#also there's even LESS on indie games. like i would not be surprised if there are indie shooters with amazing npcs but not a big playerbase

[tcypionate]

i think my issue with alien: isolation and trying to find games that implement ai in that way is that no one does. f.e.a.r. has smarter npcs that know to retreat. but i cant find any other game that has ai that breaks the standard shooter npc mold. probably because it takes more time and resources to train it, but you'd think it'd be a set standard by now :/

[steddieasitgoes]

Steve and Robin have spent most of their shifts at Family Video, whispering and giving each other suggestive glances whenever a pretty girl walks through the door. Steve used to hate it whenever Tommy H. made him do stuff like this, but it's different with Robin. Less about objectifying and more about admiring a woman's beauty — at least, that's what Robin tells him when he brings it up one day. 

With his conscious clean, he leans into it, and the two have so much fun silently staring at pretty girls. They learn that they have pretty much the same taste in women — minus Tammy Thompson — which isn't surprising considering they share just about everything in common. 

And while it's fun sharing glances and watching each other blush red when the cute girl gives one of them more attention, Steve also wishes he had someone who would do that with him when he spots a cute guy in the mix. Steve tried to bring it up to Robin once, but she wasn't having it. 

"Stevie," she leveled. "All I see is a faceless blurb that smells too much like pine. You're the only guy for me." 

So, he let it go. 

- 

Eddie and Gareth have a similar game they play whenever they drive out to Indy. Gareth is usually the one to point out a petite blonde walking in their favorite record shop. If she heads to the metal section, Eddie can make a move. If it's anything else, Gareth gets to try. 

Nine times out of 10, it's Gareth who flirts his way to a phone number. 

Not that Eddie minds. 

He has just as much fun watching his friend hopelessly flirt while casually checking out the guys who wander in the record store. 

Gareth always gives him a friendly nudge whenever he notices Eddie staring too long at the back of some guy's short haircut, but it's not the same as the gentle ribbing they give each other when a cute girl walks in. 

Gareth isn't into guys like he is, and that's fine.

But sometimes Eddie wishes he had someone to compare his taste in men with. 

- 

When Steve and Eddie realize they're both bisexual, they rejoice. Finally, they have someone to play their silly games with.

 Except, it doesn't go at all like they'd except. 

See, Steve and Eddie are both so used to having friends share their tastes in women that they don't even consider the fact that they might have different taste in men. 

But they do.

They're hanging out in the lobby of the Hawkins Theater, waiting for the kids to finish getting their snacks, when Steve sees him. A guy with disheveled auburn hair and a black denim jacket cuffed at the sleeves with random patches on it. He's got a blue bandana tied around his forearm and bulky black boots. 

"He's cute right?" Steve asks, nodding his head toward the guy in question. 

Eddie scoffs. Scrunches up his nose like he's just smelt the worst smell imaginable and turns towards Steve. "You're kidding me, right Stevie? That dude is a grade-a-punk! A wannabe one at that! I bet he smells like cheap cigarettes and hasn't washed his hair in days." 

"You smell like cheap cigarettes and don't wash your hair every day," Steve says, rolling his eyes at Eddie's outburst. 

"Yeah, but I'm also broke. That guys doing it for the stupid aesthetic." 

Steve scoffs and lets his eyes follow the guy until he disappears inside one of the theaters. 

"Alright then, what's your type, Munson?" 

Eddie hums and takes a moment to scan the crowded theater and the stops. When he turns toward Steve, he's sporting a giant grin. 

"Guy. Six o'clock. By the butter dispenser." 

Steve slowly turns around and nearly buckles at the knee when he spots the guy in question. 

Short hair, combed back so every strand of hair is in place. He's got on a letterman jacket from one of the neighboring schools, crisp white shoes, and his left hand is tucked into the jean pocket of who he assumes to be his girlfriend. 

"Him?" Steve chokes. "But he's so…" 

"Pretty?" 

"Jock-ish!" Steve supplies instead. "I thought you hated jocks!"

"I hate what they represent," Eddie says, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He tears his eyes away from the guy and stares right at Steve. "But I can't help it if they have a cute face that's begging to be corrupted." 

It isn't until days later when Steve and Eddie are both complaining to their best friends, do they realize that having different tastes might not be such a bad thing. 

Especially when their taste in men is each other.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Clearing Up Some Confusion: Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is Not Powered by the Apocalypse

There has been a little confusion cropping up here and there regarding our game Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy and its relationship to the Powered by the Apocalypse system, A.K.A. PbtA, which we would like to hopefully clear up in this post.

PbtA is a very popular system for indie RPGs lately, it’s safe to say most of the indie RPGs we see cross our dashboard use it, in fact, and since Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is an indie RPG that also happens to use 2D6+Modifier dice rolls, we can see where this assumption might come from. However, Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is not a PbtA game, nor is it a ‘hack’ of any other game. It is an original from-the-ground-up system that uses 2D6+Modifier because 2D6+Modifier is just a very good way to roll dice. It’s very predictable, and dice results that are randomized yet still predictable are beneficial both for players playing the game and for us designing the game.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually does take inspiration from other games, even PbtA games like Monster of the Week—though in Monster of the Week’s case, that “inspiration” often took the form of doing the opposite of what Monster of the Week does, because we actually found MotW far too restrictive and limiting in its character creation and other elements for the kind of game we wanted to play—but also Call of Cthulhu, Trail of Cthulhu, Gumshoe, Shadowrun, AD&D2e, etc, both in the “do what they do” and “do the opposite of what they do” sense. In fact, if your TTRPG doesn’t take inspiration from a good number of other TTRPGs, that’s probably a pretty bad sign.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy also takes a great deal of inspiration from non-TTRPG sources, some of which are probably pretty obvious and some of which might surprise you, such as Blood(1997) and Warhammer 40,000(the tabletop wargame specifically, not so much the lore). Other inspirations include but are not limited to: Kolchak: The Nightstalker, The X-Files, XCOM(the reboots, not so much the originals), Columbo, Hardboiled, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Scooby-doo, too many horror movies to list, etc.

That got a little off-topic, but this is supposed to be a promotional post for Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy as well, after all—plus, I get excited.

Anyway, the point of this post is that the 2D6+Modifier dice system is where the similarities between Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy and the PbtA system end.

To elaborate, here are some—but not all—of the biggest differences:

No “Classes” or “Playbooks”

All PCs in Eureka draw from the same list of Skills, and spread their skillpoints around them how they see fit; as well as a collection of 3 gameplay-altering Traits that can be mixed and matched in any way, rather than being a set collection of “moves” or “class features”. This does not mean that all PCs are the same, Traits can make them vary wildly in how they play mechanically.

There are what could be considered two or three “categories” of PC in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy(Mundane, Mage, and Monster), but these are not “classes” or “playbooks” in any way, they mostly determine what lists of Traits the PC gets to draw from, and due to the wildly gameplay-altering nature of these Traits, two Monster PCs in Eureka are likely to be far less similar to each other than two PCs both using The Monstrous playbook in Monster of the Week, and far less similar to each other than two Fighters in D&D.

Making Multiple Rolls per Scene

In PbtA games, it is fairly common for a single dice roll and a single “move” to dictate the outcome of an entire “scene”. In Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, this is not the case. PCs may make multiple rolls of different Skills or multiple subsequent rolls of the same Skill within a single “encounter” or “scene”.

NPCs Make Rolls Too

That brings us to our third big difference for this post, the fact that NPCs also make rolls. In most PbtA games, NPCs do not make rolls, only the PCs do, but in Eureka, that is not the case. NPC stat blocks are not as robust as PC stat blocks, but they do still make rolls in the same manner the PCs do, especially in combat, which brings us to the last point I’m going to make in this post because I’m running out of time.

Deep, Intricate Combat Rules

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is not a combat-focused game by any means, the party will probably only get into 1-2 skirmishes across an entire mystery, but when those skirmishes do happen, they will be played out using deep, tactical combat rules with multiple types of attacks and combat moves, including mechanical crunch for things like positioning and cover, multiple types of damage, environmental damage and effects, etc.

All of this should be telling you that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is not only entirely different in its core systems, but also an overall crunchier and less improvisational-ruling system than PbtA, with tons of freedom in its character creation as well as plenty of rules and guidelines to help GMs make fair and realistic resolutions on the fly. That is not to say that Eureka is a complicated TTRPG, nearly everything in the game runs off the same core 2D6 system, making it very easy to learn and memorize—the rules crunch just means that if the outcome or appropriate modifier of a roll is not immediately obvious, you can rest assured that you can find a solid answer or at least a guideline with just a quick flip through the rulebook, either during or after the session, whatever is your preference.

[corishadowfang]

For the Friendship ask game.

Any or all of the NULs for 🎵 (music taste) and/or 🐣 (upbringing)

(For this)

I'll do the whole crew, haha! (Oops, I guess this got kind of long, too, so...under a read more it goes!)

🎵 Music — do they have similar music tastes to one another? if they exchanged phones, what songs would they be most surprised to hear from their friend’s playlist? what sort of songs would they associate with the other(s)?

Some of them do! Ephemer and Ven have very similar tastes; very pop music and musical-driven. They'd probably share songs a lot, haha.

Lauriam likes a lot of classical stuff--but he's also actually into rock/metal, which really shocks his friends. Skuld, however, thinks it's great, since she also likes that sort of music, and is happy to have someone to share songs with, since the others...aren't quite as into it.

Speaking of Skuld--she actually has pretty eclectic taste in music, and will listen to almost anything, even if rock and metal tend to be her favorite. She is probably the one most likely to steal...whatever they have to play music on in Daybreak Town...to listen to other people's music.

Brain likes a lot of techno and indie stuff! He's willing to try out new things, but won't necessarily be enthusiastic about it.

As for what sorts of songs they'd associate with the others...most of them I think they'd guess pretty spot-on, haha, with Lauriam being the main outlier.

🐣 Upbringing— how do their childhoods compare, and what do they think of the families that raised them? have they always been together? do they share any common footing when it comes to how they grew up?

Their childhoods vary pretty wildly! Skuld came from a large family (both extended and immediate); Ephemer came from, ironically, a very small family, which was really just him and his dad; Brain had a...less than ideal relationship with his mom; Lauriam and Strelitzia were basically on their own; and Ven, uh...well, he loved his family, but there was a lot of conflict about him even, like...existing.

When I was writing Dandelion Seeds, I wanted them to have a lot of different family situations, while still having some things that they could relate to each other with, so while they haven't always been together, they CAN find some common ground with each other. Ephemer and Skuld had pretty good upbringings, overall; they both grew up near Daybreak Town, so they find they have a lot to talk about surrounding that, too.

Brain relates to Ven a lot. Brain didn't have many friends growing up, either (just Ava, and she was apprenticed when they were pretty young), and while his situation wasn't quite the same as Ven's, he's still sympathetic to the complicated family situation.

Lauriam has the hardest time relating to any of them directly, since he and his sister had to struggle on their own for a long time. He probably had the roughest childhood out of the bunch, though he does feel for Ven, who grew up with...very limited love and few outside connections. As far as he's concerned, at least he still had his sister; Ven didn't really have much of anyone.

[mxmade-up]

It's alright!! The ramble is just fine!

I'm surprised, I hadn't heard there'd only be 5 episodes! Though, it absolutely does make sense, and I don't mind much.

At first when I saw the art I was a bit put off but, I think I do like it after getting used to it? Though some of the designs I agree, I wish were a bit more faithful.. I understand simplifying them for animation, but their designs right now feel a bit.. Strange? Like it feels like they don't keep a lot of key things from their game designs, which could've been very fun! But, I understand they may be going something that maybe we just don't see right now? I'm deciding to stay optimistic.

I agree with the dead cells as a framework thing, and I honestly think that could be really interesting. I hope the show will be good! I'll see if I can't get the game for myself to celebrate it.

I was very put off by the art style too at first. This is coming from someone who didn’t grow up from cartoons and has a low tolerance for a lot of the art styles. In motion, I think it looks fine for most scenes. Or at least most of the scenes they showed.

Btw, on the episodes number I was wrong. Don’t know French so was only picking out the numbers. Sorry! :(

From what I can tell, there will be 10 episodes total, each ~7 minutes. I again ask people to remember motion twin is indie. 5 airing on ADN (French anime streaming service) on June 19 and the other 5 on the 26. About ADN, you can’t watch for free with ads on there. You have to subscribe. Unless there’s a free trial, I think that will be a big turn off for a lot of people. Maybe one dedicated fan will make it pirate-able and then that will help with access. Also, I can’t tell if there’s guaranteed English subs.

you’ll need a VPN too, looks like it’s France only

Link to Dead Cell Immortalis’ page on ADN

Take everything I say with a grain of salt I may have misinterpreted a lot of things

As for the designs? I have a few theories

1. They want to make the show more approachable by non-dead cells fans. The less previously established characters you have and the less motifs, the less background you need. I mean, Laure was created with the explicit purpose of informing our favorite amnesiac cell blob of the world

2. They wanted people to be able to draw visual connections between the the Beheaded and king. Assuming they’re still connected at all

In game the Beheaded has a star/cross instead of an eye on the default head.

This can also be seen in the trailer. Sometimes.

(Also spider rune and ground pound yayy)

King’s symbol change was to

Almost a star. But, stylized to resemble a crown too. This very well could be a stretch. Maybe they just felt the original coat of arms didn’t have the old sci-fi look half these guys have.

3. They’re designed so the heads stick out. Like fingernails. Because they’re the hand. Do you guys even get what I’m saying with this

Not design related, I want to mention UI

Cells and gold moved to where mutations would be. Prisoner’s collar, 1 flask charge, base sword, base shield, and mystery item #3. We can assume from this it’s early on in the series. Amulets moved to be visible. Empty health but no scrolls of power indicator. I just found it interesting

[throughalleternity]

What kind/genre of Video games do Maggie, Alex and Lucy play the most? Both on their own and together? And does Leon subconciously gravitate to different genres than Lucy?

I actually don't have many headcanons on this haha, it feels too subjective for me to give many specifics and I'm less up to date on games than I used to be :(. That said, I think these days as busy adults, they prefer single player or local co-op games that they can pick up and play without needing to do a whole crash course to relearn the controls/strats and remember the story whenever they want to continue playing. So no complex fighting games, no super hard platformers, no Soulsborne games... I do think they'd like some sci-fi/fantasy action adventure games, stuff like Assassin's Creed... (...do Batman and Spiderman games exist in the DCTV universe?? Like some Batman fans making their own indie games for fun. I think Maggie would just roll her eyes). And maybe the occasional horror game, where they laugh after the one playing gets jump scared (they also jump sometimes too), and they're very encouraging the entire time.

I think the Superfam enjoys party games too! A/L/M aren't convinced it'll be fun at first but then they each start winning and getting (fun) competitive with the rest of them, and while none of them are totally new to games, it's nice that the playing field is more even. They're surprised how much they get into it once they let themselves, they'll do "one more round" several times lol

And this is probably as much just my personal experience as it is me having a headcanon, but I don't think Leon really has a preference! Like, yeah it's fun and nice for him to play something that feels like more of a masculine hobby/game with James and Winn, but what he enjoys more is having fun (and they're being affirming in either case). And it's nice that he can play whatever he wants and enjoy it just as much!

[desudog]

???????? I kind of hate the "being a hater for sport" type of bloggers on here recently

Literally also "no standards" is such a cope when pokemon fans are recognized by game freak themselves as willing to eat Literally Any Slop They're Given. Like I'm a pokefan too but "no standards" and "bad taste" is kinda synonymous with "pokemon fan" it's not like it's anything other than video game junk food.

Also just like, cope harder. A game in early access that just dropped is more fun for most ppl involved and also has less issues on launch and the team who made it literally didn't know anything about unreal engine and "learned as they went" meanwhile s&v had falling through floor glitches on professional launch. Put that in your juice box and suck it.

Next; I don't think most of the people who's played and enjoyed the game are convinced they do have good taste. Every streamer I've seen play it opens the stream with not high hopes and gets genuinely surprised at it being fun. I don't think anyone goes into this game twirling their mustache and tipping their top hat thinking they're better than ~mere pokemon fans~ and like, shocker alert. Most of us who enjoy it are... pokemon fans. The only people who I've seen not like pokemon but like palworld are ppl who don't like pokemon because of labor and quality concerns but still hold the creatures dear.

But like, are we gonna pretend there's no enjoyable and original designs in pw? I mean, let's take a look.

(Apparently the argument for the last one is that is a "bootleg of absol". ???.)

And pokemon? Who has been literally just reusing old pokemon people have nostalgia for as new ones with redesigns? You don't like the lack of creativity of the inspired pals? What about these? What about the pokemon who genuinely look like shit? The ones that "just look like [animal/object]" with no creative spin? If any of these were palworld designs pokefans would be out their ass posting about how uninspired they look.

(I had more pics but mobile image limit and they saved as unusable files)

Nintendo and Gamefreak both take pokemon very seriously and also do not care about the consumer. It's blatantly obvious the past few years they're just squeezing pennies from us like an old towel and think release quality doesn't matter because we're pigs who will eat any slop. Palworld is a genuine parody/joke game with indie dev team that "just wants to make games people will enjoy, not break any new ground." Nobody is convinced it's a gourmet meal. It's literally the game of people who haven't even used the engine it was coded in before.

Like look, I get it you're autistic. We're all fucking autistic on this website. You took it personally when change happen. You feel unstable in your SpIn because of the recent quality drops. First of all, chill, fucking POKEMON will not be outcompeted by a dev team that includes someone still in SCHOOL and a bunch of people who literally saved every version to a thumb drive bc they didn't know what they were doing. The competition will be good for GameFreak. 2, stop taking it out on random Japanese people you have only seen through fucking machine translated Twitter tweets. If you don't like the game, just walk away. Maybe reblog 1 or 2 lighthearted memes about it. Ranting in the tags and being a cock is just not necessary. I don't like Hazbin Hotel, I'm not going into the tags and shitting on it regardless of how bad quality I think it is or if i yhink the fans have bad taste- because that would be a cock thing to do. Bitch about it privately in dms or post replies, pin a printed out picture of it to your wall to throw darts at, I don't care! Being a dick to someone for enjoying something that you don't just makes you look petty and soulless. And stop grabbing at any even semblance of a claim agaisnt them that you see regardless of truth. Stop desperately looking for ways to ensure the ruin of an indie japanse team. It's literally just a game designed to be silly with elements they know people like, and with their attention to details commonly complained about and improved on in their own game, probably games they also love.

Also getting mad bc some designs are "furbait" is so unaware. Nintendo also does that shit on purpose they just act like it's not. Grow up. If anything you should be happy all those yucky porn artists have a new tag to divide their time with. Also getting mad about one of the actual heavily inspired pals for being too horny when it's literally based off the "horny lizard that beats its partners and forces them to join its harem" pokemon is just stupid its genuinely stupid. They're animals bro.

(Gamefreak fucking makes a pikaclone every release its kinda a thing. And their past few releases literally revolve around recycling nostalgic old designs cus they know their real fanbase is 20 to 30 year olds who would buy the next game even if it was literally comprised of flat pngs like bad gmod mods.)

The only criticism I can genuinely agree with is that drawing inspiration aledgedly from a fan made pokemon is bad and the effected pals need to be redesigned.

Behold- innovation!

(Also on the topic of gamefreak unoriginality, are we gonna pretend pokemon didn't get in legal trouble after basing a pokemon after a real person orrrr)

That person is entitled to their opinion but I haven't thought pokemon fans have standards in the past few years either. Genuinely so many people will suck off gamefreak so hard its cock tip is poking out the seat of their pants and then get mad at people for going haha ark with pokemon. Stop covering for Nintendo, you will not be rewarded. You will just continue to be exploited. Have some fun. You were that kid in school who shat on Digimon when someone else brought up liking it. The people who play palworld are still gonna buy pokemon games. Nintendo won't feel this at all. Gamefreak will keep on making shit games unless someone like palworld enters the scene to force them to up their quality. The worst case scenario is Nintendo doesn't even pay them any mind and keeps making games that are fucking near unplayable on launch.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #585

Top Ten Games I’d Like to See at Not-E3

Welcome to the latest edition of David’s Hastily Rewritten at the Last Minute Top Ten!

So here’s a little peek behind the curtain. I’d planned to do a couple of weeks of gaming-themed Top Tens (Tops Ten) leading up to a “prediction special” before the Xbox summer showcase in late June. And I am still doing that, more or less – except, with the announcement of the PlayStation showcase this coming week, I decided late in the day to switch gears a little bit. I had thought, well, I don’t really play on the PlayStation – or even on the Switch that much, to be honest – so making bold predictions was rather daft. But then maybe trying to make any kind of predictions was a bit daft in any weather.

It used to be that E3 was a big deal, with all the major platform holders having a showcase and revealing their big news – alongside smaller, indie news nuggets too. But during the last console generation that stopped being as much of a thing, with multiple events spread across the year now dispensing news more evenly. Plus it feels like journalists – and Reddit – have gotten smarter at predicting what the major players are doing. For instance, they know when Nintendo are ordering processors or whatever, indicating they’re producing new hardware. That sort of thing. This detective work, although kinda cool, also robs us of a lot of genuine unexpected surprises. We knew Playground Games was working on a Fable reboot for, what, a year or two before it was announced. That’s just how these things happen I guess, and I don’t even feel I’m trawling for news or anything. I quite like to be surprised.

So anyway, I did have some Xbox-specific predictions written down but they seemed perfunctory and slight and, crucially, mostly unfunny. So instead I’ve once again cast my net industry-wide and rather than making bold and preposterous predictions – or even accurate ones – I’m just going to talk about what I’d like to see. Closer to the time I might go over some of my Xbox dreams, but it’ll be body text and not in the list. For now, here’s a list of ten games – some real, some imagined! – that I would love to hear about in the various shows and presentations over the next few weeks.

And that’s it!

Fable: we know it exists, we know Playground are making it… and that’s about it. What form, exactly, will Fable take? I assume it’ll be a third-person RPG as per the previous games. But Fable had such a distinct style, not just in art but also in tone and gameplay. Even if original developer Lionhead still existed, would it be possible for new people to recapture the magic of (especially) the first two Fable games? Will there be a dog? Will there be the simplistic one-button combat? Or breadcrumb trail? Will it be super-accessible but also really naughty? And just when can we play it? I’m hoping, with a tiny touch of realism, that it might be out by Christmas 2024, and we’ll get a bit of gameplay or at least an in-engine trailer this year.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2: a game that feels like it’s really taking its sweet time but which – I have decided to believe – will be out this year. Maybe. Anyway, I’d like to see more gameplay – a proper extended live playthrough, right there on stage. And I’d like it to end with “November 2023” or something. That’s it!

Ara: History Untold: I’m fascinated and intrigued by Microsoft’s Civ-a-like. We’ve had a sort-of cinematic trailer and a few ambiguous screenshots, but I really want a serious deep-dive into what it’s like, how it plays, and why it’s different to the all-conquering Civ. I’ll be playing this regardless – Game Pass, natch – but I want to see it in action, and I want some seriously detailed articles from embedded journalists.

Mass Effect: another game that’s taking its sweet time, and one we’ve seen even less about than Hellblade 2. The first Mass Effect trilogy is tremendous, one of the best game series of the 360/PS3 era – and that’s really saying something. After the misfire of (slightly underrated) Mass Effect: Andromeda, we’re all rooting for this new game, especially as it looks like it’ll have some returning characters from the classic trilogy. I’ve no idea when it’s due, but it’d be great if EA could show it off a bit this year.

Indiana Jones: another one that’s shrouded in mystery, but surely with Dial of Destiny in cinemas now would be a good time to see the first Indy game in an age? I’ve no idea what to expect – presumably a third-person action-adventure, hopefully one that puts as much emphasis on Indy’s wits and smarts as it does on his ability to punch Nazis. It’d also be great if it was due in the next eighteen months. One thing I’m not looking forward to is the inevitable console war it’ll kick off: produced by a Microsoft-owned studio, but featuring a huge global franchise, I genuinely could see it going either way vis-à-vis its appearance on a PlayStation. And whatever happens, some people are going to be very vocally annoyed.

Quake 2: “but Quake 2 has been out since 1997,” I hear you cry. Yes, but not on Xbox Series X/S. After Quake’s surprising (but delightful) console remaster, I want Quake 2 to get the same treatment. But – here’s the thing – I want to see them implement the fantastic ray tracing effects you can get on PC. There just isn’t enough ray tracing on console, people! I know this would be smaller potatoes than some of the other huge fries in this list, but then I like a bit of retro fun.

Civilization VII: I mentioned Ara above, but the daddy of the genre is obviously still Civ. I’ve played Civ VI a frankly unhealthy amount – 1,700 hours on PC and another 200 on Xbox by last count – so even though there’s still (still!) a lot to do I’m ready and willing to see what’s next. Now, I’m certainly not expecting a deep dive filled with gameplay; they’ve only recently released DLC for the latest game. But a proper announcement and maybe even tentative release date (2024?) would be enough. Although I’d love a screenshot.

Mario Kart: now, realistically, I’m not expecting a new Kart – or a new Mario – until the Switch’s successor is released. But maybe that’ll happen soon! I’ve seen some prognosticators assuming that the “Switch 2” (please, please call it the “Super Switch”) will be out by next March. If so, they’d better start announcing games soon, and one I’d love to see would be a brand-new Mario Kart. Where do they go from here, is the question? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was almost a best-of package of the entire Kart saga. What more can they do, really? I’m fascinated to find out. And – selfishly – I’d like it to still come out on the old, original Switch too.

Lego… Something: yeah, vague. I dunno. After last year’s Skywalker Saga – a bit jaggedy round the edges but still excellent overall – I’m hankering for more TT Lego action. The company has a long history of making these fantastic, immersive, damn fun little games filled with Lego renditions of your favourite characters. I know they’re working on a new game – rumours have swirled about Marvel Super Heroes, Batman, and a general “Disney” game featuring Disney Animation and Pixar characters – but rumours have also swirled about development hell and projects being cancelled and rebooted. I hope they’re working on something, and I hope it’s in a good enough state to show, and I hope – for my own personal satisfaction – it’s either a DC or Marvel project. Adopting the open world hubs of Skywalker seems cool, but I’d rather they kept the actual missions tighter and more focused. And, personally, after revisiting their first success (Star Wars), I think they should go back to their second success (Batman). How about a multiversal mashup – Lego Batman: Infinite Crisis perhaps?

Lemmings: look, a guy can dream. I know Sony are working on some cool things – I’m very intrigued to see Wolverine – but they’re also sitting on Lemmings. Not literally, that’d be uncomfortable. But after the recent success of EA’s Command and Conquer remaster, I would love – love – for Sony to give the first two Lemmings games a spruce up with 4K graphics. Just make them inherently more playable and accessible on modern hardware; stick them on Steam, Epic, GOG, whatever. Hey! Howsabout you do some funky VR shit and put them on PSVR2 while you’re at it? I don’t care; I just want to easily play Lemmings 2: The Tribes on my PC. And after all my old wishes – new Fable, new Perfect Dark, Ron Gilbert returning to Monkey Island – actually went and came true, I’ve got to find another unrealistic aspiration.

So I tried to be more-or-less realistic here – Lemmings is the only one that’s truly out-there and very unlikely – but I could pluck from my ether several more games that I would like to see. A remaster of Fate of Atlantis in the manner of LucasArts’ other graphic adventures? Yes please! A new Banjo Kazooie? Seems inevitable at this point! More Crackdown? I doubt it! But all the same, the next few weeks should be full of incident and – hopefully – some of those surprises I mentioned before.

Zool on Game Pass! Red Alert 2 remaster!! HALF-LIFE 3!!!

[mdhwrites]

Ravenlok: A Sweet, Simple Fairytale

Do you like Alice in Wonderland? Do you like simple but satisfying enough combat? Do you like Voxels? Then Ravenlok is probably going to appeal to you but don’t expect any surprises. It doesn’t have any but it knows that. I would personally give it a seven out of ten for being a cute, popcorn adventure with a likable protagonist, good imagery and art, fine combat and a fairly threadbare story.

I do also want to make it clear that while yes the Mad Hatter shows up and it’s definitely taking a LOT from Alice in Wonderland, you are not playing as some cynical British child. This is part of what makes it about as basic of a fairy tale as you can get. From the setup of “A well meaning young teenager finds a mirror that takes to another world ruled by an evil queen,” you can literally guess the story from there.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. It’s a good setup for a simple action game that wants to show off some creativity but you can also feel which areas got more love and which ones got less. That just happens with indie titles like this, even if they’re backed by Microsoft.

Speaking of: I played it thanks to Microsoft Gamepass and frankly I think that’s just the best way to play it or to wait for it to be on sale. I by no means was rushing through it and still beat it in about four hours while doing everything there was to do. While I’m not someone who demands all games be five times as long as their price point, the experience isn’t so special or unique that I think it’s worth the 25 dollars it’s set if you don’t play it through Gamepass.

But it is worth keeping an eye on for a satisfying, afternoon romp so I do recommend wishlisting it or checking it out if you can swing it.

[eurovision-del]

Having finished posting my rankings yesterday, here’s my thoughts on this year overall!

My general feeling after hearing all the songs but before starting my ranking was that this was a reasonable year, not particularly weak, but not especially strong either, so I was a little surprised to see just how many songs I actually loved when it came time to put them in order! There’s so many rock songs this year, all in completely different sub-genres from metal to punk to indie, and I love pretty much all of them – back on form for me after last year where a lot of the rock we had failed to connect with me. Outside of rock, there’s plenty of other exciting, brilliant entries. I said the same thing the last couple of years, but I am very impressed with the entire big 5 and maybe, for real this time, this might be the year where they all avoid the bottom five? I’m still not ruling out one flopping on the night (like Fulenn last year, I’m still not over it) and ending at the bottom of the scoreboard, though I’d hate to see it happen. We've got fewer ballads than normal this year, but in general I think we've got a good range of genres. The language diversity is also decent too – 14 songs are currently listed on Wikipedia as being in at least partially Not English, with several more containing small phrases of other languages – not quite as many as last year but at least we're a long way from the dearth of different languages of the mid-2010s.

I think part of the reason I didn’t think this year was too strong despite having so many songs I enjoy is because of the lack of competition this year, with only two potential winners. Personally, I’m sure Sweden are winning. I can’t see anyone else winning the jury vote, and I also reckon she’ll get plenty of televote support – Tattoo is still a great song and the vast majority of people won’t know or care that her light box is smaller than it was in MelFest. However, I do still hold hope that Finland could pull off a Måneskin/Kalush Orchestra style victory by winning the televote, although that will still require the juries putting Käärijä in their top five at minimum, and I worry that might be too much to ask. I also don’t think him winning the televote is guaranteed, I’m sure Finland will do well there, but I think the song could be very divisive among the general public. I reckon the new voting rules are actually going to bias the final results towards the jury – all the qualifiers from the semis will have proven televote appeal, with fewer jury-friendly entries getting through, which might result in the jury votes being more concentrated on certain entries, and since I'm sure they'll go for Loreen I'm confident she'll most likley win in the end. I would love it if Finland do win though, or even if someone else manages to pull off an upset victory!

Way, way back when the semi finals were announced, since semi one had only fifteen songs compared to semi two’s sixteen, I’d assumed that semi one would be the easier one. That did not turn out to be the case! Fandom consensus is that it is much harder, and that's definitely how I feel too, as my rankings show – in fact, my entire top three comes from there! It’s going to be a very tense voting sequence, that’s for sure. I think there’s five clear qualifiers (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Moldova, Israel), but the fight for those final five places will be a tough one. However, there’s still plenty of songs I love in semi 2, – I feel especially strongly for Romania and San Marino since they’re such underdogs, I’ll be cheering them on on the night! Semi 2 may be less tense, but it should be even more interesting seeing who qualifies because it feels so open right now. I only feel confident saying that Austria and Australia are through for certain – after that it’s anyone’s game.

I also want to say that I love how the BBC have handled hosting so far! I like the designs we’ve got this year, very bold and striking, and the stage seems perfect for accommodating everyone (unless you wanted to hang any heavy equipment from the ceiling). I cannot speak on behalf of Ukrainians – although I do think maybe more could have been done to make it clear that it’s their party, we’re just the hosts – but on the whole I’m proud of how the contest here is shaping up. There’s such an excitement in the UK for Eurovision unlike anything we’ve had since long before I started following the contest! Liverpool seem to have really thrown themselves into it – I’m excited to see what it’s like on the ground next week!

Overall, I think this is on course to be a great year! It may not be the most competitive one, but hey, Finland currently have all the momentum, we could be in for a tight battle between them and Sweden next Saturday! I’m so excited for everything, I cannot wait to get started!   

[thotsforvillainrights]

It's probably a little late to say this, but I was so happy when I saw you were back. I would like a match up if it isn't too much trouble.

I'm a heterosexual panromantic, white, 5'7" girl with long red hair and blue eyes. I'm creative, kind, and usually patient. I like to look for the best in people and try to understand where others are coming from. My love language is physical touch.

I like to listen to music a lot and read fanfic or play indie games in my free time (a good chunk of said games being dating sims with love interest yandere boys). I like writing and have been learning to code so I can make games because I think game development is fun. But I can also be lazy and forgetful and space out a lot, (I think) because I have inattentive ADHD.

I hope that wasn't too much. Thank you!

(Thank you so much! I'm happy to be back!)

Match-Up #5

-I match you with Tomura Shigaraki-

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

-Now I know what you're probably thinking! You might be thinking that it's unlikely considering the stark contrast between you two but sometimes opposites attract and that's exactly what happened in this case. The two of you actually met in the middle of the mall when he accidentally stepped on your shoes. This was around the time it was too busy for people to notice him so he could simply put on a hoodie and enter public areas like that. "Watch where you're going." He spoke in annoyance and kept walking. You were mostly frozen in shock that somebody would just freely be an asshole like that. You got over it pretty quickly and continued your shopping in peace. After the event, it seemed like you met that boy everywhere you went. It was starting to feel like you were being stalked but he had no interest in you (as he let you know whenever he ran into you again). That was a lie. After the first 3 chance encounters, he started to dig up info on you. Poor Kurogiri had his work cut out for him when Tomura used him to travel to places where you would be by chance. It was childish really but he couldn't seem to shake how he felt about you. It was getting to the point where he dreamed about sinking into those blue pools of yours or wrapping himself up in the red thicket nestled upon your head. Or in simpler terms, he wanted to stare into those eyes for the rest of his days and wrap his fingers into your hair. However, he never approached you as he was supposed to and he was sure he was beginning to scare you away.

-Finally he decided to take Kurogiri and Compress's advice and approach you with semi-kindness. It was the best he could do without coming off as a dick. He kept his head lowered for a lot of the conversation based on his own fears that you would get a good luck at his face and be sickened at it. You had already caught glimpses at his face and it didn't bother you in the least. You treated him with such kindness both before AND after he finally gathered the confidence to date you. It was one of the things that surprised him the most about you. You took the time to see him for who he was. You were patient with him and you understood even the most messy parts he kept inside of himself. You listened to him...hell, you listened to everyone in the base! Dabi often joked about how you were too good for Tomura or really anyone else here. It may have been true, but you were here to stay no matter what. This worked out since Tomura was getting rather attached and wanted you around him so much. One of the reasons may have to do with your affinity for physical touch. He's not a touchy person himself, but these days he craved it. He spent a lot of his time cuddled up next to you as you scratched his scalp and listened to your shared playlists.

-Sometimes you would have gaming dates with each other. It was less like playing together, and more like playing next to each other instead. You didn't particularly like playing against him since he could be competitive and tended to show no mercy. The last time you played a fighting game together, he obliterated you and proceeded to laugh at you for losing. (Don't worry, he apologized later with a few kisses and hugs) Since then, you've both taken to doing your own thing in the same space as each other and calling it a date. While he was playing games like Dead By Daylight, and Rocket League you were busy scrolling through the list of newest indie games and updating your mansion in the sims. He teased you a little about the sims but he secretly found it impressive that you put so much time into it. Your creativity really shown off when it comes to the game. Of course he'd never tell you this lol.

-Other times he curled up next to you and played games on his phone while you were busy reading whatever fanfic caught your attention at the moment. "Why read that crap when you can just write it?" That was his way of encouraging you to write. He figured your creativity could really show when you tried something like that. He had a funny way of trying to push you into something new that he believed you'd succeed at. Just like he pushed you to try and write, Tomura also motivated you to work on your coding as well. "That looks too complicated and fucking annoying. Turn it off." That's his way of making sure you take a break so you don't overexert yourself with the work you do. God only help you if you end up ACTUALLY developing a game someday because he'll never shut up about it. Despite the fact you can be a little lazy and forgetful, he still takes time to motivate you and push you (even if he does it in a mean way) because he's honestly a good partner. He loves you!

[background-noise-reviews]

Hit or Skip, June Recap

Lamb (Showtime)  This Icelandic thriller mostly fails to thrill despite the concept being interesting and fresh. This film falls into the category many new indie horror/thrillers, unfortunately, have been delved into, which is the slow burn meets day in the life. We see so much menial farm work in this film that it seems like the intent is to put us in their headspace and build suspense, but instead, it just had me battling to keep my eyes open. They could have cut 20 minutes of the movie and it would have been worlds better. Maybe even better as a short. Unless you like a real slow burn without too much action, such as It Comes at Night, it’s a SKIP.

The Card Counter (HBO MAX)  Paul Schrader tells the story of a mysterious card counter who lives his life with the sole purpose of enacting revenge on those who have wronged him. His talent with cards isn’t used as a get-rich scheme, just a way to fund his mission. Oscar Isaac is fantastic as this ultra-violent scarred human who has failed to acclimate back to society after brutal service as an interrogator in the military. And Willem Defoe is fantastic as usual, playing the villainous military authority figure that led Isaac down his dark path. If you like Taxi Driver, Schraders most famous work, then you will probably like this too. It’s a HIT.

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (HULU) A charming and emotional sex comedy about an older woman (Emma Thompson), who after her husband's death realizes she has never experienced sex the same way most people have. With the help of a male prostitute whom Thompson’s character fairly accurately describes as a sex angel, she is able to not just experience sex, but also open up an entirely new side of her that she previously thought to have not existed. Thompson and the male lead, Daryl McCormack, have fantastic chemistry that helps it feel genuine, because films that take place almost entirely in a single room really rely on the actor's chemistry. Though I thought the film was going to be a sexy comedy, I instead found myself watching a fairly contemplative and sad look at the sex lives of older adults. It is a HIT, but don’t expect a bucket of laughs like I did. 

Hustle (Netflix) 

Adam Sandler's latest addition to his growing list of semi-serious roles, even though this one rests closer to his family comedies than any Safdie brother or PTA film. But it is nice seeing a sincere Adam Sandler, who you can tell cares about the material he is working with, and that he has a serious love for basketball. Instead of making a movie where he could cast all his friends, he made a movie where he could cast half the NBA as either themselves or fictional players, and it is a delight seeing it if you are a fan of basketball. That being said, it is no surprise that one of the writers of the film also mainly writes for the video game series NBA2K, because at times it felt awkwardly video game cutscene-like, but maybe you can attribute that to a cast made-up largely of non-actors. If you are a basketball or just really any sports fan it is most definitely a HIT. (But if you don't normally love sports movies, you can probably skip.)

Spiderhead (Netflix) A short story that should have stayed that way, Netflix’s Spiderhead, didn’t have enough material for a feature film but that didn’t stop them from making it. Riding their recent Top Gun high, Miles Teller and director Joseph Kosinski made this excuse to shoot in Hawaii of a movie, and because of TG Mavericks' success, nobody is going to care they also made this substance-less attempt at a Black Mirror episode. The film is about convicts on an island where they take experimental and controversial drugs and have their effects studied. Chris Hemsworth is also unfortunately weak as the evil doctor behind it all, and at times his performance fell into the disappointingly unconvincing category. The basis of the concept is a good idea but the execution is so poor it makes you sad seeing all the potential escape with each poor decision and choice. It’s a major SKIP.

[itsstraykids]

hello! hope ur doing well! i love reading ur answers and getting to know more abt u sm! its just amazing how days go by so quickly and busily like u blink and suddenly its 4 of them passed already! apologies! unlike u, im still infant-level fan to kpop (got pulled by skz) and being as hyperfocused on skz as i was, dont know any other kpop groups like i do skz sadly, but i do love music! i love shinee's stuff sm!!! and my best friend really likes xdinary heroes so im getting into them too! and txt just have some of the funnest bsides so their discography gets scoured too lmao. i just dont know any grps members or anything well, but yeah! like u said, lots of good music raining down. i will never understand ppl's bias against non native language songs-esp when they like english stuff and its not their mother tongue!-bcs kpop has such a range. so many interesting sounds, artists and genres!! from past year ive really found myself drawn to soft-ish(?) k-indie/rock a lot! u asked for newer artists (ik so less abt bands. this is a personal failure</3) some of my favorites i think are: lee go do, mingginyu, nerd connection! akmu, heo hoy kyung, se seo neon, etc etc just lots of solo lowkey artists and songs lmao. there's smth abt the lapping continuity of soft sounds and forming of language like that which enthralls me a lot. i really adore loud and wonderful girl group songs as well!! i listen to girl groups a whole lot more than bgs which is surprising bcs i love skz, but their immaculate energy and style! really love aespa, rv, loona! stayc, twice, billie, izone and others! do u listen to lucy the band? their stuff's really fun as well! i rambled sm lmao but yeah. music is so exciting in so many aspects its amazing. i love listening to a lot of languages and genres too! mostly bcs my brain's engagement is a pinball game and i am keeping it amused with fifty different things at the same time. which is why i just have a lot of recs for songs but none for artists bcs i collect and find interesting stuff but get obsessed easily, which makes it difficult to get into every artist particularly. would love to trade playlists or songs once this secret santa is over if ud be comfortable with that! (no pressure genuinely!) thank u for reading and indulging me! its funny how everything is still so busy even tho we here dont celebrate christmas that extensively like the west at all (asian!) holidays are holidays tho i guess lmao. hope u have lots of fun sweets and gifts well wishes and rest and reprieve!! stay safe!!

ps- top 3 artists?? that i found and fell in love with so bad this year?? would be youra! yukika and ahn ye eun! and now i dont know how much any of the artists song would be up your alley but im vibrating to recommend them to everybody so bad but id recommend mimi, raww from youra; neon 1989, soul lady, pit-a-pet (or any! she's amazing) from yukika; and burn like a star, full bloom, night flower, moon during the day or any! (im just. obsessed with her voice and how she likes doing her music smm) from ahn ye eun! u dont even have to listen to these if u dont want to, i just wanted to share lmao. do u have some particular artists whose sound u adore to unseeming degrees? also! fav japanese artists(if any)? ! im always on lookout for new music!! have a good day!!!

hi!! sorry again for answering this so late, like you said, the days go by in a flash lmao. thank you so much for those recommendations, i'm excited to check them out!! once i have the time 😅 i think after christmas i’ll be doing a lot of chilling and art + new music will be perfect. i totally feel you on collecting songs over artists usually, i do the same because i find good songs randomly from cafes, movies, spotify recommended, etc. and just put them all into a playlist, lol. i would LOVE to trade playlists with you. anything you recommend will be much appreciated. i really need more indie recs and good gg songs, i only really know mamamoo but i think they’re great. i’ve heard some singles from the other groups you mentioned that i like a lot too but i don’t know any of their b-sides.

oh wow you’re located in asia? that’s very cool, is it hot there right now or are you more in the north? i’m in california so we don’t get very “wintery” vibes even in december, but it has been raining a bit which is really nice and refreshing. also, today is my birthday! so we had a really great banana cake my family made, and they also made an incredible brunch. we’re going ice skating in a little bit and then having a bonfire on the beach in the evening. hope you’re having a good day as well! merry christmas if you celebrate 🎅🎄✨💝

[smeedlesmeelder]

Flatgame

Sixth week of my Video Game Genres Guides!

Logo by my friend Flatgame! This is a very niche style of indie games that was suggested to me by my friend, the same friend that has been making logos for these! If you'd like to suggest a genre to look into, check my ask page! Anyways, flatgames are super hard to pin down, but in general they are very simple narrative adventure games with minimal graphics, gameplay, and controls. Some of these games tell very personal stories, while others are quite silly or cute. Here's what that would look like on a Genre Tree!

In terms of top level, Flatgame is strictly under Adventure as a very primitive sub-genre of Graphic Adventure. Here's 5 Flatgames (in no particular order). In terms of tags, they are all pretty much just Flatgame, as is most of the genre. Instead of tags, I will be linking these games so that people can support these indie devs if they'd like!

The Isle Is Full Of Noises Number 1 is The Isle Is Full Of Noises! This is the game that started the genre. The games creator Llaura McGee coined "Flatgame" when her games simplistic style was criticized by judges at Indiecade. Contrary to the criticism and the simple gameplay and art, this game is really intense, and as much as I recommend it I would also warn that it is very heavy emotionally.

gays at the beach! Number 2 is gays at the beach!! This is the first flatgame I played in this genre exploration. To be honest when starting out I really had no idea how these games were going to work. The story seems cute I think? It's certainly about gays at the beach! The music was good but I wasn't even really sure when I finished the game, which my friend says is normal for this genre. After this game, I knew this wouldn't be the easiest genre exploration to write lol.

how 2 dreams Number 3 is how 2 dreams! This is a collaborative flatgame made by multiple devs! This flatgame is a lot more surreal as you adventure through how dreams are made and delivered. Very simple fun with silly different graphics from each of the developers!

Interactive Meadow 64 Number 4 is Interactive Meadow 64! This flatgame is less narratively driven, and more framed as a nice relaxing meadow to chill and relax in. Reminds me of this one scratch project I made for a class in middle school lol. Super cute and relaxing compared to some of the more intense storytelling in the genre.

quietly Number 5 is quietly! Slight spoilers ahead for this one, as its a bit hard to discuss without. This flatgame is a bit repetitive, but the payoff is well worth it. Seemingly a flatgame Stardew Valley, you start out by sailing and getting seeds, water, planting and watering crops, and starting your farm. Through this repetitive day-to-day story cycle, the story is told and very surprising events occur that I will not get into. Very interesting game and the build-up felt very unique for the genre from the small selection I played. That concludes my sixth Video Game Genres Guide! Thank you for reading!

[vonaegiremblem]

As we grow closer to the release of Tears of the Kingdom, I've seen a few more posts on various websites either talking about how people miss when "games were less than $60" or complaining about $70 being the new standard for major releases, and here's the thing: I kind of don't get it. Like, yeah, it sucks that it costs $10 more for the new Zelda, but this has been a long time coming

Now before I get into this, I should note that game prices on release are not super well-documented. There is not, like, one single place to look for them, and I don't have the time to sift through old sales catalogs. Anyway, for games after the crash (i.e., NES and beyond) there were really only two times when home console games were less than $60. The first was the NES, where games started as low as $25 in its early life and then crept up to $50 in its later life. The other was the period of the GameCube and early(?) Wii. I'm not sure if Mario Galaxy was $60, but I'm almost certain Galaxy 2 was. The NES, SNES, and N64 also all had pretty significant variance in the price of major releases. From what I could find, Yoshi's Island was $70 and Chrono Trigger was an astounding $85. Although N64 games sat around $60-70 (Mario 64 was $60 at launch), I'm fairly certain some games did break $80. With the GameCube, prices started to standardize and most major releases were $50 with that then rising to $60 during the Wii's life and staying there for about 15 years. I'll admit, I do have a bit of a blind side when it comes to the price of PS1 games. I know disc games tended to be cheaper than cartridge games and I've seen $50 passed around as a general price for them, but I haven't confirmed it yet. For the most part, though, games tended to be at or above $60, and that isn't accounting for inflation. They would go for even more if I accounted for the dollar being worth more back in the day.

Now, to be fair to the people posting about how they miss when games weren't $60, they could be talking about portable systems. Currently, portable gaming consoles are, as far as we know, dead. The Switch has proven that home consoles can be taken on the go, which means that there isn't as much of a need to split development between a mobile and home division. Nintendo's portable games (cause let's be real, PSP and PS Vita don't matter) tended to consistently go between $30 and $40 throughout all generations. That is notably cheaper than home console games. I would counter, though that nowadays indie games kind of fill that gap. Since indie games are now widely available on the three major consoles' eshops, they fill in the need for smaller, cheaper games that portable games filled. Most indie games go for $10-$30 which is even cheaper than portable games tended to be. Overall, you're less likely to find a AAA game or major release in a series for under $60, but you can still find games that are cheap, especially if you wait for sales.

As for the new $70 price point for some games, this should come as no surprise. No one should be aghast at this. If you account for inflation, home console games from basically every generation were going for at least $70. The fact that games have remained at that $60 price for so long is somewhat strange because games have gotten more and more expensive to make due to increased expectations in scope and presentation. So far as I can tell, the only reason it's been sustainable is because a lot of major releases come with $20+ DLC. DLC is usually cheaper to make and brings the game up to the much more fair-for-the-times $80+. The $70 starting price is just the next logical step in keeping games an actually profitable business. If you want top-of-the-line graphics and music and gameplay and size, you're going to just have to accept that you're going to have to start paying top-of-the-line prices. That's just the way it works.

TL;DR Many major releases on home consoles at the time of their launch cost $60 or more. When accounting for inflation, the average price of home console games from basically every generation was at or above $70. The $60 price point of the past decade is something of an anomaly given how expensive modern games are to make, and some companies now moving to charge $70 for some games is just them keeping up with how much the games probably should be costing compared to previous generations

[randomshyperson]

Can I request a celebrity AU with Elizabeth Olsen and Female Reader? Where R is Vision in the MCU. And like throughout a series of interviews and behind the scenes shots, you can see how the two actually fall in love in real life. And in like the final interview they ask “Are you two dating?” And this time they can finally say yes

Hello darling, how are you? I hope well. This took me a while, and i’m not sure you’re even going to like it. But i hope you do. It was honestly kind of strange to write for Lizzie, i kept mistaken the name as Wanda. Also, i changed your idea a bit, because i could find the right way to write the interviews. But anyway, here it is. Good reading.

Elizabeth Olsen x Reader - Love is outside the screen

Summary: The one where Reader plays Vision in the MCU and she falls in love with her co-worker Elizabeth Olsen.

Warnings: None.

Words:  4.308 words  //// Read on AO3

Marks:  @wandamaximoffpuppy

Part. 2  || Part 3

Eight years ago

Your agent was calling you for the third time, and you thought you should answer before you lost your contract.

Letting out an impatient sigh as you reached for your cell phone, you left it on speaker.

- Hello, Sara. - You say with a slight irony as you relax your body in the water of the jacuzzi again.

- It's not polite to ignore someone who keeps you employed. - she said irritated, making you laugh.

- Sorry, but I told you I was on vacation. - You reminded her. - And what did you keep doing? Oh yes, calling me.

- Don't be so grumpy, woman. - She replied with a light humor in her voice, and you could hear the clatter of keystrokes, suggesting that she was working. - I have an opportunity for you.

You raised your eyebrows in curiosity, but said nothing. And by your silence, Sara kept talking.

- Tell me, have you ever thought about being a superhero?

You let out an incredulous laugh, thinking it was a joke. 

- I'm not going to make any weird latex movies, Sara. - You warn her, and she lets out a laugh.

- Actually, honey, it's Marvel.

You blink in surprise, and then turn to rest your arms on the edge of the jacuzzi and look directly at your cell phone.

- What are you talking about? 

- Ah, caught your interest, huh? - She remarks. - You actors are all the same, one famous name and you fall to your knees.

- Sara...

- No, it's okay. - She giggles. - They want a openly queer actress to play a lesbian heroine, I think. And then they called me.

- Wow, Marvel doing something like that? - You comment. - It sounds like a lie.

Sara giggles.

- It pays well anyway. - She says, and then a notification pops up on the screen. - I just sent you the script. Let me know if I can confirm your audition.

You let out a sigh before saying goodbye and hanging up, grabbing your cell phone to read the script.

It is the scene description of your character's appearance, and there is also a note for the chemistry test. You bite your lips thoughtfully. You were known in the media for roles in international, indie and cult films, mostly lesbian romance. You had a few academy nominations, and had been awarded twice by the critics. Superheroes were not really what you were looking for. But then you remembered how much you missed having a lgbt reference in media like this, and then you are sending a message to your agent confirming your audition.

//-//

Present

You are twiddling your thumbs in your dressing room. It must be the ninth interview in less than two weeks. Letting out a sigh, you stand up, momentarily looking at your appearance in the mirror. The make-up team did a good job, you look well. And then you are walking outside, to the dressing room next to yours. 

You knock on the door, and are soon answered. But Elizabeth doesn't smile when she pulls you inside.

- Hey, Lizzie, what's up? - you ask worriedly as you close the door. The next second she's hugging you tight, and you sigh. - You're anxious, aren't you?

- I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my mouth. - She grumbles and you start stroking her back, trying to calm her down.

- Remember that exercise we practiced, okay? - You ask her tenderly as you move your feet so that you move together toward the sofa in the living room. You break the embrace slowly, to sit Lizzie down on the couch as you kneel in front of her. She looks on the verge of tears, and you place your hands on top of hers. - Breathe with me, okay?

It will take you many minutes to calm her down, but you don't care. And then she smiles, and brings your foreheads together.

- Thank you. - She whispers before kissing you. She walks away too quickly in your opinion, but you can't say anything because the producer is calling you next, announcing that the interview starts in two minutes. You smile at Liz before getting up.

//-//

Seven years ago.

You had just finished filming your last scene in Age of Ultron when your agent called you. Scrolling your finger quickly across the screen, you answered while your cell phone rested on the table in your dressing room, and you kept your hands busy trying to pin up your hair.

- I'm leaving the studio, Sara, what's up? - you told her.

- I wanted to congratulate you on the affair, although I'm surprised it happened so quickly. - She says and you frown in confusion, finishing up with your bun. You pick up your cell phone next.

- What are you talking about?

Sara giggles, and sends you an attachment. You pull your cell phone away from your ear to look at it. It is a photo of you and Elizabeth, your teammate and romantic partner in the franchise, taken the same day you discovered Liz had social anxiety and took her out for coffee with you to take her focus off the celebrity world for a while. The paparazzi managed to capture the exact moment when you kissed her on the cheek in farewell. 

- This is all over the gossip sites as Marvel's mysterious romantic couple. - Your agent commented, and you rubbed your fingers across your forehead in irritation.

- You want me to publicly deny a relationship, is that it? - you ask, walking around the dressing room and gathering your things.

- What? No! This is great for advertising. - she says with slight excitement in her voice. - Especially after the movie comes out! Fans love couples who fall in love behind the screen.

You roll your eyes, switching your cell phone to your ear.

- I'm not going to make a relationship contract if that's what you're thinking! - You say with irritation and can imagine Sara rolling her eyes on the other end of the line.

- Yes, yes, we've been over this, Miss Morally Correct. - She scoffs lightly. - But I really called to talk about the premiere. We have details to discuss.

Sighing, you ask her to wait. Then you finished putting your things away, and grabbed the phone as you walked out the door.

//-//

Six years ago, California

Interviewers can be motherfuckers when they want to be, you thought as you bit the inside of your cheek, trying to keep your face impassive as you watched the woman in front of you list the "missed moments" from the Avengers set. You knew that your agent had talked to the show's staff about the authorized questions, and yet here you were on live television, having to declare whether the timely photos taken on the Avengers set meant that you had a secret relationship with your best friend Elizabeth Olsen.

A slideshow was playing on the screen behind you. There were pictures from the footage, many where you and Liz were laughing together, or having lunch together. There were some where she was sitting on your lap, or vice versa. Your expression softened when you noticed one where she was looking at you adoringly. It was so strange to be an artist sometimes. You smiled politely at the presenter.

- Come on, Ellen, you know how these things are. - You said. - Things are different on camera, Lizzie and I are friends.

The audience let out a chorus of displeasure, and Ellen laughed lightly.

- You know that many of the fans would like this rumor to be true, especially since you two play a couple and you are openly queer. - She says, and you wiggle your fingers in your lap, uncomfortable with where this conversation is going, but you nod in agreement. - Furthermore, you say that the paparazzi cameras are deceiving, but what about the stories you post on your personal networks?

She asks with a chuckle, and then other videos are playing on the screen, and you force yourself to smile and watch.

The vast majority are harmless, and platonic. You spend a lot of time at Liz's house because when she moved in, you were her reference and tour guide, and so you got into the habit of checking up on her. And then you became friends and you spent more time at her house than at yours.There were many videos and pictures on yours and her instagram where you two were tending a garden, playing board games, cooking together, or watching sports.  You bit back a smile as you watched the memories through the images. 

- See?It's hard to believe that this is just platonic. - Ellen insisted again, and the audience laughed.  You tried to cover it up with a smile. - But since you claim to be single, we're going to play a game now. It's called "Who Would You Rather?

The audience applauded and you giggled, straightening your posture in your chair. And then the studio screen had a sign with the name of the game.

- It's very simple, you just have to choose which of the artists you would rather. - She explains, and you blink.

- Rather what?

Ellen lets out a giggle, and you understand, nodding in embarrassment. The audience laughs. The picture changes to two pictures.

- Who would you rather, Scarlett Johansson or Chris Hemsworth?

- Wow, that sounds like a trap. - You comment awkwardly, making the audience laugh. And then you bite your lips. - I think Scarlett.

Ellen gives you a suggestive look, and the audience chuckles, you force yourself to imitate them. The picture changes again.

- Scarlett or Sebastian Stan?

You laugh, smoothing your hair slightly.

- I don't know, I think Seb. - You answer. And then the picture changes again, and you want to run away when the audience gives a chorus of excitement.

- Sebastian Stan or Elizabeth Olsen?

- There it is the trap. - You comment clumsily, causing the audience to bust out laughing. You swallow dryly and look down at your lap before saying. - I'd say Elizabeth Olsen.

You played for a few more minutes, and then the game ended with you choosing Elizabeth at the end, which got the audience cheering and celebrating. When the interview was over, Sara was calling you, and you were massaging your forehead when you answered.

- I thought you said you two weren't dating. - She teased, and you grumbled in irritation. 

- I thought you had discussed these matters with the staff. - You retorted, slightly irritated. - She only asked me about Lizzie and dating the entire interview.

- Honey, you're America's sweet couple. - She sneered. - Ellen wants viewers and will ask the questions that the audience wants to know.

- That's ridiculous. - You said and then sighed. - Why did you call me anyway?

- I have your new shooting location, so get your coats and jackets ready.

//-//

Six years ago, Berlin.

You are laughing at Anthony's imitation of Robert. Sitting in the shared dining hall, you were having a good time over lunch with your other colleagues while you were recording Civil War.

And then you were in scene again, many minutes later, and you found it strange that the nervousness was crossing beyond your character during a specific scene in which you were counteracting with Elizabeth. 

You saw her laughing at a comment your character made, and you should have this expression of surprise and embarrassment, but you didn't even have to act it out. Your cheeks reddened naturally at the image of Liz laughing. And then the director said cut when you were done and you were rushing out to clean up your makeup.

Later that day, after the shoot was over, the team wanted to visit a local pub, and you accepted the invitation, ignoring the previous event, and smiling when Elizabeth touched your arm to get your attention.

- A toast to the Avengers! - shouted the camera crew chief when you were all gathered at the bar, you thought maybe he had had too much to drink, but you joined in the toast. 

You stood next to Lizzie and Chris at a table while sipping a dark drink that might have been craft beer, or something German.

Your cell phone vibrates with a notification and you choke in surprise at the content of the message. Sara had sent you a note from TMZ, stating that your secret romance with Elizabeth Olsen was threatened because you had been seen leaving a coffee shop with Katie McGrath. 

Chris and Lizzie look at you curiously, and you just lay your cell phone down on the table for them to see while you turn the entire glass of beer in your mouth.

- Wow, so your type really is super heroines. - Chris commented with a smile, and you laugh, pushing him away slightly. 

- I swear, I can't be seen talking to any woman that she is automatically my girlfriend. - You say irritated as you put your beer glass back on the table. Your gaze returns to Lizzie, who has picked up your cell phone from the table and is reading the news. Then she hands the phone back to you, and gets a strange look on her face that you can't read very well, but she forces a smile.

- At least you cheated on me with a pretty girl. - she says and you frown in surprise. Chris laughs at the joke, but before you could have any other reaction, the rest of the team is joining you.

//-//

Five years ago, California.

You gave up fighting the questions about your relationship with Elizabeth. They would happen anyway, whether your agent talked to the teams or not, so you just smiled politely when you told people you were just friends and remained truthful in your statements. 

Usually the interviews with Lizzie were easier, because you went into protective mode and your brain was ready to give sharp, snappy answers to keep Elizabeth from being embarrassed. 

So here you were on the Night Show, with one of your favorite interviewers, and your best friend by your side. Jimmy was asking good questions, and he was funny. You hoped he wouldn't ask anything too embarrassing.

After many questions about employment, and worldview, which was refreshing, he finally asked you about the rumors of your secret relationship.

- Girls, you know that the public wants to know. - He began with a smile, and you laughed lightly, exchanging a look with Lizzie. - And actually, we have arguments this time.

- Here we go. - You commented with light irony which made the audience laugh. 

Your latest posts on instagram were visible on the big screen.

- Last Tuesday, both of you posted these stories on your personal accounts. - Jimmy started with excitement. - And it rocked the internet completely, because the location was visible on your instagram, Elizabeth.

Lizzie let out an embarrassed giggle.

- Well, if the public's doubt is whether we were together there, they can confirm it. - She said, and Jimmy let out an excited exclamation. Lizzie waited for the audience to stop their celebratory chorus before speaking again. - But this was a special celebration, since it was my birthday. 

- And I took her on a trip to Mexico. - You completed the story with a slight smile. The audience let out a chorus of happiness and you looked at them in confusion. - Guys, friends do this!

Jimmy and the audience laughed for a moment and then the image came off the screen.

- Come on girls, you're giving us material. - He remarked with a smile. - And you're still going to deny the relationship like you always do, I imagine.

You and Wanda exchange a short chuckle.

- Look, Jimmy, all I have to say is that Lizzie is amazing, she really is. - You saw yourself confessing. - Anyone would be lucky to date this brilliant, spectacular, sweet, fun-loving woman. But that person is not me.

Jimmy lets out an exclamation of sadness along with the audience, but then they applaud your words, and you smile wryly. You risk a glance at Lizzie for a second, and she has slightly flushed cheeks, and looks surprised at your words.

You ignore the nervous feeling at the pit of your stomach, and decide to keep your posture polite as you answer the next questions.

//-//

Four years ago.

You had to kiss Lizzie. And then you shook your head. No, not you. Vision. Your character, Vision, had to kiss Lizzie's character, Wanda Maximoff. And you repeated this like a mantra as you walked from your dressing room to the set.

The day you read this scene, you smiled politely at your agent, and disguised any apparent nervousness. And then you spent the last few weeks pretending that if you didn't think about it, eventually the director would make a change and the scene wouldn't even exist. But here you were, trying to have one last drop of professionalism.

You weren't even recording the scene officially, it was just the rehearsal of lines and marking, and you had sweaty hands. 

As you walked through the studio, the staff smiled and greeted you, and then you spotted Lizzie and ignored the uneven beating of your heart.

- Let's get started girls. - announced Russo as soon as he caught sight of you. He signaled for you to follow the team's prearranged schedule. You smiled at Lizzie as you took your place. - We can test the order of the scene directly. I need to know which angle is best to have Vision ask Wanda to stay with her.

And then you started recording. And now you were Vision. There was no time to think about how naturally your hand fit into Lizzie's, or how good it felt to feel her hugging you. And then Russo shouted cut again.

- That's pretty good. - He commented, looking at the monitor. - Let's shoot the stone scene okay, then the action scene.

The scene started, and you said your lines the way you were supposed to. And then you were looking at Lizzie, and she kissed you as the script said. You held the sigh in your throat, and pulled away. Vision doesn't sigh, so you shouldn't either. And then you are smiling as written, and the director closes the scene again.

You were getting pretty good at hiding how affected you are by Lizzie the more you kiss her onstage. And then you wrap up the day's shooting, and you are mentally exhausted. You want to sleep in your dressing room, but you decide to go home.

And as you are walking back to your car, Lizzie calls out to you.

- Hey, partner. - She greets me by walking beside you. - Don't you want to go for a drink tonight?

You let out a sigh, ignoring the urge to shout that you would go anywhere with her, and thinking about how tired your body is.

- I'm exhausted, Lizzie. - You tell her, and she looks upset, but you add with a smile. - But I'll take it if it's something at your place.

Lizzie's face lights up quickly, and she nods, and then says she'll leave something in her car. She returns when you are already in yours.

- All set? - You ask to confirm, and she smiles and nods. And then you start the car and drive out of the studio.

Lizzie turns on the car stereo a moment later, and you begin humming the song.

- You've been distant lately. - She comments distractedly as you drive away. - You know you can talk to me, right?

You smile, ignoring the feeling in your stomach.

- Yes, Lizzie. - You say without taking your eyes off the road. - I'm just busy, that's all. It's nothing.

Lizzie makes a noise of agreement and looks away. You think maybe she believes you're not telling her the truth, and you feel guilty. So you decide to change the subject.

- How are things at home, Liz? Are Mary-Kate and Ashley well? - you ask, and she looks at you quickly.

- Everything's fine. - she says, and then she bites her lip. - Did I do something?

You frown, glancing quickly at her before looking down the street again. The light was red. And when you turn your head toward her, she lets out a sigh.

- You don't talk to me anymore. - She says seriously, looking at you. - Since Berlin, you're just distant. Always busy, and with ready-made answers. And now you try small talk, even though you hate it. I wish you would tell me what I did wrong.

Your heart is racing at the accusations, because she is absolutely right. And then you swallow dry, and prepare to speak, but then Liz is pointing ahead, the headlight has opened. And you have to drive, and she crosses her arms and looks away to the window.

You drive the rest of the way to her house in silence, and when you park the car in the driveway, she mumbles a goodnight before getting out. 

Squeezing the steering wheel in your fingers, you take a deep breath. And then you get out of the car, and the noise of the door opening surprises her because she turns to look. But you are walking toward her, and raising your hand to the back of her neck, bringing your mouths together. Lizzie chokes in surprise, but in the next second she melts against you as she kisses you back.

You part breathlessly, holding your foreheads together.

- I am in love with you. - You confess. - I'm sorry I was a complete idiot, but I was terrified.

Lizzie giggles, kissing you again quickly before hugging you. And then she is breaking the embrace to look at you, a shy smile on her lips.

- I'm in love with you too. - she says. - I'm glad that's the problem and not something else.

You laugh, and kiss her one last time before entwining your hands and walking toward her house.

You decide to take things slow, so naturally, two weeks later, you ask her to be your girlfriend over dinner. Lizzie smiles all night, but you know that if this is a secret, she can't wear the ring.

Public relationships mean contracts, and agents, and unwanted questions, and lots of opinions about your lives. And you two wanted to keep that to yourselves for the time being.

So when directors comment that your onstage chemistry is amazing, you two just nod and thank them. When the interviewers ask if you are together, you deny it as before.

The first time you sleep with Lizzie, you almost break the bed. And it's all right, because you two are laughing with happiness and pleasure, and she pulls you in for another kiss. And you entwine your hands, the commitment rings on your fingers.

A year and a half later, you are getting very busy with your participation in a youth series, and there are many rumors that you are dating your co-star, so Lizzie is jealous and you can't blame her. 

You decide that the secret cannot go on any longer, at least not to your friends and employers. So you talk to Lizzie, and you both call your agents. Sara laughs for ten minutes when you tell her, but she is happy to talk to Lizzie's agent. You are not public yet, but it is important that all parties are in agreement. You hate bureaucracy, but you don't mind as long as Lizzie's hand is in yours. Your friends are very happy, and the other cast members tease you constantly about it.

When you shoot the last movie, you think you are going to be fired because your character has died. But then you and Lizzie get a series together.

You try not to overthink how you will deny the rumors on television, but Lizzie kisses you on the cheek and tells you that you will face it together. 

It takes three more months for you to propose. You think your chest will explode with happiness when she accepts.

And then you are calling your agents again, and Sara almost faints when you tell her that you got married in secret at some registry office in the Caribbean and she needs to get the paperwork sorted out. When you get back to California, there is a small ceremony with your family members.

//-//

Present

You and Lizzie are sitting side by side in the interview. The questions about WandaVision are over, and now you know from Jimmy's expression what he is going to say.

- The last time you were here, I had only an instagram post as an argument for your secret relationship. - He says, making you, Lizzie and the audience laugh lightly. - But now I have talked to the production and they prepare a presentation.

- My goodness. - You remark, making him laugh. And then he waves to the big screen, and you try to disguise your nervousness.

A presentation of images began to play to the audience to the sound of "honeybee" by the band "The Head and The Heart". There are several studio shots, from photo rehearsals to behind-the-scene moments. There is a picture from the day you met, from the first cast test, from the Avengers taping, paparazzi shots of you laughing in the parking lot, or in the open areas. There are pictures of you walking around Los Angeles together, pictures of your rides, or your travels. There are clippings from instagram stories where you spend time together, laughing and hugging. The presentation ends with the BTS photo of WandaVision from the first day of recording where you have your arm around Lizzie, and the two of you are laughing.

You clear your throat away the emotion, but Lizzie wipes her eyes lightly.

- That was very beautiful. - She comments as Jimmy hands her a piece of tissue paper. The audience bursts into tears of excitement.

- I guess we can get to the part where you deny everything now can't we? - Jimmy jokes and you smile and straighten your posture.

- Actually, Jimmy, we have something to announce.