a rare game just because it was rare, I would have to have a personal interest in that game first and foremost.

My fiancée spent all of this time following me around, for which I consider her a saint. I think she secretly had fun rummaging through stacks of Gameboy games, etc... there is just something about the noise of it that appeals to anyone... not just collectors, ha ha!!! One highlight was a stall that featured only Japanese imports, shed loads of them, which was amazing to see. Unfortunately I couldn’t tell what anything was, but I was trying to hunt down a Japanese copy of Castlevania Symphony of the Night and, after a little while, I asked my fiancée (I was far too shy) to ask the chap running the stall if he had it, which she did (bless her). Unfortunately he didn't have it, but he gave her a business card and said that he could get it for around £45. This is actually a good deal, as the PAL version of this game had a very small release and those copies sell for around the £150/£200 mark on eBay 😮. Buying imports can be a cheaper way of getting hold of physical copies of some seriously expensive games. On my second walk round the market I made a few purchases and you will see what I got in the pickups section of the blog later.

After all of the game hunting both Steph and I were thirsty and a bit peckish, so we headed for the food court. The food choices were more than a little disappointing to be honest. The choices were basically pizza, hot dogs, toasties and some pre-packaged cold sandwiches. We got a couple of bottled fizzy drinks and shared a spicy meat pizza, which probably sounds amazing but it was just a plain pizza with a tiny amount of salami. It filled a hole though and we continued with our day.

We made our way to the arcade area and this was really cool. Pretty much every popular cabinet you could think of was here and this was a busy area, it was hard to get on anything but luckily most people’s attention span on each machine was relatively low, so with a little waiting/queuing you could get on any cabinet after a few mins. My highlight was the Outrun machine... this thing was freaking awesome. The speakers were LOUD and directly next to your ears in the headrest and the seat actually moved, swinging you back and forth while cornering. I had an instant understanding of Outrun's huge popularity after playing for a few minutes on this. Steph wanted to queue for a Wack a Mole machine but changed her mind when she realised that the people queuing behind would be watching her. Ha ha.

The console area was amazing; they had just about every console/microcomputer you can think of set up with a game and ready to play. We each sat at many different consoles and played all sorts. I had a good session playing Sega Rally on a Saturn. The highlight for me was sitting down and playing on a Virtual Boy, this failed console was released in 1995 (before the release of the Gameboy Colour) but Nintendo pulled the plug the following year after poor sales. 22 games were released for the system but I was playing Wario Land. I thought this was great. The image quality was much higher than I was expecting and the basic '3D' effects worked well.

The pinball area was cool but, at the time we went to it, it was incredibly hard to get on any machines. Also, pinball isn’t exactly where I excel, but I had a go on a couple of machines. One interesting thing that I will remember is watching a cosplay Deadpool playing the Deadpool pinball machine... ha ha, surreal.

Areas I was less interested in included modern console/computer gaming, table-top gaming (card games), Minecraft and Fortnight LAN play (this was super popular with the kids... almost like a crèche area, ha ha), shows/talks and cosplay, but it was all there if you were interested in those things.

So this is the pickups section of what I bought, for how much and why I bought each game. I didn’t buy any particularly outlandish titles, although I’m really pleased with Alien 3, Outrun and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fall of the Foot Clan.

Megadrive boxed

The Terminator (no manual) - £6. This was a complete nostalgia purchase for me because, to be honest, the game is pretty terrible, ha ha. I owned this game back in the day and played it repeatedly. It is insanely short; completion will only take about 15 of your precious minutes, but I am stunned that they would’ve charged full price when the game was released. The positives are that the background music is actually pretty decent, with a great recreation of the iconic Terminator theme and adrenaline-pumping music as you play as Kyle rushing to save Sarah. For me, this game has some serious atmosphere and I’m really pleased to have it in my collection.

Alien 3 - £8. This a game that I have seen covered in various YouTube vlogs and I have been intrigued about it for a long time. I have no nostalgia for it but, having played it since buying, this game rocks... maybe even enough for its own blog, so I’m not going to spoil it all here. You play a badass alien-slaughtering machine Ripley and you have to rescue hostages before the timer runs out, and they have an alien burst from their chests. The aliens act as they should, with a darting-type attack as soon as they appear on your screen. You have to be vigilant to kill these suckers.

Megadrive loose, both for £18

Jurassic Park - this was more of a nostalgia purchase. One of my close friends had this game when we were kids and I thought it was great at the time. An action platform game with dinosaurs... what’s not to like?

Outrun - this game speaks for itself. A classic and, after playing that arcade machine, I was sooo pleased to pick this game up. I feel the Megadrive conversion is great and very arcade accurate.

PlayStation

Porsche Challenge - £2. Can’t go wrong with the price and this is a nostalgia purchase for me. I spent hours playing this game with my cousin back in the day; a fairly standard early 3D racing game with some interesting shortcuts within the tracks.

Moto Racer - £2. Again, can’t go wrong for £2. It was developed by Delphine Software International, who also brought us one of my favourite games of all time and the subject of my first blog, Flashback. This is a really good bike racing game.

Game Boy

Kirby’s Pinball Land - £6. I love pretty much every pinball game I play, for example Sonic Spinball and Dragons Fury. I’ve kinda wanted this game for a while. My friend had this game back in the day and I remember playing it on his Super Gameboy.

Japanese import of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fall of the Foot Clan - £6. I’ve heard good things about this game and anything Turtles is usually really overpriced but, with this being an import, it was a very reasonable £6.

And Tony Hawk 2 (can’t remember what I spent but probably around £4 ish) for the Gameboy Advance. I’ve had this game before and I enjoyed it a lot. Despite the GBAs limitations, this game cleverly changes things up to a isometric view. All else remains unchanged from the Tony Hawk formula. I think this is an ideal game for a bit of Tony Hawk on the go.

Many thanks for checking out this month's blog. Until next time!!! 🎮

[beneaththetangles]

10 Great Anime Based On Video Games

Video games and anime have always crossed over, whether it’s through their own respective mediums or via interests of the fandom. It’s common to find gamers that enjoy anime and vice-versa, and being an avid gamer myself, I’ve always been interested in anime that are based on video games. Unlike the horrible job that is often done to adaptations on the big screen to some of my beloved gaming franchises, anime often does it right and even adds to already well-done games.

In fact, I’m sure if you are an anime fan, you’ve either encountered an anime based on a game, or seen anime in video games. A lot of Japanese games have characters drawn in an anime style, or are literally just games like visual novels. This got me thinking of all the different anime over the years that I’ve seen and which ones fall into this category. I also wanted to share why I feel the video games associated with the anime are fantastic, and why you should check them out.

1. Tales of the Abyss

Tales of the Abyss

The Anime: My first recommendation is Tales of the Abyss, another entry in the Tales Of series of games by Namco Tales Studio. Twenty-six episodes tell the tale of Luke fon Fabre, a spoiled rich kid and aspiring swordsman who becomes the target of a military organization, the Order of Lorelei, that believes he is the key to a prophecy that will change the world. Available for purchase on Amazon.

Why you should play this game: If you have never been exposed to this series before, it’s a treat in the JRPG scene. The action and growth you see from the characters are done so well. The story is deep and has some great twists, so you won’t be bored at all. Available for purchase on 3DS through Amazon.

2. Persona 5

The Anime: For fans of the Persona series, Persona 5 follows the video game but removes a lot of dialogue, some details, and gets straight to the point. The music and visuals are great, but it can be a little confusing at first for those that haven’t played the game before.  Stream it on Crunchyroll.

Why you should play this game: I am a little biased and love JRPGs, and this one received the RPG award of the year for 2018 so you know it’s good. The music is super jazzy and fun, while the characters have a lot of depth as does the story. It is NOT a short game though and has a lot of dialogue, so keep that in mind. Available for purchase on Amazon (special editions abound as well!).

3. Pokemon

The Anime: What’s great about the Pokemon anime is that every season is tied to the games. So for those who keep up with each new release (Sword and Shield are coming soon), you will enjoy the anime counterpart. I highly recommend the movies as well! Stream it on Netflix.

Why you should play this game: These games have always been about one thing, the Pokemon! Sure, there’s a story and some memorable music, but going through the adventure to catch each of these unique creatures is what it’s all about. If you enjoy the thrill of finding rare treasures, then you should give this one a try. The Sword and Shield double-pack is available for pre-order on Amazon.

4. Sonic X

Sonic X

The Anime: This is the Sonic the Hedgehog anime we never knew we were watching. I watched it as a child and thought it was an American cartoon, not an anime until l figured out what an anime was! It follows the adventures in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, along with its own filler and arcs. It’s not a serious show—it’s a lot of fun and great for younger audiences. Stream it on Hulu.

Why you should play this game: If you have not played Sonic the Hedgehog, it’s a fast-paced game with lots of different kinds of entries in the franchise. Personally, I recommend picking up Sonic Mania, which is the culmination of what made Sonic such a fun game packed with tons of nostalgia, new takes on old stages and it’s own plot. You will have a blast! Sonic Mania Available for purchase on Amazon.

5. Valkyria Chronicles

Squad 7 from Valkyria Chronicles

The Anime: If you enjoy strategy, war, the military, how a battle is won, and some science-fiction sprinkled in, then Valkyria Chronicles is the show for you. Like several of the others on my list, it follows the game accurately. I would not watch it if you are going to pick up the game, as certain important plot twists will be ruined. The DVDs are out of print on not available for legal streaming, but if you have $596 to spare…

Why you should play this game: The Valkyria Chronicle franchise is famous for winning war-time battles with strategy. You can lose your teammates permanently if they are killed in action, and every move you take can make or break a long battle. It can be difficult at times, but the story and characters keep you invested. This is a unique experience in gaming, so be sure to watch some gameplay to see if it’s for you. Available for purchase on Amazon (special editions are available as well).

6. Castlevania

Castlevania

The Anime: When this was released, a lot of gamers thought it would be another terrible show based on a video game. What we didn’t know was the care that the creators put into making sure this reflected the series and it’s fans thoughtfully. It didn’t disappoint! Castlevania is extremely violent, but the humor, story, twists, and fight with Dracula will keep you watching. Stream it on Netflix.

Why you should play this game: This series has been around since the original NES days, so if you are new to it I would recommend Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (available on PlayStation and Xbox) for your first time. The Belmont family, among other monster slayers, are tasked to do the job of destroying Dracula every 100 years. It is a dark video game with heavy occult themes in case you aren’t comfortable with that. I also recommend staying far away from the 3D titles—they are horrible. Many of the titles are available on Amazon (through our recommendation is pricey!).

7. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

The Anime: For people like myself who started watching anime decades ago, this movie is a perfect example of that era of animation. It’s gritty, violent, leaking plot holes, packed with characters, and is a great depiction of the game. There are several SF (Street Fighter) movies. but this one is the classic, and I highly recommend it for any fans of the game. Available for purchase on Amazon.

Why you should play this game: If you play video games you likely have heard or played Street Fighter. It has defined the fighting game genre and still releases quality titles. My recommendation would be SF V, or if you want to go old school try the recently released Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Haduken! Both are available for purchase on Amazon (SFV and and SF 30th PS4 / Switch).

8. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

The Anime: Based on the JRPG Final Fantasy XV, the anime delves into the backstory of the main character, Noctis, and his friends. It isn’t exactly pulled from the game, but it gives more detail on the story which has rarely been done for a game. Definitely check this one out if you have played the game! Available on Amazon, but for a pretty penny.

Why you should play this game: This Final Fantasy title took the franchise to places it had never been before, especially with the large world to explore and the cast of main characters. It’s action-packed, has a deep and emotional story about a group of friends you won’t soon forget. There have been mixed reviews, but that’s expected for a much-beloved series like this one. It does require a lot of hours to complete, but you won’t regret helping Noctis take back his throne from Niflheim. Available for purchase on Amazon.

9. Ace Attorney

Ace Attorney

The Anime: Phoenix Wright is an attorney in Japan who is helped by Maya, a medium who contacts spirits. He defends his clients with dramatic style just like the games are known for. Each case is different and pushes Phoenix to become a better lawyer, all the while wanting to bring justice and discover the truth behind the lies. Stream it on Crunchyroll.

Why you should play this game: Games like these are different and interesting because they put you in the role of the profession it focuses on, this time being an attorney. Yes, it is a game and is known for being silly but if the field of law is a topic you enjoy, definitely grab this one. For new players, I recommend Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, which was just released with the first three games, updated with better graphics for most platforms. Available for purchase on Amazon.

10. .hack

.hack//Roots

The Anime: Before Sword Art Online, there was .hack and it’s various seasons, movies, OVAs and spin-offs. The plot pertains to various people who get trapped in The World, which is a VR videogame that they can’t log out of (sound familiar?).  It was one of the first isekai anime that garnered a lot of fans and attention, to the point it made several series of games and other media. There are a few main series, starting with .hack//Sign, then .hack//Roots among others. .hack//Sign can be streamed on Hulu.

Why you should play this game: The first series of games were based on the .hack//Sign seasons but it was a little frustrating because they split it into 4 games! You are playing a “game in a game” which was new at the time. It was like an MMORPG, without the online mode. There’s a re-release of the second series of games, .hack//G.U. Last Recode which put all the games on one disc, thank God. Available for purchase on Amazon.

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I was going to add Hi-score Girl but since it’s not from a video game then it didn’t count. If there’s an anime that should have been on this list, share it in the comments, OR if you feel there’s a video game that needs to become an anime I want to know about it! Let me know your opinions on my list.

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https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/tags/based-on-a-video-game

[watchingthesuperbowl]

Notes taken during Super Bowl XLVI

PREGAME

This is an NBC broadcast. Recording starts with the coin toss.

Coin toss. 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. Curtis Martin will do the honors.

As the visiting team, Giants call the toss. They call tails. It's heads. Patriots will defer.

That ends the NFC's streak of 14 consecutive coin toss wins.

Giants were 7-7 at one point, haven't lost since.

Eli Manning: We're all playing for each other. Love and respect each other, ready for a big night.

Michele Tafoya: Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski suffered a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship game.

Commercial: Hyundai doing some sort of Rocky theme song thing.

FIRST QUARTER

Giants receive. Decent return from Jerrel Jernigan to the 23.

First play: Ahmad Bradshaw up the middle for no gain. Michaels says the Giants have the worst rushing offense in the NFL.

Manning converts a third down. Hits Victor Cruz for 8-9 yards.

Fans seem pro-Giants. It's not surprising that people in Indianapolis don't want the Patriots to win.

Michaels: In three of the last four Super Bowls, the team with the worst rushing offense in the NFL has taken part.

Nice drive here for the Giants. A couple completions to the tight ends, that catch by Victor Cruz, now Hakeem Nicks for 19 into New England territory.

Drive stalls. Two sacks and a stuffed running play knock the Giants out of any semblance of field goal range. Steve Weatherford pins the Patriots at the 5 on a punt.

Commercials: Bud Light Platinum. (Gross.) Audi commercial featuring an Echo and the Bunnymen song. (Awesome.) Audi headlights are so bright they kill vampires, it seems.

Obligatory cutaway: Gisele Bundchen.

Patriots' first play, Brady is under pressure in the end zone. Throws it deep down the middle to nobody. The officials confer....yep, that's intentional grounding and a safety. 2-0 Giants.

Commercials: Pepsi featuring Elton John as a king of some sort of singing contest. He's dropped into a dungeon. Flava Flav greets him. The only good part of the ad. Hyundai Veloster. Promo for "Smash", tomorrow on NBC.

FLAVA FLAV!

Michaels: That's the first safety in a Super Bowl since XXV, 21 years ago.

Replay shows it was the right call. Brady was in the tackle box, under pressure, and nobody within at least 15 yards of where the ball landed.

Manning is 6-for-6 early. I'm pretty sure all six are to different receivers. Giants approaching midfield.

BIG run from Ahmad Bradshaw. Makes a couple tacklers miss and gets 24 yards down the left sideline. First and 10 from the New England 33.

Now a completion to Bear Pascoe inside the 20. First down. Giants on their second dangerous drive before the Patriots run their second play.

Patriots were 31st in the NFL in yards allowed.

Confusion in the Patriots' secondary. Completion to Cruz, maybe a fumble, maybe not. They say it's a fumble but it doesn't matter. New England had 12 defenders on the field.

First and goal from the 6. Bradshaw to the 2. Clock ticks under 4:00 left in the first, Patriots still only have that one offensive play.

Oh, man, crazy-dangerous throw. Manning throws a slant to Cruz for a score. 9-0 New York. Linebacker Jerrod Mayo dropped back to cover a slant but never looked back for the ball. He could have picked it like James Harrison did three years ago against the Cardinals.

No, Mayo!

Commercials: Bud Light Platinum. Still gross. M&Ms. Best Buy - "any phone, any carrier". Celebrity Apprentice. Even more gross than Bud Light Platinum.

Commercials: Coke ad featuring CGI polar bears hanging out. Chevy trucks - they'll still exist after the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse, but Ford trucks won't. Halftime show promo. Madonna. Promo for "Rock Center" with Brian Williams.

Offensive plays: Giants 19, Patriots 1.

Collinsworth: I've never seen the Patriots look this unsettled to start a game.

Brady converts a third and 4. Over the middle to Deion Branch at midfield.

Now a quick pass to Welker. Giants trying to cover him underneath with a linebacker. Goodness. 19 yard gain.

2nd and 6, Welker on an end around for 10 or so. Patriots inside the New York 20 as the first quarter ends. New York 9, New England 0.

Commercials: Bridgestone. They made a football out of Bridgestone tires. It's easy to control, just like Bridgestone tires. GoDaddy commercial featuring Danica Patrick, Jillian Michaels, and a scantily clad woman. Lexus. "Battleship" film. It looks awful.

SECOND QUARTER

Oh, hey, it's Aaron Hernandez. Catches a pass on the first play of the quarter. Gain of 2. Becomes the leading receiver in Super Bowl history among murderers.

3rd and 4 from the 11, Brady pass knocked down by Jason Pierre-Paul. That forces a field goal attempt from Gostkowski. 29 yarder. Got it. 9-3 Giants.

Commercials: Budweiser. Prohibition is over! Hooray, but your beer is still awful. Doritos. A dog bribes a guy with Doritos to not tell on him for killing their cat. Camaro.

NBC runs a song about Jason Pierre-Paul. "JPP", set to the tune of Naughty By Nature's OPP.

Commercials: GE. We make turbines that keep your Budweiser cold. Gross. Commercial for John Carter, which somehow may have been a worse film than Battleship. TaxAct dot com decides it's a good idea to have a kid peeing in a swimming pool as its Super Bowl ad. Promo for The Voice, premiering tonight after the Super Bowl.

Manning is 9-for-9 to start the game, a Super Bowl record. They jinxed him. He's 9 for 10 now after throwing it away on first down.

Brandon Jacobs up the middle for 11. Patriots not doing much to stop the Giants early.

Manning hits Bradshaw in the face with a pass. Incompletion.

Michaels: People wondered why the Giants weren't favored heading into the game.

Commercials: The Lorax, A dog loses weight so he can fit out the doggie door and chase a Volkswagen. Darth Vader chokes a guy in a bar for laughing at that. Promo for America's Got Talent featuring Howard Stern, coming this summer.

Third and 6, great catch from Hakeem Nicks downfield. Pass looked high, but he went up and got it at the New England 48. First down.

3rd and 15, Manning completes a pass to Bradshaw at the 40. It's short of a first down and Weatherford will punt it into the end zone. Welp.

Commercials: David Beckham in his underwear for H&M. The CGI Coke polar bears again.

Another Brady pass knocked down by Jason Pierre-Paul.

Chad Ochocinco comes into the game on third and 7. It's a six yard pass to Welker and the Patriots will punt.

Tafoya: Giants TE Travis Beckham is out with a torn ACL.

3rd and 11, Manning deep to Manningham, but incomplete. Weatherford will punt with around 4:00 left in the half. Kicks it out of bounds at the 4.

Commercials: Chevy Sonic doing stunts. Star Wars Phantom Menace 3D. Gross. Promo for a Madonna halftime show.

Gronk! His first catch of the game is down the seam for 20. Out to the New England 35, 2:30 to go in the half.

After a running play, it'll be 2nd and 6 when they return from the two minute warning.

Commercials: The Avengers, Teleflora dot com, Skechers, NFL Play 60 promo sponsored by Kinect for X Box 360, Cars dot com.

Brady to Hernandez to the Patriots' 49. First down. 1:40 and counting.

Now Brady to Hernandez again. Ruled a catch and down by contact. Probably the right call. Yep, replay shows his elbow was down before the ball came out.

Brady to Woodhead to the New York 37. Flag on the play. Holding, offense. Big penalty.

Brady keeps going to Hernandez. Moves the chains again. Out at the 34 with 1:01 left on the clock.

Brady to Welker at the 23. First down. 0:28 left, Patriots timeout.

Commercials: Doritos - grandmother uses a bungee slingshot to fire a toddler at a kid with a bag of Doritos. Talking baby for Etrade. G.I. Joe Retaliation.

Brady to Woodhead. Out at the 12. First down. Clock stopped at 0:24

Brady to Woodhead at the 3. Flag down. Giants offside. Declined. 0:18 left, 2nd and 1 at the 3.

Draw play! Woodhead chopped down in the backfield by Pierre Paul. Timeout, New England.0:15 left in the half.

Third down, Brady looking, looking, looking, touchdown. Threads a needle to Danny Woodhead in the end zone. 10-9 Patriots with less than 10 seconds left in the half. Presumably, they'll squib the kickoff, the Giants will take a knee on first down, and it'll be 10-9 at halftime.

Touchdown.

Collinsworth: That tied a record for longest drive in Super Bowl history.

Yep. Squib kick, Giants take a knee. At the half: New England 10, New York 9.

Commercial: NFL Fantasy Football

HALFTIME

Rodney Harrison: Belichick will tell his players we haven't played our best and if we cut out the mistakes, we'll win this game.

Tony Dungy: If I'm Tom Coughlin, I'm telling my players that we're moving the football, we just have to finish drives. We can move the ball on these guys.

Dungy: With the injury, Gronkowski can be covered one-on-one with a linebacker. He's a decoy. They have to stop Welker and Hernandez.

Harrison: Hernandez is a matchup nightmare for the Giants. Tough to bring down in space.

Harrison: Giants need to run at Brady, not go around the offensive line. They need to get in his face or it will be a long day.

Commercials: Toyota Camry, Will Arnett for Hulu Plus, LMFAO playing the halftime show in a bar instead of at the game - commercial for Bud Light, Tonight Show promo with Madonna in an elevator with Jay Leno.

Halftime show. Madonna! She's being brought to the stage by some sort of legion. Vogue. She's lip synching to obvious samples of herself. This is about eleven million times better than last year's Black Eyed Peas debacle, and I'm by no means a Madonna fan. Music. LMFAO. It's a mashup of Music and Party Rock. Everybody's gonna have a good time. Sexy And I Know It. I work out! Okay, now it's a Madonna song that I've genuinely never heard in my life. She seems to want all the love today. Nicki Minaj cameo. Now MIA. Nice. MIA flips the bird to the camera. The NFL is having a collective freakout about that, I'm sure. Open Your Heart featuring a drum line and Cee-Lo Green. Like A Prayer after an extremely quick wardrobe change. Cee-Lo joins in on backing vocals. Show ends with a "World Peace" message on the field. Madonna crushed it out there.

Commercial: Promo for The Voice with a cameo from Betty White 

Costas: Last three times these teams have met, they've been decided by three, three, and four points. Every Super Bowl that Tom Brady has played in has been decided by three points. Kickers could play a key role in the second half.

Commercials: "It's haltime in America" featuring Clint Eastwood not screaming at an empty chair. I guess this is a Chrysler commercial. Cool, guys, maybe don't make dogshit cars if you want to be successful. NFL Fantasy Football.

Michaels: Brady finished first half with eleven consecutive completions.

When these two teams played in the regular season, it was scoreless at the half.

THIRD QUARTER

Patriots receive. Julian Edelman to the 21.

Tafoya: Belichick says they have to do better in the red zone and stay out of third and long.

First play of the drive. Brady to Ochocinco for 20 or so.

Brady on final drive of first half: 10-10, 98 yards, TD.

The law firm gets going. BenJarvis Green-Ellis for around 15. Giants on their heels, observes Collinsworth.

Brady's 14th consecutive completion. Super Bowl record.

Third and inches, Green-Ellis for three. First down at the New York 20.

"Second and a deuce", says Michaels. Aaron Hernandez one-on-one against a linebacker. No chance for the Giants. Touchdown. 17-9 New England. That's Hernandez's sixth catch of the game.

Patriots have back-to-back drives of 96 and 79 yards.

Commercials: Promo for Smash - series premiere tomorrow

Giants convert on third and four, get out to midfield with a pass to Nicks. Collinsworth says Patriots are trying to shut down Victor Cruz and the Giants have responded by using other receivers.

Another first down to the New England 36. Bradshaw blasts through the middle of the line.

Manning to Nicks again. First down to the 25.

Collinsworth: Patriots' gameplan is to allow short, quick passes but not big plays. Manning needs to stay patient.

Nicks gets blasted by Patrick Chung, going up for a catch. Comes out of the game injured. He's back in after a play. Would have been big if he had been knocked out.

Third and 10, short pass to Manningham. Lawrence Tynes will come on to try a 38 yard field goal. Just sneaks it inside the left upright. 17-12 Patriots midway through the third quarter.

Commercials: Fiat Abarth. Pepsi Max - a Coke delivery guy wins free Pepsi Max for life after trying and failing to buy one without anyone noticing.

Cutaway: Eli Manning's wife and mom.

Commercials; Toyota Camry - reinvented everything else after reinventing the Camry. Coke polar bears. John Stamos for Dannon Oikos yogurt. Century 21 commercial featuring Donald Trump, Deion Sanders, and Apollo Ohno.

First play of the next Patriots drive, Jason Pierre Paul is injured on a tackle in the backfield. NBC goes to commercial.

Commercials: Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno for Acura, General Electric.

Pierre Paul is up. Looks like he took a shot to the head making a tackle, which as we know is no big deal as far as the NFL is concerned. He'll be back. Brains are overrated.

Patriots go three and out. Justin Tuck sacks Brady on third down. Patriots will punt. Blackmon returns it to the Patriots' 48.

Commercials: Budweiser. For people who like to celebrate big events with garbage beer. Bridgestone. They made a basketball out of Bridgestone tires. They're quiet. NFL Fantasy Football.

Replay shows Brady may have injured his left shoulder on the sack. That's his non-throwing arm.

Completion to Nicks at the 30. He's stripped, but fullback Henry Hynoski falls on it. Lucky.

Jacobs finds a seam up the middle, runs to the 23. First down. 3:00 and counting in the third. Giants down 5 but threatening to score.

Completion to Bear Pascoe inside the 12. Another first down.

Tafoya: Patriots medical staff isn't paying attention to Brady, but he's occasionally rotating his left arm to check the shoulder.

Third and 8, Manning sacked at the 15. Giants will settle for a field goal attempt. Tynes from 33 yards. Got it. 17-15 Patriots with 0:35 left in the third quarter.

Second play of the Patriots drive, nobody covers Deion Branch so Brady immediately throws it to him. Gain of 13.

Patriots just barely get a play off before the end of the quarter. Green-Ellis up the middle for a few. After three quarters, it's 17-15 New England.

Commercials: Canton Bulldogs, representin'! It's a commercial for the NFL.

FOURTH QUARTER

Brady makes a crazy escape from the pass rush a la Eli Manning in the last Super Bowl. Chucks it deep and is picked off by...a middle linebacker?!? Chase Blackburn, who was substitute teaching a couple of months ago, makes the play. He beat Rob Gronkowski on a jump ball.

Oh, huge break for the Giants. Brandon Spikes forces Bradshaw to fumble, but the Giants recover. Chris Snee, coach Tom Coughlin's son-in-law, made the recovery.

Commercials: Matthew Broderick for Honda CRV - a parody of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Wow - a bold move to have a car commercial featuring a guy who killed two people while driving a car. "Act of Valor" film. Cartoon characters for Met Life. Another promo for Smash.

Third and 7. Incomplete pass, but there's a flag down. Offside, defense? Yep. The Patriots give New York another chance, this time on third and 2.

This time they convert. Manning steps up and throws a rope to Nicks. Threw it right over a linebacker.

NBC graphic: Eli Manning threw 15 TD passes in the fourth quarter this season, the most of any QB in NFL history.

Now Giants tight end Jake Ballard is hurt. Commercial time. He's grabbing his left knee. Giants are down to one tight end, Pascoe.

Commercials: Hyundai. Driver doing CPR on a passenger by starting and stopping. Bud Light. A dog named Wego who brings people beer when they say "Here, Wego!"

Oh, man. Dangerous throw. Manning in traffic to Victor Cruz on third and 1. That worked, but it was a crazy idea.

Now a completion to Manningham for 12. Into Patriots territory at the 43. 10:00 or so left.

Tafoya: Ballard has a knee sprain but will try to play.

Replay: Ballard testing the knee on the sideline and wiping out badly. He's not okay. It's gutsy of him to try to play, but that looks bad.

That’s...not good.

Third and 10, Manning goes downfield to Manningham. Collinsworth immediately: "That's interference." No flag. Giants flipping out. Bad non-call. Weatherford to punt. Welker fair catch at the 8.

Cutaway: Ballard being helped to the locker room, putting no weight on the leg.

Commercials: Motley Crue for Kia. Kick Start My Heart. CareerBuilder dot com. Monkeys annoying a guy. NBC promos. Thursday night comedies. None of the shows is Community, which, yeah. NBC did that a lot.

Collinsworth on the non-call: Everybody's going to have their own opinion on that. That's exactly how opinions work, Cris.

Big third down conversion on the first set of downs for the Patriots. Danny Woodhead in the flat, gains around 25. Patriots up 2, less than 8:00 left.

Giants DB Antrel Rolle down, injured.

Commercials: Samsung Galaxy Note featuring the Darkness. They believe in a thing called love. Promo for The Voice.

Second and 7, Patriots run a reverse to Welker. Gains 11 yards for a first down. Patriots out to their 45. Clock under 7:00.

Clock rolling, under 5:45, Patriots have a third and 3 at midfield. Giants only have one timeout - they need to get a stop fairly urgently.

They don't get the stop here. Brady to Hernandez. First down. Clock under 5:00 now.

Green-Ellis stuffed on first down. Clock rolling near 4:00.

Second down, Giants defense confused, Welker wide open and he just drops it. Huge drop. It's third down with 4:00. Clock stopped.

Welker doesn’t ever drop this ball. But he dropped this ball.

Incomplete pass on third down. Patriots will punt with 3:53 left in regulation. Fair catch at the 12.

The Giants only need a field goal here. 3:46 left, one timeout. Plenty of time, but it has to happen on this drive.

Collinsworth: Wow. We should just have these two teams play all the time. Everyone in the country who isn't from New York or New England: Gross. Yuck. No.

First play of the drive, Manning deep to Mario Manningham down the sideline. Great catch at midfield. Replay shows he caught it and got both feet down. What a play.

Collinsworth: That catch isn't quite David Tyree, but it's pretty close.

Patriots have challenged this, but it's pretty obvious that it's a catch. Yep. Call is "confirmed".

Cutaway: David Tyree on the Giants sideline.

Second and 10, complete pass to Manningham again, this time to the 34. They're in fringe field goal range. This game is indoors, which will help Tynes. Less than 3:00 left.

Collinsworth drops a Scott Norwood bomb. Thanks, Cris. Thanks for that. 2:10 and counting.

Quick pass to Nicks, complete to the Patriots' 18 as we reach the two minute warning.

Commercials: Cadillac. Testing at the Nurburgring. Swamp People on the History Channel. GoDaddy dot com. Danica Patrick and scantily clad models. She won as many races during this commercial as she did in her NASCAR career. Promo for Awake. That was such a great friggin' show and I'm still upset it got cancelled.

Run to Ahmad Bradshaw to the 11. 1:45 and counting. Patriots unsure whether to use timeouts.

Snap at 1:15, quick pass to Nicks. Goes out of bounds inside the 10. 1:09 left, clock stopped. First down.

First down, Bradshaw up the middle, stuffed. New England timeout at 1:04.

Second and goal, the seas part and it freaks Bradshaw out. He tries to fall over at the 1 but slips into the end zone. One of the few times in the sport it can be a mistake to score a touchdown. Giants going for 2, up 21-17 with 0:57 left. They don't get it.

Replay shows Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes appears to have been ready to knock Bradshaw into the end zone to force him to score, so New England could get the ball back.

Patriots have 0:57 and a timeout. They need a touchdown. Michaels says Belichick had to choose between giving Brady 0:20 to get in field goal range and stop the clock,. or a minute to score a touchdown.

Kickoff downed in the end zone. They need 80 yards in 0:57.

Collinsworth: In an interview, Brady said he'd rather have the ball, trailing, than have a lead but the other guys have the ball.

First down, Branch drops what would have easily been a 20-25 yard completion. 0:52 left.

Second down, dropped by Hernandez. 0:48 left.

Third down, Brady sacked by Tuck. Patriots burn their last timeout. 0:36 left on the clock. It's fourth and long.

I dig this facemask.

They convert on 4th and 16! Brady buys time, moves in the pocket, and finds Deion Branch for 20.What a play. 0:32. Branch got out of bounds.

Completion for 11 to Hernandez. Down the middle, though. No timeouts. They get up to the line and spike it at 0:17.

Next play, the Giants have 12 men on the field. Patriots gain five yards on the penalty, but the clock is down to 0:09.

Brady to Branch down the sideline, barely out of bounds. 0:05 left. They'll have to chuck it into the end zone on the next play. Patriots at their own 49.

Tipped in the end zone - Gronkowski maybe could have gotten to it, but does not. Giants win! 21-17 final.

POSTGAME

Cutaway: Archie Manning, apparently crying tears of joy.

Commercial: Promo for NBC Sports Network

Michaels and Collinsworth vamp for a while, then they go back to commercial.

Commercials: Chevy Sonic and OK Go. Act of Valor film. L'Oreal makeup. DiGiorno frozen pizza. Geico. NFLShop dot com has Giants Super Bowl Champions stuff.

Lombardi Trophy presented by Raymond Berry, Colts legend. He's a Baltimore Colts legend, my dudes. This game was in Indianapolis.

Berry looks extremely frail as he walks through the Giants to get to the podium. It kind of bums me out to see.

Roger Goodell: It's been an extraordinary season for the fans. Thanks for the support. An extraordinary game to end an extraordinary season. Congratulations to the Mara and Tisch families.

John Mara, Giants President and CEO: Giant fans are the most loyal in the league and this is for you!

Mara: There's not one coach in the league I'd trade Tom Coughlin for. Proud to have him.

Steve Tisch, Giants chairman: Never been around a bunch of guys with more love for each other and for the game of football. This team played their hearts out for the fans.

Tisch: I thought four years ago was great. That was just a dress rehearsal for this.

Coughlin: Everybody did a tremendous job to get us here, playing against a great team like the Patriots.

Coughlin: At halftime, I said we can play better than this, guys. We're better than this. They agreed.

Eli Manning named MVP.

Manning: Wild game, wild season. Great, tough bunch of guys who never quit and have great faith in each other.

Dan Patrick: Any point in the game where you thought We're In Trouble? Manning: Nope. Stay positive.

Patrick: How's it feel to win a Super Bowl in the stadium your brother built? Manning: It's great to win a Super Bowl anywhere, but Indianapolis is great, happy to be here.

Manning wins a Corvette for being named MVP.

Mario Manningham: Just trying to be patient, gotta be patient in this game. We knew big plays would come and we had to take advantage.

Hakeem Nicks: Feels great, happy to be a part of this team.

[semi-sketchy]

Alright, time for my Forces gameplay thoughts. I spoil the bosses and levels, so once again, don’t read below if you don’t want spoilers.

I already went into the story in this post, so here we’re going to focus on gameplay.

I just beat the game for the second time last night and I have the PC port, so I can’t speak for any of the other versions. The game has gotten patches and it sounds like there will be a lot more as well as more DLC in the future, so this might become dated pretty quick. Either way, I’ve been playing the game for 5 days now, so this is my thoughts on it.

Bosses

Alright, gonna throw this out here right now, the bosses aren’t very good. They are the lowest point in the game as most of them is waiting around, barely/not being able to get hit while waiting for the weak spot to show. They drag on and many of them don’t even change the pattern or add anything new once they get lower on health.

Zavok's entire battle was waiting for an opening and dodging objects on a small platform until he showed his weak spot. I heard a lot of people got lost in this fight, although I never got lost, I just thought it was tiresome because it drags on and is frankly uninteresting.

The first Infinite fight was nice. It was an auto-runner where you were jumping over cubes placed around that weren’t too hard to dodge. You catch up to Infinite, hit him, and do it again. However, he changes how the cubes are laid out and has a cloning move you have to homing attack through so it doesn’t get stale too quickly. The boss also doesn’t drag on too long with it easily being beatable in under a minute 40. The boss still wasn’t very special, but out of all the boss fights, this was easily my favorite.

The Egg Dragoon fight was pretty meh and every attack was so easy to dodge. He throws ground at you, but you’re never in any danger. As long as you jump, you literally cannot get hit in this fight. You just stand to the sidelines and wait for him to throw those black rocks you can hit back.

Metal Sonic was kind of interesting with how you had to chase him down, but all you had to do is boost (which Wisps are all over the place as well as robots which give you boost) and dodge this laser attack at one point. There isn’t really anything to the fight.

The second Infinite battle kept you locked in a box and I can say it was at least a bit challenging and had something to do. The fight keeps changing and as long as you are good with your timing, you can almost always hit Infinite. The boss doesn’t drag on too long, but it never felt special.

Now, there are other fights but...they’re not worth mentioning and the reason is they are copy and pasted. Not kidding. Infinite’s third and final fight is Metal Sonic but dodging cubes. The final boss has 3 stages and the Classic part is the Egg Dragoon on a moving platform that can be destroyed, the Avatar is the only unique part where you run around in a 3D space, dodging a few attacks and waiting for an opening while also not wanting to fall off the platform, and the final phase is with all 3 characters and...it’s the Egg Nega Wisp fight from Colors only not as good. That’s really the only way I can put it. Even shares a lot of design elements from the Egg Nega Wisp. I can say I was pretty disappointed in the boss fights in this game. They’re lazy and frankly uninspired.

I was also disappointed we never got to fight Shadow or Chaos. I was looking forward to good beat-down with Shadow and seeing what they could do with Chaos after all these years, but....nothing. It was kinda a let down to have them defeated in cutscenes.

Avatar presentation

For anyone that came to the game for the Avatar feature, you won’t be disappointed. There are tons of customization options for your character and honesty, making Avatars is just fun. I do wish you had a few more pieces of clothing to choose from in the beginning, but it’s not a big deal because as soon as you complete a level with your Avatar, you’ll start raking in those clothes. Clothes are mostly unlocked by missions, although most of them are things you’ll do in the game anyway.

Slide in a Sonic stage

Beat level X

Get an S rank on level X

Use X Wispon

And so on. You shouldn’t ever struggle to unlock clothing.

Missions

Speaking of missions, there’s 3 types: the regular missions, daily missions, and SOS missions.

The regular missions are exactly what’s stated above. Little goals in the game you can easily beat without even trying to unlock clothing, although daily missions are a bit different.

Daily missions tend to be more focused on the Avatar.

Change your gloves

Change your lower headgear

I never looked into completing them because I normally complete them by mistake after playing for 5 minutes. Although if you’re going for all S ranks, daily missions will save you. They give you a score multiplier to help boost your rank, I’ve seen it as high as 3.0 and as low as 1.2. You can do daily missions up to two days in advance and the multiplier will activate when you play on that day. It doesn’t last forever though: typically about a half hour and then you have to wait for the next day to enable it again. So if you’re going for those S ranks, look into doing daily missions.

The SOS missions are....ehh. They show up on levels at random and will be either blue, green or red with each color meaning a different thing.

Red means you use another Avatar to clear the stage.

Green means you get another Avatar as a rental Avatar

Blue means you rescue an Avatar which is locked up in a capsule somewhere in the stage. This is also the only one that can appear on Sonic and Classic levels.

If you die at any point in the level, the mission is failed. They never really felt special because you are going through the level the exact same way and you don’t really get rewarded, but the SOS missions themselves are completely optional and harmless.

Classic Sonic Gameplay

Now, gonna put some more negative stuff.... I didn’t like Classic at all. I would see his level come up and be like “Great...have another one of these to do...” The levels themselves have some different pathways although they aren’t fun. Part of this may be that I’m not a classic fan. I didn’t like Classic in Generations (that’s one thing keeping it from being my favorite modern Sonic game) and while Mania was fun, I haven’t really picked it up in awhile because it’s just not my thing. Classic felt very extra and I am so thankful he only had a few levels because I honestly wish he wasn’t in the game at all. His levels didn’t really have good music, the level design was mediocre at best and he was just flat out boring to play as. There’s even a level where there’s auto-scrolling which I thought Sonic was made for speed running so why is there auto-scrolling?

Look, everyone got their Classic fix on Mania and we didn’t need Classic here at all. I know the argument “Forces was in development before Mania” but that doesn’t change the final product and the result. Sometimes in game design you have to cut a part off that you’ve sunk money into and may even like in order to focus on other features for the overall quality and that’s what they should have done with Classic. Just keep the Mania team over there to develop classic games and keep Classic out of the modern games, please.

Avatar Gameplay

The Avatar was something I had very low expectations of and I was expecting the gameplay to be the worst, although I was pleasantly surprised. The level design is not a total straight shot and while 80% of using the grappling hook is automatic, I still found it to be a fun and interesting concept. The levels always feel like you’re doing something and kept the pace up while being pretty enjoyable. I didn’t realize the Avatar could stomp or slide at at all until a reviewer pointed it out because the moves were never utilized in the level design. It was rather odd to include something they never ask of you to use.

The Wispon gave some flavor to defeating enemies and due to the amount you could use, I never felt it got stale. I just wish you unlocked more by going through the main story.

Cube, while being able to take out loads of enemies at once, was sluggish. You would be brought to a total stop, watch the hammer swing and then swing it again to destroy them.

The Asteroid was interesting where it would destroy 5 enemies in front of you, although I felt if I wanted that ability, I would have just used Burst because it could get so many more done.

Lightning was...war flashbacks to Heroes. It’s basically a whip but it flings you in the direction you’re standing in and I felt like I had a lack of control as well as it breaking all my speed.

Drill took me some time to get used to and figure out, but it’s fast and works rather well except you don’t keep any speed at the end of the attack.

Burst was exactly what we saw in the trailers; just hold the trigger button and you have a long-range flame that burns everything without you losing any speed. It was basic but I felt it did the job the best.

Void is one of my favorites. One click of the trigger and enemies and rings were sucked into a black hole. It was very effective at not breaking the pace and also taking out loads of enemies, just the cool down got me a few times.

Hover is basically a shotgun and another one of my favorites. The ability works rather well in 2D sections for clearing out loads of enemies.

They said there was over 40 Wispons, but there’s not. They give you the same Wispon but with an added perk, like this one gives you a shield at the beginning of a level, this one gives you rings when you die and so on. If I can give one tip: avoid the one that gives you a burst of speed when landing. If you unlock that one, run. It’ll kill you.

The rental Avatar was also a feature and I found it nice, but not really something I used much. I think I’ll find it more useful when collecting Red Rings and taking different paths which require different Wispons, although as it stands right now, all rental Avatars seem to be just made and only have the Burst. I understand not allowing you to rent an Avatar with a Wispon you haven’t unlocked yet, but this did drag and I really only ever used a rental Avatar for an SOS mission.

Modern Sonic Gameplay

Now, Modern Sonic. His levels were pretty short, but enjoyable. It almost felt like a mix between Colors and Generations with how it handled the levels. They were rather linear, but I’m used to that in Sonic. It doesn’t matter if the levels are linear to me; it matters if they’re fun. After all, another pathway is pointless if it ain’t fun. Although, aside from the boost and homing attack, there’s not a lot to do. Sonic has the stomp and slide, but again, they’re hardly used. The slide is never required in this game and the stomp is really only used in one level. There’s not a whole lot more to say as it’s just Modern Sonic with drifting removed and level design that doesn't fully utilize his abilities.

Tag Team Gameplay

The Tag Team stages were interesting, but not my favorite. It was just Sonic and the Avatar with both of their abilities, although the stages were basically an Avatar stage you could boost in as Sonic takes a back seat here. The levels were designed with sections for the Wispon and grappling hook and since your Avatar is almost always in front, it’ll use the Homing Attack and not Sonic. Both can stomp and slide, so there’s not a whole lot more going for these stages. They didn’t feel too special and the double boost was mainly a time to just sit back and listen to Fist Bump as nothing was really happening. I think the issue with these stages falls upon how the Avatar has a quite similar skill set to Sonic with the only thing separating them being the Wispon and boost (double jump too if you didn’t choose the bird). Don’t get me wrong, I like how the Avatar handles a lot like Sonic and when talking about multiple playable characters, this is what I’ve been asking for for years, however it doesn’t hold up well in these stages and that’s mainly based on the level design not complimenting Sonic enough.

Gameplay in General

With that said, I am very glad there are multiple playable characters in the game. I have been waiting for something like this since the Adventure days. I wish Classic wasn’t tacked on, heck if they wanted to go with the whole dimension plot, Blaze is perfect for that. I’d love to see her play in 3D or even 2D since Rush Adventure is one of my favorite games. I feel they put Classic in there as kind of a crutch because it worked for Generations, but I’m at the point I would rather have Classic and Modern stay separate. 

The reason I didn’t put this above is because it’s not just one character; it’s all of them. This is an issue with the physics engine and I feel it could use a little tuning. The characters lack some weight, which while Sonic was pretty heavy in Generations, he’s rather light here. I fell into it okay for the most part since I play the Adventure games a lot, but I had my fair share of deaths on platforms where the character accelerated rapidly with no real good way to break the momentum as well as having a heavy jump. I mostly ran into this issue with the Avatar and Classic, but Modern Sonic controlled much like this too only you were often going so fast you barely noticed. I think if you mixed the weight of the characters from Generations and Forces, you would get some great physics. However, without practice, the slippery controls will nail you down a lot.

I also ran into issues in Classic stages where I’d be rolling, going fast then suddenly the game would be like “shoot, speed cap, better slow you down” and I’d go from 60 to 5 in a frame. It was quite jarring, though only happened a few times.

I wish the level design complimented the character abilities better in this game and designed the levels around that. One thing I always loved about Sonic in Generations was if you got good, you could take some crazy shortcuts with the boost, but in this game, there’s none of that. Sure, you can shave off some time by being good, but not a lot. I don’t think this is a game for speedrunners.

They changed the ranking system back to the way it was in Colors where it was based on your score and not the timer. Your time does play by far the biggest part in your score, but holding onto those rings and taking out a few enemies is what you’ll have to do if you want that S rank. I welcome this change as it helps change the focus from “must go fast all the time” to “maybe I’ll get a reward by going out of my main path”. I missed this kind of ranking system in Generations and I am so glad it is brought back.

Miscellaneous

I did have a few issues with crashing, although Sonic Team is working hard to fix those, so I wouldn’t discount the game because of that. The crashes are mostly at the final Infinite fight and oddly enough, the cutscene that plays after it. Other than that I had some issues with the beginning of Null Space, but I’m sure these will be fixed in due time. The graphics are amazing. The lighting, effects, everything happening in the background, all of it is so beautiful. No matter where you are, there’s almost always eye candy. Alright, now I would be short-sighted to say that I didn’t adore the soundtrack. It really stuck out to me and I’ve basically been listening to it daily. The only ones that were kind of a let down were Classic’s, but again, there weren’t too many. The voice acting was done so well. I didn’t think I would ever like Kirk Thornton as Shadow, but the voice direction and how much the actors have improved, I actually did. There wasn’t a single time where I thought the acting was bad. They really brought life into the characters and spiced up the script when it was dull. Everyone did amazing and I can’t wait to see more work from them in the future.

Now this is a pet peeve of mine with reviewers of this game at the moment and that’s comparing Forces to Mania. I can’t say I didn’t expect Mania to get great scores and people slam Forces for not being Mania, although I don’t believe comparing the two is right as they focus on two different elements. Sure, compare Classic here to Classic in Mania, but Classic is such a small part of the game you can’t compare both games side-by-side. I am so tired of hearing “Mania was better” we get it.

What I would change

I would have scrapped the idea of Classic Sonic being in the game at all. Stop teams from developing graphics and levels for him and have put the time towards making some longer stages or even adding in Chaos and Shadow as bosses.

Had some people with experience design the levels as well as a bigger team. A total of three people designed all the levels and two of them were brand new, never working on a Sonic game before (as far as I know) which might be why so many of them are straightforward and hardly ever reach a peak.

Refined the physics. Characters have a rather heavy jump, but accelerate at an incredible speed. I’m surprised the physics got past the play testers and all the people who complained at every demo.

A way to play through the story without deleting your save file. Most of the game’s story is in dialog said between stages, so having a theater for cutscenes isn’t much. I’ve already collected a lot of red rings and gotten a ton of S ranks as well as Avatars and Wispons I don’t want to erase, but if I decide I want to play through the main story again for the added experience, I have to delete my save file. There are no multiple save slots either. I would have added a “story mode” you could play through after you beat the game. Basically the main story, only your scores aren’t erased and all the Avatar features you’ve unlocked (like Wispons) are at your disposal. Basically like SA2.

Had more game dialog in cutscenes as opposed to radio chat. I like the chatter in-stage, but on the level select where characters just talk, I wish some of that was moved to cutscenes as well as show more of what was happening in the world. What about the refugees? How did Sonic do being held captive? What happened to him? I would have taken a more “show, don’t tell” approach with the story.

Added the prequel comics in. There’s no real excuse for this nor why it shouldn’t be added in a patch. After you beat the main story, you should be able to read the prequel comics because they explain a lot of details. People ask “why is Silver back?” “It’s answered in the comics.” That’s not a valid answer if the comics are stuck back in some social media archive and not in the game itself. Say someone gets this game after a few years. Some plot points won’t make sense and they could only find the answer by digging through forum threads and hearing about these comics and proceeding to find them. Adding the comics for viewing in a in-game gallery should have been there from the beginning.

I knew one thing months and months ago: Forces was going to be a good game. And you know what? I was right. It is good. It’s not a great game and not one I see myself returning to in the future. It’s not my favorite and I don’t believe it’s the best Sonic game, but I like the direction they’re taking the series. The best way I could describe Forces is a stepping stone; not really something to gawk at, but used to get from one point to another. I would be quite pleased to see a Forces 2 where it’s more fine-tuned and the issues are addressed, although as it stands right now, it’s just good.