#Tetsuya in own world mode as usual

[tracingdreams]

Daiya no Ace: The Dramas #10: Third Year Study Group

An explanation…

To keep my brain from rusting I started a project to translate the drama tracks that came with the character song CDs and other stuff relating to Daiya no Ace (because I love them and they’re all hilarious). My disclaimer - I am not a native speaker of Japanese, but I will do my best!

Character Song CD 07 Yuuki Tetsuya Drama Track 02 featuring Tetsu, Jun and Tanba.

Scene: Tetsu, Jun and Tanba have got together – either in the dorm canteen or their classroom – to hold an exam study group for the examinations coming up. The subjects they are most concerned with are those taught by the teachers who run the baseball club, especially Kataoka’s ‘Modern Japanese’ class…

Translator’s Note: Another appearance by the third years! And also, this time, the coach appears! And we learn some interesting trivia about the senpai! This drama is full of word discussions, so I’ve done my best to make it clear!

Tetsu: It’s finally tomorrow, huh.

Jun: There’s seriously not enough time

Tetsu: We can’t ignore Modern Japanese…

Jun: The coach is the teacher, after all. And we have to really be careful of Social Studies and English as well.

Tetsu: Ōta Buchou and Takashima Fuku-buchou’s classes, huh.

Jun: Even at the very worst we need to get above the average mark. And more to the point, where’s Tanba? I said I’d study too because he said he was going to do exam revision!

Tetsu: He said he was going to wash off the sweat of training and then come.

Jun: He’s in the bath, huh. How long is he planning to spend in there?

The door opens and Tanba enters.

Tanba: (Stretches and sighs).

Jun: Oi, you finally turned up, Tanba! How long did you take in the bath, dammit?

Tanba: I shaved my head. Completely.

Jun: You’re really laid back, you know. We have exams from tomorrow.

Tanba: I did it to focus my emotions.

Tetsu: Mm. It seems like the sparkle on your head is even greater than usual. (I think he pats it).

Tanba: Hey! Don’t touch it, Yuuki! I just got myself hyped up and you’ll ruin it!

Jun: Hey, let’s get down to it, guys!

Tetsu: Mm. What shall we begin with?

Tanba: I want to start with figuring out a strategy to tackle Modern Japanese.

Tetsu: Because it’s the coach’s class, huh?

Tanba: That’s a part of it, but it’s also the first exam tomorrow morning. If we can do a good paper then, it will set us up with a good vibe for the rest.

Tetsu: Mm. You’re quite right.

Jun: Yosh! Let’s start with Modern Japanese! Someone get the textbook open, dammit!

(they get to work).

Tanba: Hrm, it seems like the key to Modern Japanese is definitely reading prowess.

Tetsu: The power to read a paragraph, and understand the contents and meaning from doing so, huh.

Jun: I’m always reading books, so I’m pretty confident about that.

Tanba: Me too. What about you, Yuuki?

Tetsu: I often read books that examine good moves and strategy.

Jun: Those are shougi books, right? That’s not helping your reading ability, but more like your ability to carry out exercises.

Tanba: Yosh. In that case I’ll lend you a book written by the person I respect the most.

Yuuki: (takes the book): Okamoto Tarou. (Translator’s note – I believe he was a Japanese artist…but am not quite sure how that feeds into what Jun and Tanba say, so I may be missing a more native Japanese joke here. Or maybe Tanba is just really into abstract art.)

Jun: That’s a book on guidance for life, right?

Tanba: Yes. It resolves all the troubles I have and answers all my questions perfectly. It’s really beneficial.

Jun: But it’s not going to come up on the exam.

Tetsu: I’d really like a book that’s going to help with my results.

Tanba: In that case, Isashiki, don’t you have anything?

Jun: Huh? Me?

Tanba: Yeah. Something relevant to the exam.

Jun: I have, but…

Tetsu: Please lend it to me, Jun.

Jun: Tsch. I guess it can’t be helped. Here you go.

Tetsu and Tanba gasp.

Tetsu: Chihayafuru?! (Translator note: I had to stop the drama to laugh at this the first time I listened to it. I also love Chihayafuru. Go Jun!)

Tanba: Shoujo manga?

Jun: (defensive): What, you got a problem with it?!

Tanba: Uh…well…no…that’s not what I…

Jun: It helps with reading skill and with learning the hyakunin isshū as well! (Translator note: If you’re not familiar with Chihayafuru, it features a card game called Karuta in which players have to match the top and bottom halves of waka poems before their opponent. These poems come from an ancient collection of traditional Japanese waka poetry called the hyakunin isshū).

Tetsu: (Serious) It certainly sounds useful.

Tanba: But…Isashiki…The hyakunin isshū aren’t on the syllabus this time around.

Jun: (angry): What?! In that case, what about Asaki Yumemishi! (Another manga, based around the ancient text Genji Monogatari, also known as the ‘Tale of Genji’)

Tetsu: Genji Monogatari, huh…

Tanba: That’s also outside the syllabus.

Jun: WHAT?!

Tanba: In any case, both of them are based around things from Classical Japanese, not Modern Japanese! Let’s focus on Modern Japanese!

Tetsu: Right. Then what other skills are likely to be tested?

Tanba: Vocabulary knowledge, probably. Whether we know the correct meaning for idioms or kanji.

Jun: Oh! In that case, let’s try some practice questions!

Tanba: That’s a good idea. The one asking questions and the one answering them will both get something from that.

Tetsu: Yosh. Then I’ll ask some questions.

Jun: All right! Bring it, Tetsu!

Tetsu: Mm. Kanji or idiom meanings, huh…first is, ‘hachiku no ikioi’ (literally, the force taken to split bamboo, idiomatically, an irresistible force).

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: To advance with fierce energy, right?

Jun: Pretty much the same thing as taking the national title, then!

Tetsu: Correct. Next. ‘Kouitten’ (literally, one red point, idiomatically, a woman that stands out from the crowd).

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: Takashima-sensei..? (Translator’s note: Something you want to tell us there, Tanba?)

Jun: No, more like one of the manager girls, surely?

Tetsu: Nope, those answers are no good. (he answers very matter-of-factly). Next. ‘Kendou juurai’ (Literally this one makes no sense, idiomatically to regroup to try again)

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: Finding the power to try again at something you already failed at once. To turn the tables back on a defeat!

Jun: Just you wait, Inajitsu! Next time we will DEFINITELY WIN!

Tetsu: Correct.

Tanba: You really know these answers well, Yuuki.

Jun: How did you learn them?

Tetsu: I didn’t do anything particularly special. I just watched a lot of TV dramas…and they naturally just stuck in my head.

Jun: That reminds me, you like Yorozuya Kinnosuke, don’t you? (Translator’s Note: A famous Japanese actor, who performed on both stage and screen).

Tanba: From watching period drama, huh…ah! But now we really need to get back to doing Modern Japanese!

The door of the room opens and Kataoka enters. Maybe Tanba’s sudden flurry back to study is because he sees the coach coming!

Kataoka: What’s that about Modern Japanese?

Jun: C…Coach!

Kataoka: What are you guys doing here this late at night? Don’t tell me you think you can overnight cram my class material, do you?

Jun: Of course not!

Tetsu: We were just making some final clarifications together.

Tanba has basically frozen like a statue and is making incoherent sounds.

Jun: Don’t freeze up, Tanba, say something!

Kataoka: The most important thing in studying is to build on it, day by day. You understand that, right?

The boys: Yes sir!

Kataoka: I believe you can apply the dedicated attitude you have towards baseball to the approach you take to your studies. I am expecting good results from you all.

Jun: Yes sir!

Kataoka: Mm! It will soon be the time to close up. Yuuki, hurry up and go home.

Tetsu: Yes sir!

Kataoka: Isashiki and Tanba, you should go get some sleep.

Jun and Tanba: Yes sir!

(he leaves).

Jun: Ah, that was a shock.

Tanba: My palms are sweating.

Tetsu: Tonight’s study group is disbanded then, I guess.

Tanba: The coach said he expects good results from us…what do you suppose that means?

Jun: Getting higher than the class average is probably not going to cut it.

Tetsu: He probably wants us to aim for the top rankings.

Tanba: What should we do…

Jun: No point in flapping about it! The exam is tomorrow. All we can do is take it on the best we can!

Tetsu: I don’t know about results, but if we leave our fortunes to heaven, we can do our best.

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: ‘Ichikabachika’, right? (to sink or swim).

Tetsu: Tanba. You are correct.

Jun: You nailed it.

Tanba: Uh. But…that one isn’t on the syllabus.

Tetsu: What?!

[evenmoregreener]

Questionnaire of Laruku from B-PASS magazine (March. 1995)

Another translation of a translation from Russian. This "interview" was translated for Russian l'arc fan-club in 2018. I haven't found any other English translations on the net, so I decided that it will be interesting for you to read something like this. All credits are down below, big thank you to the original translator, what a great woman! 

The original Russian text has some typos plus English isn't my first language, that's why text might seem a bit of strange. About special signs: (translator's note) - notes of an original translator; "*" - my own notes; (?) - neither me nor the original translator understood the context. Please, enjoy!

1. Date of birth Hyde: 13th of Friday Tetsu: 3 of October Ken: 28th of November, Sagittarius Sakura: Secret 2. Blood type Н: Color of the blood - red Т: А or 0 К: АВ S: The hot blood of a man runs in my veins 3. Place of birth Н: Jelsarem's Rod Т: Kansai К: Alaska’s native S: Kingdom of Nerima (Nerima is a ward in Tokyo, where Sakura was born - translator's note) 4. Height, weight, shoe size, visual acuity Н: “?” Т: Small, light, 24,5 – 25 cm К: 178 cm, 56 kg, shoe – 25,5 cm S: 5 feet 8 inches, 120 feet, 10 inches, about 1,0 and 1,0 5. Body size Н: As in the previous Т: I don’t know К: I prefer В 85, W 58 H 88 S: “Nice body” 6. Which musical instruments and how many years do you play? Н: I've been playing guitar for 9 years Т: 11 years on bass К: From about high school S: Secret 7. Where did you work? Н: Mister Donats Т: At the record store К: Jewelry store, tutor S: Secret 8. Skills Н: Shaolin martial arts, second dan Т: Calligraphy К: Youth baseball S: Secret 9. Hobby and special abilities (besides music) Н: Bite Т: Radio controlled models К: Tetris S: To make people do something

10. Philosophy of life Н: Do not stick sticks into the rice Т: I sleep today for tomorrow, tomorrow I sleep for today. (a phrase from manga - translator's note) К: Hurry slowly S: Live today 11. Real name Н: Jiji Т: Teppi К: Jakenosuke S: Sakurajima Samuel Tarot

12. Favorite musicians Н: Depeche mode Т: Me К: The The (an English new wave band — translator's note) S: Ishihara Yūjirō (Japanese actor, singer, film producer - translator's note) 13. Favorite celebrity Н: Takeda Tetsuya (Japanese singer and actor - translator's note) Т: Me К: Isshiki Sae (Japanese actress — translator's note) S: Saburo Ishikura (Japanese actor - translator's note) 14. Respected people Н: Yoshitada Hirai * Т: Me К: Professor Ichinose S: Takakura Ken (Japanese actor - translator's note) 15. Favorite films and films that you’ve recently watched Н: The Omen. Recently watched Jurassic Park. Т: Favorite film – The Outsider, recently watched “Cría cuervos” (Spanish film of 1976 - translator's note) К: Perfect World, cried when watched, although usually I don't cry during films S: Jingi Naki Tatakai (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) 16. Favorite books (including manga) and books that you’ve recently read Н: Stephen King. Recently read compilation that’s called Night Souls (?). Pretty interesting. Т: «Harper’s Bazaar», Vogue Italia, recently read Matsumoto Hitoshi’s “Isho”. К: «Kirin», about motorcycles, novels for men. It’s a bit of awkward, but I buy Young Rose which I love to read for a long time. S: I can't list everything. 17. Alcohol and tobacco Н: Both, about 10 years already. Alcohol – a little, tobacco – one piece. ** Т: I don’t smoke. Alcohol – yes, except sake, I drink rarely though. К: I love Kassis, always have it at home, drink 2-3 times a week. I don’t smoke right now. S: Any alcohol, I can drink a lot. Per day I smoke more than two packs (Seven Star) 18. Do you love animals? Do you have any pets? Н: I do, but I have allergy. Т: I do. I had 5 dogs and one cat, now I don’t. К: I love obedient and loving. S: More than pets I love girls. 19. The concert that left the strongest impression Н: GASTUNK in EGG PLANT (legendary club in Osaka of 80’s - translator's note) Т: Shiki-Yakou (the name of tour Dead End of 1985) К: In Aichi Kinrou Kaikan (concert hall in Nagoya — translator's note) S: Radio concert Anikies (Dankon Anikies – fictional band that was made up by ken, sakura and kyo (Die in Cries), when ken and sakura were guests at kyo’s radio program «kyo MIDNIGHT　ROCK　CITY» on 9th of December, 1994 - translator's note) 20. Three most beloved albums Н: Some Great Reward of Depeche Mode, God’s Own Medicine of The Mission, La Vie En Rose of D'erlanger*** Т: Laruku’s new album, Tierra, Dune К: Black Sabath – Heaven & Hell; Cure - Disintegration; Kisugi Takao (Japanese singer and composer - translator's note) - Best collection S: Secret 21. Recently bought CDs and your impressions of them Н: No Т: Second Coming/The Stone Roses К: Suede (Britpop band - translator's note) S: Secret 22. Concert that you visited recently Н: Haven't been on the concerts for about a year, but sometimes before Shibuya live watched Modern Choki Chokies (a Japanese pop band from the early 1990s - translator's note) Т: Echobelly (a British rock band — translator's note) К: kyo-chan’s solo S: Secret 23. TV shows that you often watch and radio shows that you often listen to Н: Doramas and MIDNIGHT ROCK CITY Т: TV – BEAT UK, I don't listen to radio К: Yoru-ni dakarete (dorama of 1994 - translator's note), though it has already ended. I don’t listen to radio, since I don’t have one S: I’m interested neither in TV nor radio 24. Favorite dish, favorite color and flower Н: Japanese cuisine. Monochrome color. Flowers that grow well in an apartment, even if they are not watered Т: Sushi, tillandsia, cacti, I like all of the colors К: Favorite dish – ice cream, caviar, sushi. Favorite flower – orchid. Favorite color – silver S: Anton rib (dish that was mentioned in Kinnikuman - translator's note), sakura, black 25. Musical instruments that you can play and ones that you want to learn to play Н: Guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, would like to learn to play flute. Т: Several guitars and basses К: Guitar, bass, synthesizer. Would like to learn how to play saxophone S: Variety which you can find in stores 26. Thing that you want the most right now Н: Hot blood of some girl. Т: Sharp Zaurus P1-5000 К: Onsen, pool S: “?” 27. How do you spend your weekend? Н: Sleep Т: Vacantly К: Go back and forth S: Stay under the waterfall 28. What do you do when you are all alone at home? Н: Sleep and writing lyrics Т: Play the guitar, listen to music К: Watch TV… S: Drumming Japanese drums 29. A dream that you have seen lately. Н: Back at night souls of dead sheep were hurrying through the window, I was worried where they are going. I told Sakura: when the sheep will come back, let’s go after them, but they didn’t come back. Т: A dream where I somehow ended up eating sushi in America. К: Relocation S: In loincloth and a bandage on the head I wandered in a stormy sea. And that was awesome! 30. Most attractive feature Н: Compact, compact and compact Т: “?” К: Ankles. Strong side: strong legs. Weak side: often catch cold. S: 31. Role in the band. Н: Probably, bringing everybody together Т: President К: Am-group (?) S: Educator of the head of singing monkeys 32. Describe in one word what Laruku is Н: Cloudy sky after heavy rain Т: Rock band К: Rainbow S: Soul of a man 33. What do you expect from the other band members? Н: I’d like everybody to stay as healthy as they are now Т: Perfection К: Rainbow! S: Soul of a man 34. Where do you want to go abroad? Н: Paris Т: To America К: Any countries where I could live. To drive back and forth S: Country on the shore of the Japanese Sea 35. Where have you been? Where have you recently traveled? Н: During the vacation in September traveled to Nagano to visit Osamu's house four years later, I would like to live calmly in the district of Karuizawa station. Т: To Okinawa. It was beautiful. К: Morocco. It was hot. S: In Morocco I saw the waves of the Atlantic Ocean 36. What do you recommend to see in your hometown? Н: On the roof of Nisshou haitsu Т: A lot of yankees. К: The view on the fast stream S: Secret 37. Enjoyable things that you like during tours (except for concerts) Н: Food Т: Except for concerts, nothing (laughs) К: You can overeat S: Meet different locals with the soul of a man 38. What do you definitely do before the concert, what do you pay special attention to? Н: I am in a deep thought Т: I listen to Metallica at full volume К: Going to a toilet S: Warm up and stretch of the muscles 39. What do you pay special attention to before the interview? Н: I find out the topic Т: So as not to be late К: I try to be serious S: Worried about whether I can express and tell about my masculine soul 40. What do you carry with you all the time? Н: Watch and two bracelets because I like them Т: Nothing К: Bracelet, necklace - I feel uncomfortable without them S: Pants 41. Memorable thing Н: The bracelet that I bought when I first came abroad. I really wanted it, but pretended that I am not interested, and bargained. But since there is no set price, I don’t know if it’s cheap or not. Т: No К: Various guitars, they are associated with different memories. S: Secret 42. Three biggest news in the last six months Н: 1. Motoka’s wedding. 2. The house in front of my window was demolished. 3. Because of the house, which has now been built, the lighting has become worse. Т: Promotion trip; creation of an official fan club; award from the director! К: Couldn't go to the sea. Swam in a pool in Morocco. Was in onsen. S: Secret 43. Plans for the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new Н: Composing music and lyrics Т: Car driving and karaoke К: Continue visiting onsen. S: Polish my masculine soul 44. Your personal plans for 1995 Н: Enjoy work Т: Become an artist № 1 К: Necessarily swim in the sea. Master the butterfly S: Gain a soul of a man 45. Music that you listened to this morning or last night Н: Laruku’s new song T: Morning call from the manager K: Maribeth S: Pink Floyd 46. Dish that turns out well when you are cooking Н: Chinese cuisine Т: I can't cook К: Ikuradon S: Sashimi 47. The image of the ideal woman Н: An optimistic and domestic woman Т: No К: Fujiko-chan S: That looks like Shiraishi Hitomi (Japanese actress - translator's note) 48. Favorite sport Н: No Т: No К: No S: Judo 49. If I were born again... Н: I would like to become an astronaut and fly into space Т: I would like to be genius К: I would like to be a dolphin S: I would like to be a woman, in order to live and not talk nevermore about the "soul of a man" 50. Goals in life Н: Enjoy the rest of the years Т: It’s a secret К: Live a long life S: Soul of a man 51. One word for readers of our magazine Н: If you're not careful, I'll bite you! Т: Nice to meet you К: Hello, this is Ken. I'll continue in answer 52 S: Life in a loincloth and headband 52. Free theme Н: Woof Т: Nowadays Laruku are fully different! К: In 1996 I want to perform a lot at concerts. That is why we definitely will meet, so look forward! S: And this year there will be Anikies!

* Marked in credits to HYDE’s “Roentgen” album as an art director and designer. ** Probably he meant one pack. *** Was covered by HYDE in D’ERLANGER TRIBUTE ALBUM ~Stairway to Heaven~.

Translation from Japanese: Liubov Chachanidze aka Diana_ Translation into English by me (The Green Explosion inc.)  

Original: https://diary.ru/~l20arc-en-ciel/p216393417_anketa-iz-zhurnala-b-pass-za-mart-1995-goda.htm

[videogametim]

The Best (Not 2018) Games I Played in 2018

It’s getting closer to the time of the year where I write my GOTY list, but evidently those aren’t the only games that I played during the past year. I’d like to take some time to gush about some of the games I really enjoyed and had missed until now. 

Divnity: Original Sin II

Divinity: Original Sin II has two things it really exceeds at doing, the first of which is a strong sense of creative freedom. In the narrative there are plenty of opportunities to make meaningful choices and lots of dialogue choices to go with them. There’s a whole pile of different selectable skills and character background options that affect dialogue and help cater your adventure to the type of character you are trying to build. 

However, where this creative freedom really shines is during combat. There are plenty of battle skills that amplify each other and allow your player character (and party) to be as over powered as you can imagine. For example, one particular combo features two abilities from different classes called Rupture Tendons (a Scoundrel skill) and Chicken Claw (a Metamorph skill). Chicken Claw turns the target enemy into a Chicken that spends its turns running around senselessly. Rupture Tendons is a skill that causes enemies to take damage whenever they move. On top of combinations like that, there’s also a whole host of elemental spells and hazards (Oil, Fire, Poison, Water, Earth, Lightning, ice, etc.) that all work together in some way (e.g. Fire ignites Oil, Water puts out Fire and creates Steam, etc.)

What’s more, while each AI party member has classes they are inclined to build around, you can tell any of them to build however you like if you have a certain build in mind. This really serves to encourage replayability despite the game taking me 100 hours to beat. 

With the exception of one chapter in particular that wasn’t much fun, the game never felt like a slog. No area is too big for its own good, and there is plenty of fantastic writing sprinkled throughout. Every selectable party member is very compelling and wanting to see all their stories to their conclusion grants all the more reason to play the game again and try something new. 

Rez Infinite

Perhaps the driving force behind me picking up a VR headset this year was Rez Infinite. An HD remake of a psychadelic rail shooter from 2001 with VR support, Rez Infinite was really the game that solidified my purchase of a PSVR as a sound decision. 

Produced by Tetsuya Mizuguchi (producer of Space Channel 5, the Lumines series, and this year’s Tetris Effect), music is very much a core part of the experience. Each area’s music has a very different feel from the last and each track serves as a great backdrop to surfing through the cyber world, tilting your head to look around and shoot the enemies and massive bosses that fly at you. Also new to Infinite is the new Area X, which I still find to be one of the coolest VR experiences I have encountered thus far. I highly recommend anyone picking up a VR headset to make sure this game is on their list.

Enter the Gungeon

While still a very recent pickup of mine, I’m absolutely loving Enter the Gungeon. The last run-based/rogue-like/rogue-lite/THAT type of game that I was really into was the original release of The Binding of Isaac, and even that wasn’t on my mind as much as Gungeon currently is.

The gameplay is pretty straight forward top-down twin-stick shooter gameplay with a whole lot of bullet hell, so what really sets it apart is the whole [GUN] motif. Each level is a chamber, each elevator is shaped like a bullet, weapons and items are detailed in the Ammonomicon which you shoot open, your projectile clearing items are Blanks, etc. The sheer creativity present in most of the guns you find scratches that same itch I’ve been missing since Borderlands. I’ve only put about 6 hours into it thus far but I look forward to spending many more.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

This was also the year that I finally got around to playing Shovel Knight and I finally see what all the rage was about. Shovel Knight is nothing short of rock-solid platforming gameplay. Level design features varying degrees of difficulty but is ultimately fair, and most of the boss fights prove to be pretty fun. The world map is very reminisciant of Super Mario Bros. 3 even down to the occasional roaming characters (like THE BAZ) that appear and challenge you if you run into them. 

The overall story of the base game isn’t really much to write home about, but this is greatly imrpoved upon in the two expansions. Plague of Shadows, which features the boss Plague Knight as the playable character, has a fun/goofy story revolving around him and his assistant Mona defeating the other characters to steal their essence. It runs as an alternate timeline to the base game and in my opinion the best story of the three, though Plague Knight is unfortunately the most awkward one to play due to the need to constantly pause the action. 

Specter of Torment takes place before the main campaign, and has you playing as Specter Knight, visiting each area to recruit all the bosses who fight Shovel Knight in the base game. The story is once again a lot less light-hearted, but Specter Knight proves to be the most fun character to play thanks to certain abilities he can obtain, most notable the abilitiy to grind on surfaces with his scythe.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is an incredible package for anyone looking to grab a fantastic sidescrolling platformer and I’m really looking forward to the King Knight expansion coming next year.   

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Perhaps the game that surprised me most this year was Birth By Sleep. I started out playing it slowly over several months, and it wasn’t until I was at the end of the story for the first playable character, Terra, until it all finally clicked for me. After that I banged out the rest of the game in a couple of weeks. Now it easily sits as my favourite Kingdom Hearts game behind KHII. 

Like the other spinoff titles so far, BBS has a unique twist on its gameplay and this time it serves to reward experimentation. Your usual command menu is replaced with a rotating deck of equippable abilities that get put on cooldowns, rather than consume MP. This means that I spent a whole lot more time in even regular battles using fun magic and physical spells instead of constantly holding back in order to conserve MP for something more important. What’s more is these abilities can be levelled up and then fused into new more powerful abilities. This was also finally the game I did my first playthrough on Proud Mode, and boy did it not disappoint in making certain later bossfights incredibly difficult and satisfying to defeat. By the time I was done with the game, I was actually a little disappointed knowing that going forward, I probably wouldn’t be seeing these combat mechanics again. 

Like most Kingdom Hearts games, the overall story does get a little confusing to follow at times, but it offers a really interesting setting of the worlds before the events of KHI. It also really sold me on the three new characters of Terra, Ventus, and Aqua and I am as invested in them as I am in Sora, Riku, and Kairi going into the rest of the series. BBS does plenty of setup for the events that follow in the previous games and its fun to see the fanservice of certain characters when they were younger. 

BIrth By Sleep has really got me invested in Kingdom Hearts again, and I’m motivated to finally start the II.8 collection in preperation for KHIII finally coming out next month. 

Conclusion

I’m glad I had a lot of time to play some really great games this year, and I hope to finish the last few games I need to before writing my GOTY list. 

[johnmkenney]

Game of the Year 2018

2018 was an interesting year for games.  While there wasn’t as much depth as previous years, the games that stood out were truly something special.  This was certainly a year where big franchises that had been dormant for a few years came roaring back, but more importantly some developers released some truly unique new IP that took the industry by storm.  All of this combined for some great experiences that won’t soon be forgotten.  There wasn’t a ton of games I thought were fantastic outside of the top 10, but this was one of the most difficult years to order the top 10 as the quality of each game was unbelievable.

As always, the rules for inclusion are as follows:    

The game must have its final retail release in 2018.  Thus, anything in an alpha/beta state or Steam Early Access does not qualify.  This rule is still being under consideration for removal.

In the case of episodic games, they must have their final episode delivered in 2018 to make the list.

While this list is comprehensive, I haven’t played everything.  Games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Dragon Quest XI, Hitman 2, Forza Horizon 4, Florence, and The Messenger all seem great but are unfortunately all still on my backlog.

Most importantly: the game has to be really good.  No-brainer there.

Honorable mentions:

While this year wasn’t as competitive past the Top 10, there were a few other games I played that deserved mentions as my final cuts:

Monster Hunter World - This was a causality of not having enough time to get deep enough in the game, but from what I played MHW does a great job making the series more accessible to a broader audience. Octopath Traveler - The game oozes style and has a great combat system, but unfortunately the late-game repetition and disjointed story keeps it from becoming something great. Yoku’s Island Express - It was truly a unique idea to mix pinball with Metroidvania, and it pays off with a fun game and a great soundtrack. 

Without further ado, here are my top 10 games of 2018:

10. Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Bandai Namco/Sora - Switch)

The follow up to Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS, this entry once again delivered.  Nintendo managed to bring back every character that has ever been in a Smash game, including characters that were cut from previous installments for various reasons.  The team managed to make enough subtle tweaks to most characters to keep the brawler as entertaining as usual.  However, the standout mode in this version has to be in the massive single-player Spirits system.  There are over 1,000 unique spirits to collect in this game, and to unlock most of them you need to complete a special battle that represents the character of the spirit you are trying to unlock.  These clever fights help pay homage to characters that don’t make the cut for Smash, and it is a nice touch to help add several dozens of hours of fun moments.  

9. Into the Breach (Subset Games - PC, Switch)

Following up to their 2012 indie hit FTL, Subset Games is back with another clever run-based adventure.  Into the Breach is something all its own though, as this turn-based strategy game tasks you with using a few mechs to defend various cities and structures from an invading alien menace.  Customization is key here, as you are able to unlock multiple squads and pilots that help completely modify your strategy to save the world.  One of the more brilliant parts of the game is that almost all the information is provided to you prior to each turn.  You know exactly where each enemy is going to attack the following turn, so the goal isn’t just to eliminate your foe, but also disrupt them.  If you see your opponent is poised to barrel ahead in a straight line towards a building, you can use a ranged attack to instead knock it of its path so that it instead rams into another adversary.  While it is incredibly challenging to have the perfect turn, everything is within your control so you know it was your fault if things go wrong.  Ben Prunty also delivers an incredible soundtrack yet again, as his melodies help really set the atmosphere for each tense battle. 

8. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Studios - PS4/XBO)

Easily the most talked about game of 2018, Rockstar’s prologue to their 2010 western is an incredible technical achievement.  The amount of detail that goes into every aspect of this game seems mind-blowing, and it is quite easy to lose yourself in the world that has been created.  The story is also one of the biggest improvements in the game this time around, as seeing how Dutch’s gang fell leading to the events of the previous installment is a fascinating tale.  The protagonist, Arthur Morgan, has one of the more gripping character arcs seen in the past few years.  There is an absolute ton to accomplish in this game, as it is constantly introducing new side quests as well as presenting random stranger events that help make everything feel very alive.  Unfortunately, sometimes the gameplay gets in its own way, and some of the later missions can be a repetitive slog despite the gripping story being told.  This is one not to be missed, but there’s just enough keeping it from being a true classic.

7. Donut County (Ben Esposito - iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, XBO)

Donut County is easily the weirdest game on this list as this is a game where you play as a hole.  While in most games that have pits you are used to avoiding them, here you are actually trying to have as many characters and objects fall into a hole as possible.  The puzzles aren’t difficult at all, but every time you suck something up, the hole gets larger so that you are able to go after larger items until nothing is left on screen.  It is a unique concept that works, and it is something that anyone can play.  What ties everything together though is the tremendous cast of characters in the game, as BK the raccoon and everyone around him will keep you laughing the entire way through.  There is a journal in the game, the Trashopedia, which includes hilarious descriptions written by a raccoon describing real world items.  It is worth ready every single entry.  The soundtrack does a great job pulling everything together, and the game only being 2 to 3 hours makes it a great quick jaunt for everyone.

6. Tetris Effect (Monstars Inc/Resonair - PS4)

At this point, everyone knows what Tetris is.  So, there’s nothing new that can be done with Tetris, right?  Wrong.  Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the mind behind Lumines, helped gets the rights to Tetris so that his studio could help work on a version of Tetris that functioned similar to his music-based puzzler.  While he only served as a producer on the title, his influence is clearly seen.  The hallmark mode, Journey, has you making a specific number of lines as the speed changes based on the tempo of the song that is playing.  All the while this is happening, interactive backgrounds also animate to the rhythm.  Once you hit your line goal, you keep your blocks on screen, but you are then transported to another song and environment to continue on with its own tempo with a new count of lines to achieve.  While the game was initially built for VR, it plays just fine on a normal TV and will have you glued trying to get that classic four line namesake.  The presentation also extends to multiple other challenging modes, including trying to build the highest combo as well as using 3 or 4 blocks to clear every line on a puzzle.  The weekly events will keep you coming back, and overall this a great package to help revitalize one of the best games ever created. 

5. Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games - PS4)

While the previous generation saw great comic success with the Batman Arkham series, it was often wondered when some other classic heroes would get a resurgence in the gaming world.  It took a while, but Insomniac found a way to capture that lightning with their PS4-exclusive Spider-Man.  Skipping the origin story that has been told to death at this point, you are transported into the life of Peter Parker years after he has already become Spider-Man and several of his foes are already locked up in the Raft.  Certain characters have yet to become their iconic villainous forms yet, while others are already terrorizing New York City like the Shocker.  A unique Spider-Man story is told here, as with the change of canon you aren’t sure the twists and turns each character arc is going to take which always keeps you on your toes.  Most importantly, the gameplay here is a blast.  Previous Spider-Man games always have trouble making it feel fun to swing around the city, but Insomniac’s version has you darting around the city with ease.  Random events happen in the city in real time, and everything is so tightly packed that you can accomplish anything even if you only have small amounts of time to play.  There are great nods to Spider-Man and Marvel lore through with Peter’s costumes and collectibles.  The underrated gem of the entire experiences are the sequences where you play as Mary Jane and Miles, as their ventures help show that everyday people are just as important to Peter’s success as Spider-Man is.  

4. Return of the Obra Dinn (3909 LLC - PC)

Definitely the most unique game on the list this year, Return of the Obra Dinn casts you as an insurance claims collector that needs to catalog the deaths and disappearances of a few dozen people from an abandoned ship that has just returned.  Ok, that might not sound captivating at first, but stay with me.  Lucas Pope (creator of Papers Please) made one of the most novel puzzle games here, as you are given an empty journal and an artist’s rendition of everyone who was aboard the doomed vessel.  You are then able to walk up to any corpse on the boat and be instantly transported back to the exact moment of their demise.  Sometimes you hear brief dialogue, but mostly you are just able to walk around a still scene of the exact moment of their death.  Here, you walk around and try to figure out who the person is, how they died, and who else was there.  While you can typically figure out how the person died, the true puzzle solving comes with finding out the names of who each person is from their involvement in other scenes, and it creates a deep loop of investigation and revisiting moments.  There truly is nothing like this game, and the unique look helps it give it a style all its own.  

3. God of War (Sony Santa Monica - PS4)

While multiple franchises saw returns this year, none had more of an impact than the return of God of War.  Previous installments in the series saw Kratos as a bloodthirsty screaming god looking for revenge, but this time around he moved away from Ancient Greece to Midgard for a quieter life where he is taking care of his son Atreus.  His wife in this realm has recently passed, and your objective is to honor her last wish of spreading her ashes at the highest point in the realm.  Part of what makes this entry in the series so satisfying is that it slows down the adventure and gives more weight to the combat as well as more options to vanquish your foes.  The light-RPG system implemented helps you determine what skills Kratos can utilize and lets your specialize your character more than previous games.  While the combat is great, the world and its story is what takes center stage here.  Kratos’ relationship with his son makes for great moments throughout and does a lot more to humanize Kratos compared to previous games in the series.  The supporting cast does a great job of making the world feel alive as well, especially Mimir who will help give insight to the history of everything around you in real time as you travel.  Kratos’ return is a triumph, and it helped make me care about a franchise that I thought I had lost all interest in.  The ending was left very open, so its very exciting to see where Sony Santa Monica goes from here.

2. Dead Cells (Motion Twin - PC, PS4, Switch, XBO)

Early Access has been a system that has certainly had its ups and downs, but Dead Cells just may be the best thing to ever come out of the program.  There have been games in the past that have attempted to fuse Metroidvanias and rouge-lites, but none have succeeded like this.  It’s simple, at the beginning of every run you are given a melee weapon and a choice of one other weapon, all of which differ depending on what you have unlocked so far.  From here, you’re free to explore the first level of the game and keep any upgrade that you find.  Also along the way you occasionally pick up cells from enemies, which serve as your currency for upgrades.  However, if you die before the end of a level, you lose everything that you picked up so far in that area.  This helps build tension when you’ve gotten a rare blueprint for a new item or a large number of cells, as you want to make sure you can reach the collector who will essentially bank your cells and let you buy things to improve future runs.  Its a loop that works.

While the upgrade system, the unique weapons and skills, and branching paths help set this rogue-lite apart, the true glory in Dead Cells is the combat and how tight the controls are.  There are few 2D action games that feel this good to play, and it makes some of the more frantic levels an absolute blast.  You’ll certainly get to the first boss in an early run, but he’ll likely demolish you.  Improve yourself a little bit, and the next time you get back to him you see progress but still no victory.  Hone your skills more, and the next thing you know it you are trouncing the first boss every single time you get to him.  Then as the game ramps up in difficulty in the following levels, you learn to adapt in new ways to advance even more.  After tons of runs and hours, you’ll eventually find yourself at the final test: The Hand of the King.  He is without a doubt the hardest aspect of this game that will do everything to crush what you thought was a perfect run.  But when you finally have a run that allows you to land that final blow and defeat him, it is something special that encapsulates the beauty of perseverance in this game.  This just might be the best rogue-lite since Spelunky.

1. Celeste (Matt Makes Games - PC, PS4, Switch, XBO)

At the beginning of the game, you’re told that Celeste is a game about climbing a mountain.  While that is very true, it’s about much more than that.  Celeste is a precision platform that stars a young girl named Madeline who is setting out to climb Celeste Mountain to prove she can do it.  Her intentions aren’t crystal clear at first, but she’s told by one of the other NPCs that she’ll fail.  She has told by her mother in a dream sequence that she’ll fail.  She’s followed by a dark version of herself that tells her that she’ll fail.  It becomes evident quickly that this is a game about conquering your own anxiety and doing something outside of your comfort zone.

While Celeste draws inspiration from games like Super Meat Boy and I Wanna Be the Man, there is enough to give the game its own identity here.  This game is punishing, but at the same time it is incredibly fair.  Anytime you die, you are sent back immediately to the beginning of the screen.  This allows you to easily evaluate how you made a mistake adjust or fine tune your strategy from there.  Soon obstacles that seemed impossible are nothing to you, and you instead need to figure out how to get through the next roadblock.  You get better and learn something every time you die, and that helps you propel forwards better than other similar games in the genre. There are also collectibles hidden on most screens known as strawberries, and they serve as an extra challenge to help make each level even harder if you want to take the extra step.  But the true difficulty lies in the bonus B-side and C-side levels that unlock should you find the other collectibles in each level.  These are remixed levels that are shorter than the main game but present new twists on the mechanics of each world, leading to one of the most rewarding feelings should you be able to conquer these.  They are not for the faint of heart.

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FEATURE: "Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue" Review

It’s been 10 years since Kingdom Hearts II was released for the Playstation 2, and since then Square Enix has averaged one game release a year for the franchise in handheld games and console adaptations. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a little bit of the latter along with something entirely new. At just over two hours long, Aqua’s portion of the game, Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage, could be considered more of a tech demo for Kingdom Hearts III than an game itself. The vast proportion of the time spent on this game will be in the HD console adaptation of Dream Drop Distance which, according to Tetsuya Nomura, required a ground-up remake of the title since its two-screen components could not be replicated on PS4. Still, I felt most drawn to A Fragmentary Passage not only for its newness and because it was originally developed for PS4, but for the story.

    Kingdom Hearts famously has one of the most labyrinthine plots in all of gaming, unaided by the fact that the story is broken up across multiple console and handheld titles which now require decimal places to properly iterate themselves. Aqua’s aside in A Fragmentary Passage, however short, is satisfying in that escapes from many of the narrative complexities to focus on a character-driven story of a woman battling against a world attempting to break her. As a character, Aqua is also a breath of fresh air for her sense of introspection. Where Sora accepts thing as they are and acts on impulse, Aqua attempts to looks beneath the cosmetics of the world as it is presented to her and pauses to assess her own vulnerabilities. It was a nice change of pace for the franchise where that sort of solemn reflection is impossible with Donald and Goofy desperately filling any moments of silence with incessant jabbering. The ending ties back into the metaplot but the overall impression left by the experience is that of Aqua’s lonesome journey.

    The gameplay is a mixed bag. On the one hand, fighting with Aqua is every bit as satisfying as my distant, fading memories of fighting Sephiroth as Sora. Where Sora’s enhanced modes came in the form of dual keyblades and his Heartless berserker form, Aqua’s fighting style is more of a sword fighting mage which is reflected in her playstyle. Spells are easy to cast and impactful on their own but are also worked into Aqua’s Spellweaver mode, allowing you to perform manaless casts of more powerful versions of your equipped spells when you bring your limit bar to max. Aqua also has a charged shot ability she can use to lock onto several enemies and fire energy which can be used repeatedly on a Max cast in a short of rhythm game mechanic. Spellweaver itself is the usual enhanced combo mode complete with scenario-specific moves and finishers if you build up another combo in a fight. Since enemies usually come in waves, this creates a satisfying pattern of building up a combo before clearing the field with an area of effect spell chain.

    In many ways, I find this combat system system an improvement over that of Final Fantasy XV, providing more interactive combos, a multitude of ancillary abilities, and several ultimates to clear mobs and chunk bosses. It also has what I consider to be FFXV’s greatest weakness by having enemy attacks with very little wind up animation or particles to catch your attention. The screen is so busy it’s difficult to use Aqua’s block and counterattack mechanic because it’s hard to see a pitch black enemy attack with no obvious component in its animation. This alone wouldn’t be a huge issue except stunlock is awful. Getting hit once usually means getting hit five times before Aqua has a chance to recover and defend herself. Attacks come fast and chunk huge portions of your health bar, making the last few fights particularly frustrating since a single misstep can lead to your getting 100-0 without counterplay. Much like FFXV, you have a near-zero recovery status during which you can only heal or use a potion, but the ease with which you’re taken to this status makes for a frustrating experience.

    While blowing up squads of heartless with elemental magic is fun, the real standout is the level design, specifically that of the Enchanted Dominion, which has fallen into the World of Darkness. Navigating the town from Disney’s Cinderella, frozen in the moment of its destruction as it was consumed, was probably my favorite part of the game. Although there was an obvious effort to add some verticality to the environments, none sold it so well as the suspended masonry and architecture of this area. The hall of mirrors had some similarly fascinating areas, specifically the infinite room of pillars which had a novel puzzle design. After that, the game entered some more familiar, hallway-like zones which were nice but decidedly more mundane. I’m really hoping there are more areas like the first half of A Fragmentary Passage in Kingodom Hearts III. The perfect compliment to the amazing visuals was the tremendous compositions by Yoko Shimomura, who's taken her experience with FFXV to make some truly epic musical accompaniments.

    For Dream Drop Distance fans, the HD remake looks great on the console for a title originally designed for the 3DS. Just looking at character side-by-sides can show you that Square Enix did far more than add an HD veneer to the handheld title. The control scheme has been altered to work off a rotating menu of abilities which can be obtained by picking up cards over the course of the game. While nothing about the controls screams "remapped from a two screen interface", the gameplay itself is fairly dated and doesn’t play well next to the polish of A Fragmentary Passage. If you’re invested in understanding the story it’s certainly a vital element in making sense of the multitude of events that seem to occur between each of the major title releases, especially if you don't keep up with Nintendo's handheld consoles, then Dream Drop Distance is a helpful addition in tying everything together. Along with the Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover cinematic, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue seems intent on bringing us all up to speed in preparation for the final installment of the franchise.

    My overall impression of the Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was positive. Although there were definite snags in the combat system as it exists in A Fragmentary Passage, they are minor enough that there is no reason they can’t be ironed out before the release of Kingdom Hearts III. The one sticking point is that the title has the full $60 price tag of a new release while only providing a very small amount of new content. While the rework of Dream Drop Distance may have truly justified that sort of cost--and this is coming from a player who would prefer all of the interim titles were concurrently released on console rather than seeing adaptations years later--it seems as if the efforts might have be better spent elsewhere to prepare fans for the final chapter in the trilogy.

  REVIEW ROUND-UP + Huge improvements on combat system + Satisfying, character-focused story + Amazing level design and music - Short game length - Frustrating stunlock

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com