#and also i never felt this way about gta v which this game is so similar to

[iamthekarmapolice]

also cyberpunk is weirdly just utterly relaxing to me? like when I play the game before bed and i walk around the streets I can actually feel my eyelids get heavy and everything. i used to play bg3 before bed too but that game did not wind me down at all and i’d end up having weird dreams about turn-based combat. since i started playing cp2077, exactly a week now, there hasn’t been a night where i haven’t taken more than 10 minutes to fall asleep. so sincerely, thank you cyberpunk 2077

[marielle-heller]

GTA V Gender Bent Headcanons

I don't know why but I have been thinking SO much about fem Michael and Trevor recently. they are so beautiful and amazing to me, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on all three of the main characters as women and what they're like cause they're so <3

Michael/Michelle

goes more by M/Em than anything else

she is 🏳️‍⚧️

dark hair a bit past her shoulders, slightly wavy. she ties it back into buns and ponytails when working but she likes it down for a more casual look

I think in North Yankton she would've worn a lot of jeans and button ups, open with a tanktop underneath. you get to see some breast without it being too showy. also works as more casual wear in Los Santos

when she gets her breasts done, she goes for a c-cup

always felt like something was off with her body, but it took her a while to fully process that she wanted to look like the women she liked almost as much as she wanted to fuck them

the biological parent of both Jimmy & Tracey. she never gets bottom surgery, and hasn't started estrogen yet when she starts seeing Amanda

in Los Santos she tends to wear a similar version of Michael's default outfit, but lose the jacket. just grey pants and a white button up, with diamond earrings and a bracelet as a quiet show of wealth

radiates MILF energy!

is socially transitioning when she meets T, still working to earn enough for better clothes and breast implants. their shared identity throws them even closer as friends

simple makeup, usually just mascara and pink lipstick. wine red lipstick if she's feeling fancy

kids call her M too, short for mom and helps to distinguish from Amanda

a bit more insecure when she first meets Amanda, but she and T still go to strip clubs and when a beautiful woman offers her a dance, how can she resist?

incredibly relieved when Amanda shrugs and says M's nothing she hasn't seen before, and she still wants her

starts estrogen a bit after Jimmy's born when she starts to worry more about how she looks to people outside their family

on special occasions, she wears a long, blue dress with a deep neckline that hugs her curves and emphasizes her stomach

T comments on how stuffed into it she looks, but she secretly likes it quite a bit

T still calls her Sugar Tits and comments that the best part about M's weight gain is that they've gotten even bigger

T also definitely comments on how between M and Amanda, it’s shocking Amanda’s the one who gave birth to two kids when M’s the one who looks it

just the whole the whole “you used to be fatter, nice new tits by the way” and then instead of focusing on Jimmy it’s straight to M like “and you used to be a lot thinner… at least your tits look amazing”

the only time she's taller than T is in heels and she does try to wear them a fair bit

Trevor/Trisha

might go by Trisha but honestly likes being called Trevor too, just do not fuck up her pronouns and any name is really fine

also 🏳️‍⚧️

a lot of people refer to her solely as T Philips which leads to a lot of people making a lot of very incorrect assumptions about the gender of the person behind all these drugs

doesn't get any sort of breast implants, preferring to stick with the flat chested look

her hair isn't receding quite as badly but it is forming a definite widow's peak. it just brushes her shoulders because anything beyond that starts to annoy her

unsure about her preference on bottom surgery... she probably just skips it altogether, and she definitely refers to having a dick as a way to make straight men uncomfortable

lived in denial of her feelings for a long time, though she always enjoyed playing with her mother's dresses as a kid. finally she realizes that while her body itself isn't so bad, she needs new gender presentation

definitely jealous of Amanda because M if you're going to be a lesbian, T is right here!!!

T herself is definitely some variant of bi/pan/unlabeled

her daily wear is fairly similar to Trevor's in game. a stained, white t and jeans with combat boots are an easy go-to. she likes tanks and cut-offs when it's really hot out

dresses are obviously a huge yes but typically only for certain moods. she has a red, knee-length body hugging dress for her fancier moments

some of her boots do have the slightest heel (thinking of how Doc Martens are) but she could never walk in high heels like M does

Wade and Ron are definitely both in awe of her beauty but too scared of her to really do anything

probably awakens a lot of people to a lot of feelings with a combination of fear and horniness

Trevor already cuffs his jeans and wears combat boots in the game but I just need to point out how queer that is!!!

her ears are pierced--including a DIY helix she's lucky isn't infected--and she wears little kitschy things she picks up from wherever

when she can be fucked to, I think she’d enjoy doing eyeshadow and lipstick. it’s usually incredibly messy cause she often fucks it up in her daily tasks, and she usually gives up on doing a very good job when it starts taking longer than a few minutes

technically Auntie T now but I think she kinda likes Mama T? she especially calls herself that to F after deciding she and M are her new moms

Franklin/Frankie

doesn't mind being called Frank for short, but real ones do call her Frankie

do I even need to say it? 🏳️‍⚧️

and I mean… M, T, F… it was right there

she has a very short afro

has probably physically transitioned the most

her breasts are on the smaller side and she often hides them under her outfits

never wears dresses. very tomboy-ish

has an affinity for suits, and loves a full three-piece in bright colours or fabrics. definitely her biggest splurge when she starts getting money

also a fairly big sneaker head, matches them to her outfits

her casual wear tends to be oversized tops and jeans, though there's a clear sense of fashion there, rather than just trying to hide

that green letterman Franklin has.... she throws that over a lot of tops

when she does wear more tanks or short sleeves, her arms are incredibly well-muscled

wears a simple gold chain and gold hoops

Lamar supports her through her transition. he hypes her UP but ultimately they’re just friends

realizes her identity after meeting some butches towards the end of high school and feeling a sort of draw to them that she's never felt in anything. the more she understands being masculine in a feminine sort of way rather than just being masculine as a man, the more right it feels

chapstick queen

sometimes paints her nails green. Lamar helps

idk I think Lamar probably still roasts her out of annoyance at not getting invited in, but I think her pure butch swag helps her to avoid the yee-yee ass haircut comment. call her what you want but her hair is already perfect, leave her be

is trying to get some bitches on her and trust me there are women in the neighbourhood lusting, but the stars have not yet aligned

while T and M are her queer moms and offer some wisdom, I think she's actually the most up-to-date on like... current queer lingo and goings on in the community? there's a 95% chance one or both of the others kinda lost the plot after transsexual and just use that

[writeroffline]

Open ps2 loader usb 4gb

I actually had to source a guide online for control usage, and found a good one on Ground Zeroes that mostly works, except they changed CQC commands from arrow keys to number keys. The only caveat is Japanese developers are very console (cough, SONY) centric, so even if you do get good actual KB/M performance, there are still little quirks, like inadequate control explanation in the controls menu, mapping diagrams that only serve gamepad users, and even gamepad prompts showing onscreen instead of KB/M ones. I find that analog sticks are horribly inadequate for aiming, which is why a lot of games, even shooters like CoD Black Ops III, still have auto target for them. I still need to figure out the hitbox for helmeted headshots, though. It's not been perfect and half the time it's killed my stealth runs, but thankfully the game is tolerant of this and I've just gotten past Traitor's Caravan (with a lot of Side Ops grinding involved to make the GMP needed for beating it). There's definitely that complaint I have alongside others that movement is way too imprecise on keyboard (especially for this kind of stealth game) and that aiming is rather imprecise on gamepads as well, so I've been playing about 50 or so hours on gamepads to try and learn how to overcompensate with FPS thumbstick aiming which compared to all the other problems is usually the bane of my existence. There was a time when I would play third-person shooters with KBM like GTA IV but those times effectively died once I got a gamepad that the games were originally designed for, with mainly the exception of certain GTA Online missions where KBM accuracy's vital to pulling off a timing-sensitive assault. Swap out the PS4 controller for a wired 360 controller and you've got my general attitude on it. Played this mostly with a PS4 controller. Too bad the game won't allow for using controller+mouse at the same time and also does not support remapping of the controller binds, would actually love to try that combination.įor some reason, I like kb&m for 1st person games, but prefer controller for 3rd person games. I do miss the accuracy of using the mouse tho, aiming with the sticks never felt natural to me and having to depend so much on auto-aim (there's even weapon mods for increasing it) feels kinda cheap. There is a separate keybind for "slow walk"? I didn't even notice that, tho i didn't play around that much with kb&m because the lack of analog movement just felt too weird for an MGS game. As for the movement, I mapped sprint to shift, crouch to ctrl, slow walk to spacebar, and dive to alt, and never had a problem sneaking up behind people, even without the sneaking suit. With a mouse I can turn 180 with near equal speed and effort as I can line up headshots, no bullet time or auto aim required. How anyone could characterize analog sticks as even remotely "precise" blows me away. Trying to aim a gun quickly and accurately with a controller is fucking maddening. Trackpad tech isn't as precise as it needs to be. From what I've heard of that thing though, it doesn't sound very impressive. I am kind of desperately hoping the Steam controller fixes this problem by offering the precision of both mouse aiming and controller movement. Someone needs to make a mod that does that for MGS V. I think that is brilliant and I have no idea why any stealth game wouldn't do that on PC. I mentioned this on the Steam forums and someone who agreed mentioned that the Splinter Cell games would map the mouse wheel to movement speed. I love the precision of movement I can get with the analog stick. Sneaking suit dampens the sound of footsteps but it's not perfect.

Holding ctrl makes me move too slow, it's impossible to sneak behind anyone unless they are standing still because they walk faster than me. I move too quickly and they hear my footsteps. I really wanted to play with K+M because aiming is so much more accurate.īut the movement controls! GAH! It's terrible on a keyboard.

[welcometomy20s]

July 2, 2021

HoloServer Quarterly Report

Usada Constructions - Buy

To understand the current position of UsaKen, we must look to its history. At first, UsaKen was a joke, a riff on Majima Constructions, a potemkin company only existing to serve the whims of the founder and CEO. Pekora’s project was sophisticated and massive, her pranks simply legendary. But out of the blue, Moona enters. The mutual awkwardness worked in their favor, in fact this will be a prevailing theme, what might seem like a highly dysfunctional group, actually turns the whole thing into strength.

The Rabbit and Moon theme didn’t hurt them either, and the idea of Usada Construction as an actual entity enters the public consciousness, especially as a point of comparison to the fledgling Akukin Constructions… although it could be said that Akukin was the remnant of Hololive Resistance in some sense. This led to the initial expansion with the hiring of Coco and Kiara… but again this was more of a joke, a fleeting thought before UsaKen was about to come on its own.

It was the Akukin Relay that really set the ball rolling. Not only did we have the fortuitous event of Kanata accepting a position in UsaKen before finding out she did get a callback from Akukin, it spurred Pekora into focusing on Minecraft, especially her gaming plans were dirtied by corporate pressure. Pekora started small, with her misbehaving cannon and putting out her petty anger onto Noel, but soon Pekora unveiled her grand plan, Pekoland, and immediately set out to organize the company as a whole.

By now, the company was fairly-sized. It added Botan and eventually Towa into the mix, although Botan is still technically an affiliate and Towa first came with revenge, before using the company as an opportunity to learn how to be evil. Now the company measured seven strong, although they were quite disparate, having members from all three branches and across three generations. This was quickly noticed and a discord server was made in response, which led to another group project immediately after Pekoland, which was already a pretty big project. Combined with Coco’s final innovation, the Summer Festival became an even bigger project in the end.

And it would be odd to think this would end soon. There’s an actual structure to things now, people can communicate and build on ideas and the whole thing seems pretty democratic, even with its autocratic start. And Summer Festival brought UsaKen into the center of Hololive narrative. UsaKen is now the de facto face of HoloServer, and perhaps even Hololive itself. People look at the former loner as the master organizer. Things only look up from here, which is worrisome, but there’s enough in UsaKen that I’m less worried than usual. UsaKen will always come out stronger in the end.

Akukin Constructions - Buy

Meanwhile, Akukin completely collapsed. It felt like Aqua would return from her Apex marathon, but it turns out prior and prep for the solo concert meant a month break is what she needed, therefore Akukin was without a leader for one more month.

Lamy and Nene managed with their own projects, but the rest kind of fell apart. But the Summer Festival changed all that. Just as Akukin Relay signalled Pekora a restructuring was needed, Summer Festival meant Akukin had to show up. So, the skit continued. During the Akukin Relay arc, the mysterious yet feisty boss with two second-in-command who actually runs the thing scheming and fretting was a hit, with a hint of blackness in its blasted scaffoldings. Now, the blackness is very much apparent. Aqua cannot let the failing company go, and has become vicious. Considering Marine's past, this works to their favor. Lamy and Nene would be their own thing. Roboco and Mel would pop in now and again. As for Iofi and Aki… well, I’m not sure.

Choco, which I deemed the liaison for Shiranui, which has a contractual relationship with Akukin, now liaisons for Oozora Group as well. Choco might be the next important person just because of that connection factor. Akukin might be a contracting company now, although Aqua would not be happy about where they stand now.

Oozora Group - Hold

I know that Oozora Constructions, now Oozora Group, is not a publicly traded company anymore, but I still suggest holding onto that now-worthless piece of paper. The problem with Oozora Constructions was that its story went nowhere. Korone’s house was interesting, but it rarely had an ending, since it required Korone to cooperate and that’s usually an awkward thing at best. Her other projects were half-baked, and most importantly Subaru never really had that recognition. She wanted to build a company but others laughed at the prospect. So Rushia lost faith and moved to UsaKen. Oozora was tanking before it started to fly. But Matsuri took grace and joined Oozora, at which point it became a group. It’s not like Matsuri and Luna, the other employee, haven’t been together, and Subaru was called Matsuri by Sora, so why not?

In the last report, I said Matsuri is more like a government employee than a free agent, and indeed it seems Oozora Group now acts like a governmental organization, with building a police station being the first undertaking after restructuring. This is actually not bad. Public utilities are dearly needed in HoloServer anyways, and Subaru acting as a public servant removes the desperation in her actions that would make interactions much more friendly and interesting. By falling, Subaru might have turned a corner.

Tangent - Using an extended analogy, when the age of giant reptiles was wiped out by a meteorite, there were small survivors, which we now know as birds. So, it looks like Coco’s legacy would also be held by birds, holotoris to be exact. To explain why, let’s look at the current functional part of Coco. Coco is the bridge that connects East to the West, not just in terms of language, but also in culture and mores. In that way, holotoris nicely distributes this responsibility. Subaru might be the best JP member after Haachama in terms of English comprehension, and she is quite cognizant of recent foreign perspectives as well… so she could be a good future ambassador. For Reine, her Indonesian teaching stream reminds me of Coco’s early streams. And Kiara’s Holotalk has been the counterweight to Coco’s meme review since it started… Not to mention, these three are the most extroverted of their respective branches.

Shiranui-Elite Conglomerate - Hold

SEC is an organization of my own creation, but it’s a useful one, because it fits the current situation well. To sum up, Elite Construction was starting to fall apart as Minecraft activities waned, one of the replacements was GTA V, and the three major players were Miko, Flare and Suisei. Their collab together was probably the highlight of the last quarter and gave us a bright spot during a time of troubles.

As Minecraft activities increased, due to PekoLand and HoloID mall and Mel and Roboco popping in and out, the connection before was starting to bore out in Minecraft. Shiranui was originally a contracting company, working with Akukin for example. Therefore it had a family business type, indeed the only other employee was an honorary one given to Flare’s wife, Noel. But a series of interactions with Polka and Choco led to this master and apprentice relationship, which was a major hit.

Flare, pardon the pun, was always the black sheep of the Hololive Fantasy. While the other four have something to stand out and something to back the flash (Pekora draws with her laughter and manic behavior which is backed up by her earnest shyness, Rushia draws from her yandere metal screams which backed up by her sincerity and fragility, Noel draws with her upper assets and ASMR which is backed up by her erogaki silliness and her charming singing, and Marine draws from her horny nature which is backed up by her wit and almost motherly wiseness), Flare never really landed a character. Indeed, Flare is a straight man through and through. Not quite a tsukkomi like Subaru or Kanata at times, since there is not that retorting arrogance the two can exhibit, as people call, Flare was your comfy older sister...

But the Western audience and this Polka relationship changed that. In the West, the fatherly figure has more of a distinct and prominent role, and Flare can emulate this pretty well. A dad is grounded and serious, but can be silly and childish at times. But the silly and childishness does not undercut his serious nature… and that goes well with Flare (perhaps even more so than Calli, who is on a goofier side of things). Therefore Flare could finally breathe and express herself. And the introduction of Miko and Suisei brings the crew into full focus. They are reminiscent of early UsaKen, except while UsaKen was disparate, SEC most closely resembles… well, a D&D party. With your typical silly arguments and trials leading to growth and so on.

Adding Marine or even Nene might disturb this. Flare is fine with the size and I am too. It’s not like there are any real pickings left anyway. Shiranui-Elite conglomeration have a long journey ahead of them, but a brighter future that goes along with it too.

Haachama Construction - Sell (but buy Watasheep)

It was inevitable. Haachama/Haato thing was not going to be settled soon. Haato barely finished the Coexist arc, getting the Anno disease in the process. It was pretty clear that the Haato/Haachama thing became overblown and unfitting to what Hololive was now.

But this leaves us with Watame, and Watame is in an interesting position. Watame is between a lot of companies now. With Shiranui-Elite, she is part of the four heavenly lords, and as Watasheep, she does the delivery of Menya Botan and KFP, both part of UsaKen, who inadvertently cornered the fast-food business. And she is part of the 4th Gen, who has come much closer due to the departure of Coco.

Watame has always made the safe choice, she revolutionized the server with her excellent Janken machine, but it was Kanata who became the seller. Watame might choose to leave herself out, since her Minecraft streams are kind of meant to be relaxing. The reason she deliberately chose to level her field, instead of building the sign outwards like the rest of the signs. So, perhaps nothing comes of this…

OkaKoro Constructions & Shirakami Forestry - Buy

This wave of HoloServer was so large that even the rarer visitors felt a need to visit. Flare has reached out to Okayu, who has pointed out the reason for her absence was the loss of her basement and Korone has followed interest in the server as well.

Fubuki returned to finish her massive sakura tree, of course she acts alone, but she has been increasingly open to hiring people, but it’s not sure if this will become reality. Perhaps if Akukin finally dissolves, there would be enough workforce…

Kureiji Constructions - Buy

Ollie had a roller coaster of three months… Like a burnt fuse, Ollie has had several physical problems… that didn’t stop her from doing math streams (there are precedents Yashiro and Gwelu being good examples) and returning recently with late contributions to the Summer Festival. Reine has been helping on the side as well…

Free Agents - Sell

There is not much of this category anymore. Anya is the One who does not play Minecraft, in fact her demeanor is quite different from anyone else. Ayame not only has been gone from Minecraft, she has been gone, period. She really just returned to streaming after about three weeks? Risu is the only one remotely available, but she has the gene of OkaKoro, which does not induce work ethics in Minecraft, no matter how skilled she is. (Her roller coaster MLG is still one of my favorite clips)

Overall, 2021 Q2 was the best of times and the worst of times. There was a lot of big progress and a lot of setbacks as well. It’s a deeply uncomfortable but adventurous position, as it always has been for HoloServer and HoloPro as a whole. Next quarter will be further accomplishments and further challenges, and the company and the personalities and the audience will bear it through it all, as they always have.

[weapon-alpha]

Thoughts on Cyberpunk2077

Potential Spoilers ahead!

Overall I really Liked Cyberpunk lets get that out of the way real fast I liked it That being said I really wanna defend the game but I really can’t. I think they Teased/Announced it waaay to early it was announced and a teaser shown in 2013 which is 2 years before Witcher 3 came out and the same year GTA V came out for some time references. So what happened over a near 8 year period? I think over those 8 years they tried to make 3 different games because the overall tone of that first teaser and the next time we would see it at E3 2018 (5 years later) are majorly different and nearly feel like they don't belong together if it weren't for the mantis blade arms then I think they stopped halfway after that to try and make it a next gen game as well. Then it was gameplay trailer after gameplay trailer that each time showing something that in the end as far as I could tell didn't end up in the final game like clothes contributing to your Cool level and everyone will react to you about how you dress and how Cool you are they literally don't clothes are just armor and 80% of the time you look like a terrible douche Cool doesn't mean anything to anyone unless there's a dialogue option and there's never really a reason to upgrade your clothes or guns for that matter because literally the next mission can net you better stuff every time. And in the end I can’t defend it and say that the game was launched as a finished product because it just wasn't. For me personally LOTS of graphical bugs and people will say yeah but people still play Fallout 4 or Skyrim and those are buggy (Sorry Bethesda) and while a good argument Skyrim came out 9 years ago and Skyrim 5 years ago (yes that also means Cyberpunk was known before Fallout 4 was out as well) shouldn't shit have been better by now? I don't know if anyone else had problems with the sound of the game the main menu music and overall sound of the game was way too loud like a large percentage of the time the background music would drown out character dialogue and that's after it being lowered but that’s fixable on my end the part that isn't is the voice/audio changes that happened as a character was talking to me. I could be standing in front of someone talking to me and their voice would actually change to sound like as if I was on a phone call with them and then would change to normal voice as if they were beside me if I was on a phone call. And the amount of times I had to stop myself and look around because it is a beautiful game when it wants to be but its so go go go that I don't even notice it unless its for a cutscene. I also felt like the added the Relationship options in like really late in the game because they don't really mean anything either you romanced them or you didn't and nothing changes in the end if you did or didn't you finish their “Storyline” and never speak or do anymore with them again and it doesn't impact relationships with anyone else and as far as i know there's only 4 2 guys and 2 girls and it feels like one of them (a Girl) is supposed to be the main one and even then its not a meaningful relationship its more like teenage angst over an over emotional plutonic relationship like you fuck them and the next line is welp gotta go bye. My main complaint is the Main storyline is waay to short like shockingly so what i thought was a midway point of string missions was actually the final round of missions to finish the game like they REALLY expect you to just fuck off and do side missions to keep it all going. Someone could finish the story in one evening if they really wanted to. And the ending i got from the choices i made near the end REALLY didn't make any sense and was a very much a non-ending. But i really did like the journey of it all my highlights mainly contain the mission where you let Johnny take over (Which brings up something else like both you and Johnny talk about seeing and experiencing each others memories but theres literally only one flashback as Johnny) Playing with Samurai on stage really just made me want to play a Cyberpunk 2020 game instead with it all about Johnny and the gang and just be a Rockerboy and was probably my favorite mission. 

[tsaomengde]

So, it's been a month, and I have finished Cyberpunk 2077. Time was I would have chewed the game up and spat it back out in less than a week, but now I have children and a house to run. I'm not here to talk about the conditions of its release, the human cost, the et cetera. I'm just here to give my thoughts on the game.  If you want a spoiler-free review, here it is: thanks to my mother-in-law for buying it for me for Christmas. If I'd paid money for it I might have been disappointed. As it was, I had a perfectly fine time. Spoilers follow. (Also spoilers for Witcher 3, which is more than five years old now.)

Let's get this out of the way: should the game have been more progressive? Well, yes, but here's another question: what the fuck is cyberpunk even supposed to be? After all, initially, punk itself was created to sell leather jackets and records, and its defining trait was being subversive. It wasn't about being progressive, just offensive, about bucking whatever Standards there were. It's been refined, and redirected, but there's a reason 'Nazi punk' is a thing.

I personally wasn't expecting this game to be a bastion of progressive thought just because it has the word 'punk' in it. They should have done better by people who wanted to play trans or nonbinary characters. They should have done better with a lot of things. But they should have done those things because that's just what we should expect as people who engage critically with media, not because the game has the word 'punk' in the label. Was I sitting there shaking my head at the fact that V can work with the police? No. You're a mercenary, you go where the money is. The game wasn't advertised as an Antifa 2077 simulator, it was advertised as an RPG where you play the role of a merc who will do pretty much anything for that cash.

Here's the other question: is it cyberpunk? I say no. Cyberpunk as a genre is about human beings trapped in exploitative systems which commodify everything, even our bodies, and the lengths we have to go to in those systems to remain human - or not. The game has a lot of stuff in it showing this commodification and exploitation of everything, including our humanity, but it doesn't really have much to say about it. There are no significant choices in the story about how many pieces of yourself you're willing to cut away for power. Fill up every slot with cyberware or play as natural as possible, makes no difference at all to the story or the endings you get.

So it’s not really cyberpunk. That’s fine, a game can not be a thing and still be good. What’s the story, then? The story is about V (who is supposedly you, but they definitely are a distinct entity unto themselves, this is not a blank-slate Bioware situation) and Johnny Silverhand, and who is going to end up occupying the brain they’re forced to share for a while because of an experimental personality-upload chip that gets lodged in there too good to remove. Johnny Silverhand is an asshole version of Keanu Reeves, and I happened to really like his performance. A lot of people didn’t. That’s down to YMMV. Having finished the story and gone online to read about the endings I didn’t get, I feel that it’s… fine. They give you a decent number of ways to address the issue. I was more invested in the side stories with people like Judy and Panam than I was in the Big Plot, though I definitely warmed a lot to Johnny and Rogue near the end.

I never got the Big Feels, though. Like, Witcher 3? I agonized over the amazing chemistry Geralt had with both Yen and Triss, and had serious debates with myself over who to romance, because I may be a slut, but I’m ethical, dammit. I got big sad when Geralt found Ciri, thought she was dead, and just collapsed in on himself. I got even bigger sad when Vesemir died, and felt very vindicated when I murdered the dude that killed him. All of this from a game whose predecessors I didn’t even play! Cyberpunk never hit the same highs for me.  The most invested I ever was in a mission chain, by the way, was the one where the plot goes full Ghost in the Shell with memory editing and "what is a personality really" and truly vast conspiracies, and then the chain ends and just kind of peters out and you're back to all the other stuff that isn't Ghost in the Shell.  So that was... not great.

What about the *game* part though? Is it awesome? Does it suck?  I mean, the game is also fine. The gunplay feels alright, alright enough that I definitely regretted my initial desire to be a katana ninja person and went pretty hard into guns by the end. I give it credit for the systems being robust enough to support that kind of mid-game playstyle pivot.  The melee is deeper than it’s been in other games, but uh… look, I’m pretty sure Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 had better-feeling melee combat, and that game came out over 23 years ago. Might have something to do with the fact that you had an option to switch to a GODDAMN THIRD-PERSON CAMERA. After seeing the story and playing the game and doing the stuff I am prepared to Pronounce on this, and my Pronouncement is that the first-person camera definitely is more immersive, particularly given the story they wanted to tell, and perhaps you should stick with it during cutscenes if that’s your jam, but Goddamn, give us the third-person mode for melee. Anyway, the game, yeah. The stealth is cookie-cutter basic. The hacking minigame is dumb, and the hacking itself is useful, but underwhelming.

What about the vehicles? What about them indeed? I got a motorcycle from one of the first side quests after the world opens up and never used anything else. Everything drives like shit, but at least the motorcycles let me weave through traffic and get those rare glimpses of the toon I spent an hour carefully creating. Of course, most of the time, she would look ridiculous, since you have to continually equip whatever latest thing gives you the most armor, and there’s no transmog, so it’s only at the very end of the game where you *maybe* stop looking like an extra who wandered off of the set of a quirky indie film about near-future hip-hop dancers.

What about the city? Yes, it’s an enormous open world and it’s crazy detailed and there’s so much to do and so many icons to visit, but look, they didn’t need to go this hard. They could have told this story without a GTA-style open world. They could have told this story with Deus Ex-sized hub areas. Perhaps then the game wouldn’t have taken eight Goddamn years to make and destroyed so many poor Polish game developers’ lives.

I’m a thousand words in and I feel like I could write several thousand more, but let’s wrap it up. Here it is: did the 64.6 hours I put into the game entertain me? Yes, but I was ready to be done well before the point of no return, and still I kept hitting up all the side character stuff because I was invested in them. Am I going to play it again? Not right away, no. I’ll wait and see what DLC they drop, what bugs they fix. I have other games to play, and other things to do. And most tellingly, for this past month, I have never been doing real-life adult stuff and just been thinking the entire time, “I could be playing Cyberpunk right now.” I would play it when I sat down and felt I had sufficient time for something more involving than a run in Hades or Slay the Spire. It did not get hooks in me the way the Greats have done.

Cyberpunk: not a whimper, but not a bang either.

[kitsloading305]

Gta 5 Online Free Download Mac

Here in this article, I will show you how to download and install GTA 5 for free for Windows PC or Mac. Video game designer company Rockstar Games has amazed its audience since 1997 with its fantastic games.One of its best and most popular games is Grand Theft Auto, known colloquially as GTA.

The official home of Rockstar Games. To view this page, please enter your birthday.

Gta 5 online, free download Mac

Gta 5 online, free download Rockstar

Gta 5 online, free download Mac

About grand theft auto 5 (mac & pc) The Grand Theft Auto V action on PC, PS4, etc. Takes place in the big open city of Los Santos, in which three unusual characters lead a dangerous life. The robotic witnesses’ protection program was robber Michael, who leads a quiet life to the day when he covers his wife on betrayal with a tennis instructor.

Grand Theft Auto V for system MAC OS X

Rockstar Games surprised us once again when they decided to release their newest creation on other platforms than consoles. However, PC players as hence Macintosh users had to wait more than a year to be able play one of the best sandboxes actions on the market. Even though there were plenty ofand releases that could be used on PC computers, no one has decided to create version for other platforms, therefore we made up our mind and created Grand theft auto v mac download. If you want to know how we managed to do this, feel free to read the article!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Gameplay Grand Theft Auto V Mac

Grand Theft Auto V (in short GTA V) was released in 2013 but PC and MAC users couldn’t play it until April 2015. title for sureall over the world has been significantly changed. Graphics, audiowell as gameplay was improved and almost every aspect in the game is completely different from versions on 6th generation consoles. People were asking PC release, but we noticed that a lot of players have got Macintosh platforms. And the worst thing is that no one really cares about them. However, www.gameosx.com cares, therefore we upload for you possibility to get Grand theft auto v mac download without any payments! That’s right. You can test this game, see if this is something for you and then decide whether you want to support developers or not!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

GTA 5 MAC Download

All you have to do in order to get our installer is click one of the links provided below, prove you are human being and enjoy easy installing process! It has never been so easy! Full version of the game with all options and functions like in the original is now available on our website. Get GTA V Mac Download and tell your friends about it!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

How to Download and install Grand Theft Auto 5 MAC Free

Follow the instructions bellow – this is a very simple, fast and primarily free.

Click the button above “Download for free now!”

You start the installer game Grand Theft Auto V

Accept User License Agreement and choose path installation

The installer will download all necessary files.

During the download you need to activate your version of the game a special code – Download individual activation key

Enter the code in right place – will complete the download and install the game

PLAY!

Insurgency MAC Download – Free Insurgency for MAC OS X

Insurgency Mac Download for system MAC OS X Insurgency Mac Download is for everyone.

God of War MAC Download – Free God of War for MAC OS X

God of War Mac Download for system MAC OS X God of War Mac

Well, the Grand theft auto series from Rockstar Games is probably the best action game that is prevalent in the gaming community. That means that all the games released by Rockstar under the Grand theft auto series AKA GTA phenomenally paved way for much more action games to e released by Rockstar. The best to date is GTA vice city which is the next version to GTA III.

GTA vice city was regarded by many in the gaming community with improved gaming features and more details in terms of features and 3-D models. The GTA vice city is also one of the most played games with the highest selling market with its release and most grossing downloads over the internet to date.

License Full Version

File Size 1.37GB

OS Mac OS

Developer Rockstar Games

Overview

GTA Vice City is based on a continuous story-line that constitutes pretty much all of the missions that the players play in the game to finish it. The story is set in the imaginary city of Vice City, that is known for all kind of crimes and vice. The story revolves around the life of Tommy Vercetti, who is out of jail and lands at the vice city on the orders of his boss. The story slowly advances into favors and missions across the whole map of vice city. The interesting fact about the vice city is the aesthetic detailing of 3-D models that help the player to move around in the world of Vice City.

There are properties that the player can acquire with the money that he gets from completing bonus missions and rampage missions that are scattered across the city. the free open world of Vice city gives you a lot of space to roam around and explore the nook and corner of the city. the player can also complete a set of free errands like driving a fire truck and also an ambulance to earn some extra dough to acquire more properties.

Some of the features that made the game a hit in the gaming community include;

1. More Depth to detailing

Compared to its counterpart, GTA vice city had an improved detailing effect on the various elements that were present in the game. There were also improvements in the game in terms of detailing the vehicles, buildings and the characters that are present throughout the game.

The detailing effects greatly influenced the overall gameplay of the game leading to a more engaging gaming experience. since the framework of the game was built on very simple software it was also light on the hard disk space compared to all other highly detailed open-world games released at that time.

2. Interesting Gameplay

The gameplay that was induced within the game was much more interesting and challenging on the whole. The missions were a little standard and needed a dedicated amount of concentration to clear missions. There are also various elements in the game that would make certain missions of the game even more tough to crack.

There are also increased difficulty with each mission which attracted a huge audience in the gaming community to play the game thereby increasing the popularity of the game and increasing the expectations of the Grand theft auto Franchise.

3. Well-defined storyline

Most of the open-world games that were released during the release of GTA vice city were more intricate and baseless. The missions were never interlinked and the story flow was as randomized as it can get. The storyline of GTA vice city, however, was more detailed and intense that made the gameplay even more engaging and fun. The storyline was well thought through and the detailing given to each of the elements present in the game made it even more interesting.

The presentation of the game was much different from the regular damped gameplay from other games. There are also various instances where there is more organization to the elements of the game making it a huge crowd gathered.

4. The free-world advantage

The limitations in the game are very limited in the game and the feeling of playing a free world game can be felt in every frame of the game except for a few exceptions. There is a ton load of things that can be discovered within the game making it even more enthralling to play. The open-world game offers enough doses of violence and various other elements that make up a gangster life. There are also a ton a lot of other elements as well like riding bikes, cars, flying helicopters, riding limousines and boats that adds up to all the gaming experience.

System Requirements for running GTA Vice City with Mac OS

Processor: Intel core 2 duo processor.

Memory on RAM: 1GB.

Hard disk drive space: 9 GB (during installation) and 6GB (during processing).

Supported operating systems: Mac OS X 10.5.8 and Snow leopard 10.6.2.

Graphic chips: NVIDIA 7300 GT, Intel X3100 or ATIX1600 graphics chip.

File size: 1.3GB.

Download GTA vice city for Mac system for free

The installer for Mac systems for installing GTA vice city can be accessed by clicking the link below. Older versions of the Macintosh systems don’t support GTA vice city. make sure that the minimum requirements of the systems are taken care of before installation.

Download GTA Vice City for Mac OS Full Version for Free - ISORIVER

The best to date is GTA vice city which is the next version to GTA III. The GTA vice city is also one of the most played games with the highest selling market with its release and most grossing downloads over the internet to date.

Gta 5 online, free download Rockstar

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: Mac OS

Application Category: Games

[stinky-and-the-pain]

& then there was one

my parents finished renovating our house my freshman year of high school. i was 14 and finally had my own room...a place i didn’t have to share with my 11 year old brother or my 3 year old sister. i painted it green & a couple of months later painted a tree on one wall and filled the branches with lord of the rings quotes. it was my sanctuary. 

my grandma gifted me my first laptop around the same time. she won it in a company sweepstakes and gave it to me because she had one already. it was the coolest thing. we had a family computer in the office (nee playroom) that i had played both sims 2 and 3 on. but now i could take the sims to my room! 

amongst other things. 

i played skyrim religiously after my brother got bored of the xbox, as he was also gifted a playstation 4 along with GTA V. i also adored several creators on youtube, at that time a bastion of comedic skits and random tangential clips lasting no more than 6 minutes or so. i felt deeply invested in the community -- not so much with fellow audience members but with the youtubers themselves; as if these videos were a two-way conversation. shane dawson led to desandnate led to smosh led to kalel cullen led tobuscus led to pewdiepie led to cryaotic, etc., etc. they were great! 

forget the boy bands of the 90s and early 2000s....which youtuber did you want to date? SMASH + fuck, marry, kill in the back of the chilly and damp bus driving home from a scholastic bowl meet. my heart ached for these people. they appealed so deeply to me and i fell madly in love with them all. and i wasn’t alone; we all fell in love. 

i’m not sure how i found out about omegle. at a slumber party or birthday, someone pulled out their laptop & we could see and chat with strangers. live. no supervision. we were...14? 15? had to be 14 because i succinctly remember laughing a while later when i told a grown man i wasn’t 18 but actually 14 after he had finished for me. all while sitting in my new green bedroom. 

for the longest damn time i thought i had an extremely average adolescence. i was lauded as independent and mature, and took pride in that. maturity meant i was better but also inherently prepared for what life was throwing at me. plus independence meant that i could effectively do whatever i pleased. and to that extent, i never attended a party (though i did sneak over to a boy’s house when i said i was going to a friends’ but that was later figured out and actually excused) but i pursued other exploits. 

another piece of the puzzle is that youtube around 2010 appealed to people exactly my age. and was simultaneously extremely sexual. the mass cancellation of shane dawson is ultimately rooted in his behavior around this time. and this behavior was broadcast to us, 12-14 years old, which signaled to us what could be deemed appropriate. queue me believing that men around the ages of 19-25 could find me, a barely there 14 year old, attractive. and boy did i run with that. 

i spent immeasurable time on omegle. it was thrilling, especially when men’s faces would light up as my video appeared. “finally, a real person and not just a dick!” i remember one, zach herzog (sp?). he was so kind, introducing me to imgur which rounded out my early internet diet. he had a girlfriend but at one point admitted to me that she was not as pretty as i was. we would message on kik for hours. he graduated college a year after we met (my junior year of high school). jake was around that time too. but honestly jake was special in that we met through omegle chat (no video). and we actually chatted for about 3 years, at one time making sure to watch the weekly game of thrones episode (freshly downloaded off pirate bay) together and discussing what went down afterwards. after we skyped with video on, we slowly stopped communicating. 

another, stephen i believe. he was from the UK and i only remember that because of his accent and that i had him say my (fake) name multiple times. i never once used my real name nor talked aloud to these men. always text. but does that matter? over skype, he would send videos of himself jacking off...which would have been pleasant save for the fact he liked smacking his penis near the end and i couldn’t take that seriously. 

the first man i reciprocated for -- that is, i obliged requests to show parts of my body -- was sam. i don’t remember anything too striking about him save he did his business to me while we were still on omegle (only strange because the fashion then was to move to somewhere more ‘private’ and stable like kik or skype) and then promptly ghosted me. somewhere in my hs junior year planner, there are notes to sam asking him if he would ever come back. 

then senior year. so stressed with college applications (i applied to one school) i spent most of my time in my bedroom alone, indulging in a healthy diet of top gear and youtube, by this point dominated by cryaotic and pewdiepie. but i always had time for my dear favorite, capndesdes (of desandnate fame who later made his own solo channel where he published several q&a’s and apartment vlogs). october 2013 and i was wearing his blue ‘crescent moon face’ shirt (referencing the photo booth video). i met Anthony, Mike, and David on omegle. i immediately picked out Anthony and sure enough he was interested. him being in a group, i knew we wouldn’t be doing anything that night but the video chat was fun. the connection even died at one point but we got back in contact as i had shared my twitter (and my real name, though for months he believed my fake name was my middle name because i felt bad telling the truth). i guess i should’ve known this time was different when he insisted on skying the next morning before i went to work. i felt embarrassed for how i looked but he said i looked beautiful. and was so earnest i had to believe him. 

we skyped everyday. every day. essentially right as i got home from school because that’s conveniently when he got off work. oh and i eventually had to admit that my microphone was not in fact broken. we played minecraft and gta on the xbox. he said he planned to visit me one day. but that’s absurd, right? i would laugh and say ‘you’re too much.’

he visited november 9 2013. drove all the way up. i was at my friend’s birthday party. we had just woken up and he revealed he was in our town. i gave him directions to the park so we could meet. i remember running to him from my car, friends sitting in the back seat. we walked about two miles around the park, chatting. he was even more beautiful in person. the sight of the freckles on his nose are still so vivid. even after all these years remembering, my naiveté still strikes me. a day later, he asked me to be my girlfriend as we walked to his car after dinner. i said yes, that i would do him the honor of making him the happiest man on earth. a day later, he took (but i also gave) away my virginity. he met my friends and then we said goodbye on a rainy and cold afternoon. i still sometimes smell the sweet mustiness of that room. 

a handful of memories that are still striking after 7 years:

washing the strawberry lube off myself in my parent’s bathroom, praying they did not ask why i had spent the last 5 afternoons and evenings staying so late at a friend’s house; forcing myself to connect to Lorde’s music after he said he enjoyed her first album; saying that thin mints were my favorite after he admitted to buying too many; taking my adventure time backpack to the hotel room and filling out my cheatsheet for my physics test the next day while he watched and eventually rolled me over to kiss me; feeling too insecure to lead him around town so instead opted to stay silent as he chose what to have for dinner; eating at my favorite local mexican restaurant after losing my virginity; showing my friends the pictures we had taken in the hotel room and them losing their minds. 

after he left, i was devastated. and essentially remained devastated for the next 7 months. i cried the morning after he left, while driving to work and listening to ribs. 

there’ll be more, when i have strength. 

[gavslitty]

Reasons Why I Ship FreeWood More Than Mavin

Don’t get me wrong, when I first started watching Achievement Hunter, I only really knew Gavin and Michael, and of course me being a huge shipping trashy person, I instantly jumped aboard the Mavin ship. I still think they are cute, but my FreeWood feels outweigh the Mavin. And here’s why:

1. The differences between the way Ryan and Michael react to when Gavin fake kisses them. Michael usually retorts with a sigh or backs away from him like he’s creeped out, but Ryan always “awes” at his display of affection and even thanks him for the kiss, and tells him that he thinks it’s sweet!

2. Years ago, when Gavin mostly stuck to Michael’s side, in Minecraft in particular, he would always ask Michael to protect him, or to help him. Sometimes Michael will protect his boi, but most of the time he doesn’t bother and just ignores him. Ryan, on the other hand, will go out of his way to save Gavin, even without the latter having to ask him. There are many instances, especially in Minecraft, when Ryan has saved Gavin or helped him out even when they are in competition against each other. Michael rarely does that. (also would like to note, Dead by Daylight, Ryan sacrificed himself to save Gavin after spending the entirety of the game playing it safe and even refusing to save certain people like Michael or Lannan, but instantly coming to Gavin’s aide. Don’t think I can remember a time when Michael did something like that for him.)

3. When Gavin had trouble with getting into The Fake AH Crew, Michael threw a hissy fit, yelling at him, insulting him, pretty much berating him through the whole process, but Ryan was patient and walked Gavin through the crew invite and helped him instead of shouting. I think this instance really sums up the two pairs as a whole.

4. Despite Gavin saying Ryan is rarely on his side, it’s quite the opposite. I have noticed a lot of times when Gavin says something, Ryan will say something along the lines of “that’s true” or “you got a point”. A recent example would be in the new Minecraft, Chomping List, when everyone else besides Ryan and Jeremy complained that Gavin was taking a photo of the board. Ryan told him multiple times that he thought it was a good idea and that he was with him on that idea, even going so far as to build him a stairwell so he could see better. What a caring guy! Most of the time, when it’s Michael’s decision to be on Gavin’s side or against him, he usually calls him an idiot for the things he says and will not stick up for him like Ryan does. If Ryan feels like Gavin is being treated unfair, I have noticed him do it a couple times, he will tell everyone to relax.

5. Gavin is a pretty sexual guy, a weird one at that, and he will playfully say gay things towards pretty much anyone in the room, but most of the weird sexually driven questions are directed towards Ryan. For example, when Gavin asked how his nipples looked, or if his penis was smaller or larger after taking over Geoff’s character. Ryan is 99% of the time fine with this, and will even playfully be sexual back towards him, such as when he told Gavin he was going to wear him like a finger puppet, and continuing the joke that “Gavin was the baby” every time “Ryan once fingered a baby’s anus” was brought up. Not to mention the “Gavin likes to be fingered roughly” sign he wrote. However, when Gavin is playful towards Michael, Michael will shy away from him and be less likely to play along, and rarely ever initiates it himself. I’d say Ryan and Gavin have more sexual chemistry than Gavin and Michael do.

6. Watch the Gavin Tossing challenge during Extra Life 2016, and you will see a perfect summary of Mavin vs FreeWood. Ryan handles Gavin gently, pretty much just laying him down on the mat instead of really throwing him as if he were afraid to hurt him. (Even though ironically it caused Gavin the most pain because he was dropped on his neck.) Vs the way Michael throws him, which is just carelessly and without any hesitation in regards to his safety. 

7. Ryan is often remorseful, more so towards Gavin than anyone else in the room. It seems like every time Ryan tries to playfully throw something at Gavin, he ends up seriously hurting him, or thinking he did. Example, during a GTA V let’s play when he threw something at Gavin and instantly began to apologize over and over and asked him if he were alright, not letting up until he knew Gavin was okay. The story Gavin told on the AH Podcast when Ryan accidentally shot an air soft pistol at the wall and it hit Gavin in the face, he felt sorry for doing it and even texted Gavin an apology. Even during games, he will show a remorseful side when he kills Gavin. In a GTA V let’s play when Ryan shot everyone around him, including Gavin, and then instantly questioned why he killed Gavin, apologizing to him and only him. Trouble in Terrorist Town when he killed Gavin so many times that he promised to protect him and not shoot him even if he was the killer. Michael never cares about harming Gavin, in or out of games, and even will do it on purpose. Not as much as Geoff or Jeremy, though.

8. Gavin has called Ryan hot in one video, and sexy in another, whereas I cannot off the top of my head remember a time when Gavin has called Michael physically attractive.

So there you go, these are most of my reasons why I went from shipping Mavin to shipping FreeWood. I just over the years began to realize just how adorable they were together. I started shipping FreeWood back in very late 2013, and I haven’t stopped since. Back then it was a very new ship, and it was rare to find anything with Team Love n Stuff in it. But I am happy to now see how much the ship has grown and how many people are now on board. May FreeWood someday rule the AH Slash Ships!

[beyerwilder05-blog]

Red Dead Redemption two Is The Video Game Embodiment Of The Great American Novel

The original Red Dead Redemption is a fascinating, instructive point in the evolution of video game publisher Rockstar Games. This additional level of depth that's added to the globe and its inhabitants did often give me a sense of conflict when playing the game, but in a excellent way of course. See, you're not specifically taking on the role of the ‘good guy' in Red Dead Redemption two, so you can anticipate Red Dead Redemption 2 download to do a lot of things that are not precisely sort. This is some thing I've accomplished a lot of in games like Grand Theft Auto in the past and it really is anything I've in no way worried about that a lot, so I thought it'd be the identical here. Time and once again I was struck by how seriously this game's writers took their characters, themes, and subject matter. Abstract or no, Red Dead 2's America is still a nation reeling from the Civil War, where women are not allowed to vote, and where Native Americans and their cultures are being systematically eradicated. Every little Red Dead Redemption 2 download thing in the major narrative is treated with acceptable weight and humanity, and never did I encounter a lapse into the sort of haphazard satire and 'śeveryone sucks'ť cop-outs embraced'”by some of the exact same writers!'”in Rockstar's depressingly misanthropic Grand Theft Auto series. Though initials on the mini-radar beckon you to progress the story as is trademark in Rockstar titles, almost everything you do in-game feels like it carries weight. Even the individual favours asked of Arthur that don't have any bearing on the group's wellbeing really feel like they are worth seeing by way of. Performing very How to Download Red Dead Redemption 2 good by your fellow man in Red Dead can net you a spoonful of honour which can be beneficial in currying favour with these cut from finer cloth who may well look down their nose at a cowboy like Arthur. It is an sophisticated morality gauge that actually has the stones to enforce repercussions on the player. On the entire, Rockstar don't do negative games. From Midnight Club to Bully, by way of all the GTA editions and covering the original Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar are synonymous with quality. But their most recent infant, that of Red Dead Redemption 2, is their most ambitious project yet, one that blows the juggernaut that is GTA V out of the water with a script that doubles previous how to download red dead redemprion 2 efforts, and functions a lot more than ten times the quantity of custom animations noticed in the huge San Andreas adventure. For any individual who has played GTA V will know, that is a lot of script and a ton of animation. Every action and selection that the player makes as Arthur ends up affecting the way that other characters perceive him out in the planet of Red Dead Redemption 2. From violently shooting up neighborhood sheriffs or robbing civilians, to giving help to a woman out on the road following where i can download red dead redemption 2 her horse has died, the Honor system not only serves as a way to indicate the path that Arthur is taking morally — regardless of whether he's a ruthless outlaw or a more compassionate cowboy — but also has a lot more tangible effects on the game's globe on a larger level. Anything comparable can be stated of a lot of the realistic” characteristics that had been hyped prior the game's release. Stuff like getting to cook your food, consume properly, clean your weapon, shaving, wearing proper garments and so red dead redemption 2 download on., are all neat, but never ever felt super important either. You can safely ignore most of that stuff for a lot of the game and barely even notice. Properly, except for the occasions exactly where your beard starts to appear way too considerably like a skilled baseball player from 2018 Shave that ASAP. Red Dead Redemption two is the result of the refinement of a genre that Rockstar Games is the master of, and it should not be missed by anybody who has any interest in video games, Westerns, or compelling stories with equally compelling characters. There is not one particular how to download red dead redemprion 2 report that could possibly cover the scope of gameplay that is offered in Red Dead Redemption two with the nuance it deserves. As with any video game, it's the gameplay that genuinely matters although, and Red Dead Redemption 2 excels there, as well. You are going to locate your self engaging in all manner of activities all through the game, from shovelling manure to robbing banks. At times you will employ stealth to achieve your purpose other instances you will go in all guns blazing. Really usually red dead redemption 2 license key download have a decision amongst a single Red Dead Redemption 2 download or the other. The game's story balances its high-octane moments very nicely, interspersing them with missions that create your expertise of the planet and its characters, giving specific events far more effect when they play out. And while there is 1 section of the game that ultimately devolves into a protracted firefight, its sense of urgency propels you along until factors can lastly get back to standard. Red Dead Redemption 2 also involves Red Dead On-line, although the multiplayer element is not available at the moment and will enter Beta at some point in November Rockstar did not reveal considerably about it however Red Dead Redemption 2 download, but right after playing the single player I'm confident that the slower pace of Red Dead Redemption two, if maintained in multiplayer, could be really properly suited to attract even these who disliked GTA Online's typically chaotic action. Red Dead Redemption two puts you in the shoes of Arthur Morgan, a extended-serving member of Dutch Van Linde's gang. Right after a robbery goes incorrect in the town of Blackwater, the gang finds themselves on the run in the snowy mountains, and with camp morale at an absolute low thanks to the death of some of the gang members and the deadly weather where i can download red dead redemption 2 conditions, items are not hunting too sweet.

[burnouts3s3]

Bully, a game review

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.) Just the facts 'Cause you're in a Hurry! Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP): 14.99 USD How much I paid: 36 USD (10 for the PS3 version and 15 for the Steam Version and 11 for the PS4 version while it was on sale). Rated: T for Teen How long I played: 10 Hours on PC while 2 hours on the PS4 version. Microtransactions: None! What I played on: PS3, PS4 and PC Performance Issues: Bully might be one of my favorite games and it might be one of the WORST PORTS EVER! Holy Shit! If the PS3 version isn’t bogged down with glacial framerates, it has pixelated graphics which are not done service on HD. (The PS3/PS4 versions are merely upscaled and have not been updated). The PS4 version runs much better with no crashes, but has been upscaled rather than remastered. The PC version, while looking better, constantly crashes and will inevitably result in lost progress as you must save manually at specific locations. And of course, that cursed plague returns, as Bully’s PC version is locked at 30 frames per second. My Personal Biases: Bully was one of my favorite games growing up during the PS2 era. So, I’ll probably be biased toward this game. CAVEAT: Bully comes in 2 versions: The original game and the Scholarship edition. The Scholarship edition contains all the content from the original game and adds features such as additional classes/mini-games, more outfits and extra story missions not found in the base game. I believe the anniversary edition is the same as the Scholarship edition only it’s released for mobile phones. (I could be wrong) Please be aware which version you’re getting. My Verdict: There’s no denying that Bully is at times juvenile, immature, naughty and that favorite word, problematic. But, if you can look past the surface, you can see, much like the protagonist Jimmy Hopkins, there’s much more underneath the surface. Buy it! Bully, a game review

"So here I am, at probably the worst school in the country, whose alumni are nothing but arms dealers, serial killers, and corporate lawyers. Real scum. And that old creep thinks he can tame me? We shall see, my friend. I only give people what they have coming to them." — Jimmy Hopkins I don’t know how I can describe Bully in a way that fascinates me and makes it so near and dear in my heart. I was never really a Grand Theft Auto fan. Even, when I was old enough to legally play the game, I always felt detached from the main characters. It wasn’t until GTA IV came out that I really fell in love with the story, only for GTA V to come out and make things go back the way they were. Bully was released during a controversial period in the United States. When Jack Thompson was legislating heavily against game developers and video games violence, Rockstar was releasing Bully, a kid version of Grand Theft Auto. Early footage shown at E3 showed the protagonist doing heinous crimes like giving other kids wedgies, putting a kid’s head in the toilet and defying authority. Parent groups were outraged and a debate occurred whether the game went too far. The end result? Probably one of my favorite games of all time. Jimmy Hopkins is a 15 year old delinquent being sent away by his cold-hearted, gold digging mother and her fifth husband. Jimmy, having been expelled from multiple schools faces his last chance at the boarding school of Bullworth Academy. After he’s dropped off, he soon meets Gary Smith, an intelligent student who might not have the best of intentions, and Pete Kowalski, a shy boy who can’t even make friends with the geeks. Jimmy plans to get the bullies off his back and rule the school by taking out the Bullworth Cliques, the nerds, the Preps, the Greasers and the Jocks. But as Jimmy helps his fellow students (and a dysfunctional staff member or two), he learns that Gary doesn’t have his best interests in mind. What’s interesting about Bully is that Jimmy, unless dictated by the player, isn’t usually inclined to cause harm. Rather, he attempts to get payback from the various cliques who do cross his paths. (There’s been a long standing rumor that says that Bully changed its story and premise after the reaction from E3, changing Jimmy from a villain protagonist to more of an anti-hero). A lot of the criticism the game received was how small the world was and how limited Jimmy’s actions are, compared to the ground breaking Grand Theft Auto 3. Jimmy won’t be able to steal cars or kill any NPC’s. Instead, he can commit petty crimes such as shooting people with his slingshot, tagging on walls or pranking people he comes across. The delinquency meter shows the various amounts of trouble Jimmy can get into. Should he commit minor crimes such as being out of uniform or ditching class, he’ll be in minor trouble. But, violence against students, disrespecting authority or trespassing into the girl’s dormitory will send the local authorities (Prefects and teachers while in school, police officers out of school) after him. If Jimmy gets caught, he’ll be sent to the Principal’s office. Detention consists of mini-games such as using the school mower to mow lawns. But, there’s a benefit to attending class. Should you go to class, you’ll be treated to a mini-game. Completing a course will earn you benefits in the outside game world. For example, passing chemistry class allows you to make have a chem set in your room where you can create ‘weapons’ such as firecrackers, while going to English Class helps you apologize to authority figures for committing various crimes. My favorite is Art Class, where in the bonus is being able to get an extra bar of health when kissing girls. Should Jimmy complete all of his coursework (that is to say, finish all 5 difficulty levels of the mini-games), he’ll be excused from class be given free time. But it’s not all schoolwork and Frenching cheerleaders. There’s a variety of mini-games in the world such as Boxing, bike races, Carnival Games and of course, a huge number of collectables found throughout the game. If Jimmy’s strapped for cash, he can always take up a paper route. The strangest thing about Bully is that it’s a very small game. Even games like Grand Theft Auto III had a variety of environments and locations to explore with its small size. But Bullworth Acadmey and the town of Bullworth are small to explore. It creates a sense of intimacy. I can’t get lost in the world of Bullworth but I can become so intimate that the NPCs become familiar to me. That’s something special a lot of games don’t do. I’d rather have the familiarity of Bully over the vastness and at times emptiness of the Grand Theft Auto games, especially the modern ones. I should mention that the composer for the game, Shawn Lee, gave some of the most memorable music I’ve heard this side of some of the best soundtracks. Where Grand Theft Auto had licensed songs from various artists, Bully only has an original soundtrack, but it’s so alive and varied that I caught myself listening to it again and again.

Tying it all together is Gerry Rosenthal as Jimmy. While it’s great to hear familiar voice actors, such as Martin Mull as the Headmaster, Rosenthal’s performance just manages to combine that weird teenage angst that makes the main character so relatable. Kudos to him. What really sold me was the story. I surprisingly found myself relating to Jimmy’s struggle to get through his school days and how he acts and reacts to the world around him. While Jimmy is no saint or perfect student, it does show that the world Jimmy inhabits is a flawed, corrupt and outright dirty society. All the cliques that Jimmy faces, whether it’d be the classist preppies, the posturing Greasers or the testosterone-filled Jocks, are shown to be bullies but in different ways. Meanwhile most of the adults and authority figures are two faced hypocrites. When Jimmy sees his gym teacher trying to sneak dirty magazines out of a pornography store, it becomes apparent why Jimmy doesn’t have any respect for authority. At the same time, I found certain NPCs not only memorable but also rather likable. There’s something about Jimmy helping out the strange homeless man in the Junkyard or spitting food with Edna, the lunch lady, that brings a smile to my face. So while the game holds up in terms of mechanic and I still find the characters and story charming, it pains me to say this has some of the worst ports to date. The PC version constantly crashes. I don’t know who was responsible for it, but given the number of crashes I experienced (as well as the frustration having to save your progress manually), I nearly broke my screen in frustration. Worse yet, Bully is locked at 30 Frames Per Second. The PS4 remastered version is more playable, but only features the vanilla version of the game. Closing thoughts: There’s a lot to say about bullying, the role of bullies and how our society now views bullies. And while I can’t comment on Jimmy’s reactions to the various groups of the schools will look like 50 years from now, I will say I had a blast firing my slingshot, riding my bike and getting into as much trouble with Jimmy Hopkins. It’s not what a game is about, it’s how it’s about it. Verdict: As long as you don’t get the PC Version, go buy it!

[gamefaq]

the credits were so fucking long i had to skip them my god. but yeah thots feelings putting it under a readmore because it might be semi-lengthy and also if youre like me and havent played gta v all the way through despite it being almost 10 years old

i’m kinda sad the ending didnt wow me more to be honest. i really thought it was gonna be quite grand and leave me being like “wow that was nuts” but i was just kinda like...oh i guess thats just it. idk if its just me being so ridiculously picky (which it very well could be) or whether it is just a bit anticlimactic but? considering i chose the deathwish option i expected it to be a lot more difficult than it actually was

especially when it came to kidnapping devin there was literally like. 5 guards. it was weirdly barren and i dont quite get why. it all just felt a bit too EASY considering yknow. you literally rob 4 tons of gold bricks and are going after extremely well equipped people

i think what it comes down to is that i loved playing it, but i also have a lot of gripes with it. the most important being the uh. blatant racism. but also the way npc’s are programmed can feel so anti-player sometimes

yeah you’re getting away from cops? have 5 npc cars just ram into you for no fucking reason. you’re in a non-controllable cutscene? get mauled by an animal that kills you and you have to restart the entire mission. you’re doing a bike race?? well a car being chased by a cop is gonna come crashing through the course and run you over

speaking of which, the vehicles sucked to control soooooooooo fucking bad. SO bad. i shamelessly crashed helicopters so i could skip flying them in missions because it was like grating cheese with a nail file. it’s AWFUL with keyboard and mouse and frankly i’m too stubborn to switch to a controller just to use the vehicles because i shouldnt have to man. its so weird that not just gta, but most city ‘open world’ games have never really gotten the hang of vehicle control

but yeah really thinking about it there’s not actually that much that goes on story wise, but i was hooked on it anyway. the acting carries it so well because it’s so GOOD. it’s rare things make me laugh out loud when i’m doing something by myself, but there were multiple occasions when there wasn’t even anything particularly funny but just the genuine reaction was so perfect, particularly from trevor’s actor i must say

the only thing i didn’t like about the story is more of a personal taste thing i think. i’d have much rather found out alongside trevor that brad died as opposed to knowing really early on that brad died and was in michael’s grave. the graveyard scene is still great regardless but imo it would have been a lot more impactful if there was no hints brad died until trevor realises himself. because the player could have gone through the same thing of “it was obvious but chose to ignore it” type of situations

this sounds mostly negative but i did pour 42 hours into it which for me is REALLY impressive. and it looks like there’s an endgame side mission which i’m gonna go back and do so yeah i did enjoy it and i would recommend it, HOWEVER i don’t think it’s completely flawless. the amount of frustration i had on the vehicle/npc and again the blatant racism (witty/self-aware or not) just massively knocks it down

i fully understand that the whole point is that everyone you meet and play as (save for franklin imo) is a major asshole. but theres a lot of ways you can portray an asshole without including racism

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Never played through this game. Between watching Stranger Things and anticipating the GTA Remaster release, I’m in the mood to give it a real try.

Some History

I remember renting GTA on PS1 and having a grand-ole-time with some friends. Stealing cars and running from the cops was pretty fun. The game was hard, with it’s top-down view, but fun. I found it interesting that you could fail missions but keep moving forward. In the end, you just needed to hit a certain score to move on.

Flash forward to GTAIII. While it didn’t invent open world, it both made open world the “it” style for games, and defined how open world games should be. While it was a great blue print, too many games simply cloned GTAIII instead of defining their own path: even platformers like Jak II.

Ultimately, I loved the sense of freedom of GTAIII. Since Rockstar was basically defining how open world should work, their designs were not perfect. But in that there was some freedom in how you completed missions. There was also unrpedictability: which could be either frustrating or entertaining. After playing Hitman 2, I felt GTA should have taken on a more open-structure to missions, but instead they doubled-down on curating each mission. While that allowed for some interesting missions, like in GTA: San Andreas, it also subverted the series’s greatest asset: sense of freedom.

GTA IV & V are good games, in a way. But by the time they’d released, I was done with the overly violent, sophomoric humor, and general trashiness of the series. But even If I don’t love the series now, I still get a kick of nostalgia playing the older games.

PSP

I was a big supporter of Sony’s PSP. At the time of its launch, I thought Nintendo was pretty backwards thinking, even if that thinking led to their financial success. It was exciting to have an “almost” PS2 in my hands that I could walk around with. Any many ways, it represented the mobile gaming experience I enjoy today.

My first game was Liberty City Stories, which I enjoyed! Liberty City held a special place in my heart from GTAIII.. I knew its layout better than my own, real-life neighborhood. Vice City on the other hand...

Vice City

I was super excited about Vice City’s original release. I had spent a year playing the hell out of GTAIII. It was more than a cultural phenomenon in video games, the world knew GTA, for better or worse. People that thought games were for losers talked about GTA with the same fervor as your common nerd. It was exciting. So to have the sequel coming, I was super excited. In particular, I was excited about the hearse, motor cycles, and “fixed” air craft gameplay.

What I got was a good upgrade, but it didn’t quite capture the same magic I felt while playing GTAIII.  The 80′s theme didn’t do anything for me. I feel like the 80s happened on a separate planet. And I’m way more interested in the 90s (my childhood). While there were legit planes and helicopters, there were arbitrary height limits. It was also pretty lame to have a beach city but not allow swimming. And the city itself didn’t have the charm of Libery City (to me). But I know many of my friends consider VC their favorite.

San Andreas, on the other-hand, was amazing--and probably in my top 10 favorite games. I still don’t feel GTA has matched the accomplishment of SA--and at this point, there’s no excuse for Rock Star not to...

Vice City Stories

I was really intrigued by playing a black character. Also playing one that gets kicked out of the military. I’ve got feelings about the military...Anyway because this was likely written by white guys, there doesn’t seem to be much about racism here. Not like Mafia 3, which chose to really embrace racism as a major theme in the story telling.

I am enjoying being back in these classic GTA games. I love the simple gameplay. San Andreas did a great job of making almost every mission feel unique and having special gameplay moments, whether you’re taking pictures, burning down crops of marijuana, chasing a train on motorbike, air-lifting an armored vehicle, you get up to some pretty cool stuff. IV and V basically just have you drive to location, kill everyone, then escape in a car. (So it felt to me, anyways.) While VCS hasn’t had the San Andreas level of mission variety, it also hasn’t overstayed its welcome like IV and V. Missions have been pretty quick and to the point. They also help tell the story a bit.

Ultimately, I just like getting drive around. That’s what GTA is about...

[chefgeofframsay]

Revelations

Title: Revelations Pairing: Trevor Collins/Reader Rating: PG-13 Word Count: 6,514 Summary: GTA V AU: “Reader and Trevor are in rival crews but they keep that from each other as they start a relationship and find out about the others criminal life while doing a heist and the crews meet?” Commission for @karlitaburrito Warnings: Guns, canon-typical mentions of violence, fights, angst

Rooftops were a quiet place for you to sit and consider things more often than not. Admittedly, you were mostly there to shoot people, which wasn’t the greatest thing that you could be doing but one, if you weren’t up there with a sniper rifle, someone else would be and the whole chain of events would happen regardless and two, at least it gave you time to clear your head. Los Santos looked the way most things did: better from a distance and up on the fifty-story skyscraper, it looked magnificent. It was far quieter than down on the sidewalks where there was constant screaming, car horns, and people who played their (shitty) music too loud. Paired with the smell of garbage and exhausted fumes, it made living in the city far less appealing.

But the view?

The view more than made up for it in the end. You dealt with everything else just to have the ability to jump in a helicopter and sit on a rooftop and stop for a minute, and enjoy. You just wish it’d stay quiet longer than it seemed to.

“Earth to [Y/N] up there!” A woman’s voice coming from the earpiece in your left ear shook you back to reality. “We need you to focus up on the target. We’ve got a minute, maybe a minute and a half tops before that door closes.”

“Have I ever let you down before?” you asked, taking the moment left of calm to screw the silencer onto your sniper.

“There’s a first time for everything,” another voice, male this time, chimed in.

“Adam?” you sighed, squinting to look into your scope properly. You aimed your shot at the fuse box just beyond the cargo bay door that had opened a few minutes ago, waiting until the truck pulled out to pull the trigger. There was a loud bang as the bullet made contact with the target and a shower of electrical sparks before total darkness. “Go fuck yourself.”

Adam’s chuckles buzzed through your earpiece and you smirked as you watched him and Elyse rush through the cargo bay, under the door that was permanently open now that the power was cut. You’d remain up there until they exited the same way they came, or until they told you otherwise. Then there’d be a jump, a parachute to the top of a parking garage, where there’d be a car waiting for you to drive away. Everything was planned perfectly.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Adam whispered quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

Adam’s reply was harder to hear over the sound of gunshots. “You’ll never guess who came in the front door.”

About ten seconds later, you saw three men rush out the cargo bay door and you didn’t have to think about it to figure out who they were. Two were more than familiar to you, and the third you could guess who it was.

“How the fuck did they get here before us?” you grumbled, tracking them as they ran for the alleyway next to the building. “Do you want me to take them out?”

“As much as I want to say yes, it’ll end up damaging the score and it’ll be useless,” Elyse sighed. “We’re bailing before the cops show up and you should do the same.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you grumbled, watching as three members of the Fake AH Crew, your immediate rival in Los Santos (all gangs were rivals but the shit they pulled? Another level of personal) speed out of the alleyway on bikes. In spite of what Elyse told you, out of anger, you aimed for the back tire of the bike holding two people and pulled the trigger. The bike skittered and slid out from under them once the tire popped. You chuckled as you watched them scramble, and as the other bike returned, you lined up a shot and pulled the trigger again, popping the front tire of the other bike. You could have shot those sitting ducks then and there, but deciding to let the LSPD deal with them (you noticed the lights coming) you decided to bail. The parachuting to the garage and getting to the car that’d drive you away worked flawlessly and as you drove down the street, away from the scene of the crime, you could see the cars surrounding them. If nothing else, that certainly made you feel better.

Unfortunately, not everyone was as pleased as you were with yourself about the fact you had shot out the usurpers’ tires.

“You did what?” asked Bruce, giving you a look as if you were absolutely insane.

“Tires. Shot them,” you repeated. “Makes the bikes useless. They got the score but they didn’t get away.”

“And you guys are sure it was Geoff’s lot?” he asked, glancing from you to Adam and then to Elyse.

“Yeah,” sighed Elyse, nodding.

“It was the angry one with glasses, the short one, and the one with the nose,” Adam explained. “Came in the front door and by the time we got to the vault, they were already in there cackling. Thanked us for turning off the lights and rushed out the way we came in.”

“Fuck!” Bruce exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. “First, they beat us there and then we piss them off. You know we don’t have the numbers if they come for us, [Y/N]. And you got three of their guys arrested.”

“But I didn’t kill them, did I?” you asked. “I could have just as easily put those bullets in their head.”

“[Y/N] has a point,” came another voice from another of the men in the room. The source of the voice, Lawrence, was standing near the door, his glasses in one hand while the other rubbed his face. “Maybe not the smartest way to go about it, but they’ve been laughing in our faces and we’re just taking it.”

“Not your decision,” Bruce said slowly. “Though since you two are so bent on bringing a crew twice our size to their knees, you two can figure out how to get us out of this mess before the come knocking on our door.”

You and Lawrence looked at each other, and just shrugged. It wasn’t something that was a suggestion so much as a demand, and you’d already upset Bruce enough for one night. The group more or less dispersed after that, and you made your way over to where Lawrence was standing.

“Do you actually want to help?” he asked you, shoving his glasses back onto his face.

“Do you actually need my help?” you questioned, raising your eyebrows and when he shook his head, you snorted. “Then I guess we’ve got this figured out. I’m going to go home before Trevor gets off from work.”

“Do you want a ride?” Elyse asked as she approached, James close behind.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate it,” you told her, smiling. “I let him borrow my bike because his car got messed up at work.”

“How?” asked James, “doesn’t he work as overnight security?”

“I think his car got hit in the parking lot,” you explained, looking over at him, but it suddenly hit you that Trevor hadn’t actually explained what’d happened to his car. He’d just told you it wasn’t usable for a few days while it got fixed, and asked if he could borrow your Akuma. In the back of the car, while James and Elyse prattled away about a heist the two of them were planning, you pulled your phone out of your jacket pocket to text him.

 [To: Trevor]

 Sorry you might beat me home! I ended up staying at my friend’s later than I meant to. How was work tonight?

You always felt a little guilty about lying to Trevor. It was more of a preservation thing than anything else, and not even preserving yourself. He was safer not knowing the kind of things you got into, or how good you were with a gun. The Fake AH Crew were a predictable bunch, but they always seemed to change the game when you got comfortable. It also didn’t help that you felt as if Trevor was the one normal thing in your life. Your relationship with him was the one thing you never felt dirty about; there wasn’t anything shady about it. You were just two people who loved each other. It was nice (hell, it was necessary) to have one not criminal part of your life.

He didn’t take long to reply, and the buzzing of your phone in your hand shook you from your inner guilt trip.

 [From: Trevor]

Don’t worry, I haven’t left work yet. It’s been a bad night. Boss is unhappy.

[To: Trevor]

I’m sorry, babe :( I’ll be up with whiskey and kisses when you get home.

“How is he, anyway?” Elyse asked, causing you to look up from your phone. She was looking expectantly at you from the rearview mirror.

“What?” you asked confusedly.

“Trevor,” she explained. “I’m assuming that’s who you’re texting.”

“It is,” you chuckled. “He’s had a rough night at work, apparently.”

“He’s not the only one,” she sighed. The two of you seemed to deflate a bit as you remembered the night’s events. How had they gotten there before you? You still couldn’t figure that out.

After a few more minutes of silence, James spoke, turning in the passenger’s seat to look at you.

“Have you told him yet?”

You grimaced. “No.”

“How much longer do you think you’ll get away with not telling him?” he pressed. You shrugged, really not wanting to have this conversation yet again. As much as you loved James and Elyse, they weren’t exactly proponents of how you chose to conduct your life. At least, not when it came to keeping Trevor in the dark.

“Hopefully forever,” you said shortly. “I don’t see the need to involve him in any of it. He’s got enough stress with work, and…”

“And he deserves to know there’s a real possibility that one day, his girlfriend might not come home,” James pointed out, giving you a look. The thought made your stomach churn. You knew how dangerous your chosen lifestyle was, and when you were alone, it didn’t matter much that you continuously put yourself in harm’s way to make money. Trevor hadn’t exactly been in the plans, but he’d appeared and you couldn’t let him get away and now you had to keep both facets of your life separate. It was what kept you sane.

“Just don’t,” you grumbled. “It’s not your business.” Thankfully, he couldn’t get another word in edgewise because Elyse was pulling into an empty spot near the front door of your building. You thanked her for the ride and quickly jumped out, slamming the car door behind you. After punching in the right code to get in the door, and pushing the button on the elevator to get you to the nineteenth floor. While the elevator rambled its way upward, you dug around your pockets for your keys, finally finding them in an inside pocket of your jacket, and as the doors slid open, you headed for the third door on the left. Shoving the key into the lock, you opened your front door and sighed with relief to see you’d still beaten Trevor home.

It didn’t help the guilt thing when he was sitting on the couch waiting for you.

You meandered into your kitchen, pulling two of the nice glasses from the drying rack next to the sink (they never seemed to make it back to their proper home with the rest of your nice drinkware because they were in constant use) and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the cabinet that the two of you left for alcohol. You found your way back into the living room, putting the glasses and bottle onto the coffee table before flopping down onto the couch.

You told yourself you were only going to lay there for a second, and just close your eyes because you were looking right up at the light…

The next thing you knew, an exhausted looking Trevor was sitting on the floor next to where your head was with his back against the couch.

“Hey,” you greeted groggily (you’d definitely fallen asleep), rolling over to face him and reaching a hand out to run it through his hair. “How long have you been home?”

“About five minutes,” he told you, raising his glass to his mouth. “You looked much too cute to wake up.” He smirked, looking over at you before taking a sip of his whiskey. You pulled your hand away from his head and went to sit up to give him space to sit on the couch, but reached back, putting his hand on your hip to stop you.

“Don’t bother,” he said, “I’m comfortable down here. Besides, I don’t think I could get up right now if I tried.”

“If you say so, Trev,” you sighed, settling back in and beginning to play with his hair again; he let his eyes shut and a small smile appeared on his face. “Do you want to talk about work?”

“Not much to talk about,” he explained after a moment. Trevor sighed heavily and leaned back into your hand, giving you a better angle. “Three people didn’t exactly do their jobs right and now the boss isn’t thrilled with any of us.”

Well, that was something you could relate to.

“Sorry you had a bad night,” you said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, turning to look at you, causing your hand to fall from his head again. He smiled at you, and you could tell how tired he was. You’d been with Trevor long enough to notice the way that his tired smile pulled at the corners of his lips and how his eyes just didn’t have that sparkle they usually did.

“One bad night’s not the end of the world,” Trevor pointed out. “It’ll be fine.” He leaned over towards you, giving you a quick kiss. “What about you? How was Elyse’s?”

“It was good,” you lied, groaning internally. You hated these conversations and having to make stuff up, but it beat the alternatives of scaring him away and having two areas of your life you needed to keep secret colliding. “The three of us had dinner out at that place in Vinewood and then we came back and watched some movie and I might have fallen asleep.”

“It’s probably a good thing I had your bike then,” Trevor chuckled. “Or else you might not have made it home.”

“Maybe not,” you agreed. You let out a loud yawn as Trevor emptied his glass of whiskey.

“We should probably both get some sleep,” he suggested and with a bit of effort, he managed to push himself off the floor, stretching out and making various joints crack as he did. “Come on,” he said, holding his hand out for you to take. You grabbed it and went to sit up, but the nap seemed to turn your body to lead and instead of moving, you just groaned. Trevor laughed lazily, tightening his grip on your hand and pulling you up off the couch. He held your hand as he led you on the familiar path through the apartment and into your bedroom. The two of you fell into your usual routine of him changing while you brushed your teeth and washed your face and then switching out (and him kissing your head as you passed each other in the bathroom door way) and then you changed into your pajamas while he brushed his teeth and washed his face. You were waiting in bed, trying to hold off from falling asleep again until Trevor climbed into bed with you.

“Hey,” Trevor said suddenly, popping out of the bathroom as he dried his face. “You know where we haven’t been in a while?”

“Anywhere that doesn’t smell like exhaust fumes and garbage?” you replied, smirking. He rolled his eyes at you, shaking his head.

“I was thinking the Del Perro Pier,” he told you. “Which smells like fish and garbage, so I guess you’re right.” You both laughed at that, and Trevor tossed his towel back into the bathroom and headed for the light-switch. Not long after the room went dark, the bed dipped and an arm snaked its way around your middle. He buried his face in your neck, sighing happily.

“Do you want to go ride the ferris wheel and get stuck at the top for an hour again?” you asked him, chuckling. “Relive our first date?” You felt him smile against your neck.

“Why not?” His voice was muffled but so close to your ear that you had no problem making out the words. “It worked so well for me the first time.” He pressed a kiss to your neck. You couldn’t help but smile at that.

“I don’t see why we can’t,” you told him. “Saturday?”

“Yeah, I think Saturday will work,” he stated. “I think I’m off.”

“We can figure it out tomorrow,” you yawned. “Right now I can’t keep my eyes open.”

“Night,” he muttered into your neck, squeezing you a little bit as he shuffled closer.

You were asleep before you could say anything.

___

You were awoken rudely at noon by your phone ringing loudly on the night stand next to you. You were at a total loss of what was going on for a second, and then you were sure your phone was right there (but you hadn’t plugged it in last night?) and then you recognized the ringtone: Bruce was calling. You reached out and managed to accept the call right before it went to voicemail.

“Hello?” you answered, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We figured out how you’re going to fix this.” Bruce sounded to be in a better mood than he had been last night.

“How?”

“Be ready in an hour, we’re coming to get you. We’ll explain then,” Bruce told you, and then the line went dead. You rolled your eyes, but accepted the fact you had to get up and go take a shower before he got to your apartment. Stopping to check your notifications, you noticed the most recent one was a text from Trevor.

[From: Trevor]

Sorry I’m not home :( Boss called and I had to go in early. I plugged your phone in before I left though!

You shot him a quick sad face in response, and then thanked him for plugging your phone in. You then threw yourself out of bed and within fifteen minutes, you were standing in front of your mirror, dripping wet, trying to decide what to do with your hair. In the end, you blow-dried it the best you could, pulled a beanie (definitely Trevor’s) on as you got dressed, and called it a day. Grabbing your phone, you headed out of your bedroom, grabbed a quick snack, and headed down to the front door of your building. You had barely finished your snack when you saw James pulling up in Bruce’s car with Bruce in the passenger’s seat. Wordlessly, you slid into the back seat, waiting for Bruce to explain.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Bruce finally spoke. “We’re going to meet with Geoff and one of his boys,” Bruce said simply. “You’re coming with me. We’ll see if we can’t hash things out. You’re going to apologize for your outburst and the unfortunate consequences, and that’ll be that.”

You desperately wanted to roll your eyes at the mention of an “outburst” because your actions were perfectly reasonable; if nothing else, they weren’t severe enough. Still, you held your tongue and waited to see if Bruce would go on. When he did, you just continued to listen.

“They might demand we surrender you to them,” he sighed, “and don’t worry, we won’t. Just keep your mouth shut besides the apology. Okay?”

“Fine,” you said quietly. You decided to just go along with it, at least for the time being. You had a terrible habit of not being able to bite your tongue and a burning desire to be snarky at any possible opportunity. But you’d agreed to (maybe) keep your mouth shut (for once) and that was what you’d do. As James pulled the car to the curb and brought it to a stop, you saw that you were meeting at an abandoned warehouse, which seemed cliché (read: lame) but you kept your mouth shut.

“I’ll be here waiting for you guys,” James informed as Bruce opened the door to get out. James turned back to face you and gave you a reassuring thumbs up, making you roll your eyes but nevertheless smile and return it. You slid out of the car, shutting the car door behind you and following after Bruce. The warehouse itself smelled like dust and rust and a bit of gunpowder, and it certainly made your nose crinkle, but you were just glad it didn’t smell like decomp. You hated the fucking smell of decomp. You weren’t surprised to see two other people lurking in the shadows by the staircase and you could just feel the words, the comment about what an obvious (read: lame) power move it was but you bit your tongue once more. You stopped right behind Bruce, crossing your arms while you waited for the others to join you in the middle of the room. After a minute of them talking to each other, they came to meet you, and the first into view was a man you were all too familiar with. Geoff Ramsey, while you’d never actually seen him out on a heist, you recognized his face from the posters. Someone in the crew had rounded up wanted posters of Ramsey a year back and tacked them to the wall for knife target practice. Your attention turned to the other man as he fully came into view. He was…

Trevor.

There was absolutely no doubt in your mind that that was your boyfriend. You squinted because it couldn’t be but the harder you looked the more you realized that yes, it was. The air seemed to leave your lungs and everything suddenly seemed so far away as you stared at him, unable to comprehend anything else that was going on. He was staring back at you like a deer caught in the headlights of a bus. You wanted to run. You wanted to throw up. You wanted to do anything that wasn’t see your boyfriend standing next to Geoff fucking Ramsey, representing your crew’s main rival.

Bruce nudging you in the arm was what brought you back to your senses. “Don’t you have something to say, kid?” he led, giving you a ‘don’t fucking embarrass me’ look.

“Right,” you said breathlessly, looking from Bruce back over to Geoff and Trevor and not really seeing anything. You couldn’t focus; all you saw was two people shaped blurs. “Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” snapped Geoff. “Sorry for ruining our score or getting my guys arrested?”

You could hear your normal self in the back of your mind, saying something along the lines of ‘sorry I didn’t kill them when I had the chance’ but the rest of you was just freaking out about the face Trevor was there, and now Trevor knew what you did.

In the end, it was Bruce that answered.

“You know it wasn’t a big deal,” Bruce sighed. “Your guys are already out and she could have easily aimed those bullets somewhere else but she didn’t. I think we can let it go.”

“I think we’ll let it go when our boy over here has had a chance to show her his knife collection,” Geoff stated, looking over at Trevor with a smug face. Trevor looked panicked as he looked back at Geoff. He shook his head slightly, causing Geoff to roll his eyes.

“What? Are you not going to consider it because she’s a girl?” he groaned. Trevor looked from Geoff to you and back, mouth opening and closing it repeatedly. Geoff glared at him for a moment, and then turned back to you and Bruce.

“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “You guys will bring us the money you lost us when the cops confiscated everything we took, and we’ll call it even.” Bruce looked at you, and then back at Geoff.

“We can do that,” he told him. There was a silence, which Bruce took to mean everything was done. Without another word, he turned and headed back towards the door you came in. You looked at Trevor once more, shaking your head before running after Bruce, who was already at the door. You both got into the car and you couldn’t even hear what Bruce was saying in response to James asking how it went.

You had barely made it back into the crew’s planning room before Bruce was asking what the fuck had just happened and you had burst into tears.

“Trevor,” you sobbed, barely registering James pulling you into a hug.

“Do they have him or something?” Lawrence asked. “[Y/N] I can plan a rescue mission and we can get him back before anything happens.” You shook your head as best you could as James had smushed you to him, still crying.

That’s when it seemed to hit Bruce, judging by the noise of comprehension he made from somewhere near you.

“You know that lanky fuck who likes using knives for fucking everything?” Bruce asked. “I take it that’s Trevor.” You nodded wordlessly.

“Oh fuck,” James groaned. “And you didn’t know, did you?” You shook your head.

“The same way he didn’t know about her,” Elyse pointed out as she entered the mix, shoving a tissue into your hand. You detached yourself from James and wiped your eyes the best you could.

“What do we do now?” asked Lawrence, looking at you with the closest thing to pity you’d ever seen from him.

“First thing’s first,” Bruce sighed, “someone takes [Y/N] home.” When you opened your mouth to protest, he held his hand up to stop you. “You’re feisty and unpredictable at the best of times. You’d be absolutely volatile if we let you out now, and we really can’t afford that. Plus, possibly attacking your long-term boyfriend shouldn’t be high on your list.”

You definitely had no response to that.

“I’ll take her home,” Elyse declared, looping her arm with yours and beginning to tug you towards the door. “I’ll be back soon.” For once in your life, you had no fight in you, you let yourself be led out to Elyse’s car and get shoved into the passenger’s seat. You sat there in silence, still trying to dry your eyes before you realized you weren’t heading toward your home.

“Why are you bringing me to your place?” you asked Elyse, looking over at her. Her eyebrows knitted together and she glanced over at you with a confused look on her face.

“Because you can’t go home,” she told you as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. When you still seemed confused, she pressed on. “They know where you live and that you’re one of us. There’s nothing to stop them from killing you then and there.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” you told her, glaring as your stomach churned at the reality of the situation. You knew she was right; the Fake AH Crew was definitely mad at you specifically, and they’d have easy access to the apartment, but Trevor wouldn’t let him in. You were sure of that. “Either take me home or I’ll walk there.”

“Are you ever not stubborn?” Elyse asked as she turned down the road that would take you home.

“It’s my best quality,” you told her, chuckling slightly. “It’s endearing most of the time.”

Elyse, once she had pulled up to your building, insisted on coming up to your apartment with you, but you talked her down. You wanted to crawl into bed and not deal with the world, and her tearing through your rooms with a gun would impede that. Besides, you seriously doubted they’d think you’d come back to your apartment. Once you were upstairs, you were sure it was okay. The apartment was fairly dark, which made sense considering you hadn’t left any lights on, and you closed the door behind you, sighing with relief.

You went to turn the light on, and once you’d flipped the switch, you found yourself being pushed up against the wall and face to face with Trevor. You gasped in surprise, but didn’t immediately go to throw him off. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it; it was, however, the first time he did it while looking so angry. In fact, you were almost positive you’d never seen him mad before but the way his face was contorted, you were sure he was now.

“How long?” Trevor growled, staring you down. You did your best to keep yourself looking perfectly at ease.

“How long what?”

“How long have you been running with Fakehaus?” he added quickly. “What did they tell you to get you to join? Have they been spying on me using you?”

Your heart fell right into your stomach and for the second time today, you felt your eyes sting with tears, but you’d be damned if you were going to let yourself cry then. “Like two years? Maybe three?” you offered, voice wavering slightly. “I’ve been with them before I even met you, Trevor. And before you ask, I wasn’t ever spying on you. I didn’t know, Trev.”

“When were you going to tell me?”

“I don’t know,” you said before you could stop yourself. “When were you going to tell me?”

Immediately, you knew that was the wrong thing to say. If it was even possible, his face contorted into an even angrier look. His hand met wall, nowhere near you, but the sudden noise was enough to make you jump. Trevor twitched and quickly stepped back from you, as if he’d gotten burned. He rubbed at his face, breathing heavily. You stood there, watching him.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I was never in this for any other reason than that I love you,” you told him, voice almost too quiet to hear. He stared at you for a long moment, an indescribable look in his eyes and then he shook his head.

“I need to go,” he told you and without another word, he opened the front door and slammed it on his way out. You felt like you had just gotten the wind knocked out of you again and without much thought, you slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Pulling your knees to your chest and resting your head on it, you finally let yourself cry. Things felt far too permanent. Considering all the talks of the future the two of you had had, for things to end like that broke your heart in two. You legitimately couldn’t imagine a life without him anymore.

You had no idea how long you were sitting there before the explosions started. At first, they seemed close by sound and the way the lamps in your apartment rattled. They seemed to go on for hours before slowly fading away, but not disappearing. They were just getting further away. It was entirely dark out before you couldn’t hear them anymore, and then James was opening your door with Elyse quick on his heels.

“There you are!” James exclaimed loudly. “Fuck, [Y/N], learn to use a phone.” You looked up at him, tilting your head like a confused puppy.

“What?”

“The bombs have been going off for hours,” sighed Elyse, bending down to be at face level with you. “We were afraid they’d started here…with you.” You shook your head.

“Nope,” you said weakly. “Trevor was here when I got home and he thought I was only with him to spy for the crew and…” you trailed off, sniffling. “He stormed out. The explosions started not long after.”

“One guess who it is, then,” James said. “There are reports that the Fake AH Crew are out in force tonight, but I don’t think it’s all of them doing this.”

“You think it’s Trevor,” you guessed. “I honestly…don’t know anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Elyse told you, “what matters is that you’re alright.”

“Physically? Yeah, I’m fine,” you explained. “Mentally and emotionally? Not so sure about that.”

“No one blames you for that,” James responded. “But we’re worried about you.”

“Come on,” Elyse said, standing up and grabbing your arm to bring you with her. “We’ll grab you some clothes and your phone charger, and you can hole up with us for a while.” Seeing as you didn’t have it in you to argue anymore, you led her to the bedroom, pulled a bag from the closet (being incredibly careful not to touch anything of Trevor’s) and dropping it on the bed. Elyse busied herself with grabbing you changes of clothes, and climbing around your nightstand to unplug your charger while you sat on the bed, shaking your head. You let her lead you out, bag in your hands, and followed James out of the apartment, locking the door behind you guys.

___

The blasts around Los Santos went on for a couple days before they stopped entirely. All the time, you laid on the couch in an apartment that wasn’t yours, watching the news reports. By all accounts, it was the Fake AH Crew setting them off, but Lawrence told you one night (he had come to check up on you considering the crew didn’t seem to trust you alone anymore) that they were trying to track Trevor down to stop him. Hell, even your crew were out trying to find him before he blew up the entire city.

You’d gotten to go back to the operations base when the bombs finally stopped. You sat in your usual spot at the table, looking at each of your fellow crew members in turn and seeing just how tired they looked. What confused you was when Bruce entered the room, shoving his phone back into his pocket and declaring he’d just been talking to Geoff Ramsey.

“[Y/N],” he addressed you as he sat down. “Do you think you’d be up to doing something for me?”

“I don’t see why not,” you sighed. “Sitting around is kind of bumming me out more than I should be.”

“Good,” he said, nodding. “We have some restitution shit to deal with, but there’s something else that needs to be taken care of. I need you to go down to the ferris wheel on Del Perro Pier and wait for a guy.”

You waited for him to continue explaining; when he didn’t, you spoke: “You want me to wait for a guy? What guy? And then what am I supposed to be doing?”

“He’ll be looking for you,” Bruce explained, waving it off. “And you’ll know what to do when it happens. Just…get down there as fast as you can.”

“Without my bike?”

At that, a pair of keys were thrown on the table in front of you. Bruce motioned at them and told you he’d made arrangements to get you a new bike until you got your old one back. Finding no other reason to argue, you grabbed the keys and stood up from the table. You waved at everyone as you headed out the door, and out to the outside world. A click on the lock sounded a horn and brought your attention to a black Akuma not far from the front door. Shrugging, you got on it and kicked the bike to life and zoomed off for Del Perro Pier. You weaved through traffic, hopping onto the curb once or twice to avoid a truck and narrowly avoiding a pedestrian, but before long, you were parking the bike on the pier. You were planning on parking yourself on a bench but as you approached, you saw someone was already sitting there.

“Trevor,” you said breathlessly, causing him to look up at you. At first, there was a look of incredible relief on his face but then he looked ashamed of himself. As you got closer, he stood up and as soon as you were close enough, you threw your arms around him. He hugged you back tightly, burying his face in your hair.

“Fuck, [Y/N],” he breathed, “I’m so fucking sorry.” He pulled away, arms still around you but he was looking at you square in the face. “I shouldn’t have ever yelled at you but I was freaked and I didn’t know what else to do…” he trailed off, “that’s not an excuse but you need to know how fucking sorry I am.”

“I know,” you said quietly. “I’m…sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Don’t be,” he told you. “I didn’t tell you either. We’re both in the wrong there…cancels it out.” You chuckled at the suggestion.

“Yeah?” you asked, “does that mean we can just forget this ever happened and go make out on the ferris wheel like we planned to today?” That made him laugh too.

“I don’t think we can forget this,” he sighed, “but we can figure it out. But right now, I want nothing more in the world than to go make out on the ferris wheel.” The two of you looked over to it, still holding onto each other. You remembered the ferris wheel fondly as it was there the two of you had gotten stuck on your first date and with the nerves of not getting down from the top until they fixed it, you forgot about being nervous about the date itself. It had worked out in your favor in the end, and after you finally got down, Trevor convinced the guy to let you guys go up again to have more alone time.

“I can’t imagine my life without you, [Y/N]” Trevor said seriously. “I spent three days trying to, and I lost my fucking mind,” he added, shaking his head. “I don’t care what it takes, what the crew wants…I’m not letting us go.”

Your heart soared and you couldn’t help but beam. “We’ll figure it out, Trevor,” you told him, “but that doesn’t have to be tonight. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while, even before all of this. Let’s just enjoy some alone time.” You let your arms fall from his torso to instead grab his face and pull him into a kiss, which he reciprocated excitedly. “The world can wait for a bit,” you told him, panting slightly once you’d pulled away. “Right now, let’s go ride the ferris wheel.”

“I wonder if I can pay the guy to get us stuck on top like I did last time,” Trevor mentioned, smirking as he pulled you towards the ride.

[kingofbluebell]

Video Game Forecast 2017

Due to some computer trouble and my lack of time to edit this week, I'm pushing the first anime review on this blog to next week. I want this review to be a good first impression for the greater anime community, and besides, if I rushed it out I'd be letting myself down. Instead, I'm going to ramble on at length about the upcoming games for 2017 that I'm excited to play because people sure love making lists on this topic. Yes, I touched on most of these games in post two weeks ago, but I didn't flesh out exactly why I was excited for them. As always this list reflects my personal taste which is sure to be different from anyone else who reads it. I'm trying to square away some other projects before the first load of games comes knocking at my door so let's finish this quickly. Just like with my other list posts I'll include a table of contents at the start for easier browsing.

Dragon Quest VIII

Gravity Rush 2

Yakuza 0

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Persona 5

Nier Automata

Super Mario Odyssey

Yooka-Laylee/A Hat in Time

Etrian Odyssey V

Kingdom Hearts 3

Dragon Quest VIII 3DS: Unlike the feelings of disappointment that grew as I reached the end of Dragon Quest VII, there is a precedent for me to enjoy this game a whole lot more. Dragon Quest VIII is one of my favorite games of all time, and the ability to easily play it anywhere is always a boon in my book. Sure the lack of the orchestral score, decreased resolution, and a voice actress change are making me hesitant to play it, but at its core, it's still Dragon Quest VIII: the pinnacle of the classic JRPG.  I'll get used to the new voice for Jessica as I did for Chie and Teddie in Persona 4 when Golden came out and like that enhanced release, I'm excited to test out all the new features chief among them being the lack of random encounters. To me, this was the major thing holding back the original Dragon Quest VIII, even if the encounter rate was relatively unobtrusive, and with Akira Toriyama's iconic monster designs seeing those slimes scuttle across the world map is going to be a delight. I'm also curious to see how they've extended the story, especially with the inclusion of the two bonus characters. Plus I want to see what outfits I can put on my favorite guy Yangus.  Unless another game appearing later on this list gets localized this year, or I muster up the will to plow through the Shin Megami Tensei IV duology I can't see another game vying for time in my 3DS this year.

Gravity Rush 2: Sure the dream to have this sequel be another defining title for the PS Vita is long since dead, but the combination of this game existing at all and the befuddling presence of the Vita in 2017 is more than enough to satisfy me. The original Gravity Rush translated very well to the PS4, and demo proves the controls have been refined even further. Being built from the ground up for the PS4 has not only improved the controls, but the brief glimpse of the vistas we'll be able to float through are anything to go by the developers certainly know how to make use of the rest of the PS4's hardware. I hesitate to classify Gravity Rush as a sandbox series, but that's mainly due to my reticence to play many of them now. Most of these games are heavily padded with additional objectives and exist on a playfield so large they become overwhelming. Gravity Rush also contains the myriad of collectibles and repetitive side missions of increasing difficulty however it doesn't immediately hit me that I've done this all before. The series' unique movement options and that said movement options only improve with every digression from the main plot certainly aid in this feeling, yet there is clearly something more. The original Gravity Rush's world, possibly stemming from the fact it was originally a portable game, felt compact and that translated into a more focused experience. I can't wait to see how I can mess around with the sequel's settings, but I hope the developers give me more ways to interact rather than more ground to cover.

Yakuza 0: If there were any franchise that exemplified the tenets I mentioned above it's Yakuza. The way folks over at Sega have gone about expanding the fictional city of Kamurocho, not by expanding the map but instead increasing the number of locations the player can explore in the same space is nothing short of genius game design that reflects actual urban development. This cost saving measure has not only allowed longtime fans to become familiar with the city as they would their real-life neighborhoods but also for the developers to make it come alive by including dozens of unique side activities on top of the already expanding and satisfying combat mechanics. While I'm still relatively new to the Yakuza franchise, my time playing the PS2 entries of the franchise make me excited to play more. I have no reticence jumping into a game further down the development timeline because I don't mind going back to older eras of 3D action games with their relatively stiffer controls. From what little I remember Yakuza 3 is a large step up from the PS2 era titles, and besides the story, design and charm of the franchise are more than enough to get me going back to older games even after playing the most refined game the series has to offer (in English).  I'm just happy Sony and Sega are giving this franchise another chance outside of Japan. Even though prequels tend to get a bad rap in most media the Yakuza series storytelling pedigree has me excited to see how Kazuma and Majima turned into the men we've grown to love. In fact, the game being prequel has also given me the opportunity to sell the concept of this game to as many of my long-time GTA, martial arts, and crime-fiction loving friends as I can. The two-year localization wait for this game is almost at an end, and I can't wait to delve into the opulent world of 80's Japanese crime.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age: I've been a fan of the way Yasumi Matsuno crafts RPGs since before I could easily pronounce his name. His approach to story and characters are as nuanced as the game mechanics that encapsulate them. In my opinion, they're some of the few RPGs that have a real balance between their gameplay and narrative aspects which is saying a lot given the tendency for Japanese RPGs to rely more heavily on the latter for player engagement. The world(s) of Ivalice is one of the most intriguing fantasy settings ever created in any medium and while it saddens me to say we may never get another chapter in its story I'm more than happy to return to its grandest one. Final Fantasy XII was already a huge game within the constraints of a PS2 title, and I'm sure this PS4 upgrade will do its sweeping landscapes justice. More importantly, I'm excited to experience the Zodiac Job system after all these years. The original's license board being fully open for each character, while certainly gave multitudes of customization options, felt almost too broad to the point it became unwieldy to manage. Having a more focus skill set for each playable character will go a long way into making the fights more strategic. After playing Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir I'm curious if this collection will give us the opportunity to use either system for character progression though I'm doubtful it will. What I don't doubt is this title coming out in 2017. With news of more delays on Kingdom Hearts 3 and the Final Fantasy VII remake not to mention the impossibility of any localized version of Dragon Quest XI so soon, this HD remaster will be a solid stop-gap title for Square's RPG market.

Persona 5:  The changing tides of Japanese game development, as well as the maturation of my taste, has made the (Shin) Megami Tensei series overtaking such giants as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest my favorite JRPG meta-franchise. Even almost succumbing to "Persona 4 Fatigue" and being let-down by Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE are not enough to change my mind. Persona 5 has a lot to live up to and from what little I've allowed myself to hear and see it has certainly impressed those who've played it. I'm grateful to have not been spoiled on any of the major plot developments and even many of the finalized game mechanics in the extended wait between the Japanese and global localization. I'm not normally the type of person to care about spoilers, but I've managed to hold back my excitement this long so why throw it all away at the eleventh hour? I haven't seen a new trailer for the game in at least a year, and I've gone so far as to avoid the English VA introduction videos for fear some of their characters are introduced too far into the story. I expect to either set up a myriad of blacklist programs or just take a sabbatical from most online interaction until I beat the game once so as not to be "tainted" by even the most benign meme. Sure I might become a hermit for a few weeks once the game arrives, but it'll be worth it to finally get to enjoy another full-fledged JRPG from masters of the craft.

Nier Automata: Rather than a screenshot I'm starting off this section by showcasing a very telling tweet from Drakengard/Nier creator Taro Yoko. There seems to be an unexplainable amount of pressure for this game to be amazing, and I'm still trying to break down how exactly we got to this point when at E3 2015 there were so many people confused about "the weird guy in the creepy mask".  It's not like after the reveal of Nier Automata the rest of the franchise was made more readily available to a wider audience to get them acclimated to the franchise. The first two Drakengard games weren't released on the PS3 or PS4, and I don't believe Nier is eligible through streaming on PS Now or is backward-compatible with the Xbox One. You would think after the unfortunate state Drakengard 3 released in, being plagued with slowdown and having a third of the content locked away as DLC that cost as much as the base game, that the series would have stopped there. In fact, most fans were shocked Drakengard 3 came out at all. Despite the odds, it seems some folks at Square Enix must enjoy Taro's work and want let him continue to lead projects, which for people like myself is a delightful aberration in this industry. I wouldn't say I'm the most knowledgeable Drakengard/Nier fan, I haven't spent much time looking at the fan-translated supplementary materials, but Nier is still one of my favorite games of all time, so that's why I have high hopes for its sequel. Outside of folks like myself, I believe everyone else's hopes lie are with the developer of Nier Automata: Platinium Games. Despite some recent disappointments, which can partially be blamed on rushed development cycles for licensed products, Platinum Games have been responsible for some of the most mechanically complex and energetic games of all time. Their reputation certainly precedes them at this point, and I think a lot of people believe they'll bring a similar flair and finesse to the combat in Automata. However, after playing the demo it's clear that Nier Automata is going to play a lot closer to the original Nier than Bayonetta. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but that means that 2B isn't the next evolution of cyborg Raiden. Combat in the original Nier was a simple hack and slash with some interesting magic mechanics, and I believe Platinum's involvement with Automata will go a long way in smoothing out the combat in ways Taro's previous team at Cavia was just not capable of doing. From what the demo provided it's clear that Platinum succeeded at this without sapping a lot of the particular flavor people look to get from Taro's games. Personally, I'm ecstatic Taro gets to work with a team known for massive and intricate boss encounters because I can only imagine how much they'll be improved compared to those found in the original Nier.  My biggest wish for 2017 would be for Nier Automata to be a resounding critical and financial success not only for Taro but also for Platinum. After the cancellation of Scalebound and Activision pulling out of licensed game development it'll be a rough time for them to find another project so soon and they could certainly use a big win.

Super Mario Odyssey: While everyone else seems blown away by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the game that piqued my interest more at the Nintendo Switch presentation was Super Mario Odyssey. Seeing Mario in a more sandbox oriented platformer for the first time in over a decade immediately grabbed my attention, and the idea of Mario going on a globe-hopping adventure will aid in making the cliche level tropes you see in most platformers have some distinctive flair. I must admit seeing one of the areas called "New Donk City" made me giggle more than the realization that a lot of the elements in the trailer mimic the original Sonic Adventure. More important to my potential enjoyment of the game was seeing all the additional movement abilities Mario as acquired for this new title. Mario can now swing as if he's performing an uneven bar routine and his hat, that is somehow sentient, can be thrown to act as an additional platform to reach greater distances. I'm unsure if the fan favorite "long jump" has made the transition to this title but it would surprise me if it didn't. Despite all of this I don't think Super Mario Odyssey, despite coming after a collection of solid titles, will be enough for me to purchase a Switch. My infatuation with portable consoles will have me buying the console eventually, but I'll be waiting until I hear more about that new Shin Megami Tensei game.

Yooka-Laylee/A Hat in Time: I'm putting both of these in the same paragraph because my thoughts on each of them are the same. Before Super Mario Odyssey got announced, these were the only 3D sandbox oriented platformers (have to find a better name for that before I take a deeper look at these games) on the horizon after the genre died out just at the start of the 7th console generation. I may not be the biggest fan of Banjo-Kazooie (certainly not its sequel), but I played and still replay on occasion the hell out of Insomniac developed Spyro the Dragon games. I adore the freedom you get roaming large levels and using your platforming prowess combined with your ever expanding move set and power-ups to tackle the various challenges put before you. I even like collecting a ridiculous amount of different collectibles, which is why I'm one of the few people who still emphatically enjoy Donkey Kong 64 outside of the memes. All these factors, as well as a majority of the original Banjo-Kazooie team involved with the project, convinced me and many others to heavily back Yooka-Laylee. The pedigree of the developers and constant updates have put a lot of our fears to rest after some rather large Kickstarter kerfuffles soured plenty on crowdfunding. I can't say I know as much about A Hat in Time though its smaller, inexperienced team and more meager funding explains its near four-year development cycle. Still, I've heard plenty of positive things from those who've backed the project and got to try out the demos. My fondness for the subgenre will have me giving this a shot as well if it reaches its promised release date this year.

Etrian Odyssey V: Last year I fell deeply in love with the plodding and challenging dungeons of the Etrian Odyssey franchise, completing two games. As arduous as they were I enjoyed (almost) every second of my hundred hour journeys, and I anxiously awaited the next title to be localized. I can understand Atlus wanting to make sure their global launch of Persona 5 to go smoothly before announcing any concrete release dates for games, but the wait for any news of Etrian Odyssey V's English localization is making me worry. Now with the Switch the next big thing from Nintendo resources from all companies, including Atlus, shifting to support it. It concerns me that a more niche title like Etriany Odyssey will be forgotten as we move to new hardware. Still the overwhelming success of Pokémon Sun & Moon, the lack of any announcement of a Switch Pokémon RPG, and the fact that Atlus USA tends to localize games for older hardware more often than other companies has me hopeful. Will we see Etrian Odyssey V in 2017? It's possible, and if it turns out to be true this year will be an even better year for games. Until then I should probably take the time to brave Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl to make sure I'm not too rusty.

Kingdom Hearts 3: I know anything can happen now than Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian and Owlboy came out last year, but I'm not holding my breath for Kingdom Hearts 3. I can guarantee to be there day one, but until then I'm not even touching 2.8 until the "third" entry in this franchise gets an actual release day. Just because I still harbor deep feelings for this hot mess of a series doesn't mean I need to be beholden to its whims. I'm not fifteen anymore.

So that's all the games I'm interested in checking out this year. I've chosen a lot of safe bets this year, but a lot of that has to do with me wanting to play a lot of highly rated Japanese games that have taken a while to localize. If any of the heavy hitters on other peoples' lists turn out to be great, I'll try to squeeze them in if I have the time and cash. In addition, every year there are a handful of smaller titles that blow everyone away that few initially knew about and when those inevitably rear their popularity onto the gaming landscape, I'll try to check them out too. I'd love to hear what games the people that read this post are looking forward to in 2017 so either leave a comment here or on my Twitter.

See you next week.

[casselafrommanila]

Morning Routine (Quarantine Edition)

Around a decade ago, my morning routine was peaceful. I’d wake up, make my bed, take a shower, eat a heavy breakfast, get ready to leave for school, and be well on my way there. It was seamless. Sure, getting up is a struggle at 5 AM but it’s nothing compared to what I go through now. Most days, I don’t even have to be up till 7 AM the earliest!

Through the years since finishing high school and having my own crazy college schedule (call time at 7 AM and leave uni later than 7 PM) my morning routine changed little by little until I can no longer call it a “routine.” It became more like an “I-just need-to-get-there-in-one-piece” situation, and it’s contributed to a couple of short term successes but it’s now beginning to feel detrimental to my health in the long run. I’d be lucky if I get to finish my small cup of coffee before dashing out the door.

Day 25 of lockdown

I’ve made small changes to my morning routine since starting WFH and almost instantly I started noticing my improved mood and increased productivity throughout the day. My biggest enemy so far from getting things done at work/school/home is my newly rekindled love for GTA V Online. I admit that some days I’d slip from doing my normal morning routine and just play video games for 4 hours straight without ever seeing the sun rise and set. I let myself have those days because I am in a more relaxed state currently but I trust I’ll get my head straight again when the quarantine is over.

It is worth mentioning that these are personal tidbits that may or may not work for you. If you feel like you are totally not a morning person, there is no sense in trying to make your morning productive while making your evening suffer - the actual time when you’re actually productive. 

Wake up to something that excites you

Isn’t it easier to wake up and get your feet on the ground when you’re about to do/have something that you’re looking forward to? May it be listening to your favorite songs (although I don’t recommend setting that tune as your alarm clock), or reading that first good news article of the day, or simply checking your phone to see how your friends and family are doing on social media. Pretty much anything that works for you!

I instantly grab my phone first thing in the morning because I also use it as my alarm clock. If you’re one like me, I refrain from browsing social media in bed because it turns into an endless spiral of stuff to browse. Instead, I learn Spanish using DuoLingo. When I reach my goal XP for the day, I get off the bed and go about the day. I also find it helpful to drink a good amount of water first thing in the morning because I feel like it further energizes me.

My boyfriend wakes up around an hour after I do so a few minutes before he does, I slightly open the bedroom door so that light goes in the room. I also have hot coffee brewing by that time so he wakes up to the smell of coffee.

It is important to set a time to wake up and to be consistent with it. I have not established that with myself because throughout my work and school duties I have varying call times. However, this is one of the things that I’ve improved on since the lockdown.

Do light chores

I moved out of my mom’s place (or she moved out and I signed a new lease for the place) when I was 19. Responsibilities started piling up as soon as she left and I was overwhelmed with it because I also now had to fend for myself while living in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Because of this overloading stress, I came up with a rule for myself: If it just takes 5 minutes to do it, DO IT NOW.

This rule saved me a lot of trouble. I apply it to my morning routine now. May it be washing the dishes that were left from dinner, if any. Making the bed. Clearing up the couch of clutters. Putting away my cat’s toys back up in her tree. If I do all three, that would still just account to less than 15 minutes of my morning and I already have a lovelier and cozier space to come home to at the end of the day.

If we let these things pile up, that’s when it can trigger a stressful situation. Doing this little by little makes a huge difference.

Breakfast

After a light clean up, I am now ready to make some more mess! HAHA! 

My breakfasts are quite simple meals. I usually make avocado toast or just avocado + milk + sugar eaten like a cereal (and healthier than cereal). I grew up Filipino so I also don’t have any issue eating dinner food for breakfast so sometimes I’ll just heat up what I had from the day before. On days when I have to run out quick, I eat yogurt or baby carrots dipped in hummus, then have a better meal near my workplace. 

I am aware that this is an area that I can definitely still improve on andI am actively working towards it every day. 

Shower and Get Dressed

This is the one of the biggest struggle for me since WFH - even if I’m aware that I have more productivity on days that I do. It’s so simple to do, too. Ughh!

Before quarantine when dressing up, I’m comforted by the fact that I’ve significantly downsized my closet. I routinely check for clothes that I never wear but somehow still own and I put them in a “donate” or “sell” pile then bring them to a donation center when it’s a decent amount. I am currently waiting for nicer weather and end of quarantine for me to do my garage sale as well. Because of my reduced choices of clothing in the morning, I felt less stressed when dressing up. Most of my clothes match with almost all of the other pieces which make my dress-up time less and coffee/relax time more.

Drink water often (throughout the day)

Water is magical. I don’t know how to emphasize this more to anyone who would listen. However, I still know a couple of people that would just refuse to drink water. Maybe it’s about their way of drinking water.

Most of my clients when I work in home cases have their own sparkling water makers at home. If you feel like this can help you hydrate more, then it’s worth investing in a machine for your long term health. The price is quite hefty for me and luckily I already enjoy drinking filtered water as it is. My mom adds lemon to her ice cold water and says she enjoys it better that way. The best help that I discovered when upping my water intake was my choice of tumbler. I’m currently using a tumbler with straw that is very easy to fill up and sip from and also very easy to clean. Because the tumbler is always beside me wherever I am in my home, I always get to drink just whenever I need to. I’d say since, I’ve been taking sips at least every 15 minutes even while deeply immersed in my work.

I find that drinking water also keeps me in good spirits. Like I said, water is magical. Just like how taking a shower almost instantly makes me look forward to being productive, so does drinking water. 

Short Workout

This one depends on the morning I have scheduled, but I’ll still put this one up here since we are on lockdown and I am highly consistent so far.

My favorite people to follow are Fitness Blender (especially on workout I do with my boyfriend) and BodyFit by Amy. I like workouts that I can follow and with well explained reasons why a certain move is beneficial. These two mentioned are amazing at that. I also don’t do too much cardio and instead I focus on resistance training. Through the years, I’ve been actively working on getting my weight up and I’ve read a couple of sources that advise on doing light cardio and focusing more on building strength = muscles.

I know it sounds like a lot for a morning routine but all this (except workout) just takes less than 2 hours. I don’t like rushing through my mornings - even if it means I have to wake up waaaay earlier than normal people would - but I find that this way I get to keep calm for the whole day; because I prepared myself for it.

Good morning!