#Video game blog

[sailorgl0om]

𝔄𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔢: 𝔐𝔞𝔡𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 ℜ𝔢𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫𝔰

[bean-writes]

Dishonored 2!

I finally started playing Dishonored 2! I doubt it can be as good as OG Dishonored (what can?? it's so perfect!) but I'm excited!

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #14: Pokemon Blue (1996)

It's time for another game spotlight! Join Ash as she recalls Pokemon Blue with this essay to celebrate Acquired-Stardust's 151st post. It might be the beginning of the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, but don't take that fact for granted - there's still a lot to talk about! Come read an overview of the game as well as some of how it came to be and why it's so important to so many people.

Few things can be as mainstream and ubiquitous as Pokemon - it is, after all, the highest-grossing media franchise in the world. It seems a commonly accepted fact of life now that every Nintendo platform will see at least one iteration of the series, which in recent years have been marred by various controversies such as the disinclusion of various individual pokemon from newer releases, and it will sell an ungodly amount of copies immediately without losing too much steam in the long run. But this wasn't always the case, and Pokemon is an interesting example of just how much we can take innovative and groundbreaking things for granted.

Time and tide plays funny tricks on our perception of the present. What was once groundbreaking can become so commonplace that what originally made it so groundbreaking becomes almost imperceptible to us. An example I often use is that it can sometimes be hard to look back and distinguish just what made the Beatles and Beach Boys just as innovative and special as they were both in music and culture at large when you grow up in a world so far removed from their immediate influence. So many artists have taken elements of what they've done and advanced them to the point that we take them completely for granted and can come away rather unimpressed with some of those original points of inspiration.

Pokemon is much the same and modern conversation about the first few entries in the series is dominated by the recurring opinion that they're simply not worth playing anymore. Old, ugly, outdated, glitchy, broken and lacking - dusty relics made irrelevant and superseded by their sequels. This is usually the part where I'd tell you that those opinions are all wrong but here's the thing - they're not necessarily. Pokemon Blue (released to the west in 1998) was actually a revision of the original Japanese versions that were released in 1996 and contained a number of bugfixes as well as updated sprite artwork, definitely has some glaring issues. There's the balance which is notoriously botched on many levels, there's the large amount of glitches, the spritework for some of the pokemon (even in this revised version) can indeed be ugly and off-model, and it's certainly true that the game can be seen as lacking in content when compared to the many sequels that have built off the platform of the original with the series now containing over a thousand different species of pokemon as of the time of writing. All of these things are true, but there is still so much to be in awe of and it's hard for me to respect an opinion that discards such incredible games that were not only great for their time but still hold up remarkably well.

A role playing game inspired in part by series creator Satoshi Tajiri's childhood spent collecting things like bugs and frogs, Pokemon's premise and formula are simple enough. A young boy sets off from home, tasked first with retrieving a parcel for his hometown's senior pokemon researcher (functionally the equivalent of a biologist) and eventually with continuing the researcher's life's work in traveling the world cataloguing every species of pokemon (functionally the equivalent of wildlife). For this task you are given a pokemon partner of your own from, choosing from a selection of three different creatures alongside your rival and neighbor, and officially becoming a pokemon trainer. Running alongside the goal of capturing and researching every pokemon species comes the primary narrative and gameplay hook: raising and battling your creatures.

Being a fairly traditional Japanese role playing game, you likely know what to expect from the bulk of the gameplay of Pokemon. There is turnbased combat, a large variety of items, experience points and leveling up which increases the stats of your pokemon. One aspect of Pokemon that sets it apart from many other JRPGs is how highly individualized your experience can be. Obtainable throughout the game are 151 different species of pokemon creatures, each with their own elemental typing, some of which will be strong or weak against other elemental typings. Each of these pokemon are also able to learn a wide array of attacks which also have their own elements as well as a variety of functions. Some attacks, such as the powerful water attack hydro pump, serve as a means to deal damage to enemy pokemon (whether they be in encounters with wild pokemon or in teams headed by other pokemon trainers), while others such as minimize or growl can either raise or lower specific stats of ally or opposing pokemon for the duration of their time in battle.

While you may be tasked with completing the encyclopedia of pokemon by capturing each of the game's 151 species of creatures (some of which evolve into other creatures upon reaching the prerequisite experience level), the ultimate goal of a pokemon trainer is to prove their mettle by defeating strong trainers from around the Kanto region, in which the game is set. Defeating these strong trainers centralized in the game's various cities' gyms will earn you a badge symbolizing your progress as a trainer. Collecting eight badges will grant you the right to progress through the cavernous Victory Road before reaching the Indigo Plateau, upon which you will face the Kanto region's four strongest trainers in a back-to-back endurance battle culminating in becoming the Kanto Pokemon League's Champion. Along the way you will become tangled in the dealings of the nefarious Team Rocket, a band of criminals who seek to use pokemon to further their goals and bring general misery to the inhabitants of Kanto's cities. Players are also able to connect two Gameboy consoles via link cable to battle against each other or trade their pokemon.

If this structure sounds familiar to you, you're right: this is the same basic formula that the franchise uses in every mainline release to the present day. It's easy to take that as meaning that this is a lesser game - a more stripped down and basic (and indeed quite glitchy and unbalanced) experience, but to me it's wildly impressive just how much of the formula introduced in the first generation of Pokemon games remains in place to this day as something that resonates with people to the point that the series has largely not deviated almost at all from it. Game Freak, a studio with experience up until the release of the first generation of Pokemon games mostly creating small scale contracted games, hit a homerun with their first time at bat and created the runaway successful franchise that persists to this day with no sign of slowing down. It's truly remarkable how many of the same basic formula and structure was completely nailed in this first entry.

There are ways Pokemon Blue retains the core of Japanese role playing games, but there are certainly instances in which Pokemon stands out from traditional Japanese role playing games and positions itself strikingly similarly to another atypical JRPG that you may also be familiar with (and has been covered on Acquired-Stardust before): Shigesato Itoi's Mother. And I don't think that's any coincidence. Series creator Satoshi Tajiri actually wrote a fairly critical review of 1989's Mother during his time publishing a successful zine (which would eventually blossom into the company that developed and released 1996's Pokemon), before becoming a colleague of Itoi under Nintendo's banner. In fact Pokemon's first generation of games was developed alongside 1995's Earthbound (the sequel to Mother) and even saw Mother developer Ape, Inc. invest in Game Freak in order to keep it afloat during the games' shockingly lengthy development (taking at least six years). Earthbound also seems to take some of Satoshi Tajiri's criticisms to heart, even if by coincidence, and makes changes accordingly and is widely considered one of the greatest games of all time across the world in part due to that.

The two series have a rich history of parallel inspiration and references to each other, likely through Tsunekazu Ishihara (former Ape, Inc. employee introduced to Satoshi Tajiri in the early 80s who eventually went on to head Creatures, Inc. before ultimately settling in as president of The Pokemon Company). Mother/Earthbound broke the mold by having a JRPG set in a contemporary society which is also utilized for Pokemon's setting. It is also structurally inspired in part by 1986 film Stand by Me, which is directly referenced in the opening minutes of Pokemon Blue. Just as well, Mother final boss Gigue is strikingly visually similar to Pokemon's Mewtwo, a legendary pokemon possessing incredible psychic powers just as Gigue does. On that front the title of the first Pokemon movie (released after Earthbound) is subtitled "Mewtwo Strikes Back", identical to the subtitle of Earthbound/Mother 2 "Gygas Strikes Back". Pokemon also contains numerous musical allusions to Mother, particularly noteworthy in Pokemon Black and White (2010)'s allusion to several songs from Mother 3 (2006).

The experience of playing these games in their time is something that can be hard to truly convey as we now live in a world so far removed from their release windows, but allow me to try and set the stage for you. The year is 1998 and, after Pokemon Blue finally makes its debut outside of Japan, my mother gifted a very young me a Gameboy Color along with Pokemon Blue. It was the very first game and system specifically given to and owned by me rather than the family. The internet is in its infancy, the widespread distribution of cellphones is still a long way off. You are unable to instantly interact with someone across the globe. It is remarkably easy to disconnect from the world and to not only feel isolated but to be isolated. The world is infinitely smaller.

Pokemon Blue, a game about being at harmony with nature, traveling the world and uncovering its mysteries hits on a very relatable level to many people in this time, especially children. Each of Kanto's cities (despite Kanto being a real region of Japan, the Kanto of the Pokemon universe's cities are all named after colors), connected by deep forests and caverns and populated by new and unique creatures as well as people, represents an opportunity for tourism and adventure that your average person is not able to easily see or attain for themselves at the time. Highlights of the tourism aspect of the game that Game Freak has made very clever and authentic attempts to nail are things such as Pewter City's museum and the cruise ship St. Anne docked at Vermilion City. Although the game is a little 8-bit role playing game, it feels remarkably like a real adventure because of details like these.

Another aspect of Pokemon Blue being a very particular experience of its time is many of the details surrounding the aforementioned Mewtwo, the result of a genetic experiment and attempted cloning of the pokemon Mew. A detail of this subplot lost to time is that the world was grappling with ethical concerns and implications surrounding the 1996 cloning of a sheep named Dolly, the first time a mammal had successfully been cloned. Although two years had passed since Dolly's cloning and the release of Pokemon Blue outside of Japan it was still very much something on people's minds at the time. Ethical concerns about training pokemon to battle each other may have been brushed aside, but this was certainly a fascinating element to Pokemon Blue at the time the conversations around cloning were more contemporary. An interesting sidenote is that the exact date of Dolly's birth (July 5th) is referenced in a diary laying around in Cinnabar Island's abandoned Pokemon Mansion as being the date Mew, the pokemon from which Mewtwo is cloned, was discovered.

On the subject of Mew, Pokemon also leans very heavily into rumors and self-mythologizing. It's one of the very last games I remember being a 'playground rumor' type game, the sort that would become extinct as computers and the internet became more widely adopted. Rumors of secret items and pokemon swirled and dominated discussion around the games, and helped the first generation of Pokemon games become a true obsession in large part because there was substance to many of these rumors. Mew, the hidden 151st pokemon, did indeed exist, and is only obtainable through clever manipulation of the way the game is programmed and stores data. Similarly, a popular exploit involved specific actions that would allow the player to encounter "Missingno." (pronounced 'Missing Number'), a glitched out sprite that would enable various further unintended glitches such as making a certain item in your bag infinite in its usage or even scrambling graphics and corrupting save files. There's even ways to access the fabled Glitch City, an unintended scrambled version of Fuchsia City.

It is factors like these that combine with how strong the games are that lead to many children playing these games to become deeply interested in programming in a very hands-on way. The internet (and computers for that matter) being in a less advanced and proliferated state also does contributes to something else extremely important: a whole generation of kids growing up playing these games began to think about them less as isolated bits of entertainment and more as software - collections of data and numbers and values, all of which could be manipulated (and indeed created) by individuals. The hobby of glitch hunting became a phenomenon unto itself as countless kids began to experiment with the games to see what unintended glitches could be discovered and reproduced, alongside probing the game for leftover graphics and sound effects from the game's time in development that weren't ever meant to be seen by players.

All this is to say that Pokemon Blue is something like lightning in a bottle. Developer Game Freak, headed by video game superfan Satoshi Tajiri, clearly understood exactly what they were doing in a way not many people making games seem to, especially in the modern era where many big studios are stuck dealing with executive meddling in an effort to chase capitalism's curse of infinite growth. Tajiri understood what made video games not only fun but what makes them so interesting, and to be able to produce a work the quality and scope of the first generation of Pokemon titles to the level they did with as little experience they had actually making games is nothing short of a miracle, and the result of that miracle is the spot people have in their hearts for these games. Each pixel became evangelized, each bleep and bloop of the game's sound burned into people's memories forever.

Children decided to get into programming because they experimented with Pokemon glitches and were so grabbed by the revelation that software programming was even a thing, which is another aspect of the cultural impact that has been lost to time given the advancement of computers. It wasn't that long ago people assumed games just sort of 'happened', oozing up out of store shelves in complete forms for our consuming. The story and text are straightforward enough that many children used the game to learn to read their native languages, and to this day use them as adults to help learn foreign languages. Pokemon Blue was not only an incredibly charming and deep experience (especially for a handheld system, one of the small handful of times a handheld game has rivaled and even been head and shoulders above many console games of its era in quality), it also radically shifted the way in which people thought about video games and software as a whole, and the connection people have to it is a reflection of that.

Just as well, Pokemon also blossomed almost immediately into a multimedia franchise at this time with several different video games (including releases on the Nintendo 64), a suprisingly quality and fun anime directed in English by the director of Snatcher's English release Jeremy Blaustein and even featuring the vocal talents of his late transgender sister among many others, as well as a trading card game that continues to be not only relevant but extremely popular to this day. All of these releases combined to create the phenomenon of "Pokemania", obsession born of the ability for people to consume the series in various different forms all to a fairly high quality standard, that ensured a launch into the stratosphere. Pokemon also contributed significantly to the ongoing paradigm shift in the west spearheaded by television titan Toonami with the broadcast of Akira Toriyama's mega-hit series Dragon Ball that saw Japanese media (particularly anime) begin to gain widespread acceptance in the west as something distinctly their own without needing to have their cultural identities and roots tampered with as much as they had previously, if they ever even made it outside of Japan in the first place.

Part of the purpose of this blog is, as a fellow gaming content creator once said, to take you back to the past. To be able to provide history, cultural context and perspective to some incredible titles that are well worth being remembered and revered. Pokemon Blue provides a wonderful example of why this is so necessary: even the biggest media franchise in the world can still become muddled in our memories and present day conversation, and as such it is worth the preservation and celebration of some of the finer details and obscure cultural notes that being now nearly 30 years past the original release of this particular game may cloud you to.

Pokemon Blue was a time and a place, and the perfect game for that time and place. You may never be able to time travel back to 1996 to play these games for the first time, your memory of what video games and even the Pokemon franchise have become by the year 2024 erased, but it is my hope that you will be able to turn on Pokemon Blue and appreciate it not only for what it was at the time but what it still continues to be despite how far removed we are from that time and place, because it is nothing short of remarkable. And if my spotlight has taught you even a single thing or can help you do any of that then I am all the more happy to have written it. Oh, and by the way, for those of you already familiar with Pokemon, my name is a total coincidence.

A gem hidden among the stones, Pokemon Blue is undoubtedly stardust.

-- Ash

[handsome-jacks-bottom-bitch]

So I ranked vault monsters and my personal take on how difficult they were to fight on a first run through. So now, I'm gonna rank weapons. Not just weapons, but the weapon manufacturers specifically, based on how useful they are, and just how fun they are to use. I'll be including all brands, including brands that only show up in one game, like S&S Muntions. As per usual, these are purely my own opinions, and based more so on my personal playstyle. I will also be taking into account the manufacturers playstyles across all games, as some change, like Tediore or Maliwan weapons.

I'll also include some fun little tidbits about each manufacturer for anyone obsessed with Borderlands lore like I am. Buckle in, cause this is gonna be a long one.

12. S&S Muntions

So S&S Muntions isn't a super interesting manufacturer. These weapons provide larger magazines and long reload times. Featuring about 5 or so legendaries in the game, one of which to this day is still bugged, these weapons don't offer much, aside from a small damage boost compared to other weapons. They didn't add anything that made their use fun.

I also rank this one so low due to the fact that it's only in one game, and was never really expanded on, like say Tediore or Torgue was. According to the games lore, S&S munitions was run out of business by BANDIT weapons on Pandora, and SCAV weapons on Elpis, hence why it was never seen again.

As a fun little extra lore drop, S&S Munitions still technically exists in the games, as the radios in Borderlands 3 can play an add for the newly rebranded "S&S Accessories", which are responsible for the little lines of light that come out of the weapons on the ground, that are deactivated when the weapon is picked up, and reactivated when the weapons dropped.

At the end of the day, S&S weapons just don't impress me all that much, but that doesn't mean they still aren't useful. The Orion sniper rifle will always hold a special place in my loadout, regardless of the character I'm playing.

11. Eridian

So I was originally going to put Eridian last, but the weapons themselves are just so fascinating that I couldn't quite place it there. Now I know I'm putting both Borderlands 1 exclusive manufacturers at the bottom two, but unfortunately neither of them were really ever expanded upon to warrant higher placements.

Now the reason I put them above S&S is because of the way that these weapons work. While I personally rarely use them unless as a last resort, Eridian weapons have saved me once or twice, and that's because they have unlimited ammo. You never have to worry about running low should you find yourself depleted. Now the downside to them is the reload, or more accurately, the recharge. Eridian weapons have a recharge on them, that can still go even if you aren't actively holding one. Therefore, if you equip four, you can just keep swapping and essentially never have to wait for a recharge.

Now what's even more interesting about them is their rarity. While nearly all Eridian weapons come in a green rarity, they're technically rarer that normal green weapons. Even rarer, is the legendary Eridian weapons, which are rarer than some pearlescents. In all my time playing Borderlands 1, I've only ever managed to get my hands on one Eridian legendary, which was thr Eridian Mega Cannon. While it's not exactly an impressive weapon by any means, it can still have it's uses in a pinch.

Now I'm not entirely sure why Eridian weapons were discontinued after Borderlands 1, though one could easily assume that it was because they, well.. sucked. Most people did not like them, and I don't blame them. Their shots are slow, and they don't really do all that much. Come Borderlands 2, these weapons were essentially replaced by E-Tech weapons, much like S&S being replaced by BANDIT and SCAV, though no lore or dev comments state that E-Tech was made as a replacement for the missing manufacturer, it's just an assumption.

The only time we ever get to see Eridian weapons come back to the Borderlands games is in Borderlands 3, with the Eridian Fabricator or, as the fan base has taken to calling it, the "Gun Gun". It's cool in concept, but it's only real use is a quick cash grab. In late 2020, it was given an alternate firing mode that allowed you to pay it 250 eridium and have it shoot a legendary or unique weapon, and it's drop pool only excluded 4 legendaries and 2 unique, so while it could be used to try and spawn that legendary you've been looking for, it gets expensive real fast.

10. Dahl

So this one is where my own playstyle really affects this placement. Dahl weapons have a high recoil reduction, but terrible accuracy. In earlier games, they has special firing modes. When you aimed down the sights, these weapons would have burst fire, as compared to the full auto when you free fired. A pretty simple concept.. unless your a sniper like I am.

I love sniping in Borderlands. I love keeping my distance and one shotting most enemies with the most overpowered rifle I can find.. but Dahl is where that falls flat, as when you aim down the sights, it burst fires. Sniper ammo is already a small pool as it is, being the weapon with the lowest possible ammo count that you can carry, so when it burst fires, couple with the weapons low accuracy.. well, sniping doesn't become fun anymore, and leads to way more missed shots and wasted ammo.

However the one weapon I will give this manufacturer that I include in EVERY build I've ever used, is the Toothpick. An Effervescent assault rifle added into Borderlands 2 with the Commander Lilith DLC. This weapon especially holds a place in my Axton build, coupled with the Mouthwash artifact. This weapon is glorious, and I will forever defend it until my dying day. Unfortunately, that one blessing of a weapon alone isn't enough to change my opinion on this manufacturer.

While their weapons are pretty decent, when you delve into the lore.. Dahl is a messed up company. From it being responsible to a lot of the bandit population on Pandora, to the fact that it nearly destroyed Elpis with its mining operations leading to the crackening.. they've got quite a bit to answer for.

9. Vladof

So Vladof is on a similar level as Dahl. High fire rate, reduced recoil, and low accuracy. The only thing that puts it a step above Dahl for me is the sniper rifles, and the Infinity pistol.

Vladof sniper rifles have potential to do loads of damage, and pretty decent stability, meaning less sway. Now in Borderlands 1, this doesn't have much effect cause most of the sniper rifles honestly suck, especially in the early game. Most sniper rifles in the early game, at least in my experience, always have very low rates of fire, which isn't ideal when you have 20 enemies on you, and they deplete all your shields and half you health while you load another round. That being said, sniper rifles were greatly improved come Borderlands 2, including Vladof.

Now the reason Vladof isn't higher on my list is because I don't use them very often. The rifles and weapons are good, but I just don't find myself choosing a Vladof over others. The stability is good, and rate of fire and increased ammo capacity is a nice touch, but it just doesn't quite meet my needs.

That being said, the Inifinity is always a good gun should you find yourself low on ammo. As long as you have at least one pistol bullet, this gun will fire endlessly, with no reload. On top of this, it can come in elemental variants, which makes it good for endless elemental damage. I always keep one on me just in case I find myself somehow out of ammo.

A fun little fact about Vladof, is that thr company is run and owned by a man named Ivan Vladof. If you play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequels DLC, and go through the challenge "A Bubble for Your Thoughts", you can actually find out that Nurse Nina is Ivan Vladofs long lost sister, which makes her conversation with her mother in the quest "Systems Jammed" all the more interesting, but we'll get into all that in another post.

8. Hyperion

Oh Hyperion, how you've screwed everything. Now as a concept, I adore Hyperion. I love it's backstory, I LOVE Handsome Jack.. but let's be honest, they aren't the best for weapons. Notably, the TERRIBLE stability. Sure, it becomes more steady the more the shoot, but GOD those first few seconds are hell.

Now don't get me wrong, Hyperion has some decent weapons. From the Bitch, to the Butcher, and the beauty that is the Morningstar berating you with every shot. However this company is also responsible for the Bane. That alone should put thos company at the bottom of the list, but alas, I'm merciful.. and biased.

Come Borderlands 3, these weapons got and added specialty, being the shields that they pop up when aiming down the sights, which are honestly.. useless. Especially if you've got enemies in all directions. While the terrible accuracy is a tad better in 3, it's still no great. Often times, Hyperion weapons rarely find themselves in my arsenal, and more than often find themselves right back in Marcus' hands for some quick cash.

Now while I've got plenty of fun facts about Hyperion, I'm going to save this particular manufacturer for its own post, as there's quote a bit of lore to delve into with this one. What I can leave you with though, is this. Did you know Handsome Jack makes an appearance in the Witcher 3?

In Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, if you take the story route that lands Geralt in prison, there's an inmate you can speak with by the name of Handsome Jacques, who will subsequently leave you to fight yourself when you're later attacked by other inmates.

7. Bandit/Scav

So I'm lumping Bandit and Scav together in the same spot, because they are exactly the same, just different names and weapon textures. So there's nothing exactly special about these weapons. While these are the direct counterpart to what was S&S Munitions, they do have some differences. These weapons have large ammo capacity, but suffer from long reload times, and exceptionally low stats all around.

Now based on that alone, these weapons sound like they suck, huh? Well.. yeah. They do. However, they're fun. They're chaotic, the legendaries special abilities can either turn the tide of battle if used correctly, or just make everything even more hectic, and I love it. From the crazy, grammatically incorrect names, to just the simple face that they're all made of spare parts, they're just fun, and because they suck, they offer challenge. That really make you fight for that win, and I adore them. Now will you find me using them very often? No, you won't. But I always keep a couple on me just in case I want to go buck wild and see what happens.

According to the games lore, Bandit and Scav weapons are what put S&S Munitions out of business, forcing thr company to change to S&S Accessories. Now one could assume, that since most bandits and scavs don't seem to have 2 braincells between the lot of them, that these weapons are being made by the ex DAHL workers left behind who turned to banditry to survive after being abandoned. This isn't confirmed or Canon in anyway, it's just a nice little assumption I like to have.

6. Atlas

So, Atlas didn't really become a good weapon brand until Borderlands 3. Why? Tracking bullets. That's also because aside from Borderlands 1 and 3.. Atlas weapons didn't exist. After Borderlands 1, Atlas fell into complete ruin, was bought out and dismantled by Handsome Jack, and revived by Rhys after the fall of Helios. Hence, why this brand didn't exist in BL2 and BL:PS.

Atlas weapons were decent in Borderlands 1, but I didn't often find myself using them. Come Borderlands 3, however, I adore them. Slapping down a tracker bullet and being able to fire with reckless abandon, knowing each of my shots will hit is always a wonderful feeling.

When it comes to their legendaries, the Rebel Yell is exceptionally handy is tracking a target, and depleting their shields like it's nothing. Now, I still don't ever really find myself using these weapons late game in Mayhem mode, but early game? These weapons were a god send, especially when I first made the transfer to PC, and had to relearn how to aim.

Not only all that, but these weapons have increased damage AND mag capacity, which just adds to their usefulness early game.

Now apparently, Professor Nakayama claims that he poisoned the original CEO of Atlas. Whether or not this was true is left to speculation, though if it was true, one could only assume it was done in an attempt to gain Handsome Jack's favor.. a lot of good that seemed to do.

5. Maliwan

Oh Maliwan.. how the mighty fall. I love Maliwan. I love elemental damage. I also love weapons with good accuracy. However what I don't love, is having to CHARGE MY WEAPONS in a FAST PACED GAME. Prior to Borderlands 3, Maliwan was a staple in my loadoutd, especially with my Maya builds, which all revolved around elemental damage and making the most of it. These weapons are a god send, even in Borderlands 1.

Then came Borderlands 3.. and they ruined it. Yes, these weapons can deal massive elemental damage, and I personally love using legendaries like the Quasar.. but the charge time. I despise the charge time. Especially when it comes to their sniper rifles. Sniper rifles should not have a charge time.

Now what I love about Maliwan, is they only produce elemental weapons, minus explosive. You will never find a plain weapon by them. Now unfortunately, there's only a few choice Maliwan weapons I'll ever use in Borderlands 3, but when it comes to Borderlands 2? I can't get enough of them.

Now weapons aren't the only thing that Maliwan produces apparently. If look closely at the beer bottles scattered across Pandora and Elpis, you'll find that some will have labels marked "Maliwan Black Label", a line of alcohol that the company seems to produce.

4. CoV

So CoV are the bandit weapons of Borderlands 3, with a major difference.. no reloads. All these weapons work essentially the same way Vladofs Infinity works, with own downside. Overhearing.

These weapons can overheat and break, causing you to have to cool it off and smack it back to working order. Now these weapons are great because if you play ot carefully, you can demolish groups of enemies in seconds with these weapons. You can also run out of ammo entirely without noticing. These weapons have plenty of pros and cons.

I love CoV weapons purely because I can just fire with near reckless abandon, and the damage on them is decent enough. They have essentially the same stats as Bandit made weapons, since.. they are. Just tweaked with engines and infinite firing power.

The vast upgrade in these Bandit weapons could be due to a few things. The CoV having access to a lot more, the merger with Maliwan, or maybe the bandits just got smarter. We'll never really know.

3. Tediore

Tediore how I love you. Sure, Tediore weapons have the potential to eat through your ammo if you aren't careful, but oh if it isn't fun. Throwing your weapon as a grenade that does increased damage the more ammo in the? Who wouldn't love that!

Tediore weapons gave fast reload speeds, being that they just digistruct back into your hands after you chuck them. Now, throwing guns as grenades is fun.. but what about turning it sentient?

Come Borderlands 3, these weapons dont just get thrown to explode, they get thrown and become temporary allies. They will float or run around, firing a few rounds.. THEN explode, and it's glorious. I adore Tediore weapons, purely because of how chaotic they can be, and how high damage they can be if you're willing to spare some ammo.

Now they didn't do any of this is Borderlands 1, and what made them special is that their legendary weapons would regenerate ammo, which was about the only special thing about them.

Because of they way their weapons are made, which is typically out of plastic and fiberglass, Tediores weapons are cheap and disposable. Due to this, Tediore is often looked at as the laughing stock of all the corporations, and often overlooked and ignored. At least until New Tales, when they showed just how much of a threat they could actually be. Not such a stupid company now, huh Katagawa?

2. Torgue

(I ran out of photo spots for one post.)

I just have one question for you. EXSPLOSIONS?! Not only is Torgue just an amazing brand, it's also the company with a CEO that has the most involvement with the player. From Torgues battle arenas in Borderlands 3, to his head hunter DLC and actual full length DLC in Borderlands 2, Torgue is just sort of always there.

Now Torgue, much like all weapons in Borderlands 1 compared to the other games, didn't have much going to for them other than high explosive damage. Yet come the later games, these weapons did a full 180 and became quickly my top three favorite brands to use.

High damage output, good fire rate, at the cost of accuracy and recoil. At the end of thr day though, it doesn't matter, because since the bullets are explosive, even if they miss and hit the ground by the target, they can still do damage. It's great for firing with reckless abandon. Like playing Junkrat in Overwatch. Shoot and pray.

Plus, who doesn't love Torgue? He's loud, he's eccentric, he's respectful.. what isn't there to love? Now, is Torgue still CEO of his own company? No, he's not. He sold it for $12 and a high five.. but he still owns it in my heart. We love him, and he loves all of us. That's what truly matters.

1. Jakobs

Ok. Hear me out. I know this probably isn't what you were expecting to placed at number one, but I have my reasons.

So Jakobs weapons have always had low magazines, reloads and fire rate, but their damage makes up for that. Jakobs weapons deal high damage and have great accuracy. On top of this, their "fire as fast as you can pull the trigger" trait is perfect for saving ammo. You can easily control just how many bullets you fire at once.

Then come Borderlands 3, these weapons got an even better trait. Ricochet bullets. For every critical hit you land will cause 1 or 2 bullets to ricochet to nearby enemies, making sniping even more dangerous.

One downside, is that Jakobs doesn't make any elemental weapons, save for about 5 unique/legendary exceptions.

But when it comes to my ideal, keep my distance and snipe playstyle with most of my characters, this brand is perfect for me. Stability to aim, ricocheting bullets, impressive damage.. it's the perfect brand.

Plus, the corporation is run by an absolute gift of a man, Wainwright Jakobs. Sure, the company was overrun for a bit, but what corporation hasn't been overrun and nearly destroyed at this point. Very few can say they haven't. In the world of Borderlands, Jakobs is considered the least aggressive and problematic company of them all, and it's held that appearance for 300 years, and continues to.

I know this post was a lengthy one, and if you read it all the way to the end, thank you! I know my rankings probably aren't even close to what popular professionals would rank them at, but while I try to take into account mechanics, I also take fun into account, and just my playstyle preferences.

So, as always, let me know your opinions. Tell me if you agree with my rankings, or what you'd change. I'd love to know what your favorite manufacturer is.

[skitztoonz]

[SHITPOST ART] RIP Info

BRO- WHAT DID MY NERDY ASS INKLING DO TO YALL 😭

[niconuva]

I beat Death of the Outsider.

The game was alright. Telefragging alone makes Displace better than Blink, but it also has greater utility letting you move through bars and around objects. The Semblance power could have been pushed further, but it was a standalone DLC situation, so I can live with it. It's a nice bite-sized Dishonored.

Giving Billie powers does feel like an obvious miss. The story is the perfect setup to have a powerless Billie dealing with the black market, completing bounties, and navigating the occult all the way up to the Outsider himself. But I get it, this is Dishonored. You have to have magic powers, it's the series selling point.

Then there's the bizarre premise. The stories in these games have always sucked, but this one is extra dumb. Killing god is such a leap from stabbing politicians, and the story has to contrive a way to make it even possible. And the Outsider seems to be pretty alright with the idea, adding an extra layer that could be interesting. But this is Dishonored, so there's nothing compelling to any of this. The story is a collection of interesting ideas done in the lamest most unsatisfying way, which is what makes it stick out for me. Unlike the other games, there was some real wasted potential here.

The story doesn't really matter and I was rarely thinking about it during gameplay, but it's just so damn weird. It's weird to have the player kill the source of all the cool things in Dishonored, and the only reason the games even happen. If this is their way of ending the series, then fine. I'm all for things ending, I'd just like it to be done better.

But you do stab the funny NPCs with your sword and chuck bottles at their heads, and that's all Dishonored needs to be. It's got cool levels and cool powers. Good game.

I've been working through my video game backlog, and I think I'll make this a thing going forward. A doodle for the game I finished with a few words on how I felt about it. Gives me a good excuse to draw more things.

[splxtduxlies]

Looking for new mutuals and more active blogs to follow!! ✨️

whats good gamers its ya boy

i wanna come back to this blog some more and do some vidy game posting again! i post splatoon and nintendo content mostly :)

yall kno the drill! reblog if you post any of the following and lets be mutuals! 🩵

splatoon!!

nintendo games

video games in general

stim/aesthetic posts

nintendo fandom art

[the-cosmic-arcade]

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩: 𝙀𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚

[tyravenholme]

The Insanity of Bloodborne

Bloodborne is among one of my favourite video games of all time. Created by From Software and released on the Playstation 4 as a launch title, Bloodborne is a game that borrows heavily from the Dark Souls series, but instead of dark fantasy, you are thrust into a world of beasts and lycans, living abominations from the minds of man, and ancient beings from places beyond comprehension. It is a wondrous adventure that has you stumble your way from one bloody scenario to the next and by the end, you’ll be left with more questions rather than answers, and that’s not a bad thing.

Among what I’ve already mentioned, there is another thing I love about Bloodborne, and it’s something it has succeeded in doing that I think other games in the same genre have tried to do but failed every single time, and that’s insanity.

A common element of cosmic horror stories are characters going insane from having witnessed things that go beyond their understanding, people who bear witness to a great old one have their eye combust just from merely gazing upon such entities, or lose themselves to such a degree then end up in a hospital and remain there forever. Even in one of my favourite stories, a short manga series by Itou Junji called Hellstar Remina where a giant planet sized creature that makes it approach to Earth has swathes of characters in the story go to extreme illogical lengths in order to survive the coming end.

But when it comes to video games trying to induce this same element of insanity into players, they are for the most part, extremely lacklustre and have been reduced to a simple game mechanic, a meter you have to monitor whenever you encounter anything that could set you off that you have to balance out so you can continue the game. Amnesia is a prime example of this, and while the game does do a decent job of making this feature work for the games in that series, I do think it makes the whole point of “going insane” redundant.

That’s where Bloodborne shines. Instead of making insanity an obvious game mechanic, it’s instead subtle, and called something else entirely. Insight. Insight is presented as a sort of secondary rare currency in the game alongside Blood Echoes which is what you use to gain experience and level up, while Insight is used at an alternate shop to purchase things and seemingly that seems to be all its good for. You gain Insight whenever you first encounter a boss enemy which are typically these large monstrous beasts or sometimes otherworldly abominations, and gain more upon defeating them.

For the longest time, I didn’t realize what the true purpose of Insight was until after I had already beaten the game and started diving deeper into its lore and, ironically, seeing the truth of what Insight really was.

To give you an example, there is a Doll in a place called the Hunter’s Dream. When you first reach this area, which you will do within minutes of starting the game most likely, the Doll will be resting and inert, it’s just a Doll, nothing special, though it does resemble a human woman. And until you gain your very first Insight, as you start with zero when you start the game, the Doll will remain as such every time you return to the Hunter’s Dream, but when you encounter your first boss and return to the Hunter’s Dream, the Doll will be standing and waiting for you, and when you go to speak with them, they will indeed speak back, even stating very clearly that they are a doll.

In another scenario, you might think the character who is witnessing this doll come to life and assert a will of its own was going mad, and that’s exactly what’s happening. The more Insight you gain, the more insane you are becoming, but you need to go insane in order to see and understand the truth of this world. The more insight you accumulate, the more the world actually changes around, this Doll is just one example of that.

There are these wandering enemies that you encounter later on that hold these cool lanterns that they can spew magical energy from, and at first, they will look like regular lanterns, but gain enough Insight, and you may see something more to them that you couldn’t before.

I think what makes this mechanic work is that the game doesn’t tell you what Insight can actually do, or what purpose it actually serves. The game withholding information from you is a classic From Software method of storytelling, giving you just enough information for you to try and piece together things yourself, and in the end, all you’ll have is a theory with strong evidence, but nothing will ever be confirmed. Not only that, but the fact that it’s not some meter you have to balance, but rather a number you can accumulate in the top right of your screen is surprisingly simple in its complex execution.

The best thing of all though is that just like those doomed characters from the horror stories, you have no idea you’re going insane until its already too late and you’ve seen every horror your feeble mind can handle. It’s so brilliant that I can only applaud whoever thought up this mechanic at From Software and being able to translate one of the most difficult elements of cosmic horror into a video game and not make it some gimmicky mechanic you have to constantly monitor, instead, it’s just a thing that’s there and you can engage with it or not, it doesn’t really matter, since you’ll gain Insight as you progress through the game whether you like it or not.

Not to be a poet or anything, but if you want to actually beat the game, then you’ll have to go a little bit insane.

[coldbrewblooded]

So i ran this by two family members and they seemed to like it

What if made like, a blog to review bargain bin gba games. Like, the shit they put into a bucket at bookmans for cheap.

I think it could be fun and relatively inexpensive, since right now my gba sp is basically just a Minish cap machine since I didn't want to pay Nintendo's ridiculous price for their upgraded NSO for literally one game.

I ended up paying a premium for the gba and a new copy of MC but like, I could play other games too

[sailorgl0om]

[bean-writes]

Last night I finished The Knife of Dunwall DLC in High Chaos. Tonight I’ll go back through and play it my way (ghost + non-lethal). I LOVE IT. BUT IT IS WAY TOO DAMN SHORT FOR HOW MUCH I LOVE IT.

I want a whole Dishonored 3 (prequel) where you just get to play as a Whaler and spend time in the Flooded District, get trained by Daud, go on assassination missions, etc.

YOU HEAR ME FBI/CIA/INTERPOL/TSA/WHOEVER IT IS THAT IGNORES PRIVACY AND READS MY EMAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES????!

I WOULD PAY GOOD MONEY FOR THIS. GIMMEE.

I guess that’s what fanfics are for. BYYYEEEE. GONNA GO READ/WRITE SOME MORE DISHONORED FANFICS.

[dinosaurcoven]

[handsome-jacks-bottom-bitch]

So the biggest thing about Borderlands is of course, the Vaults. Not only the vaults, but the monsters inside of them. So this post, I'm gonna rank the vault monsters from easiest to fight, to hardest to fight. I'm going to be gaging the difficulties based on the first playthrough, as depending on the game and the mode your playing, all of them can prove challenging. Now as always, this is purely my opinion. Some monsters I may say are hard, may be easy to others, or vice versa. So let's not waste any time and get right into it. This will include all vault monsters in Borderlands 3, not just the final battle. However I will be excluding vault monsters from Tales games, as those are fought both with QTEs.

1. Graveward

So let's start with the easiest one, which is the Graveward from Borderlands 3. The flora themed vault monster living inside the vault on Eden-6. I rank this one the easiest because it's attacks are all extremely avoidable, and if you move around correctly, you can go the entire fight without getting hit even once. The only things you really have to worry about are the grogs that spawn in. The fun thing about the Graveward, is that he's slow, and all his attacks come with beacons, or lit up danger zones. Stay out the zones, and you're set. The trickiest part of the fight is when he lifts the platform, and sends you sliding down. Simply slide into the hole on the right of the platform, wait for the green acid orbs to pass you by, and that's that. Throughout the fight, just aim for the Gravwards weak spot with a rapid firing weapon to quickly whittle down health until he's defeated. Even in higher mayhem difficulties, the Graveward poses very little threat, and is a pushover of a vault monster.

2. The Destroyer (BL1)

Now when I first started playing Borderlands back when the first game came out, I was a mere child and couldn't even make it far enough in the game to fight the Destroyer. When I finally did as a teenager, I would've said it was the hardest fight I've ever seen. Now as an adult, with a better understand of game mechanics (and better aim), the Destroyer is fairly easy on both playthroughs. Simply because you can essentially cheese the entire fight. On the map, there's two pillars. Simply hide behind the pillar and shoot the Destroyer until it's dead. You will have to worry about the flying rakks constantly spawning in, but luckily, they have extremely low health, and should thr Destroyer get a good hit on you, those rakks are a quick second wind.

Now the Destroyer is a bullet sponge, so the fight will take time if you dont have high power weapons, and you will have to get in close if you're a shotgun fanatic. Otherwise, simply hide throughout all his attacks, and the fight is as good as won.

3. The Warrior

Look out, the lava is rising! Liliths constant worry of the lava is arguably the most annoying thing about this fight. By the time you reach the Warrior, you're about level 36, have got a decent arsenal under your belt, and a raging hot need to avenge Bloodwing. The Warriors fight can be tricky, as in order to actually deal decent damage, you need to break the rock on its chest blocking it's soft inner molten core. Thing is, right after you break it, the Warrior retreats back into the lava, causing it to rise, as of Lilith didn't make that obvious enough.

The other thing you have to worry about it the Warriors tail slam, which if you don't jump to dodge it, deals decent damage, and sends you flying into the air. Another thing to look out for is the never ending crystalisks that spawn, and the occasionaly rakk that'll spot you.

Overall, the Warriors fight isn't so much difficult, as it is tedious. Eventually, you'll beat it down enough and crush it's head with the moonshot canon, much to Jack's dismay.

4. The Rampager

Oh the Rampager. My first encounter with you was a devastating one. Not because of your never ending fire waves, or the Eridians constantly up my ass, but because you're just too damn agile for a creature of your size.

The Rampager fight was tough the first time I fought it. He comes in three waves, all with different attacks and abilities that can quickly eat away at your shields and health, and while Maya is there.. she isn't much help. With the ever spawning Eridians constantly knocking you around, and the constant projectiles, the Rampager is a tough one. Especially come the third phase, where even standing still for a second could lead to an instant down.

The Rampager is tough, and agile, and good if you're looking for a quick death on your first playthrough. Kind of makes the Graveward that much more disappointing when the first vault monster you get to kill puts up such a good fight.

5. Tyreen/The Destroyer

Now, is Tyreen a vault monster? No. However, given as how she fuses with the monster of the Great Vault, she technically counts as one.

Now Tyreens fight is tricky. Not only can she leave the arena, most of her attacks prevent her from taking any damage at all. Her attacks are wide, and extremely powerful, not to mention the various creatures that spawn in and hassle you the entire fight. Tyreens attacks can be pretty easy to avoid, but the fact that she makes damaging her such a struggle is the reason she's so high on the list.

Her fight is annoying, and all around a pain to complete your first time fighting her. Once you get it down, much like with any of these monsters, it can quickly become a cake wake, but for have never fought her before? Royal pain, much like the god queen herself.

6. The Sentinel

I say this with the most emotion and sentiment I can portray over text: Screw. This. Fight.

Even today, as I'm writing this, the Sentinel has proven to be such a difficult fight, that any time I manage to defeat it on the first try, I consider myself a master of the trade. From the fact that this thing has 7 whole phases, to the fact that there's Eridians swarming the arena on top of him, it's just an all around nightmare.

The first version of the Sentinel has 4 phases. The first three require you to break down his shield, while avoiding his fast and devastating attacks. When his shield goes down, he becomes immune to all damage, and releases a nova, which if you don't avoid it, is capable of insta-downing you. Each phases comes with a different element that he becomes immune to, until the fourth phase, where you can finally hit his health. Defeat the fourth phase, and you think all is well, right? Wrong.

Once the Sentinel is defeated, he turns into a giant version of himself, called the Empyrean Sentinel. This version can make the entire floor untouchable with electricity, has full AOE attacks, and can only be damaged by hitting its face, so should you end up behind it trying to avoid attacks and swarms of Eridians, you gotta find your way back around. This version goes through 3 phases, all with different elements as well. This fight is just.. agonizing, no matter how well equipped you are. It's long, it's tedious, and if you die? Back to square one.. and to make it worse, the game made him a raid boss post story completion. Meaning you have to pay your hard earned moonstones just to torture yourself for a chance at better loot. Let me tell you, it's not worth it. There's better ways to get the legendary you're looking for, I promise. It's called the Grinder. I'd rather waste away at the Grinder than fight this bastard over and over in a Borderlands game that arguably has the WORST legendary drop chances. My sanity is better drained elsewhere. Like collecting 150 claptrap components for Tannis.

So, there you have it. My list of easiest to hardest to fight vault monsters on the first playthrough. Playthrough 2, TVHM/UVHM, Mayhem Mode, that all changes the game. Makes things difficult all around, but still doable if you build yourself right and bring the right gear. Let me know if you agree with my list, or if you disagree, I'd love to hear some feedback. Let me know your experiences with these badass monsters.. and if you know a way to cheese the Sentinel, maybe throw that my way too. I'm tired of him.

[skitztoonz]

[SPLATOON 3] That's My Boy!

"That's my boy!..NO MY BOY" - Mortimer 🐙