#even if you made the compilation its so easy to just *also* add the op's url + platform in somewhere else visible on the image

[celepeace]

A monster-taming game recommendation list for fans of Pokemon

Whether you're a pokemon fanatic obsessed with all things pokemon past and present, or a veteran fan disillusioned with GameFreak's recent adoption of monetary philosophies and strategies reminiscent of other major game publishers, or looking for a monster-taming fix as you await new Pokemon content...

I'm compiling here a post of little-known games in the genre that Pokemon fans are likely to enjoy!

Under readmore cause long, but some of these games really don’t get the attention they deserve, so if you have the time, please read!

(I am also likely to keep updating and editing this post)

First up is Temtem!

Temtem is a game made by and for Pokemon fans, from the spanish indie developer Crema. Temtem is currently in early access on Steam and PS5, and is likely to remain in early access until sometime late next year. Full launch will include a Nintendo Switch release, too. Despite this, it has plenty of content to explore before full release. The developers are active, release new content on a semi-regular basis, and are responsive to the community as a whole and individuals if you happen to come across a bug you want to report.

Temtem boasts a wide variety of monsters to collect and train. It takes place in the Airborne Archipelago, a system of floating islands that orbit their star, the Pansun. The monsters inhabiting the archipelago are called Temtem, or tem(s), for short.

As far as game mechanics go, it has many similarities to Pokemon, but also many important distinctions. The biggest one, in my opinion, is that the element of chance has been removed from battle entirely. Moves cannot miss, have the same power constantly, and status afflictions have an obviously displayed countdown to when they will wear off (for instance, sleep lasts as long as it says it will last. Not 2-4 turns). PP does not exist, either. Your tems can battle for as long as their HP holds out. In place of PP, a new system called Stamina exists. Stamina is an individual stat, like HP and Attack. Each move costs a certain amount of stamina. If you go over the amount of stamina your tem has, the deficit is detracted from your health instead, and that tem cannot move next turn. Stamina passively regenerates a certain amount each turn, and items and moves exist that can heal stamina. All battles are also double-battles, you and your opponent will typically have two tems on the field at a time. This is just a few of the differences Temtem has from Pokemon, but they're some of the biggest ones.

Temtem is also a massively multiplayer game. You complete the storyline independently (or with a friend through co-op!), but in the overworld you can see other, real players moving around and interacting with the world. There is also public and area-specific chat you can talk to other players through. Despite this, all multiplayer functions are (currently) completely optional. You do not need to interact with others to complete the game.

Overall, Temtem is suitable for the Pokemon fan who is looking for a more challenging experience. Temtem is not a walk in the park you can blaze through with a single super-strong monster. For one, individual tem strength is more well-balanced than it is in Pokemon. There are very few (if any!) completely useless tems. Even some unevolved tems have their niche in the competitive scene! Aside from that, enemy tamers are scaled quite high, and you typically cannot beat them just from the exp you get from other enemy tamers. You have to do some wild-encounter grinding if you want to progress.

Temtem is a very fun game and I've already gotten over 100 hours out of it, despite only 3/5-ish of the planned content being released!

However, I do feel obligated to warn any prospective players of one thing: the current endgame is quite inaccessible. After you complete what is currently implemented of the main storyline, there is still quite a lot left to explore and do, but much of it is locked behind putting a lot of hours into the game. You kind of have to get perfect temtem to do the current PVE (and this is also somewhat true for the PVP too). By perfect I mean you have to breed a good tem and then train it to get the preferable EVs (called TVs in temtem). This takes... well, for a whole team... tens of hours. Of boring grinding. Some people enjoy it! But I don't. Regardless, the game was still worth buying because the non-endgame content is expansive and fun.

So overall, pros & cons:

Pros

Battle system is more friendly towards a competitive scene

Cute monsters

Lots of gay characters, also you can choose pronouns (including they/them) independently from body type and voice

Less difference between the objectively bad tems and good tems than there is in Pokemon

Lots of stuff to do even in early access

Most conversations with dialog choices have the option to be a complete ass for no reason other than it’s fun

Having less type variety in your team is less punishing than in Pokemon due to the synergy system and types overall having less weaknesses and resistances

At least one major character is nonbinary

Cons

Falls prey to the issue of MMOs having in-game economies that are only accessible to diehard no-life players

Related to the above point, cosmetics are prohibitively expensive

Endgame CURRENTLY is inaccessible to most players unless you buy good monsters from other players or spend tens of hours making your own. However I must add that the grind is great if you like that kind of thing and is quite easy and painless to do while watching a show or something.

Here is their Steam page and here is their official website.

Next is Monster Hunter: Stories!

This is a spinoff game of the Monster Hunter franchise released for the 3DS in 2018. If you're anything like me, and you've played the core Monster Hunter games, you've often thought "Man, I wish I could befriend and ride these cool dragon creatures instead of killing or maiming them!"

Well now you can! In Stories, as I will be calling it, you play as a rider rather than a hunter. Riders steal monster eggs from wild nests to raise them among humans as companions and guardians. And yes, egg stealing is a whole mechanic in of itself in this game.

This game works pretty differently from most monster-collecting games. You do battle (usually) against one or two wild monsters using your own, except you fight alongside your monsters too. With swords and stuff. There's armor and weapons you can smelt to make yourself stronger. Type match-ups also kind of don't exist in this game? Except they do? But not in a way you'd expect?

The vast majority of attacking moves you and your monster use fall into categories reminiscent of rock-paper-scissors. Moves can be categorized as power, speed, or technical. Speed beats power, technical beats speed, and power beats technical. The matchup of your move vs your opponent's determines how a turn will go down. If one move beats the other in matchup, then the winner's move will get to go and the loser doesn't get to do anything. If you tie, you both get hit, but for reduced damage. There's also abilities and basic attacks, with abilities basically being the same as pokemon moves, and basic attacks just being "I hit you for normal damage within this category". Also, you don't control what your monster does all the time in battle. You can tell it to use abilities, but what kind basic attacks it carries out is determined by its species' preference. Velicidrome, for instance, prefers speed attacks, but Yian Garuga prefers technical. Stamina also exists in this game in a very similar manner to Temtem.

Overall this game carries over a lot of mechanics Monster Hunter fans will find familiar (how items and statuses work for instance). You don't have to have played a core Monster Hunter game to enjoy Stories though! It's fine and is easy to understand as a stand-alone.

The story has some likable characters and is rather long (it was actually adapted into an anime!), for those of you who enjoy a good story.

I'd really recommend this one especially. If it sounds fun to you and you can drop $30, just do it. I bought it on a whim and I got a few weeks' worth of playing almost nonstop out of it, and I didn't even get to do everything! (I got distracted by Hades, oops)

Stories is also getting a sequel later next year on the nintendo switch! How exciting!

And yes, you do ride the monsters.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Large variety of cool monsters to befriend and raise

Pretty lengthy story

Every tamable monster is also rideable

Deceptively simple combat mechanics, easy to be okay at, hard to master

Incorporates some mechanics from early turn-based party rpgs like Final Fantasy for a nice twist on the monster collecting genre

Cons

Many monsters are objectively outclassed by other ones, making what can be in an actually good team more limited than you’d expect

3DS graphics inherently means the game looks like it was made 7 years before its time

Here is the Monster Hunter Stories official 3DS product page.

And here is Monster Sanctuary!

Monster sanctuary is a game that just had its 1.0 launch- meaning it was in early access and no longer is! Although the devs say they still plan to implement a few more things into the game in future updates. It is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4.

Monster sanctuary is a metroidvania twist on the typical monster collecting game, meaning it is also a sidescrolling platformer in which you use abilities you gain throughout the game to explore the world around you. The abilities in this case are the monsters you get! Every monster has an ability that helps you traverse the sanctuary.

Speaking of the sanctuary, the game is set in one. The monster sanctuary is a magically shielded area, cut off from the rest of the world, created by an order of monster keepers, people who befriend and protect the mystical monsters inhabiting the world. Humankind encroached too far on the natural habitat of monsters and were hostile to the native wildlife, so the keepers created an area of varied environments to safely protect and preserve the remaining monsters of the world.

Unlike many other monster collecting games, this game only has 5 types: fire, water, earth, air, and neutral. However, the types themselves do not possess resistances and weaknesses. Instead, each monster has its own assigned weaknesses and resistances. And yes, this can include things like debuffs, physical vs special attacks, and the typical elemental types.

All battles are also 3 vs 3! And unlike in pokemon, where you can only hit the enemies nearest, all monsters have the ability to hit any opponent they want. Turns also work a little differently in that speed doesn't exist, you just use 1 move per monster in your turn and then it goes to your opponent's turn. Your monsters hit in whatever order you want them to.

There is also a quite important combo system in this game, where every hit builds a damage multiplier for the next. Moves often hit multiple times per turn. Healing and buffing actions also build this combo counter. So what monsters you have move in what order really counts!

But the main mechanical difference between this and other games in the genre is how it handles levels and skills. Instead of learning a set move at a certain level, this game incorporates a skill tree, and you get to allocate points into different skills as you grow stronger. And jeez, these skill trees are really extensive. Monster sanctuary is a theorycrafter's dream. Each monster has a unique, specially tailored skill tree, making every monster truly able to have its own niche. You can make use of whatever monster you want if you just put thought into it!

And like Temtem, this game is not made to be beatable by children. I'm sure a child could beat it, but it's not made to be inherently child-friendly like pokemon. It's honestly quite difficult.

On top of that, you are actively encouraged to not just be scraping by each battle. Your performance in battle is rated by an automated system that scores your usage of various mechanics like buffs and debuffs applied, type matchups, and effective usage of combos. The rating system directly influences the rewards you get from each battle, including your likelihood of obtaining an egg from one of the wild monsters you battled (no, you don't catch wild monsters in this game, you get eggs and hatch them). If you're not paying attention to how the game works and making good, effective use of your monsters, you'll have a hard time expanding your team!

The music is also really good, it's made by nature to be able to play over and over and not get old as you explore each area, and the composer(s) really did a good job with this. Some area songs, namely the beach one, I especially enjoy, so much so I've actually played it in the background while I do work.

This is a game I would really recommend. If I made it sound intimidating, it is by no means unbeatable, you're just gonna have to put some thought into how you play. At no point did I actually feel frustrated or like something was impossible. When I hit a wall, I was able to recognize what I did wrong and how I could improve, or I could at least realize something wasn't working and experiment until I found a solution. It's challenging in a genuinely fun, rewarding way.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Extremely in-depth combat system

I genuinely don’t know if there’s an objectively bad monster in this game

Evolution exists but is completely optional, as even un-evolved monsters can be great

Entire soundtrack is full of bangers

Large and diverse variety of monsters to tame

Cons

Story is a little lackluster, but passable

That’s the only con I can think of

Here’s a link to their Steam page and the game’s website.

A kind of unorthodox recommendation is the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series!

Likelihood is that everyone reading this has heard of this series already, but just in case anyone hasn't, I thought I'd include it! I would categorize this as a hybrid between the mystery dungeon genre and the monster collecting genre, because you recruit pokemon as you play and can use those pokemon on your team!

If you're unaware, the mystery dungeon genre is a small subset of dungeon crawler games where you progress through randomly generated levels called mystery dungeons. Throughout the dungeons, there will be enemies to fight and items to collect. The challenge of these games is mostly due to the stamina aspect of them, in that you have to manage your resources as you progress through the level. If you go all out in each fight, you will inevitably lose quite quickly. You have to learn to win against enemies while balancing your use of items and PP, so you have enough for the next fight, and the fight after that.

Pokemon mystery dungeon in particular is famous for its stories, the likes of which isn't seen often in Pokemon games. They are hugely story-driven games and are notable for the emotional depth they possess. It's pretty normal for the average player to cry at least once in the span of the game. There's lots of memes about that specifically.

This entry in my list is also unique for being a series. So, which one should you play first? It actually doesn't matter! Each storyline is entirely self-contained and requires no knowledge of prior entries. The quality of each entry varies and is a point of contention among fans. I say you should play all of them, because they all have their merits (though some more than others.... coughgatestoinfinitycough). They're mostly distinct for the generation of Pokemon they take place in. Rescue team is gen 3, Explorers is gen 4, Gates to Infinity is gen 5, Super Mystery Dungeon is gen 6, and Rescue Team DX is a remake of a gen 3 game but has the mechanics and moves of a gen 8 game.

My only real caution is that you play Explorers of Sky, not Darkness or Time. Sky is basically a combination of the two games with added items and content. It's an objective upgrade over its predecessors, and I honestly wouldn't waste money on the other two. 

I’m not going to include a pros and cons list for the PMD series because I’m incredibly biased and it wouldn’t be an honest review.

Next is Monster Crown!

Monster Crown is a monster collecting game that seems to take heavy inspiration from early-gen Pokemon games in particular. It is currently in early access on Steam and is not expensive. I learned about it through the developers of Monster Sanctuary, when they recommended it on their official Discord.

The game has lots of charm and interesting creature designs, and an entirely new take on monster typings as well. Instead of monster types being based off of natural elements like fire, water, electricity, etc. Monster Crown uses typings that seem to be influenced by the personalities of the monsters. For instance, Brutal, Relentless, and Will are all monster types!

It also captures a lot of the charm many of us look fondly upon in early GameBoy-era games. The music is mostly chiptune, with some more modern backing instruments at times, and the visuals are very reminiscent of games like Pokemon Crystal in particular. Monster Crown is definitely the monster collecting game for fans of the 8-bit era!

The thing that stands out the most to me about this game is the breeding system. Instead of one parent monster passing down its species to its offspring, you can create true hybrids in this game.

However, it is very early access. I would consider the current build as an alpha, not even a beta yet! So temper your expectations here. I have not encountered any major bugs, but visual glitches here and there are quite common. The game also could definitely use some polish and streamlining, and is quite limited in content currently. But the dev(s) seem quite active, so I fully expect these kinks to be worked out in time!

The reviews are rather positive, especially for being in early access. I'm all for expanding the monster collecting genre, so if you're looking to expand your horizons in that sense, I would recommend you at least give this one a look! I personally had quite a bit of fun playing Monster Crown and am going to keep an eye out for updates.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Charming artstyle, appealing monster designs

Faithful callback to a bygone era of gaming

Controls are fairly simple and easy to get the hang of (and are completely customizable!)

Cool breeding and hybridization mechanics

There's a starter for each monster type!

You can choose your pronouns, including they/them!

Cons

Inherent nature of being very early access means can be clunky and unpolished at times

Also not much content as of right now, see above

User interface could use some redesign in places

Here’s their Steam page and the official website!

Here’s an oldie but a goodie, Azure Dreams!

This is one I actually haven’t played, mostly because it’s really old and therefore only practically accessible if you play it on an emulator, unless you're one of those old game collectors. Azure Dreams was developed by Konami and released for the PS1 in 1997. My impression of it was that it either didn’t sell well or only took off in Japan, because it’s actually really hard to find any comprehensive information about it on the internet.

Azure Dreams is a monster collecting - dating sim hybrid. You can build relationships with various characters and can pursue some of them romantically, although that isn’t the main draw of the game. There is also a stripped-down version that exists for the GameBoy Color, which forgoes the dating portion of the game entirely.

Azure Dreams is kind of like a mystery dungeon game in that you progress through a randomly generated, ever-changing tower using the help of the familiars you have accrued throughout your adventure. Similarly to Monster Hunter: Stories, you yourself also take part in the fighting alongside your monsters. Each time you enter the tower, your character’s level is lowered to 1, but your familiars keep their experience. Thus, progression is made through strengthening your monsters. To obtain monsters, you collect their eggs, just like in Monster Sanctuary (which, turns out, was at least partially inspired by this game!)

Due to this game being very old and on the PS1, the visuals leave a lot to be desired... but if you can get past that, Azure Dreams has lots of replayability and customization to how you play the game. To this day, it appears it has a somewhat active speedrunning community!

If you don’t mind the effort of using an emulator, and like old games, Azure Dreams just might be that timesink you were looking for in quarantine.

Honorable mentions:

Pokemon Insurgence (or any Pokemon fangame/ROMhack, really!) is a Pokemon fangame that introduces Delta Pokemon, which are really cool type-swapped versions of existing Pokemon. It’s sufficiently challenging and has a lot of variety in what you can catch in the wild, so you can pretty much add whatever you want to your team! The story is quite good, and the main campaign is multiple times longer than a typical Pokemon game’s campaign. Download it here!

ARK: Survival Evolved is NOT a monster collecting game BUT you do get to tame and fight alongside a lot of really cool extinct species, including but not limited to the dinosaurs we all know and love. This game is genuinely fun as hell, especially with friends, but I must warn you: never play on official servers. I highly recommend singleplayer, playing on a casual private server, or making your own server. Here’s the Steam page.

[simonwuvw534]

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[dragimal]

Longform Audio Creepypasta Recs

hey TMA fandom! as a new TMA listener but looooongtime creepypasta fan, I find it rly cool that ppl who aren’t into horror are getting into TMA! I’m hoping this will help bring fresh blood (hah) to the horror fandom, so if you’ve realized that you rather like audio horror but don’t know what else to look into, I’m here to recommend my favorite longform creepypasta narrations! 

this is far from an exhaustive list of long creepypastas, but I just want to introduce some of the stories I consider to be the best of the genre. and while I’m just reccing longform in this post, there are plenty of short one-shots I could rec if anyone wants to ask me abt a specific theme/Entity or even a specific ep of TMA (there are several MAG eps that brought me straight back to a specific creepypasta or two, lmao)

also, I’ll just be linking to MrCreepyPasta’s narrations b/c I’m heavily biased so I mostly listen to him, but there are plenty of other great narrators out there like CreepsMcPasta, CreepypastaJr, etc. (most of their names are variations on a theme asdfgh). and if u just want the text version of any of these, every video I link has a link in its own description back to the original text posting of the story

THAT outta the way, here are my recs! I’ll try to remember all the trigger warnings I can, but keep in mind I tend to be p hardy to most horror content, so there may be some things that slip past simply b/c they don’t register to me. also it’s been a minute since I’ve listened to some of these, so some have updated or I may have just forgotten some aspects. I’ll also update this if ppl find it useful and I find more good long pastas~

Penpal (2.5 hrs, complete)

op recounts some of their odd experiences as a child, all of which stem from an elementary school project involving a pen pal. as he recalls these experiences, a horrifying picture of his past begins to emerge...

easily my favorite pasta of all time-- and that’s saying something, considering there are some damn good recs here. it’s one of the first I read so long ago, and few have come close to what this one made me feel. op does an incredible job of capturing the nostalgia and childhood wanderlust of youth, and the last few lines of each chunk of the story hit like a goddamned truck-- esp "Friends”, I cry like a baby every time, it just.... hits something tender in me...

TW: stalking of children, subsequent kidnapping and child abuse at the end (and while it’s not necessarily *confirmed*, heavy implications of child sexual abuse, for that last bit). implied cat death. some graphic description of the victim of a hit-and-run

Search and Rescue Woods (~5 hrs, ongoing?)

op recalls several of the strange and disturbing experiences (their own and quoted from coworkers) of working search-and-rescue for an unnamed national forest in the US

y’know that feeling u get when u see photos lawn chairs just sitting at the bottom of the ocean? even if there’s a perfectly good explanation for why they’re there, it’s still haunting b/c it feels wrong to see them there, in that context? that’s basically this entire assortment of stories-- the obvious example being the stairs, of course, but even a lot of the human elements feel so out of place and wrong. if you’re a fan of Spiral-type horror w/ a hard edge of Stranger, this is the story for u

TW: generally clinical but graphic descriptions of mutilated bodies. use of the r-slur against an nd individual (it’s during a story that the main character is quoting from a different one-off character, so it thankfully only happens the one time..). child death, in certain stories. some wild animal death

Borrasca (2.5 hrs, complete)

Sam moves to a small mountain town with his family after his father’s job relocates them. he hears some spooky legends about the town, but doesn’t think much of them... that is, until his sister disappears. as Sam and his friends dig deeper into the town’s history to find any clues to his sister’s disappearance, they begin to realize there’s something deeply deeply wrong with their quaint little home

I’ve always loved horror that’s ‘mundane’ enough to be done by regular humans, but vague enough that it could actually be supernatural, under the right circumstances-- and this is one of those mysteries that keeps u guessing until the VERY end. my mind felt like that Pepe Silvia corkboard meme the first time I listened to this, I was losin’ it. this is also prolly one of my favorite examples of MCP’s talent as a narrator, b/c he adds in his own subtle foreshadowing with his voicework, and it blows my mind every time I listen to it again

also worth mentioning there’s a (3.5 hr) sequel! since the horror/mystery is basically done after the first one, the sequel is mostly suspense/thriller and character closure. if ur just here for the horror/mystery and the gut-punch of that first ending, then the sequel isn’t necessary. but if you want more closure for our dear sweet cast who deserve so much better, then by all means!

TW: the ending involves heavy sexual abuse (involving underage girls, no less), part of which is graphic. like I know I joke abt having to take breaks after reading emotionally exhausting stories, but I genuinely had to take a couple days of recovery after this one-- and that’s from someone who’s p hardy to all kinds of graphic content. do NOT take this warning lightly if this is a sensitive topic for you

Tales From the Gas Station (10 hrs for free, otherwise ongoing)

Jack works at a gas station at the edge of a middle-of-nowhere town. Strange things happen at the gas station-- bipedal deer stopping by for a drink, dark gods leaving vague messages, fingers growing from the ground out back, sudden lawn gnome appearances-- All just a part of the daily grind, right?

so if I wanna be totally fair, this is more a rec for Night Vale fans than anything (tho the TMA/WTNV overlap seems to be p significant). the comedic, nonchalant tone taken towards everything supernatural and horrific is p much 1:1 WTNV. I’ve genuinely cried laughing at some of the fuckshit that happens, esp anything involving Jerry. not to say that GST doesn’t have its heavy-horror moments, but the frequency is more comparable to Night Vale’s approach-- dark comedy definitely takes center stage, here. tho this also varies by the POV-- the “Finding Vanessa” arcs are told from the perspective of a more serious character, so the heavy parts are far more frequent and hit a lot harder

as for the time estimate, here’s where it gets a littleee bit complicated. the first version was put out for free, and read for free by MCP (among a few other narrators). this came out in several different parts, and the one video I linked above has compiled *most* of volume 1, but not the Halloween story, featured here. HOWEVER, the author has taken a second go at v1 and beyond, which is currently ongoing and available to buy as books or audiobooks ALSO narrated by MCP!

as for deciding which version to listen to, I’ll just try to describe the differences here. the first version was written entirely via Jack’s online forum posts, which were subject to more direct reader interaction and Jack’s scatterbrain. thus, the first version leaves a LOT more details up to reader interpretation/theorizing, straight up doesn’t have or explain certain plot arcs yet, and is very disorganized in terms of timeline all due to Jack’s canon memory issues. this all, personally, made it v fun and silly to follow, but I’m aware that’s not for everyone. the second version is written from a more standard first person narrative from Jack’s perspective. while Jack’s memory issues still make him an unreliable narrator (often *upsettingly* so in this version), the actual narrative is far more organized, complete, and easy to follow. the fun thing is that the first version can still be considered canon material to the second version, as Jack references making those very forum posts within the second version narrative. so, personally, I consider the second version to be the core cohesive story, while the first version is supplemental, fun material that provides more context for a few of the strange bits that happen in the story (like Jack’s ‘secret admirer’ makes more sense if u’ve listened to the first version). either way, the second version is the only way the story is going to continue (as far as I’m aware), so if you’re ONLY going to listen to one version of the story, listen to the second version

TW: for the first version, there are some uncomfortable jokes/implications at certain points-- associating villains/assholes with fatness and/or personality disorders is unfortunately a running theme, and a few off-color jokes are made abt some of Jack’s conditions (general mental health and his brief use of crutches). there’s also a point at which it’s implied that a specific one-off arc is a ploy to rape Jack, tho nothing actually comes of it beyond awkward scheming (but just in case, that story is specifically “Death at the Gas Station” at the very end of that long compilation, if u wanna skip it). for the second version, I believe the author was made aware of these issues and either straight-up removed or fixed most of them in some way. there’s just one point where an intentionally-questionable character uses the g*psy slur, and a few points where a regular commenter on Jack’s forum posts has w*ndigo in their username

in terms of gore for either one, uhhh maybe some descriptions of injuries? body horror? this one’s a lot harder to call for me, b/c the comedy softens the blow on a lot of the horror

Accounts From a Lonely Broadcast Station (5 hrs, ongoing)

Evelyn is the new voice of a small mountain town’s local radio station. her job is to take calls, play music (ALWAYS play the music), and broadcast emergency warnings whenever the fog rolls in from the surrounding forest. pretty standard stuff. she tries to make the most of it-- if only that damn crow with human eyes would stop watching her...

this one’s similar to Gas Station Tales with its heavy reliance on dark humor, but it takes itself a bit more seriously, with a more even split b/t genuine horror and comedy. also MCP brings in wonderful extra voice talent w/ this one, I RLY love Evelyn's va ;w;

TW: graphic descriptions of mutilation and body horror

My Friend Has Been Living in an Alternate Reality (4 hrs, complete)

op’s eccentric friend, Clint, turns up on op’s doorstep unannounced after several years missing. Clint vanishes again just as abruptly, leaving op with a journal detailing a horrifying, dangerous journey that’s almost too bizarre to believe, yet...

so this one’s more like an action/thriller with horror garnish, tbh-- very exciting and suspenseful! I love the weird, apocalyptic world Clint describes in his journals, and the societies that have cropped up around these hostile circumstances

TW: graphic descriptions of mutilation/injury

My Name is Lily Madwhip (~8 hrs, ongoing)

Lily Madwhip sees things before they happen. they’re usually horrible things like deaths and injuries that she wishes she could prevent but often can’t. at least her best friend-- an angel possessing one of Lily’s dolls-- is around to provide advice

this one’s from the perspective of a little girl, and it leans into dark humor enough to soften at least some of the more traumatic moments. Lily’s young enough that she’s somewhat removed from the full gravity of the deaths around her, but the fact that it’s happening so frequently at all seems to be warping her perspective towards death to be more... casual? is that the right word? it’s just a rly interesting perspective to see for horror. also we’ve got another rly great guest va here for Lily~

TW: brief descriptions of injury, but they’re not graphic. frequent animal death.

The Showers (2.75 hrs, complete)

op recounts a scary story he heard from a teacher back in high school about a vague location and a terrifying encounter. he later ventures to find this location to see the truth for himself, but is it worth it?

this one’s a classic-- I think it was of the first creepypasta I listened to? not this version, but I wouldn’t be able to tell u which narrator it was at the time. I won’t say that this one’s the most unique story out there, but something abt it has always stuck with me?.... idk, I think the premise rly hooks me

TW: oh god it’s been a while, but I don’t remember anything particularly triggering? maybe body horror?

[ilvatu]

Pokemon, What is Cheating? (Hacked vs. Cloned)

Been playing quite a bit of Pokemon Sword/Shield lately and they have just released the first content pack the Isle of Armour. It’s more of the same if you liked the core game, and adds not a huge amount of additional game, but a new “Wild Area” to explore, as well as a huge number of (new/old/additional) Pokemon to the game. I’ve enjoyed it, but I could see how some people could be disappointed with the additional content. 

ANYWAY, playing the games long enough to do more than simply beat them means you have higher goals in mind. Catch ‘em all? Sure, gotta complete that Pokedex. But also? Get a good team, or an ideal team. Which on some level or another will require you to breed for stats/abilities, feed them bottle caps, mints, and perfect IVs and EVs. Not  to mention shiny Pokemon, which are just extremely rare Pokemon with an alternative color palate. 

Naturally it would be easier to trade for some of these mons than acquire them yourself. How can you be sure the Pokemon you receive is legitimate? What is legitimate? 

Hacking mons into your game is a thing. Hilarious even, when you consider twitch.tv/oakslab is a thing. Oakslab will generate any mon you want and trade it to you, for free. So, this is clearly cheating. I don’t have a problem with it, if people want to use it. I have. Hold it against me if you want. It is what it is. 

The problem is when people who want to play the game “”legitimately”” want to acquire Pokemon from other people in a trade. The lengths they will go through to ensure the Pokemon is legit, and how other questionable methods are somehow ok is where I’m stumped. Because fabricating a mon into the game is wrong, but having someone clone one that they found legitimately and then give you the clone is morally superior to hacking. 

I’m going to take a step back for a minute and walk through the exposure I had to this issue. I’ll try to say what I know about the websites, streams, and/or communities involved. 

So, my goal was to have a perfect team. There may be no such thing, but I had a list of mons that I wanted and I wanted to see how good I could get it. I had the mons I wanted, but their stats and abilities were not ideal. There are two ways to get a Pokemon's stats perfect. You can improve an existing Pokemon or you can breed a better one. You can use a bottle cap on an existing Pokemon in order to “hyper train” that stat to be perfect. You can also use items like mints to get their nature adjusted. But the ability the Pokemon has is stuck. You need to have the ability you want as there is no way to change it.

The other way, through, breeding can be more time consuming but over the long term can result in consistently amazing Pokemon.  In order to fix this issue on my own I would need to repeatedly breed Pokemon together in order to get the result I need. I wanted to choose this path, mostly because I felt the long-term benefit would result in an easier or faster way to get new mons the way I wanted faster. 

Enter Ditto. The Pokemon that can breed with everything. Every Pokemon can breed with a Ditto, even Pokemon that can’t typically breed with each other, or gender-less Pokemon. I did have a Ditto, but its stats suffered from the same issue my other mons did. They were trash. Also, Ditto cannot breed with other Dittos. Apparently this would result in a gravy train so rich that even the developers thought it shouldn’t be possible. Also, if you breed a Pokemon that has been hyper trained, it’s hyper trained stats do not transfer. It will pass on its original shitty stats. The only way to get a perfect Ditto is to catch one or trade for one. Each Pokemon has six stats with 31 possibilities. Finding a Ditto in the wild with perfect stats would be (1/31)^6 or 1 in 887,503,681. Terrible fucking odds. 

Subnote: you can find Dittos with good stats yourself via max raid battles, but manipulating the spawns for them seems just as cheaty as any of the methods I am about to go over, but would likely result in still costing a greater amount of time. 

So at this point I was like “fuck it.” I’m going to try to find someone on the internet to trade me one. Just get one good Ditto from an outside source and then I can breed to my heart’s content. To Google. I found two sources of Pokemon at this point, which I will go over in turn. The first was a Subreddit which boiled down to “we’ll give you a Ditto of your choice, once every 48 hours.” I had to install Pokemon Home on my phone and Switch, but I did receive three perfect Dittos this way. I also learned about natures, which is why I got three Dittos. Op success.

I also discovered Oak’s lab, which I went over in some detail before. But through Oakslab I had my first exposure to Pokemon Showdown and the community there. Specifically the “Wifi” community, which is going to consist of the real meat of this post. In order to request a Pokemon from the Oakslab stream, you have to first export one you made using Showdown’s Teambuilder. I did this, got my mon, sweet. Also Showdown’s Teambuilder is a fun tool that lets me screw around with stats and stuff. Very useful as a tool for theory crafting. 

My other thought is that I could just be lazy. Get a Pokemon via Oakslab, breed it with a Ditto, and take the resulting Pokemon which would have all of my trainer info on it. Would that Pokemon be legal? Hell no, but there’s no way to prove otherwise, right? Oh how wrong I am. I have done this method of breeding what I want a few times. I don’t care, and nobody I ever play with will likely ever notice. But holy fuck is this community insane about what is and is not cheating. 

So the MOTD of the Wifi chat room for Pokemon Showdown is what sparked me to write this. Not just the dichotomy of writing in bold letters about how hacked Pokemon are the devil, while at the same time having an approved list of “cloners,” but for having one of the most through and detailed proof requirements that I have seen of any game. Even Goldeneye “Elite” mods like Goose don’t have proof requirements this detailed. And that dude is really fucking into busting the balls of proof requirements on a number of games, not just Goldeneye.

The proof requirements are insane, but they essentially want you to create a video that shows you catching the Pokemon, and then going and viewing its stats and other info. They also want you to use an out-of-game tool to publish your seed and time of day and stuff. Like, in order to prove that your Pokemon isn’t hacked you have to prove that you have the ability to hack Pokemon. 

BUT, clones are OK and christian. Here are a list of people who can do it for you.

Of course, any issue found with a mon you have here results in a ban. They have no other method of control and couldn’t possibly understand why people wouldn’t keep a cache videos of every mon they’ve ever caught ever. 

Its more of a whitelist thing, I’d guess. Like, your mon might not be illegal, but if you don’t have direct evidence of it’s legality then you can’t trade it. 

I suppose if you want to keep your game completely legitimate that is the same as me choosing to use hacked Pokemon. It wouldn’t be right for me to claim that I have a real one and then give them my genned Oakslab stuff. But at the same time having someone clone a shiny mon from someone else so you can both have one is ok. Everyone should be allowed to play the game how they see fit, I just think that it’s insanity that they think that this sort of proof is sufficient and yet easy for laypeople to compile. 

This all flies in the face of the existence of Oakslab, which churns out hacked Pokemon as fast as it can, and it has almost a thousand people waiting in line to get theirs during peak times for EU. 

It also flies in the face of Showdown in general. A website where you can just use a tool to make any team you want and battle with it in a simulator with other people as much as you want. A battle simulator for a game they have no affiliation with. 

Lastly, it flies in the face of the base game. There is specifically a rule in Wifi that says that if you received a Pokemon through GTS (Pokemon Home strangers donating mons to you) or if you received one through a “Surprise Trade” or through the game trading system, that they are likely hacked and prohibited from trade. In other words, they acknowledge that people in-game are handing out hacked mons willy-nilly and that if you participate in these systems you are likely acquiring hacked Pokemon. 

I did receive a shiny Magikarp in surprise trade recently which I suspect is legitimate. I will be using it as if it were. It has me thinking though, that it might be hacked. It doesn’t bother me so much, but I know that I could not trade this on their website because I cannot prove its legitimacy. 

I am trying to withhold judgement as much as I can here. My issue isn’t really with the people who want hacked Pokemon, or the people who want to only acquire legitimate mons. My real gripe is with the people who run Showdown seem to be determining morality for people. They are dominating the grey area between copying Pokemon games, and what is morally allowed to be traded. Why is a cloned Pokemon ok but a hacked one not? What difference is it if you used in-game mechanics to achieve the same result? 

As long as people are straight forward about how they acquired whatever they trade I wouldn’t have an issue with it. The Pokemon giveaways subreddit doesn’t have an issue with how you acquired it as long as you disclose it. They have tags for legit, cloned, and hacked. It should be up to the user to determine what is acceptable to them. 

I will end by saying that doing cheats or immoral things like duping Pokemon has been possible since Gen 1 Red/Blue days.Pulling the link cable before the trade was done, or abusing missingno for unlimited master balls or other items. I don’t really see this as any better than cloning or Oakslab. Back then we didn’t even have gamefaqs, or if we did we weren’t old enough to ask our parents to dial in to AOL. It was this underground thing. A friend of a friend showed you how to do it, and then you could show your friends. It was all fun and games until someone’s save got corrupted. 

Final thought is that it bothers me that people who operate a website that exists in a legal grey area are very quick to pass judgement on the way other people want to play their game. Maybe it makes the most sense, but maybe don’t throw stones in glass houses is all I’m saying. 

[funface2]

Death Note: 10 L Memes As Funny As He Is | CBR – CBR – Comic Book Resources

It’s been years since Death Note ended, yet we find ourselves drawn to his gripping series like moths to a flame. Part of that has to do with the series’ nail-biting mysteries and iconic characters. But the other part of that admittedly stems from all of the hilarious Death Note memes out there.

RELATED: Death Note: 10 Weird Differences Between the Anime and the 2017 Netflix Movie

Perhaps no other character from the series inspired as many mems as L Lawliet – the eccentric sleuth that nearly exposed Kira to the world at large. To honor his memory, we’ve compiled 10 of the funniest L memes we could find around the web. It goes without saying – especially regarding a legendary series from the early 2000’s – but here there be spoilers! If you haven’t finished the series by now (you blasphemer,) read ahead at your own peril.

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10 Take This L

When someone goofs hard, we often tell them to ‘hold an L’ – aka accept your loss and try not to screw up so badly in the future. Were you planning on asking your crush to Prom, but botched your proposal. Hold this L. Did a movie theater employee tell you to enjoy your film, and you mindlessly “thanks, you too?” Hold this L!

This meme adds a new connotation to the phrase – hearkening back to the first Legend of Zelda game on the Famicon. Now, the expressions ‘hold this L’ or ‘take this L’ are akin to phrases like ‘Godspeed Spider-Man’ or ‘May the Force be with you.’ If a friend is about to pull an all-nighter to try and snag a promotion, you can say ‘take this L’ as a way of wishing them well. Though your mate will probably just think you’re making fun of them, come to think of it.

9 Laziness

Ain’t technology grand? A few decades ago, the ability to video chat with someone on the other side of the globe was the stuff of Sci-Fi novels. Now, most of us have pocket-sized supercomputers that do almost anything and everything. Surely, the advent of such sophisticated technology would usher in a new Golden Age for mankind!

Well, as this meme highlights, it would seem that smartphones have made us lazier – not smarter. This scene comes from one of the earlier chapters in Death Note – wherein L infiltrates Light’s new college to try and catch him red-handed. Out of context, however, it just looks like L and Light are phone-droning to the nth degree.

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8 Creepy Cute

There’s no shortage of Death Note fans that ardently believed L was hot as Hell. We remember it like yesterday – witnessing thousands of fangirls and fanboys posting pics of themselves with L body pillows on social media.

RELATED: The 10 Smartest Heroes In Death Note, Ranked

We won’t deny that, in his own way, L is a rather charming fellow. However, as this meme suggests, L is creepy cute – like a bat or a pet snake. Our favorite aspect of Lawliet’s character is how little he cares about other peoples’ opinions – he’ll look as disheveled and unhinged as he wants, consequences be damned!

7 Sitting Strangely

L’s signature sitting pose is another example of how little he cares about what others think of him. Our man looks like an owl waiting to catch a field rat for lunch – which isn’ t too far from wrong, come to think of it.

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the series sort of disregarded its source material at every corner, but Lakeith Stanfield’s depiction of L at least struck this pose a few times. Oh, we just thought of another diss; L looks he’s squatting over a toilet, ready to drop a tactical nuke!

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6 Challenge Accepted

Arthur memes are honestly some of the best out there- pure facts! No matter the subject and regardless of timing, these memes seem to work every time. To rest our case, we present this meme that calls back to the very beginning of Deat Note – when L challenged Light on live TV!

As fans of the series know all too well, L’s challenge was merely a part of an elaborate plan – one that Light fell for hook, line, and sinker. Just the thought of Light getting triggered enough to bawl his fist a character from a children’s show is golden!

5 Light Is Kira

Are you familiar with the Cassandra Metaphor, by any chance? It’s essentially a moment wherein someone tries to warn others of an impending threat, only to be met with skepticism and ire. But only later on, when it’s far too late, are the futurist’s words proven true.

RELATED: 10 Supernatural Anime To Watch Right Now

That predicament, in a nutshell, epitomizes L’s struggle throughout the entirety of Death Note. Since the beginning of the series, L heavily suspected that Light was Kira. But everyone else swore up and down that the wunderkind couldn’t have been the mass murderer. Even L started second-guessing himself – right before Light put his master plan into action.

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4 L’s Always Right

Off course, things would have gone much more smoothly if everyone adhered to these two simple tenets. Think about it like this; Light more or less had free reign since the only person who consistently challenged him was L. Everyone else, including the task force officers hunting Kira, essentially took his word at face value.

L, in stark contrast, constantly found himself wrestling with the police officers that were supposed to be under his command. Were L able to conduct the operation without any obstructions, we think there’s a high chance he would’ve caught Light/Kira very early on. But, then again, the series would’ve been over in about 5 chapters tops.

3 That Was Easy

Though L never managed to take down Light directly, his work paved the way for his successors – Near and Mello. By the time Lawliet, unfortunately, passed away, everyone learned to stop questioning the smartest guy in the room.

As a result, Near had a much easier time exposing Light than L did. Granted, the young boy had to put his life on the line – after Mello outright sacrificed himself – but he managed to capture Light in a matter of chapters.

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2 L Didn’t Die

There are a few pervasive theories out there that suggest L’s survival at the end of the series. Some like to think that Lawliet, migrated to the world of My Hero Academia – taking on the role of Shota Aizawa.

Others believe that L became Ulquiorra Cifer from Bleach – as this meme points out. While we think that L becoming such an OP character is a cool thought, we also detest the notion of him becoming a villain – as well as getting rekt by Ichigo in the long run.

1 Samuel L Jackson

There isn’t too much nuance or coherent logic to this meme, but it’s simply too good to pass up!

Combine one of the greatest minds in animanga with one of the dopest actors of the modern age and who do you get? Samuel L Jackson!

NEXT: Death Note: 10 Facts About L You Didn’t Know

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[asaspro-blog]

A fully compiled list of suggestions for FortNite

New Post: https://fortnite.asas.pro/a-fully-compiled-list-of-suggestions-for-fortnite/

#fortnite #game #fun #esport #news

A fully compiled list of suggestions for FortNite

Before you start reading, I think this game is nearly perfect. I haven't enjoyed gaming this much since the release nearly MW2. This is just a list of ideas I have thought of or seen all in one place that could be used to make Fortnite even better than it is now! Not all of these changes are neccessary, however, it would be nice to have Epic see this list so they are aware of some of the things that might need changing in future patches. If I have not given people credit, I apologise, the list is too long for me to go find the OP's of some of these ideas. Also, if you do not like any of my suggestions, let me know why you think it would be a bad idea.

First off the spectate mode needs a serious overhaul. I understand that they don't want teammates to be massive helpers but seriously, there is no reason we should be forced to spectate with no HUD, no map, no crosshairs, no teammates names. One really annoying thing is not being able to see damage numbers coming off enemies in spectate mode. This needs to be updated so I can actually enjoy spectating.

Now that there is no more friendly fire in squads and duos, going into your inventory screen should also show you your team mates inventories.

Be able to spectate your friends while they are in a game and you are in the lobby. I again understand that this may be not wanted due to the previous argument listed, but when I see a friend that is in a game with 10 alive, I want to watch and gee up so badly. – maybe have a 1-minute delay on the spectate?

You should be able to continue running whilst in the inventory. Controls for this should be the right-stick or d-pad. It would be much easier to make inventory changes on the go, especially when running from the storm.

I think that bushes (item and map-bushes) are a good meta in the game; they offer the chance to win to almost anyone. They cater to people who enjoy the stealthy playstyle. That being said, it is far too difficult to see or notice whether someone is in a bush or not, I shouldn't have to shoot a bush to see if someone is in it. Ideally there would be something that would indicate that someone is in it; maybe make it shake/ shimmer every [designated time] or have a different colour, or feet just poking out the bottom very slightly. Also, after using the bush item, there should be some way to remove the bush. It seriously takes up half your screen and if someone is standing 5-10m in front of you in a close fight you legitimately cant see them.

If your bandages stack over 15 when picking up some more, it should not drop your weapon, but rather pick up the exact amount to get to 15 for one stack. No one ever needs more than 15 bandages.

Mini-shields, bandages and grenades should auto pick-up if you already have some in your inventory.

When in spectator mode other teammates should have a glow around them that is visible through walls, eg. CS:GO. This one can maybe be skipped, as it is a bit gimmicky and takes some skill out of the game. I do think that it is fair enough just for the fact that when you're in your forts, sometimes its a clusterfuck trying to find which level people are on and what not.

Console players should be able to bind their own controls. It's surely not too much time or effort to allow this to happen. As well as this, players should be able to switch the order of their building/ assign buttons eg. R1, R2, L1, L2. Also, at the moment there is a bit of delay on console after pressing the build button to being able to rotate through your build options. The delay is really slight, but when I am in a hectic close encounter fight and want to build, I know that I just have to press circle, R1, R1 to get my ramp. So I smash it really quickly but instead of taking me to my ramp, I will instead change a gun and only move one step across to the floor due to the delay. Please change this.

Kill cams. Final kill cam at least. So many times I think I'm in the all clear and just get killed out of knowhere. It'd be nice to know how you died.

After you win the game, give 10 seconds of running around/ emote time to celebrate your win. It would be funny to see all the creative celebrations people would do after winning. Allowing building in this time would be cool too. I saw an idea to even pick an emote that will automatically play when you win. There should also be a "podium" shot almost of you and your squad doing a victory pose or whatever like in COD:WW2

There should be some challenges or achievements which give you awards. Even if its as simple as a different colour umbrella for amount of wins. Green – 5, Red – 10, Blue – 20, Purple – 50, Gold – 100. This” style=”width:100%; height:auto;”>

Bugs

The weapons not picking up glitch has been happening so much more recently. Not sure if something has changed but this needs to be fixed eventually.

I'm not sure if the sniper and shotgun glitches are real or not, but I have definitely had times with each which have made me think WTF after shooting through him. If this is a bug then it needs to be fixed.

Recently I had a glitch that so far I have not been able to recreate. It is a bit difficult to explain so I will give it a go. I was in a fort and I was looking at another guy in a fort about 100m away. I was moving back and forth on my ramp to pop my head out and take cover. It was either my wall or his wall that was a bit broken, but when I moved back and forth passed my wall, I would see a split second shadow/silhouette of his full body through the wall. Made it really easy to snipe him.

If you are switching to a bandage or shield and spamming R2 to use the item, sometimes a 'fake shot' comes from your gun. The gun sounds and feels like it just shot, giving away your position to enemies, but not actually firing the bullet.

Sometimes, when building, your building rotates to try to fit the terrain and then stays locked in that rotation. Can lead to annoying deaths.

Additions

I think the Fortnite combat system is seriously fucking fun. When I play, I often just jump to the most popular areas and run around killing as many people as I can, rather than actually trying to win. There should be some ways we can play this game without having to play a survival based game mode. I think that some form of either 1v1 duels, 2v2 or 4v4 duo and squad battles that take place in various POI's of the map. This could be similair to a counter strike search and destroy type mode, or even a straight out deathmatch. Some people argue "this is a battle royale survival game, dont try to change it". That argument is silly IMO. Why limit the enjoyment we can have with this great unique combat system and force us into one game mode. With 40 million players atm I think that there would be no issues with "stealing" some of the player base to these other game modes. If they were to create some of these game modes, it would ensure so much more longevity to the game. I'm not sure how long I will be able to continue just with the battle royale mode for a year or so.

Similar to the last point, I think that the ability to create custom matches would be a very solid addition to this game. First off, there needs to be a sandbox/practice mode to practice building and to an extent shooting. It should just be a small portion of the loading island with some resources, guns and target dummies. Being able to create a private match with 1 mate just to test certain things out would be really beneficial, and it would also be fun as fuck to be able to 1v1 your friends.

For limited time game modes, I think that a Snipers/pistols or snipers/shottys game mode would be an enjoyable addition. I saw a good idea of having it as a 'Wild West' type mode with only snipers, revolvers and pump shotties.

Edit:

More things on the list

Duos on OCE all the time! Having duos only online from 4-11:30 is seriously shit. After 11:30 all of squads is just duos that cant play anymore cause the servers have shut. I get that Epic wouldn't want to restrict their players from playing with each other, but how often do you have 4 people who can play at the same time not during peak times? I think duos should always be available as it is much more competitive.

Although I love the new map so far, I feel like we might have just gotten too many POI's. I used to think that the east side had maybe 1 too many, but now the west side has probably more POI's than the east. I feel like it just spreads out the population base too thin for there to be exciting games from all of the players. An idea might be to have rotating POI's so they can make the most out of the POI and the models, but reduce the amount lf drop locations for players.

If there is anything you feel that I have missed or should be added, let me know and I will add them on.

[axelwolf-the-nighttail-blog]

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If you cannot figure, i am just a considerable supporter of chlorine bleach so your official tool determined by it may generate me several fun. This style a can certainly produce a social gathering of your buddies and finish co op mission the video game has, which be a pleasurable sensation. |Courageous souls consists of a very highly flexible figure refinement mechanism that enables you to surely enter in battles for sensation to achieve quantities information and grow their bottom data, increase their max position, work out them throughout the soul tree to strengthen their data or weblink information with each other to deliver greater service. product reviews.

[shaphillips04th-blog]

SPLASH ZONE: THE 10 BEST WATERPROOF BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS

The truth is that ancient man would have loved to have some waterproof speakers so that when they were camping, fishing, hiking, backpacking, hunting wild boar, or just spending a day at ye olde swimming hole they could have some music to set the mood. By grabbing yourself a rugged, portable, wireless sound pounder, you ensure that you’re the life of the party, even when that party is on top of the world, literally. So that you may become the master of funk, we’ve compiled the 10 best waterproof Bluetooth speakers for your listening pleasure. Please note that “waterproof” can sometimes just mean “extremely water-resistant” to certain manufacturers.

PHOTIVE HYDRA

Pro: Can survive full submergence

Con: Phone mic is pretty poor

 Water Wizard: Though it bears a rating of IP66, it isn’t as rough and rugged as some of its competition so it might not be the best to take camping and hiking, but for listening at the beach or while taking a soak this certainly performs. It handles dust and water like a champ and you can even give it a quick bath without worrying about long-term damage. It uses a dual set of 40mm drivers along with a passive subwoofer that creates a nice level of sound with just a hint of a bass bump. A shockingly good combo at a very reasonable price. All the on-board controls are easy to use and intuitive so once you’ve got it synced and ready for action, it’s usually easier to just work it right from the box. As far as connectivity range goes, the true 4.0 Bluetooth reaches up to the lower range of Airplay speakers without dropping a note, which is exceptional by most wireless standards. The HYDRA can be used as a speakerphone, but the mic is certainly one of the areas that the company cut costs. It’s better than a can on a string, but only just. [Purchase: $60]

BOOM SWIMMER

Pro: Flexible tail allows it to be hung anywhere

Con: Not loud enough for outdoor use

 The Insider: Don’t be put off by the fact that it looks like it is either a novelty-sized Hershey’s Kiss or is about to go get your girlfriend pregnant. That, let’s say “tadpole,” design is part of what makes this an incredible waterproof wireless speaker. The tail end is flexible allowing you to hang it in the kitchen, over the showerhead, or even through a belt loop. It also has a suction cup mounting capability which makes it one of the easiest speakers to tote around when you’re doing housework, out in the shop, or just giving yourself a refreshing straight razor shave since it can go anywhere without special mounting or taking up space. When it comes to fighting off moisture, the Swimmer can sit in water up to a meter in depth for up to 20 minutes without taking damage, so don’t sweat if it takes a quick dip. The sound is good for indoor use and relatively loud for the size of the speaker, but it won’t travel well in the open air and prefers rooms with good acoustics. [Purchase: $69]

ECOXGEAR ECOXBT

Pro: Floats

Con: Limited sound quality and range

 The Big Bobber: This goes beyond just being able to survive being submerged, if you want to drown it then you literally have to hold it underwater like you’re trying to kill Jason Voorhees because it is completely buoyant. It is the ideal waterproof speaker for taking your tunes out onto the lake, into fishing kayak, or along for the ride as you attack some whitewater rapids since if you drop it it can just be collected later. The battery will give you about 10 hours of life and it can take calls, though your caller will probably find your voice distorted as the microphone is not very sensitive and gets easily drowned out air currents. The overall sound quality isn’t stunning, so don’t expect it to bring tears to your eyes with its rendition of the Ave Maria, but you’ll get passable noise that works for a single person or small group. An included carabineer will allow it to clip to your belt or pack when you need a little travelling music. [Purchase: $90]

ALTEC LANSING LIFE JACKET

Pro: Vocal phone activation

Con: Machine’s voice can be annoying

 Hands Free: The first thing you’ll notice about the Life Jacket is it would be perfect for sitting by the pool if it weren’t so hideous that you would never sit anywhere public with it. The 80’s style goes great with your New Kids On The Block collection and the 2.5 inch drivers push good sound for their size that lets The Cure come through crystal clear. Though you might need to hide its looks under a bushel or at least a Rude Dog tee-shirt, the advantage is that it can be operated via simple voice confirmation that allows you to take calls without touching your phone. It also gives you audio updates, which are both convenient and obnoxious since you can’t turn them down or disable them. The NFC (Near Field Communication) lets it sync with up to 8 devices so you can travel with it or leave it out for the whole family to use. The battery life is exceptional for the overall size with 16 hours of playback possible so long as you keep the volume at half mast. [Purchase: $97]

KOHLER GPM MOXIE

Pro: Specifically made for the shower

Con: No on-board controls

 Shower Power: Kohler isn’t known for their great speakers, but they have made a name for themselves in the faucet and showerhead industry, which is why we had to give this item a look. If you’re one of those people who can’t resist doing a solo of “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” as you clean your bib and tucker, then you’ll enjoy this fresh, clean take on the bluetooth speaker. The speaker itself pops in and out of the showerhead so you can recharge it or carry it around, though the two really are meant to work in tandem for best effect. There aren’t any controls on the speaker itself, so that all has to be handled through your bluetooth device, but it does fill smaller spaces well and can easily overcome the sound of falling or splashing water. The actual showerhead itself is also well built and uses a 60 spigot system to give you a good spray with quality coverage even in larger showers. [Purchase: $110]

SCOSCHE BOOM BOTTLE

Pro: Fits in water bottle holders

Con: Can be drowned out by traffic noise

 Built for Bikes: This is a fascinating little piece of equipment that is geared directly to the cyclist crowd who want to take their music with them, but worry that a pair of over-ear headphones might interfere with their ability to navigate on busy streets or hear audio cues that could save their life. The Boom Bottle is a cylindrical waterproof speaker dedicated to fitting directly into the water bottle mount on a bicycle. The sound carries reasonably well, though high traffic areas or proximity to cars moving at higher speeds will drown it out, which is part of the point. The dual 40mm drivers are positioned internally to direct sound up and out for use exclusively in the outdoors and can add a nice accompaniment to a mountain biking group or be fit into the water bottle bag on a travel backpack to turn a hiking expedition into an impromptu dance party. While the actual sound needs work, the idea is clever and little else fills this niche effectively. [Purchase: $130]

BRAVEN BRV-X

Pro: Acts as a battery charger

Con: Bluetooth range is weak

 Most for the Money: This manages to take all the best bits and pieces from its competition and roll them into a single package. It can survive in water up to 1 meter so long as it isn’t there for more than a couple of minutes thanks to a tightly sealed rubber over molding. The molded exterior is also shock absorbent and keeps internal damage to a minimum should the BRV-X take a tumble. The 5200 mAh battery can be used as a charger for a couple of devices just in case your handheld GPS becomes more important than banging your head to your special thrash metal playlist. You’ll find it has two modes for indoor and outdoor use that make the most of the speaker’s power and clarity depending on your environment. A couple of BRV-X’s can be synced up to a single bluetooth device and assigned right and left roles for a stereo quality sound, even on the go. At a pound and a half with carrying strap, it’s easy to transport as well. [Purchase: $155]

LOGITECH UE BOOM

Pro: Multiple speakers can be paired with a single device

Con: Limited bass output

 Plenty of Power: The Boom is largely the go anywhere at any time choice these type of speakers. The cylindrical design is easy to just grab and go while the D-ring allows it to snap onto a bag or a bike in case you don’t feel like snagging your earbuds to take your music along. The sealed body is comprised of a 7.1 x 2.6-inch cylindrical speaker covered in mesh which surrounds two 1.5 inch drivers that are supported by a pair of passive sound radiators to help push out the bass. Despite the name, bass is actually where this seemed to fall the shortest as it hit highs and mids with clarity while lows tended to come out muffled and muddy. That aside, it can either be paired with two devices for easier music sharing or co-op playlists, or two Booms can be put with a single smartphone, tablet, or related device for stereo sound. This is one of those that can fight dust and a few splashes, but if it gets well and truly dunked, it’s dead. [Purchase: $170]

FUGOO TOUGH

 Pro: Resists all forms of damage

Con: Expensive

 The Warrior: This is the John Wayne of f the bunch. It boasts an IP67 rating that means it can handle more than just water but also mud, snow, and most anything short of gunfire, though low-caliber small arms might still find it tough to crack. Despite being tough as barbed wire, it also has a sensitive side with the ability to interface with Google Now and Siri so that you can operate it entirely by voice which works fairly well with the on-board microphone. 40 hours of battery life make it one of the longest running wireless speakers available, and the fact that it uses 6 drivers to create true 360 degree sound makes this feat all the more impressive. If using your smartphone isn’t enough, the Fugoo can also be bought with a nice little waterproof remote so that you can switch tracks without ever getting out of the Jacuzzi. Now if it could just fetch some cocktails… [Purchase: $200]

OUTDOOR TECH BIG TURTLE SHELL

 Pro: Works over a wide area

Con: Simple controls

 The Party Machine: It looks like a geometric rock in a post-modern Zen garden and the only claim it has to portability it has is yes, you can technically pick it up and carry it. In this case it isn’t meant to be a portable bluetooth speaker but a modular blaster that you can take with you to keep a patio party wailing. The increased size is a boon to battery life and can go all night with 7800 milliamps worth of power that let it run for 16 hours. The claim is that it can create 110 dB’s worth of sound, but it doesn’t quite hit that mark unless you’ve set it for directional blasting and are sitting directly in front of it. It does still generate plenty of clear music over a fair amount of space and the immense battery power also allows it to charge multiple devices simultaneously if so required. Navigation is pretty crude, but effective since you shouldn’t need to babysit it. [Purchase: $221]

Resource

boom swimmer waterproof bluetooth speaker review | waterproof bluetooth speaker best buy uk

[goldlink44]

Top 10 Games of 2016

Wow, what a great year for games (and not much else…). Seriously, though, 2016 produced some of the most fun gaming experiences that I’ve ever had. There was emotional wrenching, arcadey shooters, and games that put a smile on my face throughout their duration. I didn’t think that I was going to compile a list of my top ten games, as I wasn’t sure that there were 10 games that I could expound upon. But upon reflection, I found quite a few that I remember very fondly.

That said, there were also a bunch of games that won’t make the list for various reasons. Her Story and Until Dawn came out last year, but are both very very good for what they seek to accomplish.

I don’t own Hyper Light Drifter or Thumper, but they both look amazing and I can’t wait to play them in 2017.

I bought Inside, Oxenfree, Dishonored 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but haven’t put much time into any of them for me to have any strong feelings that I could back up.

Rimworld is still in early access, but shows some of the most promise I’ve seen in an indie game in years.

Orwell narrowly missed the list, but it is amazing in its own right. It’s a lot like one of my other favourite games from recent years, Papers, Please! but uses social media as its interface, and makes it fun to investigate potential law breakers. You can see my full review of it here. 

And so, without further adieu, here’s my Top Ten Games of 2016!

10. Battlefield 1

I learned all about the atrocities that occurred from 1914-1918 when I travelled with my family to The Netherlands and Belgium on a cycling trip that literally took us through the Western Front. It was humbling to see how, 100 years later, the land and the people never forget the seemingly pointless orders sending millions of men to their graves. I gained an appreciation, not only for the soldiers and support personnel that occupied that area of Europe during WWI, but also for the beauty of the land that was torn asunder from the battles.

Returning home weeks before BF1’s release, I was anticipating reviews, knowing that DICE can render fantastic environments and realistic war scenery. Most people were positive on the game pre-release, so I picked up a copy, and was not disappointed. The game is gorgeous, nailing the scenery of what I had seen first-hand, and depicting other fronts of the war in stunning detail. The campaign is incredibly well handled, showcasing the human stories behind the war, never glorifying or over exaggerating the heroics of the soldiers, but insisting that there was a great loss of humanity in The Great War. It’s emotionally on-point, and much better than I ever expected.

In any other year, I most likely would have passed over Battlefield 1, but given my trip to Europe, and the care with which DICE handles the story telling, it definitely makes my list of recommended games this year.

9. Overcooked!

While I may not have played hours upon hours of this co-op cooking game, the time I have spent with it has been incredibly entertaining. Anyone who has played Space Team in the past knows the mayhem that happens while trying to coordinate yourself and three other friends into executing on multiple goals at the same time. Throw this framework into a “too many cooks in the kitchen” premise, and it becomes a fun, delicious adventure that never gets stale.

Made by the team behind the Worms games, Overcooked! has a delightful art style and charming sense of humour that reduces the chance of getting bored with it. That, and each level has different mechanics that keep players on their toes, never letting them rest on their laurels and keep learning and moving to progress.

If I had 3 other friends always at the ready, I would definitely play Overcooked! every chance I got. Alas, I have enjoyed my extended bursts with the game, and can’t wait to get back in their and make some delicious soups.

8. Stardew Valley

While some people may spend their down time trying to relax by reading a book or watching a TV show, I found myself diving into Stardew Valley to destress. In its simplest terms, Stardew is a farming simulator that lets players crawl through dungeons and interact with fellow villagers, to almost simulate a second life (not in that creepy way though…). While this may not sound like everyone’s version of fun, Stardew Valley has such a delicate craft to it that everything feels good and rewarding to do. The kicker: it was made entirely by one person.

The premise revolves around you, the player character (customized any way you want, of course), inheriting your grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley when you’ve grown tired of the hustle and bustle of working in the city. You hop on a bus and learn the basics of farming and slowly get acquainted with everyone in town.

From there, there’s not too much else to say, as there are so many different options available that it’s nearly impossible for two players to have the same experience. It’s surprisingly relaxing to plant and harvest, fight monsters, and woo potential dates. Checking off tasks feels great, and the music provides a soothing tone to everything. While it may not be for everyone, and I haven’t spent the hundreds of hours playing it that others have, I can’t wait to dive back in on chill weekends and vicariously put my digital life in order to help me deal with my IRL problems.

7. Hitman

Another game that I wish I had spent more time playing this year was IO interactive’s episodic Hitman. I watched a LOT of people playing Hitman, most notably Giant Bomb’s various escapdes with it, but only recently purchased it myself. From what I have played, I really, really like it. So far, I’ve only gotten to two of the available six missions, but I’ve replayed them both several times, trying to master each assassination mission.

The set up isn’t very complex: you are an expert hitman, contracted out to assassinate dangerous targets. The gameplay itself though has a ridiculous comedy to it, that allows players to do nearly anything imaginable to accomplish their tasks. Beat them over the head with a golf club? Sure. Two-hand toss a fire extinguisher into their head? You got it. Sneak up behind, choke them out, and toss them off a bridge? Child’s play.

It may sound like incredibly poor taste to casually mention such gruesome methods of killing, but given the vast amount of murder simulators that inhabit the video game space, Hitman holds a special place for its use of comedy. While many games try to evoke a serious tone, or real repercussions for killing, Hitman knows exactly what it is, and accounts for the uncanny valley aspects inherent in video games. It leans into the silly ways of killing, and rewards players for their creativity. Again, it’s hard to get a handle on why this game works just by reading words, or even by watching it. The magic is only truly woven over those who play it themselves, and even as I type, I’m trying to allocate my upcoming Hitman time. If none of this has convinced you, perhaps this might. 

6. SUPERHOT

When I first heard about this game several years ago, it pretty much consisted of one mechanic: time moves when you move. I watched the demo, chuckled to myself, and hoped that the developers didn’t take their neat trick too seriously. Cut to this year, when SUPERHOT was finally released. I had almost forgotten about it, but the distinctive glass-like art style brought back memories of the cool mechanic, and again, I hoped that the game was able to improve on this simple-but-brilliant idea.

They did not disappoint.

I only played through all of SUPERHOT near the very end of 2016, but it was well worth the wait. The level design and player controls all lent to the feeling of playing like some sort of god. The narrative wrapper is also perfectly messed-up and suits this god-like feeling quite well. To fully immerse yourself in the game is to intuit where and when to shoot, throw your weapons, and move so that all of your split-second planning pays off. In total, the game took me about 3 hours, with an insanely difficult final level that outs all of your skills to the test, and succeeds on the initial promise in a way that I never imagined possible. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and rewards those who stay with it all the way. I loved it. It’s the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years.

5. The Witness

How do I sum up my thoughts on The Witness? For starters, I haven’t finished it yet, and feel like if I were to go back to it, I’d have to start all over again. That said, my time with it felt like school, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Playing Jonathan Blow’s previous game, Braid, hurt my head, but had a touching story that kept me going. With The Witness, there’s not much of a “story” but what fuelled my need to play it was the satisfaction of playing the game. Which is ridiculous when the game is basically just made up of hundreds or thousands of line puzzles. The puzzles start out simple enough, asking players to snake their way through mazes, creating lines in certain patterns that can’t cross over each other. Progressively, the game adds more and more elements to the puzzles, slowly training the player to think in different ways. It never prompts or looks down on you, but instead has an attitude of, “You can do it, just keep going.” There is no praise other than progression, but let me tell you, solving some of the more challenging puzzles makes you feel like the smartest motherfucker on the planet.

I should also mention that I played this with my girlfriend, Rosalie, passing the controller back and forth when we conquered a section, or got stumped by a puzzle. This definitely reduced the frustration, as getting a fresh pair of eyes didn’t let us bash our heads against a wall for too long. It’s hard to describe The Witness as “fun”, but it is beautiful and engaging, and never makes it too easy. The puzzles all build off of each other in such intricate ways, that there are too many “Eureka!” moments to count, all of which feel better than the last. There was definitely a lot of frustration with it too, but when I think back on it, all I can remember is the feeling of solving a puzzle, and feeling like I could conquer the whole damn island. It’s a different kind of pleasure than I normally experience in games, and in some ways, more potent than any other I’ve felt. Overall, it’s great.

4. Destiny: Rise of Iron

This is the third year that I’ve been playing Destiny, and I must admit, I think I’m a lifer. After being disappointed with its original release in 2014 (as seen in my Top Ten of 2014 list), The Taken King expansion from 2015 changed a lot of what I didn’t like about the game, and made it incredibly addictive. Combine that with a group of friends that I can consistently play with, and Destiny was the game I would usually fire up in 2016. To date, I’ve played 444 hours of Destiny since its release. It’s a fantastic game, made better with teammates.

2016’s expansion Rise of Iron was conceived as a way to tide fans over while Destiny 2 got delayed, and unfortunately, it shows. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot about getting more content for Destiny, but I feel like I went through it fairly quickly, and didn’t feel the need to keep going the way I did with The Taken King.

That all said, I still loved my time with it. The raid, Wrath of the Machine, is excellent, and the new crucible mode, supremacy, is a ton of fun for my main class and weapon load out - Shotgun Titan. The story was a bit of a let down, but I still enjoyed it. While this particular expansion wasn’t my favourite, Destiny solidified itself in my heart as a game that I will always return to. The shooting feels incredible, and the thrill of raiding is unlike any other experience I’ve had in games. I can’t wait for more content, and to see what else I can do with an already solid base. Here’s hoping Destiny 2 is 2017’s GOTY!

3. Overwatch

I was very late to the party on this game, and never played the betas. I’ve never been great at online multiplayer shooters. I even thought that I had my all-time-shooter in Destiny, but when I finally got my hands on Overwatch during a free weekend in October, I pulled the trigger (nice) and have loved every second that I’ve spent with it so far. Like Destiny, Overwatch is better with friends, as you casually shoot the shit while you shoot the shit (read: opposing team). Each character is unique, and I can play a variety of different ways that I never thought I would enjoy.

There’s been a lot said and hyperbolized about Overwatch, but I honestly think it deserves it. Like a lot of Blizzard’s past games, it perfects a formula, and adds a level of polish that makes everything feel accessible. I could go on and on about specific things to love, but it won’t make sense until you get your own hands on it. It’s fun, fast, and rewarding in the best ways - literally. It only shows positive accomplishments at the end of every match. The K/D ratio isn’t displayed, as killing n00bs isn’t the point. It’s about working together and having fun. To prove my point, I usually play as Reinhardt and don’t get many kills in each game, but I always feel valuable.

For changing my perception of competitive shooters, and for providing so many ways to play, Overwatch has earned a spot in my top 3, despite only playing it for 2 months of the year.

2. Firewatch

When I first heard about Firewatch, I knew that some of the guys behind the Idle Thumbs Podcast and The Walking Dead Season 1 were working on it. As I had been working my way through the Giant Bombcast, Idle Thumbs seemed like the obvious next choice for gaming podcasts. I resolved myself to try and listen to as much of it as I could before Firewatch’s release, so that I could better understand its creators (I guess). I was also a big fan of Olly Moss’s art for movie and game posters, and after listening to hours and hours of Idle Thumbs, I was brimming with anticipation for the release of the game.

When it finally came out on February 9th, 2016, I got home from my closing shift at Starbucks around 11pm. I waited for my girlfriend to fall asleep, and dove in around midnight. From there, i played through the whole thing in one sitting, finishing around 4:30am. My drive to do this was fueled by many things: 1) I loved the atmosphere and the music 2) I was on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating what would come next and 3) I was afraid that if I waited to finish it, I would miss something, or the tension would be lost.

My experience with Firewatch is very personal and unique, and I understand people’s resistance to its ending, or some of the tension that is built up throughout the game. For me, it is a fantastic story, full of relatable themes and story beats that pulls on my heart strings in so many ways. By the end, I was an emotional wreck, and I couldn’t have asked for more from such a tight, beautiful experience. I’m grateful to have learned about Idle Thumbs in the process, and will always recommend this game to people who enjoy a good story.

I also ended up playing through this with my friend Alex as part of my 24 hour live stream benefitting pancreas cancer research in November. You can watch it here: Part 1 Part 2

1. DOOM

Video games are supposed to be fun, right? If I had to picture myself as a third party, observing Chris Townley playing video games in 2016, I would have to definitively say that he had the most fun playing DOOM this year. Why? Because the majority of my time with it was spent with a big dumb grin on my face, giggling to myself as I bounced around and plowed through monsters. From the opening 5 minutes of DOOM, I knew that it was going to be an experience that I would treasure forever.

Growing up, we always had Apple computers with very few games on them. It was always a treat when my dad would bring home his laptop with a copy of Doom on it that I could mess around with. I might not have spent a large part of my childhood gaming time with Doom, but it is seared into my heart as a treasured memory. For example, my ringtone for the past 3 years has been the theme for 1-1.

Hearing that a new Doom game was coming out, I dove into nostalgia, and eagerly anticipated playing it, even if I thought it would be bad. Prodded by this interest, I picked up a copy of Masters of Doom by Dave Kushner, a book about the early days of id Software. It’s an incredible book, and one that I think most gamers should read. It also pumped me up for a new Doom. Just to swim around in familiar demonic territory would be good enough for me.

When it was announced that no review outlets had gotten a copy of it before release, I was skeptical but still hopeful. I didn’t play the multiplayer beta, because I knew that wasn’t where I was going to spend my time with it. When the reviews finally started flooding in, everyone raved about the single player. Shortly after, I spent the full price of $80 CAD to play it. I don’t regret it one bit, even though the game has had dozens of sale offerings since then.

Why do I like it so much? It’s dumb and it’s fun and it knows what it is. The original premise for Doom was along the lines of, you shoot demons, and you’re badass. DOOM (2016) keeps this theme alive, along with the speed and ridiculous humour that made the first game so fun. This is especially amazing considering only one person from the original team worked on the new one. It looks gorgeous, the music is perfect, and the mechanics urge you forward, punching and shooting through demons in sprays of blood and guts.

I could go on and on about how much there is to love about DOOM, but perhaps I will sum it up this way: after 11 hours of gameplay, and nearing the final mission, my save was corrupted and I lost everything. I’m not even mad, because I know I get to play through it all over again. Maybe this hyperbole will colour your version of DOOM, but for me, it was the best game I played in 2016.