#also i wish i took more photos of my gameplay

[nucrests]

Bailey Siblings ✨

[samssims]

Hi Sam! I was wondering if I could ask for some advice on how to make simblr fun again? I love storytelling (it's how I have fun with the game) but lately with writing posts and even in game, I just find myself stressing over if it's good/interesting enough or if I took good screenshots, if my writing is good, etc. I love this game and sharing my stories with this community, so it sucks to feel like this. Thank you sm ♥

Oh Nonny, how I feel this pain. I wish I had a sure fire answer to this but sadly there isn't just one thing that will work.

I will put some advice below for some things that have worked for me in my experience if you're interested in trying them out to try to find that spark again!

Now I have been on tumblr sharing my sims since 2013 so I have seen the community change a lot. Things change, people come and go, it's just the natural way of things. So a lot of the time your community can change around you and so a few years ago sims storytelling was really popular and it was the thing everyone was doing. And I mean everyone.

But now things have sort of fallen off or shifted and there is no shame in that for those who moved onto other things and hobbies. Sims storytelling, at it's core, is a hobby. No one is making money off of it (unless you write it all down and get it published in which case, hell yeah go you!)

That being said, finding your spark again is going to be finding what YOU like about storytelling in the sims.

So here are some tips you can try out in the game to keep it fresh and exciting:

Play the Game

The game has changed a lot and added a lot. It came out in 2014. It's about to be 10 years old. With expansions still being added. Honestly having a family where you can just play through what the game offers you can offer inspiration on how to use in game things for story related things later on.

I have found having a lowkey gameplay (for yourself or even for your blog if you are posting) is an easy way to stay active in the community while keeping things low stakes and casual for yourself while you work on finding your spark again.

Change Up your Post Style

Idk about you Nonny, but nothing gets me less motivated than having to edit photos. If I could just point, shoot, and post, I would have content coming out my ears. Which is what I started doing with my Princess Legacy. All I do is crop it. I add some things here and there but really it's all pretty much easy.

Now I have done it all.

Prose on photos.

Prose under photos:

Icons Only:

Gameplay Only:

And finally just cropped:

Now what is the best? That is personal preference especially for the project you are doing. However I have definitely discovered the crop method to be SUPER helpful.

It makes me not have to worry about the whole photo. Sometimes I have this SUPER awesome detail in the back of a photo but when I crop them I lose all that. Which is not good for storytelling lets be honest but does force me to focus on what is actually important in the shot.

Example: Here is the full cottage photo from above You can see that I cropped out a lot of the cottage in favor of being able to see the deer and swans as i thought that was more a cozy fairytale vibe than just the cottage itself. I lost a lot of this detail yet the point still came across.

TBH the paired crop photos also makes me cut out a lot of access photos if they don't have a pair. It's sort of made me realize how much I don't need to take screenshots of. Though I am definitely an overtaker of photos so I always have plenty to choose from. Sometimes I even queue them then look back and realize they aren't needed and delete. It's humbled me a bit.

I could break down every one of these posting styles but that's a whole other thing you didn't ask about.

TLDR of this section is to experiment with how you post. You can have a lot of fun with that.

If Something is Boring, Skip it.

Do you hate the infant stage? Age them past it. Do you hate the winter months in game? Set seasons to never have winter. Do you hate in game holidays ruining your plans? Delete them all from your calendar. Is it a crucial part to your story? Not anymore. Write around it. Or find some creative angles and dialogue to write over it.

Make the game fit you!

Follow the Inspo

Have inspiration to make a new sim in CAS? Do it! Want to make a whole new save? Have an idea for one scene that could start a whole story but you have nothing else for it? DO IT!!!

The game is supposed to be fun. If you have inspiration for a project, live in it. Have fun with it.

But Sam, what if only lasts 2 weeks and I never touch it again?

Me too, babes. Happens to me all the time. Own it. Keep it around in case you want to mess with it later. Have 10 million saves. It's your life and if it brings you a moment of joy to work on it, then it totally is worth it.

If you want to be like me: Be chaotic and post it too. Then private the posts later when you decide to never touch it again. Never delete tho. I always tend to regret deleted things.

Find Your Community

You should ultimately write and create for yourself, but find others who are doing it too! Lift them up as well! Use one day a week on your blog to give reblogs or shoutouts to your fellow creators and writers! It's all about lifting each other up and making friends who all have the same hobby as us.

Try New Challenges

A lot of my sims storytelling started from inspiration around legacy challenges. I loved to take challenge rules and figure out how to make a story around them. But remember: Rules are made to be broken. Especially in favor of a good story.

If you are working on a current challenge/story, find another to merge with it or to give yourself a heck of a fun plot twist. There are no rules!

Have Fun!

This is sort of the whole crux of it, right? And if you're not having fun then...

Take a Break

You are not beholden to your queue! Let it die out! Disappear for 6 months. Return when you want. Go play Animal Crossing or BG3 or whatever it is at the moment. Sims is a hobby. But it does not have to be your ONLY hobby. Let your brain rest.

In my case, whenever I leave the sims I am always filled with ideas and ready to come back in like 3 days.

This could also mean take a break from your save too. Maybe spend some time in CAS. Or in build mode. Or cleaning out your mods. You can still do sims things while letting your story brain rest.

TLDR:

There is no right answer for this, Nonny. I promise your photos are all gorgeous and your story is wonderful! But creativity like anything ebbs and flows so give yourself that grace to let yourself rest and just enjoy the game again, or enjoy time away from it! You deserve it you superstar creator!

[resha04]

The 5+1 games I play to get cozy

When the world feels too much and the days feel too fast and tiring, cozy games are (one of) the balm for the soul.

I personally love cozy games with medium-long length, and that have an underlying plot going on, even though it's just traveling the world to take photos. Here, I'll share 5 + 1 of such games, which are my favorite as of April 2024:

TOEM

You grew up listening to your Nana tell you about the legendary TOEM. Now, armed with a camera, a backpack, and your beloved old pocket radio, you go out into the world to find TOEM and take a picture of it (as well as snapping as many photos as possible along the way).

Cute, charming, and very, very cozy, I deliberately took my time playing it because I wanted the experience to last. (Also, when I couldn't progress past a certain point, the dev team was very kind to fix the issue – even though they've moved on to making another game.) It has quirky, adorable characters with quirky, adorable problems you got to help solve, and a variety of animals you can pet (my favorite is the monkey).

Night in the Woods

College dropout Mae Borrowski went home to find her dying hometown still as lovely in autumn as it's always been, but with something sinister lurking in the shadow.

Despite how I made it sound, this game is still very cozy. As Mae, you spend your days visiting your old friends, listening in to the townspeople's convo, stargazing with your old teacher, and visiting your mom at church, among a few, with the stunning background of Possum Spring in autumn. And don't forget the soundtrack!

Wytchwood

"Once upon a time, there lived an odd witch in an odd little house, at an odd little swamp."

You woke up, found a goat have munched through your grimoire, and discovered that you've made a deal with the aforementioned goat – a deal that you can't remember. Go out into the world, craft potions and items, and vanquish 12 great evils while being snarky about it.

As you can see in the picture, Wytchwood has amazing visual. The writing is witty and funny, it has an entertaining cast of characters and fun gameplay, and the music just immerses you more in its world.

Walking on A Star Unknown

(Screenshot by vgperson)

A pair of siblings, Fukurou and Eddie, were traveling the galaxy to fulfill their late mother's wish when they crash-landed on a foreign planet. The planet happened to be hosting a cooking festival, and the winner will get one wish granted by the Goddess. So what else is there to be done except participating and aiming for the win? If you happen to make friends and learn the planet's dark history along the way, it can't be helped, can it?

This is an old game but it has such a special place in my heart even after years. It's wholesome, relaxed, has a ton of fun side-quests and lovable npcs, funny writing, and a touch of dark – a perfect mix of my favorite things. Segawa (the creator) never failed to immerse me in their small but charming world. And I'm usually not fond of too much side-quests, but Segawa's is an exception: the side-quests involve the npcs, and I love the npcs.

You can find it here. Vgperson did an amazing job translating it and its pun-ny writing.

Farethere City

(Screenshot by vgperson)

Pigula, a little boy(?) with one eye, has always dreamed to open a general store. So when he moved to Farethere City, the first thing he did was looking for a vacant building to open his shop. And it just happened that there was one, in the downtown, which happened to be on sale at such bargain price! Nothing is suspicious whatsoever!

Again, despite my description, this is a relaxed, low-tension game. Another of Segawa's game, and also one that has a special spot in my heart. The dark tone is more prominent than Star Unknown, and it's arguably more horror than cozy game, but I still find it very comforting. It's wholesome – sometimes bittersweet, it has a cast of lovable characters, and it has enough mystery to hook you and keep you playing.

You can find it here. My enormous gratitude to vgperson for translating these games, and translating it with apparent love.

(+1) Melon Journey

(Screenshot from the game page)

You woke up after a stormy night, and couldn't find your friend. So you embarked on a journey to find him/her.

It's been a while since I played this game, and I haven't replayed it again, but I remember how much fun I had playing it and how I was a little disappointed that it ended so soon. Melon Journey is shorter than the other five, but it's very charming and very deserving of a place in the cozy games list. The visual is pleasant to look at, and I love the characters and their little – sometimes lovingly silly – problems, which we have to solve if we want them to give us info.

You can find the free ver here. There's a longer, paid version in Steam titled Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories :)

[dandylion-virtual-adventurer]

My Outer Worlds posts aren’t getting much attention, but I’m still hyper focused on it (and the Vicar) so I thought I’d get my thoughts out about the game! Lots of words under the cut lol

I was interested when it was first revealed, but didn’t play it because I generally do not want to play in first person perspective. Without a toggle for third person, I pretty much checked out and didn't pay attention to anything about the game for a long time. I had tried it (years ago) during a game pass trial but did not make it into Edgewater. If I had, I firmly believe I would have played it so much sooner.

I picked it up for less than $10 a few months ago and finally played it this month. Boom. It’s my new obsession and it’s very, very sad to be so in love with something that no one seems to talk about anymore.

But anyway, here’s my thoughts on the game, admittedly rambly and not well put together:

First of all, I think it’s important to know that I have not played Fallout: New Vegas. In fact, I’ve only played Fallout 4. I became pretty obsessed with that game when I played it as well. But even still, not to the level that I am now with the Outer Worlds. I write all that to say that I wasn’t comparing this game to New Vegas, as so many other players were. I was, however, comparing it very much to Starfield.

This blog of mine sees me post a lot of Starfield photography and a lot of Sam Coe. But to be honest, the game was overall very disappointing to me. And I don't even actually like Sam that much. In fact, there are aspects about him I actively dislike lol. But he seemed to be the only option for me to romance in the game. (Barrett was my beloved gay uncle idk what to tell you lol).

I think The Outer Worlds succeeded in a lot of ways that Starfield failed. The most obvious way being the tightly crafted world. Starfield's randomly generated areas have nothing on the hand crafted environments of smaller titles, and feel so hollow in comparison. TOW was such a delight to explore in that way. It was always so exciting to land on a new planet or explore a new city. The scale is so much smaller, and I do wish it was bigger...more. But what is there, satisfied that itch of what I wanted adventuring into new alien worlds. It also offered up a better attempt at creating a new universe, in my opinion. I appreciate that Bethesda was trying to create something slightly more serious with their title, but I prefer the dark humor of Obsidian's new lore and more whimsical art direction, even if I feel the former wasn't nearly fleshed out enough. I deeply wish we knew more about other colonies and about the Earth our Captain left behind.

Gameplay wise, I never really did get over the first person thing. Since the game is relatively short compared to other open world RPG’s, at least half a dozen times a play session, I found myself attempting to toggle to a third person view. The persistent problem of the forced first person perspective throughout the entire experience was a constant grating annoyance. I simply do not like it. Especially in a world like this. It is so important for me to be able to see my character and it hugely took away from my experience that I could not. It's incredibly baffling that they included a character creator at all. Even more irritating, is that there are multiple quests about clothing, dressing up, and disguises. Sure would be nice to actually see yourself in that context, wouldn't it?? I also found it frustrating that the developers clearly understood people would want to take pictures in the world they created, but did not, and have never included a photo mode. It's written right there on the option to turn off the HUD. But no, no photo mode.

I don't have much to say about combat. I played on the easiest difficulty, again not being overly familiar with fps, and didn't have many issues. I enjoyed the companion commands and found them way more useful in combat scenarios than many other titles with followers. And how refreshing to be able to have more than one at a time! Their banter reminded me more of Dragon Age than Bethesda titles where it can feel somewhat lonely with a single follower. The dialogue between the Unreliable crew was a delight, but it seems to be the only real time you will get to see their personalities playing off one another, as there are very few moments where the whole cast is together. Admittedly, I still sometimes go out with just the Vicar ;)

And oh how that Vicar so quickly became beloved! I've never read fanfiction in my life, but here I am now. I just turned 30 last year and I'm scouring the internet for fics and fanart of this man. Lamenting the complete lack of merch. Is it any wonder? I definitely feel he's the most well explored character in the game. It's a pity I couldn't explore his body. Not only do I find him attractive and fun to have around, but by the end of his quest I felt a deeper connection to him, as I saw my own journey with deconstructing religion reflected in his story. Frankly, I felt most of the other characters' quests felt like afterthoughts in comparison, and I was hoping for a little more.

There are some other rough edges to the game for me as well. I was greatly aggravated by the level cap being sat at 36. I'm playing the og version with DLC installed. I had no idea it was coming and was frustrated I couldn't tweak the characters further. And of course, combat became a waste of time as it was no longer rewarding by mid to late game. I essentially played the entirety of Peril on Gorgon and the last few missions of the main campaign without earning a single shred of xp. I appreciate that I can take certain companions to boost my skills that I'm weak at, but preferred to take companions I liked and let my clothing do the supplemental work for us. Unfortunately this was a very tedious task without a load out system or any way to sort the armor by affect. One wonderful perk I must sing the praises of, however, is the ability to travel while over-encumbered! If only the map itself weren't so darn cumbersome! I never took on any flaws in my first playthrough, and think I'll save that for my low intelligence run, so I can't comment on that system. It did not look appealing to me while playing on easy.

One last thought before I sum up my opinions here. The DLC. Peril on Gorgon was fine. I'm disappointed I didn't get an Archibald Excelsior outfit for Max, but it's fine. I think it was a mistake to play it after Murder on Eridanos though... because I LOVED Murder on Eridanos. It felt bigger, more exciting. Different. It was such a blast to play and I think it stuck out to me more than any other part of the game.

The biggest complaints one can have with The Outer Worlds somewhat slink away when you remember the limited time and budget Obsidian had. I wanted more places to explore. I wanted more fleshed out world building and companions. I wanted a longer third act. A more satisfying conclusion. I admit, I hate that the crew drifted a part. Most of these things could be addressed in the sequel, but the fact that we won't get them for the Halcyon Colony and the Unreliable Crew saddens me to my core. If they add romance in the sequel, that would be wonderful. But if I won't be romancing Vicar Max then what's the point... *sigh*

Hey, maybe we can get a game where the Unreliable crew is reunited to solve another murder mystery?

Eh, it could happen.

[jazzysimz]

SCHAFER LEPACY - GEN 1: BASE GAME

hi y’all!! omg.. my first tumblr post?? anyways, i’ve been playing a lepacy for like two or three years now? i started it while i was still in college (hence why it’s been so many years) and recently started getting REALLY into it like last year. i wanted to post every generation just bc i’m annoying and really love this family but also made extended lore for them so..! CURRENTLY i’m on my uni gen but im gonna share my sims gen by gen so i can share all my pics and back story (so it doesn’t go to waste lol).

now… here is my general list of stuff im doing through out the lepacy to make it more fun (i will also link the original lepacy rules)

1.) all of my founding sims for next gen have names that start with the same letter. so you’ll notice my founders name is Alicia, then her child is Anastasia, etc. etc.

2.) all of the founding sims have a ‘color’ so, Alicia’s color is red (this goes into their outfits, rooms, hair, etc.)

3.) i try to ‘makeover’ everyone close to my sim (especially their s/o and best friends)

4.) of course try to complete their LTW

5.) i am only doing girls as my founders for every gen.

6.) i am challenging myself to use outfits from every pack and make them cute

Gen 1 Lepacy Description:

Sunset Valley. One of the first towns founded. Alicia Schafer is a proud native of this quaint little town and has some ambitious dreams! Music is one of the key things keeping this town alive, and Alicia has dreams of being a rockstar! On this path, Alicia met Leighton Sekemoto. In a twisted turn of events, Alicia finds out that Leighton has a little one named Sam (and still lives with his mother, Yumi!). Though most would leave, Alicia grew to love Sam and Yumi just as much as he did. So, she took time away from music, her dreams, and her career- and focused on helping the family. During this process, she couldn’t help but notice that her love for Leighton only grew more and more. The two had a beautiful beach wedding where their friends gathered. Alicia was eventually able to focus more on her career and she and Leighton went on to have four more kids (alongside Sam): Anastasia, Alyssa, Sean, and Aaliyah. As adults, they were able to focus on the Music and Athletic career, but both unfortunately passed away before accomplishing their dreams.

*cue cute slideshow of photos i took throughout gameplay*

Alicia and Leighton’s first kiss

Leighton proposes to Alicia

Alicia finds out she’s pregnant (with the next gen sim: Anastasia)

Alicia reveals the news to Yumi :)

Alicia and Leighton are married!

The next gen sim, Anastasia (blue shirt, pictured left) and her sister, Alyssa (purple shirt, pictured right)

LIFETIME WISH: BECOME A ROCKSTAR (not completed)

GEN COLOR: RED

KIDS: FIVE

idk if anyone is going to find this as interesting as i do but if u made it this far, thank you!!! there will be more to come 🤭

[baerverteidiger]

This is my DJ Character on Beatmania IIDX.

DJ BAER..

I only recently started getting back in Beatmania IIDX...

--------------

In the event that you do not know...

Beatmania IIDX is one of the hardest rhythm games on the planet.

The timing window in Beatmania IIDX is very small and the game has one of the steepest and hardest learning curves of ALL TIME!

To keep track of my scores on Beatmania IIDX, I purchased my first 'E-Amusement Card" on 4/14/2024!!! (Below)

Before that...

I haven't really played Beatmania IIDX seriously since 2006-2007. It has been over a decade since I have taken this game seriously!!!

Since I have comeback... I have sightread AAA'd a Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6!!!

And... I have even gotten "Single Digit Greats" on a song!!

------

After not playing Beatmania IIDX for years... I have come back into the game looking like a monster!!

Seriously...

Very very very few people play Beatmania IIDX in the United States and around the globe, because the game is so difficult.

Many people have tried getting good at Beatmania IIDX, but the steep learning curve and difficulty deter gamers from going farther.

I know that I am not the best Beatmania IIDX player, but...

I have done some pretty EXTRAORDINARY things since coming back into the game...

Single digit greats... Sightread AAA's... I even passed my very first "Dan Course."

--------

The only major problem I have with Beatmania IIDX...

The nearest arcade cabinet is... over an hour and a half drive!

I spend over $20 round trip to play Beatmania IIDX EPOLIS. Not only that, I also have to spend money at the arcade to play the game.

I wish there was a Beatmania IIDX machine closer to me and/or I wish I was sponsored to play.

This game is so increasingly difficult and rare in the United States...

I can play the game at home on PS2, but... there are more songs and better hardware on the arcade cabinet.

I just wish there was a machine closer to me, so I could use the gas money on game credits.

Or...

Konami/Bemani could sponsor me and send a machine to me locally.

If I play the game in public, it could give the game more exposure in the United States.

Either way... I just want to play the game more...

I hate driving so far to play...

Sometimes I wonder if sitting in a car for that long affects my gameplay...

-------------------

If this post interests you or makes you curious about my scores... You should check out my Flickr Account... I have been using it as an image dump site for my recent Beatmania IIDX records.

Remember... It has been over a decade since I took this game seriously... (And I am still a beast!!)

[literallynathandrake]

Playing life is strange (finished episode 2) and I have a few thoughts so spoilers and the like.

The dialogue is less than stellar but I'll chock it up to the devs being French, the graphics are solid and I love the soundtrack. The moments where Max has on headphones or music plays during cutscenes can be corny at times but it's a vibe so I like it

The story is solid, and having just reread borrasca, I get very similar vibes (there's even a shady rich guy named Prescott, c'mon). I like the rewind mechanic a lot and I really wish more games used something like it because it is a cool function narratively and also gameplay wise. The game encourages you to explore your options, allowing good ones to seem bad and bad ones to seem good. Even if you can't rewind all the way, knowing how max and the other person feels about certain options is neat and definitely helped with certain plot points.

I have two issues so far, one a bit more minor than the other. After Kate's attempt, Max gets brought into the office with Prescott, Madeson, and Jefferson. If you explore enough, it is very clear that all 3 had something to do with further causing Kate's distress. Prescott clearly drugged her and hosted the party, took her to some weird room, and then drugged her again. Max sees Madeson harass Kate, take photos of her, and overall shows he's interested in her more than other students. Jefferson is the last person we see Kate talk to before she leaves, and the conversation leaves her in tears. All three of these people are an issue, but the game only allows you to take care of one of them, which does not really make sense to me.

The second issue is that I cannot tell if I'm meant to like Chloe. I sympathize with her because clearly her home life is rough and her best friend just disappeared. But she is not a good person or friend. She blames Max for smoking weed, pushes Max to and beyond her limit, gets mad when Max takes a 20 second call from a depressed girl, and then gets mad again at Max for not shooting a random guy. I want to believe they're going to have a falling out because they realize they aren't really meant to be friends anymore. My biggest prediction is that Chloe will ask Max to rewind when Amber went missing and Max refuses, since it seems like she cares more about Amber. I'm hoping this is the case and then Max and Katie work together, or maybe Warren. Either of them are better deuteragonists than Chloe honestly.

Will update when I play more, just for reference I saved Kate and accused Jefferson since that was the only one that gave me a real result.

[knackfandomarchive]

Types of Posts

I dunno how to categorize things well. Also I haven't combed through all the posts in my inventory so tagging may be inconsistent and things might not appear. I aim to fix this but I'm sleeepy.

Art

art - I use this to describe visual art of any sort

animation - visual art depicting movement by replacing images. Some of these might technically not be animation but have a similar style. My brain don't work. Like a story board.

character portrait - describes art of a character that isn't doing much.

character reference sheet - art of a character that appears meant to describe their physical appearance for others to draw if they wish.

comic - a sequence of events depicted in panels.

couple portrait - describes art of two characters in a romantic relationship interacting in a romantic way.

craft art - something more 3D than most of the stuff under 'art'

duo portrait - describes art of two characters in one image, in either a platonic, familial way, or ambiguous way.

size comparison - exactly what it sounds like; art or a screenshot of more than one character, for the purpose of comparing their height or size.

storyboard - it's a story board. I dunno. A certain style of communication that isn't the same as a full-blown animation or comic.

storytelling - anything that tells a story. Comic, storyboard, portrait with caption, fanfiction, animation, anything.

Game Captures

photo of screen - someone took a photo of the screen with their phone.

video game screenshots - i too tired to explain.

video game cutscene - it's a file of the cutscene taken from a screen recording.

gameplay sharing - screenshots or video that aren't just of cinematic cutscenes. Or text posts describing people's gaming experience.

Text

text post - is exclusively or primarily composed of text.

Long post - is likely to mainly be composed of text or multiple images, and is very long

one-time-i-dreamt - is tumblr's dream-sharing tag. There seems to be a number of KNACK dreams, heheh.

Uncategorized

I'm not the smartest block in the. The shed? Not the brightest bulb for sure. So lots of things can go uncategorized.

ask and answer - anything that uses tumblr's ask feature. Usually asking people about their headcanons, or art requests, etcetera.

gif - it's a gif of anything. animation or screen recorded.

discord screenshot - it's a screenshot from the discord app, people talking about knack or sharing things about it.

video - it's not a gif, but it's anything video. YouTube, TikTok, Tumblr-grown, etc. it could be anything: speedpaints, gameplay, skits, whatever!

There is plenty more but I'm gonna pass out

[valentine-escape]

From Bachelor to Escapist: My Asylum Adventure Unleashed

I wish I had a photo of the experience to share with you, guys, but hey, we never received ours! Ten days after my bachelor party, Mysterium escape don't even pick up their phones, so here's a fun edit I made with another photo of us. Not a good look... not a good look, Mysterium.

Anyway, let's talk about how my bachelor party started—it was pretty much in an Asylum, haha! I'd been eyeing the Mysterium escape rooms for quite some time. Their name intrigued me, because it's the same as my favourite board game. And an asylum-themed room simply seemed appropriate for the occasion.

Upon arriving, I was impressed by the largest lobby I had ever seen—normally these are the smallest areas so that there's more room for... well, the rooms per se. I wish I could say we were met with the enthusiasm of other game masters; alas, a timid game master gave us a run-of-the-mill talk and let us in. Now, let's dive into the game's story.

There is a legend that in the 1980s on the outskirts of Sunny Beach there was an unregistered asylum called Parsons, in which illegal studies of the human mind were carried out. According to the legend, in order for the cruel experiments to be conducted, these perfectly healthy people were subjected to a number of mind altering drugs. These procedures turned people into mentally ill patients. Do you believe you could avoid such a horrible end? Well, you are mistaken...

In terms of decor... well, the room was essentially devoid of such, which I guess is immersive in the context of us being patients at Parsons.

This room also takes the cake for the most red herrings I have ever encountered in an escape room—for those of you who don't know this term, it basically means there's irrelevant stuff simply put there with the aim of wasting time.

In terms of gameplay, the experience appeared hastily assembled, lacking the nuanced attention to detail and enthusiasm typically sought by escape room aficionados.

The story also had some discrepancies such as storylines leading to loose ends and overall I'd venture as far as to say the plot was incohesive. At one point we found random clothes in the doctor's office and one of the t-shirts was a BRITANICA one, which completely took me, ahahaha.

Overall, we did have fun, it's the start of a bachelor party at the end of the day! However, I guess the room is more suited to complete noobs. I'm also still disappointed that they never sent me my photo with the boys—it's absolutely disrespectful to be fully aware that:

I'm an escape room fan

it's my bachelor party

and still not even pick up your phone afterwards.

I'm unequivocally not revisiting.

Two days after writing the blog, we actually got the coveted photo 💀 I guess I'm not livid anymore, so here it is!

[luciplayzsims]

Legacy Eras Challenge | Sims 4

So I've started the legacy eras challenge a few weeks ago, decided it could be perhaps more fun than the history challenge because it's a bit more specific and has more (I think?) generations. It was made by Marina Montenegro and you can find it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t_xcMdTe24vqISd-FKFcY0em5zDCwyDVmvg_NAdViEg/edit#heading=h.lqzb3zxypaxf I started the prehistoric era but didn't take any screenies of it because I never thought to share my gameplay. Well now on my 3rd generation I realise it's so much fun that I do want to share some photos!

iThese are the only photos I have from Gen 1 and 2, took them with Ravasheen's family photo, which you can find in her website at ravasheen.com

Gen 1 - the Prehistoric Era, started with Nodin and Mei Hefti, the two sims in the center of the first photo, together with their two surviving children, Isa (the heir) and Ilan.

Gen 2 - Agricultural Era, I decided to make it sort of viking-esque or tribal-esque, it isn't easy to find a style to stick to so I decided on this one. On the photo we have (left-right) Juuh (Ilan's wife), Hem (Isa's husband) holding their first born, elder Nodin, Isa carrying her first born's twin, elder Mei and Ilan. At this point Ilan and Juuh had had their first child as well, who didn't survive to toddlerhood (one of the many cruel twists of the challenge - and one of the reason why I love it).

Fate wanted for Isa and Hem's daughter, twin to the current heir of Gen 3 to also not reach childhood, she died after aging up by the hands of the dice.

Currently I'm on GEN 3 - the Ancient Era

From all the themes I could have chosen for this era I decided to move my sims to Dakarai (one of Nando's mods) and create an egyptian era.

This is their home now, with two structures on the left, one for them to live in and the other with the bathing area (aka a pool) and on the left the heir's quarters. In the middle there's the burial site for the ashes of Gen 1 and 2.

Ilan and Juuh in Gen 3 fashion. They had two sons, both didn't reach teenhood. Juuh tried to get pregnant once more but hasn't been successful at it, and I'm afraid she won't be able to since she is aging up into an elder soon. Ilan started his studies on the written language and has become a scribe wishing to one day compile all his studies in the form of a book.

The heir, Isa Hefti and her husband Hem, in Gen 3 fashion. Isa became barren after the birth of the twins, and with the death of one of them she is now placing all her hopes on Theo. Hem mastered the gardening skill as per the rules of the challenge and Isa is an avid gatherer.

Theo, the heir of Gen 3, surviving his siblings and all his cousins, managed to reach teenhood, thus advancing the generation. He is currently in search of a wife, which shouldn't be hard to find considering their family is one of the wealthiest and most powerful of Dakarai. He enjoys doing handwork, needing to master the handiness skill for the challenge rules, but he is also an enthusiastic swimmer. He is a shy teen, keeping his thoughts to himself most of the time, his responsibility also very high. And this is where I stand at the moment, hope you guys enjoyed looking a little bit into the lives of my sims in this challenge. I am aware that I have plenty of things that aren't accurate for the time period but this is all imagination at the end of the day and things don't have to be perfect to be fun. Sul sul!

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: “Romantic Rail Getaway” Zuo Ran Route, Day 2

Translation Masterlist | Themis Event Masterlist

Zuo Ran Route: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Videos, where applicable, are hyperlinked on the headings in the post.

See under cut!

Part 1 – Dilly Street Area – “The Charm of Dilly Plaza”

Dilly Plaza

On the second day, with the train’s advance, we arrived at the Dilly Plaza stop.

If Rumba City were called a picture scroll of literature and art, then Dilly Plaza was an elegant city that had both an artistic feeling and the flavour of life.

Here, you could clearly feel the enthusiasm of the locals.

Such as now – a travel guide warmly received us not long after we’d gotten off the train station platform.

Travel Guide: I’m very happy to meet you, visitors from afar.

Travel Guide: Is there anything you need me to help you with?

MC: Hm…

INTERROGATION START

Recommended Attractions

MC: Could you recommend some popular attractions for us?

Travel Guide: There are lots of popular attractions in Dilly Plaza, although the most popular with visitors is the Dilly Art Gallery and the Movie Wax Museum.

Dilly Art Gallery

MC: I believe that it said online that the art gallery is holding a special exhibition on Impressionist painters?

Travel Guide: Yes. If you two are interested, you can check out the gallery.

Travel Guide: The exhibition this time has brought together the famous works of over ten Impressionist painters, as well as specially allowing visitors to take photos…

Travel Guide: You can take pictures of your favourite works to your heart’s content.

MC: (Whoa, then I’ll be able to take lots of precious photos!)

MC: Lawyer Zuo, let’s go to the art gallery in a bit.

Zuo Ran: Mhmm, I was just planning to go see it with you too.

Movie Wax Museum

MC: How do you get to the movie wax museum?

Travel Guide: You can board the trip bus to the Promenade of Light and Shadow on the west side of the plaza to get to the entrance of the movie wax museum.

Travel Guide: The wax museum uses exquisite sculptures and reconstructed many classical movie scenes. It’s the attraction that visitors like seeing the most.

Travel Guide: If you two enjoy movies, you definitely can’t miss out.

MC: (Of course we like them! The wax museum is in the guide that Zuo Ran made before – I’m sure he must really want to go.)

Zuo Ran: MC, how about we…

MC: How about we go to the wax museum!

Zuo Ran and I basically spoke at the same time with our invitations… at the same time as when we spoke, Zuo Ran’s lips curved in a smile.

Zuo Ran: Sure, let’s go together.

Recommended Delicacies

MC: Could you recommend a few characteristic delicacies for us?

Travel Guide: On Dilly Plaza’s food lists, the highest-ranked dishes are mussel shrimp soup and red wine beef tongue.

Mussel Shrimp Soup

MC: I’m kind of curious about what mussel shrimp soup tastes like.

Tour Guide: This soup dish is very well-known in Dilly Plaza. Many types of vegetables are stewed in the soup, which contrast with the fresh sweetness of the mussels and long-tailed shrimp.

Tour Guide: I guarantee that when you first taste it, you’ll be able to experience the complex taste of mussel shrimp soup.

MC: (Just listening to it makes me feel like it’s a dish with a complicated process behind it! Its taste will probably be good, right?)

Zuo Ran: When we eat later, we can try a serving.

MC: Mhmm! I was thinking this too.

Red Wine Beef Tongue

MC: Red wine beef tongue sounds very delicious.

Tour Guide: This is a traditional dish in Rumbaliya, and you must try it.

Tour Guide: The chefs use a low-temperature slow cooking method to ensure the soft, springy feeling of the beef tongue…

Tour Guide: The pairing with specially-prepared red wine sauce makes the beef tongue freshly sweet and delicious. Visitors who eat this dish all praise it to high heavens.

MC: (I’m already hungry just from listening to this! I’m going to add this dish to the food checklist!)

INTERROGATION END

Tour Guide: Are there any other questions you have?

MC: None left, thank you.

Tour Guide: Then, I hope you two have fun!

 Part 2 – Dilly Art Gallery

[Gameplay]

 Part 3 – Dilly Commerce Street

[Gameplay]

 Part 4 – Movie Wax Museum – “Mishap at the Wax Museum”

After checking out the Dilly Art Gallery, as well as tasting the fresh, sweet mussel shrimp and the delicious red wine beef tongue…

The next trip target was the movie wax museum that we were really looking forward to.

MC: (I wonder if there will be the movie scenes that Zuo Ran and I like in here…)

Right when we walked into the ticket booth, what greeted us weren’t enthusiastic staff members – instead, it was the sound of shouting.

Visitor: Did you get it wrong? Why should I pay an additional fee?

Staff: Dear lady, these are our rules.

Visitor: You’re taking money at random and trapping visitors with this!

MC: Eh? This is…

Visitor: Young lady, you came at the perfect time. Come judge what’s right!

INTERROGATION START

Course of Events

MC: Ah, don’t rush, could you tell me what happened first?

Visitor: I bought a special combo trip ticket online to come to Rumbaliya!

Visitor: The combo ticket included over entry tickets for over ten popular attractions, and it also said that we could use it whenever we wished.

MC: (Hm… sounds pretty worth it.)

Visitor: Who would’ve known that when I took out the combo ticket… the people here would have me pay more money!

Visitor: They even said that it couldn’t be used on its own, and I had to pay an additional service charge. It really pisses me off!

Ticket Price

MC: On the combo ticket, did they indicate information related to additional services charges?

Visitor: They didn’t! I’m willing to swear that this definitely wasn’t there.

Visitor: I flipped the combo ticket back and forth several times. There wasn’t any requirement about additional service charges.

Visitor: The people here must be tricking me.

What the Proprietor said

MC: Then… what did the proprietor say? Why are they collecting additional charges?

Visitor: Hmph, he said that the combo ticket only includes the basic entrance ticket price…

Visitor: I have to pay the remaining handling and service fees to go inside!

INTERROGATION END

 Visitor: I’m so pissed off. What kind of random, crappy wax museum is this! I’m not going in anymore. Refund me!

Staff: My apologies, lady. Our tickets are non-refundable.

MC: (Can’t be refunded? This is a little ridiculous!)

Zuo Ran: If this lady does not intend to continue visiting, then it is reasonable to refund her entrance ticket.

Visitor: Exactly, what kind of logic is this forceful money collection?!

Staff: Our tickets are non-refundable! It was said that it’s non-refundable, so it’s non-refundable!

[Gameplay]

Staff: Whatever! I can’t beat you all, so I’ll just refund the ticket money now.

Staff: Hurry off now. Our wax museum doesn’t welcome troublesome patrons like you!

--

Visitor: Thank you. If you two didn’t help, I think that I would have had to argue with him for a lot longer.

MC: No need for thanks, we’re just doing what we should.

MC: Plus, we’re also visitors, and we should help each other.

Visitor: Ugh… Rumbaliya’s sceneries are quite good. It’s just that there are way too many black-hearted store proprietors – so frustrating!

The visitor caught the chance again to spew some bitter complaints.

After we managed to soothe her emotions, Zuo Ran and I no longer were in the mood to continue touring around.

After hastily taking a few scenic pictures, we ended the day’s itinerary in advance.

  Part 5 – Street Performance Plaza

[Gameplay]

 Part 6 – A Gentle Street Performance

Dilly Street Area

MC: That staff member was way too unreasonable.

After putting several roads’ worth of distance between us and the wax museum, I was still brooding over what had happened earlier.

I originally thought that I could experience the charm of classic movie scenes with Zuo Ran in the wax museum…

But instead… putting aside how we had been shut outside the order, the staff member even fiercely called us “meddling tourists”.

Zuo Ran: We just told the local police about the situation…

Zuo Ran: We can leave the rest for the related people to deal with it. Don’t let this matter affect you.

MC: Mhmm, I shouldn’t let people like this affect my good mood!

Zuo Ran reached out and straightened out the hairs in front of my forehead, a slight smile in his expression.

Zuo Ran: Right, do you want to see the night street concert at Dilly Plaza?

MC: Eh? Don’t we… not have enough time to make it…

When we heard the travel guide introduce us to the grand concert event during the day, I did want to go.

It was just how we definitely wouldn’t have time considering our itinerary, so my curious thoughts could only be a temporary flash.

Zuo Ran: Since we didn’t go to the wax museum… altogether, we’ve got around an extra hour of time.

Zuo Ran: If we go to the music event location now, the timing should be just right.

Zuo Ran’s voice, accompanied by the cool night wind, blew slowly into my ears and aroused the curiosity in my heart.

MC: Lawyer Zuo, I want to go!

Zuo Ran: Okay, I’ll call over a car.

--

“My beautiful lover, please look at me.”

“Please don’t let go, become music notes, and follow the galaxy of time to find me.”

MC: It sounds so beautiful.

The melodious singing voices of the singers onstage was like flowing river water under the stars of a spring night, lingering with a tranquil feeling.

Zuo Ran: This song is called “Galaxy Nocturne”. It’s a popular song that’s an adaptation of a local Rumbaliya folk song.

There was no host for the street concert, and the singers were all improvising their music and interacting with the audience sitting around them.

Zuo Ran thus explained things for me, becoming a quiet guide on my side.

MC: I thought that the songs selected for open-air concert would mainly be fast ones. I didn’t think that they’d mostly sing lyrical ballads.

Zuo Ran: The theme of this performance is “Starry Skies and Romance”, and the selected songs are mostly local Rumbaliya folk songs.

Zu Ran: The locals revere the beauty of nature, and when they sing, they don’t like using accompaniment – instead, they’re more prone to sing acapella.

MC: Hm… an improv performance like this must require higher skill and better intonation.

MC: The singers onstage never go out of tune – they’re basically walking juke boxes.

We chatted quietly, the beautiful singing blowing away all the troubles in my heart like a refreshing, gentle wind.

I was still immersed in the singing by the end of the performance, and I’d already forgotten all the troubles we’d encountered during the day.

Zuo Ran: Are you feeling better now?

MC: It got better early on! After listening to such an excellent concert, I’m feeling particularly great right now.

Zuo Ran: That’s good… I want you to enjoy a perfect vacation.

Zuo Ran: So I don’t want what happened during the day to affect your mood and become a regret.

>I don’t think there’s anything regrettable >I still feel a little bit of regret

MC: I don’t feel like there’s anything regrettable at all. On the contrary… I feel pretty lucky.

MC: If we didn’t miss the wax museum exhibition, we might not have been able to see such an amazing concert.

MC: Is this called a “blessing in disguise”? Oh wait, no, this is called “when sorrow becomes joy”!

Zuo Ran: Oh you…

Zuo Ran laughed in amusement at my words, his heroic eyebrows raising gently, so that those eyes revealed even more emotion than usual.

Zuo Ran: If you say so, then to me, what happened today… probably counts as “Heaven accords to human wishes”.

MC: Huh, why?

Zuo Ran: Whether it’s an exhibition or a concert, what’s most important to me is… doing these things with you.

Zuo Ran: Now, my wish has already come true. Isn’t this a sort of “wish fulfillment”?

I didn’t think Zuo Ran knew to chitchat like this, far from the stressful work environment…

Between the vast sky and earth, he seemed to unintentionally reveal more, truer sides to himself to me.

MC: Yeah, that does seem to be right.

  >I don’t think there’s anything regrettable >I still feel a little bit of regret

MC: I still feel a tiny bit of regret.

Zuo Ran: …

MC: Lawyer Zuo, you’ve always liked movies a lot. Now that we weren’t able to see the wax museum, I feel regretful for you…

Zuo Ran: I don’t feel regretful.

Zuo Ran: Rather than going to see the contents of the wax exhibition alone, I like enjoying the process of the exhibition with you more.

Zuo Ran: And to me, this process is already excellent.

Zuo Ran: So I don’t regret it. I even feel… very satisfied.

Zuo Ran looked at me, smiling. I could read the gentleness on his face, and I could feel the sincerity in his words.

Influenced by his words, the last bit of regret in my heart was mended over.

MC: I’m also very satisfied.

--

Zuo Ran: It’s getting late, and we should be getting back.

Zuo Ran: We’ll be visiting Kelosi City tomorrow, so rest well tonight.

Kelosi City was a famous capital of cuisine. Several hundred types of local snacks and characteristic delicacies had attracted countless tourists there.

MC: My cuisine checklist can no longer restrain itself!

Zuo Ran: I looked up several decent local specialty restaurants. After we arrive at the stop tomorrow, we can tour around, then taste the foods.

MC: Mhmm, the ones selected by you are guaranteed to be great!

We chatted as we walked the way back.

Under the moonlight, the road ahead extended without limit, turning our journey towards an unknown but anticipatory direction.

[sage-nebula]

Game Review — New Pokémon Snap

In 1999, a photography game centered on the world of Pokémon was released. Ever since then, I have hungered for a sequel. And now, 22 years later, my wish was finally granted.

Overall Score: 9/10

While I am still puzzled that they didn’t create and release this game for either 3DS or Wii U, since both had built-in cameras, overall I couldn’t be happier with this and I definitely feel that it was worth the 22-year-long wait. Head under the cut (and onto my blog) for more detailed thoughts on what has honestly been an excellent game.

The Pros:

Everything is GORGEOUS. The environments, the pokémon, literally everything. Even setting aside the glowing effects of the Illumina phenomenon (particularly at night when it really stands out), everything about this game is visually stunning. The colors are bright, but not blinding, and you can see that everything was crafted with care. There aren’t any areas that feel unfinished or unpolished. It is beautiful to look at, which is rather important when you’re making a photography-based game.

Each area changes as you increase your research level, so that even though you will have some run-throughs of the courses that are the same as you experienced before, you’ll also find new paths and see different pokémon as you go through the courses more and more times as well. For instance, when you first play through the Florio Nature Park, the Bidoof are in the process of building their dam. But later, their dam is completed. And this is just one example of how things change; believe me, there are lots of changes as time passes and you go through the courses again and again, making them feel far less repetitive than they did in the original game. (Not to bash the original game, which was on the N64 and thus had a lot less space to hold data, of course. I’m just saying.)

The pokémon behaviors are also so great. You have the Bidoof building their dam, for example, but you also have Alolan Raichu surfing the sand dunes, or Espurr levitating rocks for the fun of it, or Pikipek bringing fruits back to nests on Toucannon’s orders. On less happy notes you also have things like a group of Mareanie chasing down a Corsola, but I mean, it’s a well-established fact that Mareanie eat Corsola, so that’s just nature. The point is that this isn’t a game where the pokémon are just standing around waiting to have their pictures taken. The pokémon feel alive and it’s clear that so much thought went into their behaviors to make it feel as if life is teeming around you as you go through the courses, because it is! It’s excellent.

Although this is a sequel game (and it makes it clear that it’s a sequel game, which I’ll talk about more in a second), it’s also incredibly accessible to those who have never played the original. Even if you never heard of the original before, you can jump right into this one with mostly new characters and a brand new story. And I think that’s great, considering the original game came out 22 years ago and is probably somewhat hard to find now, especially if you don’t have a system with access to a Virtual Console to play it on. (Which wouldn’t be a problem if we had the Virtual Console on the Switch, Nintendo, but that’s a separate discussion.)

That said, it is a sequel game and all of the nods and references to the original game are things that I love. I mean, first off, Todd Snap is back and he had a major glow-up. But even setting that aside, it’s mentioned how the NEO-ONE was based on the old vehicle that Todd used (the ZERO-ONE), how Todd used to take photos for a different professor (Professor Oak), the final Illumina Pokémon’s level is a huge callback to the Mew level in the original Snap, et cetera. Although this game was called New Pokémon Snap likely so that people wouldn’t think they had to play the first game first, it’s pretty clearly Pokémon Snap 2 and I love that.

Along with the courses themselves changing as you progress through the game, there are also day and night versions of almost every course so you get something different on them even before making more progress. Additionally, each course has multiple different routes that you can take if you find them / want to, and Elsewhere Forest in particular has zones that change depending on the season, which offers even more variety and things to discover. Again, it doesn’t feel boring to keep going through the courses because there’s always something new to find.

Everything is streamlined and plays excellently. The menus are cleaned, I haven’t noticed any lag in gameplay no matter how much is going on on-screen . . . everything is smooth, clean, and fresh, and again, adds to how much of a joy to look at this game is, on top of making it a joy to play as well.

The online features are implemented really well. I absolutely love that you can post photos to share with people around the world, but also that the feature isn’t obtrusive and in your face, so if you want to ignore it, you can. But the process itself is seamless, and the fact that you can add filters and stickers to make memes out of the photos is hilarious and a well thought-out feature, particularly since this is the age of social media, so having a Pokéstagram just makes sense.

I enjoy that there are little missions that you can complete that are posited as being posed naturally by the other characters. You’re given clues of what to do, but often you’re not told outright, which can make some of them fun to figure out (and others the shot itself is challenging enough so you don’t need a riddle, haha). While fulfilling the requests can be a bit irritating (more on that in a bit) I like that there’s additional material to do in addition to the main story that unfolds as you go through and gives you plenty of stuff to do even after you’ve completed the main story.

The characters are all pretty great. There’s one character I don’t enjoy very much, but otherwise the characters are good and add charm to the story.

These characters still don’t know anything about photography (the rule of thirds is so basic and no one here knows it), at least they’re not as obvious about it as Professor Oak was, always scolding me for not getting pokémon in the center of the frame. So toning down the obnoxiousness on that was nice, I will give them that.

The environments are so varied and so cool. Like sure, you have your basic jungle, your basic grasslands, your basic volcano . . . but also your underwater, your magic forest, your ancient technicolor ruins. And I mean, I don’t even want to diss the other areas because the volcano area was incredibly vivid, the snowy mountain was beautiful, and so on. Again, I don’t want to gush too much about how beautiful this game is, but it is and the wide variety of places to take pictures makes it all the more incredible.

As I mentioned in the missions bullet, there is plenty of content to do even after the main story is completed, which is a definite plus. Filling your Photodex aside, there are also Course Scores that are enabled once you complete the main story and an additional time of day for an already unlocked area that is unlocked as well. This means that even after you clear the game, you can still have fun trying to get different shots and discovering new things, which is always a bonus in my book.

Motion controls are included, but they are entirely optional. So if you want to undock your Switch (or if you are playing with a Switch Lite) and you want to move your Switch around like an actual camera, you can! But if you have any physical limitations that would make doing that hard for you (or if you just don’t feel like it), you don’t have to and the motion controls are actually turned off by default. I haven’t used them myself because I’m not a fan of motion controls so I can’t tell you how good they are, but I can say it’s a plus that the motion controls are 100% optional, rather than forcibly included like they have been in other Nintendo games.

The Neutrals:

All of the different tools you get are basically the same as the original game, with a few slight (and sometimes silly) changes. For instance, they’re now calling apples “flufffruit” because “fluffruit are actually a lot softer and don’t hurt the pokémon” even though . . . they’re very obviously apples. Like very obviously apples. I get that they don’t want to encourage throwing apples at animals for the sake of picture taking / they don’t want to make a kid feel bad if they accidentally (“accidentally”) knock a pokémon in the head with one, but . . . come on. They’re apples. They’ve also decided to take away the Pokéflute and make it a random music player instead, and Illumina Orbs replaced Pester Balls for both story reasons and for the same reason why we can’t call apples apples anymore. Honestly, all of this is fine, just something to mention, though I will say it took way too damn long to unlock the turbo feature, damn. Pokémon are fast, guys! Give me my turbo sooner!!

Sometimes the “tips” that Professor Mirror gives during the photo evaluations . . . don’t actually fit the situation at all. Like I can’t tell you the number of times he’s told me about getting the whole pokémon in the frame when the pokémon is in the frame, or like “throw a fluffruit to get the pokémon to look right at you!” even though the pokémon is staring into the camera like they’re on The Office. It’s not a huge deal but it makes me think that Professor Mirror might need his vision prescription updated.

I understand that this is also the age of the smartphone, but I do find it disappointing that we’re essentially given a smartphone camera (or at most a point-and-shoot) versus the SLR camera that Todd very obviously had in the original Snap (and even has here). Granted, we didn’t have to adjust for aperture or shutter speed in the original game and I wouldn’t want to do that here either, but it’s about the aesthetic and the fact that having professional nature photographers have actually good cameras is more fitting than handing them a smartphone and saying, “have fun!” Again, I get why it’s a smartphone now, but it still is a little disappointing, even if not an actual detraction from the game.

It is confusing that we have wild Alolan form pokémon when this is not Alola, especially since they didn’t make it equal by adding in Galar form pokémon too. (And on that note, there seems to be a lack of Galar pokémon at that.) I think it would have been cool if they’d designed some Lental form pokémon for this game specifically, although I get that this isn’t a game developed by Game Freak so I understand why that wasn’t done. All the same though, the presence of Alolan form pokémon when this isn’t Alola was still a bit weird.

It’s rather easy to breeze through the main story if you don’t want to take your time revisiting areas to get better pictures / boost the research level. While the main story is longer than the original game / there are more areas than the original game, it’s still pretty short. Ordinarily this would be a con, but since there are so many things to do even after you beat the main story, I’m putting it in the neutrals section instead. 

The Cons:

While the missions are fun, it is frustrating that you have to do them again if you capture a photo of the mission before the mission is formally handed to you. This is especially true if it was a hard to get shot that’s difficult to replicate. I understand they want to put challenge in the game, but it’s a bit frustrating you can’t point to your photodex and have the mission be cleared if you’ve already done it. You also can’t get the pokémon doing the requested thing in a different part of the course (or a different version of the same course, or even just a different course altogether if a pokémon appears in multiple areas), which is fine, except that you can only turn in one photo per pokémon. This can make it particularly frustrating when you technically get a photo of what was asked for (e.g. Wingull doing a loop-de-loop) but it’s not the specific Wingull you were supposed to take a picture of, so it doesn’t count.

I have noticed a few bugs or typos here or there. Like one time the text box said “Rita” even when it was clearly Mirror talking, and there have been other times when the game is like “you can’t submit photos if the pokémon is not in the Illumina State” even though Wishwashi was GLOWING BRIGHT PINK because I had just thrown an Illumina Orb at it. Little things like that are things I think could have been better smoothed out in QA, but ultimately aren’t too much to deal with and don’t happen very often.

The alternate paths are a bit too finicky sometimes. Like I managed to get on the swamp path once and haven’t been able to manage it since. I was on research level 3 in Elsewhere Forest for a good long while before Espeon decided to show up, which blocked me off the second exit and guaranteed winter route, too. Again, I love that there are secrets in this game, but I tried to replicate getting into the swamp area twenty times in a row after I had just done it with no success, so it can be a bit frustrating at times.

There isn’t really a true conclusion to the main story. I won’t give spoilers, but essentially the story revolves around uncovering the secrets of a myth that happened in the Lental region thousands of years ago. You get close . . . but the story ends before you get any real answers. You’re just left to speculate. In a way this makes sense, since it’s not like you’re time traveling, you’re just taking pictures. But it is still a little annoying for anyone who is interested in things like the lore of the Pokéworld and who might like actual answers to the questions set up (such as myself).

Anyway, overall, this game is amazing whether or not you played the original, and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes Pokémon even a little. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another 22 years for the next one. (But if we do, it will probably be worth the wait.)

[zydrateacademy]

First Impressions / Review - Cyberpunk 2077

I have some screenshots but they’re mostly photo mode and the occasional interface showing off my gear. So this review will be pic-less for now. I got Cyberpunk off of Stimulus money so as far as I’m concerned, the government paid for this game which does negate some of the problems I’d normally have for dropping 80$ or so on a preorder. Use that information how you will. First, I want to address some technical issues. In the sense that I don’t have very many. I have a 1050 GTX, an i5 processor, and 16GB of Ram. That’s about as complex as my knowledge goes on that. I’ve had a few glitches like Jackie ghosting through a closed door, some vans were clipped into the parking lot, and some NPC’s being stuck in furniture. A lot of ghosting around, really. The odd frame drop but nothing game breaking, and I haven’t had any crashes except one on startup, right after updating my drivers. Just the one in ~21 hours of gameplay. I play on High (but not ultra) settings. So all in all, not a bad experience. Everyone’s computer is a unique butterfly so while you will see a lot of yelling on various communities, some of us are trucking along several hour sessions at a time and not having a problem. Let’s do a quick dive into the story, and there may be some spoilers here but it’s mostly for Act 1, which is reachable just a couple hours depending on how quickly you want to unlock the whole city (as you’re locked to one region until you complete a major heist). 

You play as V, of any variety of gender identity you wish (though you are stuck with he or she pronouns). Basically a futuristic mercenary that does any kind of work available, kind of giving me some vibes from Burn Notice. Arms deals, stealing fans, VIP extraction, and so on. Of course, nothing goes as plan and you more or less lose your entire initial team after a heist goes wrong in every way possible. You’re witness to a world changing shift in a power structure and are forced to insert a chip with the ‘soul’ of Johnny Silverhand, an angry and incredibly bitter man who staged a bombing decades before V enters the game. This becomes the driving force of the game as you work to remove him safely from your body before he replaces you entirely - Something that not even he can stop, really. I’ve only had my toes dipped in Cyberpunk as a genre but it seems pretty standard fare. The concepts of “do cybernetics eat your soul’ and the various debate of how much human makes a human, all that. You’re put right there in center force as you grapple with these questions, even though our avatar as V is more concerned with just curing themselves like it was any other terminal disease. Even in-universe, the idea of a soul-preserving microchip is still a relatively new invention, though still in development enough to be advertised and talked about in news circuits. So let’s approach my first problem. It takes several hours for the game to essentially ‘wake up’. For a long time, you’re stuck in several conversations and interactable cutscenes with very little gameplay except taking advantage of V’s chosen origin in dialog. A couple of firefights here and there but the initial region locks you in and there’s only so many world encounters to just run into. The game more or less railroads you into completing Act 1 with some haste, because it also unlocks the ability to get more cybernetics and even some actual, full on mechanics. Within that railroading, you’re witness to so. Much. God. Damn. Talking. Mercifully you can press or hold “c” to skip through some things if you already understand the gist, but the first several hours of the game can very much feel like a very pretty walking simulator. Thankfully this kind of goes away after Act 1. You suddenly get called by a variety of Fixers that preside over various regions and they toss you dozens of side-jobs to do and so far, I find them to be delightfully varied. As a stealther, I found great joy in having a VIP escort quest with the optional objective of not sounding any alarms. So I went and bought myself a silencer and happily snuck around some gang mates boxing in the middle of a building, retrieved my guy, and escorted him outside while leaving several enemies alive. It was a great achievement. These side-gigs can be as complicated or straightforward as you please, giving me some Dues Ex vibes. The tutorial introduces you to hacking so you can distract and destroy your enemies how you see fit, and I have found that most encounters are designed with alternate routes to deal with enemies. Others are less clear. During one gig, I opened a door and the entire bar went ape on me, so I shot my way through and earned two stars from the police. Turned into a massive shootout that led to a dropbox that had gang members in it that also shot at me. Playing on Easy is a saving grace, but as someone who typically likes sneaking around games when the option is available, I wish the game made it more clear if I'm in a "suspicious" type zone. I also have no idea which NPC's are counted as potential enemies (the scan early in the story tells you if they're in a gang or not), as perfectly normal NPC's in the aforementioned bar just began unloading on me. It was wild, and I survived and got paid but the mission giver telling me it was sloppy work. Thanks, lady. Another time I opened a gate and trained my silenced pistol on the guard only for her to slightly sidestep as the gate opening “alerted” her. So I missed the shot, she opened fire, and the entire structure came out to play. It was an intense gunfight in which I was victorious, but it felt hollow as my silenced approach just botched the entire encounter. It was difficult for me to figure out what the game’s general “loop” is. So far it gives me the Ubisoft vibe of “hit everything you run into”. I do like the idea of V being something of a vigilante, as random police encounters pretty much allow you to intervene and gun down gang members without them bothering you about it. I must admit, however, I wish there was more to actually DO in the game. So far it’s mostly just side-gig after side-gig. Escort guy here, steal a van there, eliminate all enemies here. Though again, I said before that some of this can be quite enjoyable under the right circumstances. Maddening in others. In a way, this is kind of the Rage 2 problem all over again, in the sense that people loved the general gunplay but there wasn’t actually a lot of gameplay beyond the decent combat mechanics. Cyberpunk 2077 is certainly no GTA5, but I hope some day it can become that with DLC’s that add actual activities.

A couple of quick asides. I despise the driving, as most vehicles seem to want to spin out very easily if you hold the turning key for a second too long. In some fashion, it forces you to drive like an actual sane person and mowing down civilians (even accidentally) adds a GTA-esque wanted level though it seems stupidly easy to avoid. Narratively, it makes sense as the authorities in this universe are incredibly corrupt and it basically amounts to “eh, they’re too far now, let’s not waste resources”. So, fair enough. Still, I hope to GOD there’s no mandatory story-based racing. Games have screwed me on that before, and I have not beaten most GTA games because of that. Secondly, I don’t think the origin choice does a lot. You get different dialog choices and being a Corpo did lead to one interesting turn when you just ‘knew’ a credit chip had a virus on it. So there is that, but ultimately the rest of the dialog is identical. You could chalk this up to V spending six months with Jackie and he, more or less, lets your V really swim in Night City culture but honestly ALL V choices feel like they’ve become the same person. I was originally a Corpo but it just feels like her past and culture didn’t seep in through most of the dialog. At the end of the day, V is always just some mercenary punk. The world is gorgeous, albeit not as alive as it may have been advertised in promotions. Random civilians just have canned dialog, a lot of it rude. However I’ve been hard pressed to find doubles or clones of anyone just walking around, but that may change once I get into the hundreds of hour counts. It’s a very pretty game and despite some of my qualms, I am enjoying the experience. There’s a photo mode which is wonderful to utilize when you run into an environment that just captures the imagination. I took a screenshot of Jackie’s wall of pinups, including a typical slutty nun but as per the universe, her chest filled with beautifully placed cybernetics. It was just fun to see, and there’s a lot of semi-subtle world building like that that I just adore.

The game has issues. However, if you wanted a slightly scaled back idea of GTA5 with a different aesthetic, this is not at all a bad choice. However I will not blame anyone if they wait for the “GOTY” editions to come out. And on sale.

[lilypixels]

🍑, 🦄 and 🥞!

🍑 what is the last screenshot you took?

Technically the profile photos,,,I wish it was something more interesting lol

🦄 favorite cc of all time? Or favorite cc creator?

Oh man this ones hard!! For cc I’m just gonna say @lamatisse bare skin colors!! They’ve really helped me add more variety to my sims and it’s just an amazing skin tone pack. Creators are too long a list lol we have many amazing creators in this community :3

🥞 a mod you really can’t live without?

Sims teleport and pose statue lol but I also really like kawaiistacies slice of life mod, it makes gameplay more fun!!

Thanks for asking as always deary!!

[youeverfeelcursed]

On the Narrative of Last of Us Part 2 (3/3)

So this should be the last part on the narrative but I’ll probably post more thoughts on characters, representation, maybe on some details of the gameplay that just made me wish I could design something like this and most likely a text on where do I think this franchise is going to. 

I will also check and fix the previous posts as I know there’s typos and some mismatched data and maybe some timelines confusing. Logically, it comes with posting at my 3am and working from memory and not notes. 

That said, lets just move onto what I hope is interesting enough for people to read these old woman’s ramblings. For anyone still reading, thank you very much for your attention, it’s been a while since I truly enjoyed analizing an art piece.

(Note: I’m marking this post for rechecking as I feel its a bit convoluted. I blame it being 4am.) 

We ended the previous Act 3 (Abby’s Act) with a overhead shot (or aerial if you prefer) of Ellie and Dina on different sides of the shot, close but separated with Ellie being bathed by a red light and both represented in a descending oblique line from Dina to Ellie. 

I find it a wonderful shot that represents Ellie’s story in few and simple details. 

(For those interested, the name in the screenshot is from MkIceAndFire a No commentary channel I follow, go check him out!) 

From here, we jump to what I called the respise intermission, a short part but full of important details for the understanding of the next and final act. 

Like a moth to the flame, or how living sometimes is harder than dying.

The next part of Ellie’s story is as bittersweet as the best coffee you’ll ever have. We find her reminiscencing over Joel’s watch on hers and Dina’s bedroom. Putting it away we get to finally hold in our arms the cutest potatoe I’ve ever seen: JJ! Jesus that child is cute. And it’s obvious that Ellie loves him with all her heart. 

During this time we get to explore the beautiful they both probably restored to live in, in which it specially caught my attention how Ellie surprinsingly gets a full room for herself, whereas Dina seems to have a small space in the living room , where the photo of her sister sits.

I loved this part so much but I could feel that something was wrong, and it is. If we read Ellie’s diary we find out that she’s having trouble sleeping and dealing with people, needing to hide and what’s most likely profound PTSD thats later shown with her breaking down after herding all the sheep. 

A detail that I found important is the fact that she breaks down while having JJ in her arms, which has to be removed by Dina in case she hurts him during her seizure. Because remember that for Ellie protecting those she cares for is very important, so, does she feel she can protect them now?

Stop for a minute and think of how hard is for nowadays soldier to treat PTSD even with psychological support and meds, and how many of those war survivors end commiting suicide anyway. Now imagine that same in a world where violence is constant - yes they live peacefully in the farm but do you really think they don’t have to deal with any straggler? - and there’s basically zero to none mental health support.

Thats where it is important to pay attention to the moment when Ellie is coming back from hunting, how she cleans her face and takes a deep breath and puts her mask on - an obvious referal to her words in her diary - just before going back to Dina and JJ. 

I mean this is not the face of a person fully happy, its the face of a person thats putting her best front but catastrophically failing her inner battle. 

Tommy’s visit manages to break any remainer of the mask she tried to maintain so hard. It is obvious how while he tells her how he found information about Abby that with every word she breaks a little bit more. The trembling, tight shut lips and her open wide eyes that look as hopeful as they look lost. 

If this were another world, one in which I believe Ellie could get help, I would have hated that she left. But she says it herself, she doesn’t sleep, she doesn’t eat, she has a full room for herself so she can have space and even so she leaves for long times alone. She’s not really living, she’s riding the waves as they come but never truly enjoying it because by now her trauma is so deep I would have been surprised that she stayed. 

Because when Tommy talks about Abby, she feels a light, a hope of being able to just pour all of this shit out of her. Abby is not even important anymore, shes just a barrier for Ellie for her own liberation from her demons. Or thats what she thinks. 

She truly does JJ and Dina, but she’s completely broken inside. She’s missing pieces and for her, this is a chance of regaining them. It’s not even about vengeance anymore, it’s about rest. An end. Closure. 

What comes around, goes around. Or how Santa Barbara was the so needed eye opening. 

I was truly happy to see Abby and Lev being kind of silly and well, happy. They are the example of how you can heal when you learn to forgive both yourself and others. A extreme image compared to what we’ll see from Abby next time.

Fast-forward to Ellie after leaving the Rattlers village. Look at Ellie, she’s slightly delirious - Abby, Abby, Abby, Abby... - completely battered, skinny, with a fucked up side, half limping and pulling through out of sheer desesperation. She needs to do this, because if she doesn’t everything she left behind - Dina, JJ, Jackson - will be for nothing. She says it herself in her diary, she cannot think of that. 

And it’s funny. It’s funny there she goes. She helps Abby down and follows both of them to two small boats where she makes a scranny and completely eaten up Abby battle with her in exchange of not hurting Lev. 

The battle is sad. Abby contrary to Ellie had started healing so she didn’t want to battle. But it’s sad, these two beautiful human beings battling against each other as shadows of what they used to be, eaten away by life, hate and stupid decisions. You just feel like being over it because by this point it just feels completely stupid to keep warring. 

And there, Ellie doesn’t kill Abby. We get a flashback of Joel playing the guitar that stops her from killing her. 

And it’s funny, it’s funny because without Ellie both Lev and Abby would be rotting in those pillars. She left her home to kill a woman and ends saving both their lives! Why would she do that? 

We end this Act 4 with Ellie alone, watching the last remains of her flame disappear into the nothing. Rock bottom. You cannot go down further. That’s what it means. She left her family, Tommy is crippled and kind of hates her, Jesse is death, Joel is death, Ryley is death.

 And yet she left Abby leave. But why? 

The answer to all this crazyness is in the last flashback of her and Joel and a few words that are thrown into the night. 

“I was supposed to die in that hospital. My life would’ve fucking mattered. But you took it from me!”

Purpose. 

Yes, purpose. A meaning to her life. A meaning that has been ripped from her hands multiples times in situations out of her control. Is this what she really wants? Her life to revolve around vengeance? Is this what she’s choosing? 

So for once, she decides for herself and she decides that no. She doesn’t want that path. It’s not enough anymore. 

Ellie was supposed to die with Riley, but she survived and found out that’s she’s immune. 

Ellie traveled from one side to another of USA to be the solution to humanity’s problem. To help create a vaccine, whatever the cost. She was ready for it, she was ok with it. But it was ripped from her and lied about it multiple times. 

Imagine thinking you’re immune but that it means absolutely nothing. After getting yourself mentally ready for whatever it would happen, you are told that you’re useless. That you cannot help. That you’re worthless. 

Worthless. 

She ends in Jackson, And learns she’s been betrayed by the person she trusted most, that she could have meant something instead of just living taking care of cows and patrolling. 

It was impossible for Ellie to remain the same even before Joel’s death. Because Ellie is a very complicated character made of survivor guilt, a need to have a purpose in life, too many personal loses and self hating. Not only that, but all of this happens during her adolescence, a time which is hard to deal already without all these traumas piling up. 

Joel’s killing is what makes the bomb explode. Suddenly she can do something, she can leave Jackson and she can revenge him. Again, purpose. She can feel alive because she’s got finally a direction. It’s just not the correct one, because we all know that hate is a terrible guide but for her, is the only guide amids the fog. 

Ellie is a character that has been lost from the moment she learned she could have helped humanity. Chasing Abby was literally the easy path to take to give some meaning to her life. 

When she was with her family at the ranch, I truly believe she wanted her purpose to be to protect her family, but it was something impossible for her to do in her condition. She tried hard, but she couldn’t do it. Her diary again sheds some light on these, on how she feels she has nothing else to give to them. 

We know that, if Joel hadn’t been killed, she could have healed given enough time. She could have forgotten him. She could have find a motivation in Jackson. But there’s so much you can push something until it completely breaks. 

I think that, at the end of the game, when she walks from the ranch she realizes she cannot keep going like this. That if she wants her life to mean something, she has to do it herself instead of just waiting for it to happen. And I feel I know which way she will take next and why. 

Although the ending might seem sad, I found it strangely positive. The circle comes to a end, the guitar that Joel cleaned in the first seconds of the game, is put down by an Ellie lacking two of her left hand fingers impossible, to play it again that way. It is an act of moving on, but not of forgetting. 

Of finally attaining peace of mind, and the chance of recovering herself. 

[tidustargaryen]

The Last of Us Part II - A unique experience you can never get rid of (My interpretation of the story - Full of spoilers!!!)

I made some screens of the game, but I messed up while forgetting to remove the black frame of options from photo mode. I was so proud of the screens! ^^ Sorry. 🙇

Wow...Wow...Wow... 🤩🤩

 I couldn't not talk about this game, and what it felt like to play it.I went through all the emotions, I smiled, I cried, I screamed, I laughed, I was scared, I was anxious, I sang, I felt anger, even hatred, but also compassion, pity, empathy and the desire to forgive and forget. They broke my heart, and then filled it with rainbows. It was really the roller coaster of emotions. That's what I wanted when I bought this game. I wanted to feel things, a whole lot of things. I wanted to smile, I wanted to laugh, but I also wanted to cry. Because crying is not necessarily negative. It's a human emotion that also does good things.

I love Red Dead Redemption 2, I played it a lot, but I didn’t have the need to put words on my feelings. And especially not to give it such praise, that is to say how much The Last of Us Part II affected me. I also find it hard to describe my thoughts, my feelings in another language, and the review took me time and effort. There will surely be plenty of mistakes, but I love this game too much not to grant it the honor it deserves.

The job is successful, it's more than successful, this game has affected me deeply, in a positive way. When I put the controller down at the end of the game, wow... Just wow... That's all i could think of. And I must confess, I don't understand the negative feedback. I understand of course, that you can dislike a scenario, I myself dislike some movies, we like, we dislike, for different reasons, it's our most legitimate right. But hatred for a game? Putting a zero grade on it? It's not objective. The gameplay is excellent, much better than the first one, the immersion is incredible, the visual and sound atmosphere... damn! The motion capture is unmatched. More weapons, more actions, more everything.The graphics, the dialogues, the music! Even if the scenario is not good for you, you have to admit that the rest is almost perfect... So it's impossible to put 0 to this game. It may not please you, it's legitimate, but when I don't like something, I leave it, I don't spend days talking about it, in a bad way. I would also add that reading the leaks is one thing, playing the game, living the story with the controller in hand is something else. Maybe you're missing out on something huge, it's your choice.

If I say that, it's above all because I would really like a third opus, I want other stories with Ellie. I liked her in the first one, but I got so attached to her in the second part. And I like the world of the Last of Us, I got attached to the Ellie/Dina relationship as well, and I'll come back to that in the development I'm going to do on the characters right after.

All that to say, for anyone who didn't like The Last of Us Part II, your life is not going to change whether or not there's a part III, but I, and other players, would really like a sequel. But I'm not sure there's going to be one after this outpouring of hatred. So good for you, so bad for us, I guess. But I'm not selfish.

I've also seen some very positive comments, a lot of “masterpieces” and objective opinions, full of very good reviews from players who have had the same experience as me. I've played a lot of games that I liked, very few of them made an impression on me like The Last of Us Part II, none of them made an impression on me like The Last of Us Part II in fact, thank you Naughty Dog. Really, thank you, because, and this is my personal opinion, this sequel is much better than the first opus. Yes, that's what I think, and I had heard and seen a lot of press reviews that said it was better, I couldn't believe it. And yet, since I finished the game, I can't stop thinking about it, I can't stop rewriting the story, imagining a sequel, and that's what I wanted this game to do, to touch me emotionally, quite simply. This game haunts me since I press “start”. Well done, I admit.

Spoilers, ahead.

They didn't lie on this, I knew what game I was buying. A violent game, which deals with difficult subject, revenge, hate, the worst human emotions. It's hard for the players to understand the choices they made in the script, but it's also because it's hard to imagine living in a world like The Last of Us.  Anyone can die at any time. And the survival instinct brings out the worst in humans. In their world, we too would become violent, hateful, we would do anything to survive. We will do the same things as Abby, Ellie, Joel and everyone else. Yes, it would be so much simpler, and more productive, to cooperate, to be united, this is the solution, the only one. Unfortunately, humans do the contrary, because the fear of the other, of the unknown, makes one strike before being struck. Already, in our current world, people find it very difficult to show solidarity, there is solidarity, but how many there are out of billions ?? They said it would take an open mind to enjoy the game, and understand the choices of characters. And they were right.

The game could have dealt with the story of a father and his adopted daughter, wanting to survive in a cruel world full of infected people who want to devour you, but who are not the worst enemies. It would have shown these characters succeeding and living a happy life in the town of Jackson... and it could have been believable, why not, with a big stroke of luck... Because honestly, in a world like this, where anybody can die at any time, realism is very important. The worst thing that could have happened to this game is not hate, it's indifference, and the game does not leave indifferent, far from it. People still haven't understood that to show disappointment in a game, a movie, a series, or whatever, hatred is not the solution, but indifference. Hatred proves that you are interested enough in the subject to talk about it a lot. This is indifference, the opposite of love.

Because, yes, in this world, you can die very cruelly, horribly, just like Joel... It's hard, it hurts, but it's realistic. When I first played the first opus, at the end I said to myself "If there's a sequel to this game, Joel will pay harshly for the consequences of his decision..." Because Joel's choice was selfish, it was very human, but it was very selfish. I love Ellie so much that I'm thrilled, but he saved a little girl that he cared so much about, a love that he didn't think he'd feel since he lost his little girl. But tell me, how many other little girls has he sacrificed in the process? How many people has he forced to live in such a terrible world? This vaccine could have saved them all. It’s unthinkable to me that the surviving Fireflies wouldn't want revenge. And it's even more natural to want revenge on the murderer of your father.

Yeah, I wish Joel would've survived, or not died so cruelly, especially not in front of Ellie. But Joel is paying the consequences for his choice. It's hard to put yourself in that position, but I don't think I would have made the same choice Joel did. And maybe, when you think about it, was it better for Ellie to die saving the world, rather than go through all that she had to go through next ?

The Last of Us part II, it's clearly not a game where everything is white or black, the development studio took a big risk, making us play inside the head of the person we're supposed to hate, the one who took Ellie's dearest love. Most games make us play nice people, who fight against the bad guys, but here, the bad guys aren't always bad, they can do good deeds, and bad ones, just like Ellie. These shades of grey in each character are very interesting to study, the story becomes more complex, more captivating. Joel wasn't a "good guy" either, he did a lot of bad things before he crossed Ellie's path, he ambushed people to kill them and steal from them... That doesn't stop us from loving him, it's also true for Abby and her companions.

That's what I love about this game, the nuances. The questioning of the character choices, and the morality that's built into it. And for me, this game is clearly an essay about what makes us feel and what drives us to hatred and revenge, and what we get out of it... Nothing, as we can see with my poor girl Ellie. She brutally loses Joel and in her quest for revenge, loses everything else.

 There's clearly no way in hell she's going back to Jackson, she's leaving, for good, and alone.Besides, we saw her head toward the door at the back, not the one on the side, which leads to Jackson. And when she walks with JJ, towards this door, she tells him that only bad things are behind this door. No, unfortunately, Ellie does not return to Jackson, and that is understandable. This quest for revenge has affected her deeply. For me, it's like a stain on her soul. Is it legitimate for her to want revenge? I think it is. Should she give in to hatred and revenge? Of course, in this story, for Ellie, the answer is no. "I'm gonna find, and I'm gonna kill every last one of them," I think she could've added, "No matter what it costs me." Her future happiness. Neil Druckmann brought up a possible part III, and perhaps this part could imply a redemption from Ellie. She tells JJ that behind this door there are only bad things, maybe in the end, she goes to these bad things, to try to destroy as much as possible.  And to finally be able to do what Joel stealed from her, and finally answer this question of why she is immunizing, why her ? To save people.

Ellie can't move on. She has a lot of nightmares, she's been through a trauma and can't get over it. Despite the peaceful life she has with Dina and JJ, she is not happy, at least not entirely. Part of her has stayed in that house near Jackson, on the ground where Joel died cruelly. And that part she'll never get back, and she doesn't know it, but even killing Abby wouldn't change anything. Ellie lost too many people, and Joel was the one person she couldn't lose. But even if she doesn't give in to the last siren of vengeance, the damage is already done. After Nora, whom she tortures for information, Owen's death and his pregnant girlfriend, it's too late. Not to mention all the other people she had to kill to get there. It's not without consequences,the guilt is too big,for what she did to those people and also for Joel,who she feels she has to avenge,rightly or wrongly,out of love,out of loyalty, or both.

And it's very clear when she kills Owen and then Mel. Of course, she's just defending herself, she didn't want to kill them, she just wanted to know where Abby was. And most of all, she didn't know Mel was pregnant, and in that moment, she knows she's gone too far, that her revenge cost her too much. But it's really when she sees Jesse die, when she thinks Tommy's dead, too, and she almost lost Dina, that she gives up on revenge, for now. She chooses a quiet life with Dina, but Tommy won't give it up, and Ellie is still very affected by Joel's death.

She must avenge Joel, even if it means losing everything, she will find Abby. She'll finally give up on killing her, and I completely agree with that choice. All this was for nothing? Well, yes, because Ellie realized too late that revenge would never heal Joel's death, would never make up for her great loss, and that Abby's death wouldn't bring Joel back. The problem is, she realizes that too late, she already lost everything else, including herself.

As far as I'm concerned, she knows the farm will be empty, she just needs to go back, as if the last bit of happiness she has left is in this house. And maybe, with a spark of hope, that the person she loves the most after Joel, hasn't abandoned her. I think she also thinks that Dina and JJ deserve better than her, someone who got lost on the path to revenge, a ghost of the Ellie that Dina fell in love with.

Yeah, it's not a happy story, but that was never the point. I think it's hard to imagine the world they live in compared to ours. This is not a world where happiness exists, and if it does exist, it is hard to find, let alone keep.

The game did something very daring, making us play Joel's killer. It's ballsy, isn't it! And yes, bad guys have a life, a story, and a reason to do what they do. They're just as human. I hated Abby, that's a strong word, but I wish Ellie had killed her right then and there, and then I was forced into her head. Abby lost her father, and so did Ellie. Joel killed Abby's father, and she killed Ellie's father. An eye for an eye? A lot of people hate Abby, so I'm going to put it another way. Would you have let your father's killer live? Abby couldn't. It's very legitimate, I wish she'd killed him quickly, his death was cruel. But as much as Joel's choice... All the loss, all the hardship, all of it could have been stopped with the vaccine. All because of Joel. Maybe you wish she would've kissed him and thanked him?

And yet, she spares Ellie and Tommy and Dina, something she's gonna regret, by the way. Because, later, Tommy kills Manny, her best friend. And Ellie kills Owen, the man she loves. And once again, in spite of that, she spares Ellie again. This time, her mercy will save her life, when Ellie delivers her from this new group of slavers she meets. (Ellie the breaker of chains xD) Abby doesn't want to fight anymore, doesn't want revenge. She gives up punishing Owen and Mel's murderer, and their babies, and also the others. (If Abby knows about Nora, etc.)

She knows what it cost her to take revenge, it didn't bring her father back, it didn't ease her grief, and that caused the death of her closest friends, when Ellie, in turn, wanted get revenge. The price is too high. I had no particular affinity with Abby, but I understand her character. In her quest for revenge, Abby only kills the man responsible for her father's death, when Ellie wanted to kill them all, and kills many. Abby also has her bad choices, she condones Isaac's torture methods which are just horrible, but her revenge has not controlled her like she did to control Ellie. Punishing the one responsible was enough, but not for Ellie.Yes, at the beginning, I wanted Abby to die, and kudos to the developers, because at the time when Ellie had her hands around her neck, I had only one thought, let her live, please… Well done to make us pass from a desire for revenge to an act of pity.Yes, Ellie made the wrong choice, but could she make another one? In a world like that, I don't know, it's very difficult to imagine the impact of such a harsh universe on our psychology. But it shows that revenge brings nothing, it takes everything. And hatred also does nothing good, especially if it is your main driver.

This is a great lesson that the developers are giving us, it pushes us to question certain morality, and that was their goal. Our world is also filled with hatred, and some people give in to it so easily. I don’t understand how you can feel all this hatred for people who just created a video game ... Isn’t there a bigger fight in the world? Racism, homophobia, slavery (yes, yes it still exists), pedophilia, rapists, misogynists, the people who govern us, the powerful who buy everything with money, animal and family mistreatment … Why waste time on developers whose only fault is wanting to create a game to entertain people? Were they not successful for you? Go on to something else. And I'm not even talking about everyone who hates the game without ever even playing it. It's just a game. There are more serious things that deserve your anger, don't you think?

This is my opinion and I give it with all the objectivity I can. If the game was bad, I would not have wasted time writing all of this in another language, I would have moved on but that is not the case. Yes this game is huge! And even more because it highlights things that some people want to hide. Personally, I loved that the two characters we play are female! Especially on such dark themes !! It's always for men... two women, who want revenge, who gives in to the darkest and most human emotions. Not men, finally. Thank you Naughty Dog. A gay heroine! I love, and I don't understand all the controversy around LGBTQ propaganda ... So, according to this reasoning, do other games make heterosexual propaganda ?? And gay people have to go through this ?! It's a shame !

No, I'm not gay, I have no personal interest in defending it, just the freedom of everyone to be able to live. It is out of the question that people live unhappy all their life, just so as not to shock people who are too closed to understand that the sexual life of others does not concern them ... More games like that please, and with men too… because homosexuality in the media is often represented by women.

I also didn't understand that we can take offense for the visit to a synagogue ... Should we blame Assassin's Creed for all the cathedrals in which we did stunts and break a lot of things ??

Again, everyone has the right to like or not like the game, but I don’t think you should be so disrespectful of all those people who worked hard on this game. Especially when it’s unwarranted. And I know something about it, I watched GoT season 8, I know what it's like to betray the soul of a story Clearly, this is not the case, here. I’ve seen some very constructive reviews explaining how amazing this game is, but it couldn’t please everyone, and I’m sorry for all those who didn’t like it (those who played well sure, the others are not legitimate for me) but don’t prevent us from enjoying this game, especially if we can have a sequel.

I needed to put all my thoughts on my keyboard, and on my blog, because as I said at the very beginning, this game affected me deeply and it is, for me, the best game I ever played. (sorry RDR 2, sorry Arthur, but Ellie gave you a nice slap there 😋 ) I highly recommend it! However, I know that it cannot please everyone, like all works of art, it’s subjective.

I would like to end with my favorite scenes, no matter they made me smile or cry, because there are really magic and unforgettable moments. Not necessarily rank in order of preference.

- The guitar scene with Dina. The cover of "Take on me" which is just beautiful, I still listen to it often, and it's a moment of peace (like the giraffes in the first one) in this terrible world.

- The scene where Joel takes Ellie to the science museum. Same, wonderful moment in this world of brute. And a wonderful gift from Joel to his daughter. I'm still crying. And that is to bring it perfectly, they could have put this scene to us before his death, it would not have had the same impact. After Joel's death, it hits where it should.

- Of course, the scene where Ellie and Joel talks about his choice to save her. This moment, or Ellie tells him that she can't forgive him yet, that she may never be able to, but that she wants to try, I think that is also one of the reasons why Ellie doesn't want to give up on revenge. Joel died when she still resented him, and they were both on cold terms. She can't forgive herself.

- The scene where Dina offers her her bracelet, I love this bracelet.

- All the null jokes of Ellie !!!! xD

- I cry when Ellie thinks that Dina could leave her for Jesse. And then after, when she comforted her.

- The scene at the farm, when Ellie is walking with JJ, I loved it, she seems happy, but shortly after, we realize that this is not the case, or rather, that something is missing, or someone… The scene of the return to the farm, for me has made it harder, already because it's the end, because Dina is no longer there, even if it was easy to imagine. And the scene where it seems to me that she plays the song that Joel sang to her. She lost him, And then she lost herself. The song he sang to her at the beginning sums it all up. This is the saddest scene for me. In the first game, Ellie told Joel that all the people she has ever loved are dead or have abandoned her. She finds herself alone, and it's partly her fault.

Various :

I hate having to hit Ellie while playing Abby, especially with her arms so big, she must hurt very much!! I'm not a fan of tattoos but Ellie's is just beautiful! I would like to visit a little more Santa Barbara, it changes from Seattle ^^But Seattle is really beautiful. The lifespan of the game is enormous and the difficulty much bigger than the first one. In normal mode I sometimes suffered a lot ^^ Naughty Dog has dared to model the penises of the infected !!! (Yes, I took photos, no I would not show them xD)

The first game had given us a tragic death from the start, Sarah. She is the first playable character for a very short time, and we are just walking with her. And witness helplessly at her death. The second game does the same, but it’s her father who dies this time just after we play a little with him, just for a horse riding with Tommy. Poetic ?

Yes, the game has faults, some bugs, some passages are long, but given the quality it offers us, personally, I forget these faults, nothing is perfect, nothing needs to be.

And the only criticism I have of this game is that I wanted to play with Ellie a bit more (it's relative, the game still has a long life, but I'm greedy, I wanted more of Ellie). I really want to play with her again and I hope that where she goes, she will be fine. I liked her in the first opus, I love her now. She enters the top of my favorite fictional characters, with Daenerys Targaryen, Ellie in second place, and Arthur Morgan (sorry for your second place big boy 😋 ) And I now understand the Youtubers who said that they envied us for still having to discover the game and the scenario. Now, I wish I could forget it and find out again. What is certain is that I will not be able to say goodbye to Ellie, impossible. She deserves a very, very big hug after everything they've done to her.

I haven't read the leaks, I haven't been spoiled at all, and I hate that. I trusted a Youtuber when the fans started to hate the game, without ever playing it, and I was right. For those who compare The Last of Us with GoT: I read the leaks of GoT, I was happy to have done it given the parody they did of the show, I would have really regretted having read the The Last of Us part II leaks. Reading and living the game are two different things.

I probably forgot some things, I will do a second part, I may add things later.

This game is simply and deeply human. In these most beautiful qualities, and especially in these worst flaws.

Best game ever. My opinion.