#it has difficulty settings and settings for experienced players and new players and also sonics speed is very adjustable

[sonicunleash]

here's the thing i would recommend sonic frontiers to anyone who likes hype badass shit like metal gear rising-- or anyone who likes open world stuff or even people who dont like open world stuff cause its usually slow and too big but sonic is so FAST that its much nicer-- basically uhm. I would recommend sonic frontiers.

[sonic7ischaos]

Putting my money where my mouth is...

I talk a lot about the Sonic Adventure series and have mentioned a potential Sonic Adventure remake but I haven’t gone into much detail about it. What I think is done right, what I think is done wrong. How to improve and fix things and how to amplify working things. I’m doing this because, if enough people can form a consensus on what an Adventure remake should do, it’s designers might take notice and look to the discussion for guidance in some way. Maybe it’s indirect and we don’t even notice the little detail they took from us but nothing happens if no one tries to steer the conversation...

So let’s get started.

1st thing that needs to change fundamentally is how the camera operates. The camera in Sonic Adventure was designed with the idea that there wouldn’t be a second analogue stick to control it. It was made on a console without one and (for some reason) it’s an issue that wasn’t fixed in SADX. This needs to change. Sonic Adventure is a 3d platformer first and foremost. The last thing the camera should be able to do in this sort of game is get in your way and because of how it has to follow your movement so the player isn’t lost, it WILL get in you way if it remains as is. Another thing this might fix is Sonic’s seeming lack of control on narrow roadways. With a camera at the player’s beck and call, they could put it behind sonic and control his horizontal movement with it (y’know, like how most 3d platformers do) so you wouldn’t be getting stuck on walls as much. Speaking of the camera, we need to talk about loops. In every single official 3d Sonic game, loops are handled via automation (I’ll get to that in a minute). In every one of these segments the camera is pulled away from the character or is rendered irrelevant by the boost pads (again in a minute). This needs to not happen in a Sonic Adventure remake ESPECIALLY if the camera is to be reworked to give the player finer control. Having a camera automatically pull away or rendered meaningless by boost pads (IN. A. MINUTE) is inherently contradictory to the freedom and control the player will want and expect with a manual camera. It WILL kill them or it WILL bore them, depending on how you handle it. To summarize, the camera in Sonic Adventure worked how it did to accommodate a controller with no right analogue stick and, with modern controllers, need no longer do so. FIX THAT.

2nd thing that needs to fundamentally change is the automation (told you I’d get there). Now, the presence of automation itself isn’t necessarily a problem, it can be useful for designers who want to guide players in more open ended terrain or who want to present a story moment. The best automation is short and only takes away part of your control so you’re still interacting with the game. Loathe as I am to credit it, Sonic 06′s mach speed sections are a decent example of point about retaining some control. OH they’re abysmal to play for sure but you are still making gameplay decisions during them. The other problem with them is their length. The mach speed sections present an interesting spectacle (kingdom valley in particular is great for that though again, truly awful to play). The problem with Automation in Adventure (and every single subsequent 3d game) is that the automation is far too prevalent in the form of boost pads and springs that divide level sections so that you’re no longer interacting with the game. So, for example, if you remade Sonic Adventure and removed every single boost pad from Emerald Coast, that level would still be mostly playable ESPECIALLY with tweaks to the physics so it takes slightly longer to fall off walls at speed (the vertical boost pad set piece in emerald coast comes to mind). I’m not suggesting getting rid of the whale section, only that bits like that should be modified to be more like the speed highway building section where you’re dodging obstacles and collecting goodies. I’m also, in general, suggesting that the designers have a little more respect for the player’s intelligence and skill. Don’t railroad me into where you want me to go, trust that I’ll get there myself. The physics in Adventure are there for a reason, use them.

3rd thing that needs to be addressed is the level design. This one isn’t so big and to change it too much would make this less a remake and more its own game (which I wouldn’t be opposed to) but the pure linearity of the levels actively takes away from the free nature of the movement mechanics. Sonic can do some crazy stuff with his movement, make it so he’s only doing stuff in one way?Add stuff to the levels so players can experiment and play around more.

4th...the other characters. Now, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Gamma (I like Gamma anyway) work fine (though some tweaking might be good but I’ll get there) but Big is abysmal. His gameplay is frustrating and slow and boring. The problem lies in the fishing mechanics and how hard it is to control where the lure is and how effective it is. There’s also no reason to catch other fish. If there was some integration with the chao garden (I’ll get there) it might help but there’s a lot of other things that need to happen too. Maybe you can unlock things by catching certain fish or meeting certain requirements.  The pools where you fish should also have more thematic elements to them as well. Robot fish in eggman themed levels, that sort of thing. There also needs to be better difficulty scaling and specific challenges to differentiate each level mechanically. As for the tweaks to the others? Well Amy’s levels are, thematically, horror themed right? I’d say play that up. Maybe make her acceleration a bit better so she’s not frustrating to control but make Zero more capable and much scarier. Give him more places to pop out of. Make the player always feel like he’s right on their tail. Knuckles just needs to have his dig work like it does in Sa2, other than that, he’s fine. Tails needs no changes and I can’t think of any for Gamma. Maybe make his bosses harder? I dunno.

That’s all the main stuff that absolutely needs to be fixed but there are some other things as well that should be addressed.

1st of these is the hub worlds. They’re fine but they need more things to do. Collectibles to find, puzzles to complete, that sort of thing. Emblems functioning like the red rings of the modern games would be nice (and hide them in more places, maybe expand the hub worlds themselves to create more hiding spots or fun level elements to play with).

2nd is the presentation and there’s a few things I want to touch on. The cutscenes need fixing, that much is obvious but since the technology will let us, why don’t we go all out and make them ALL pre rendered and fully animated.  Pour every bit of love into them that was given to the opening to Unleashed (maybe get the same studio/set of artists on that). As far as the voice actors? Well, this is more up to preference but honestly I think it would be fitting to re-cast the surviving actors of the original since this is a remake. Have the lines re written slightly so the story is communicated better and have an actual voice director. For the visuals, don’t just have them look “good” have them be appropriate to the story of both the narrative and specific level. The first fight with Chaos is a tense, intimidating encounter in the darkened rain with a mysterious new foe, lit by police lights. Emerald coast is a sunny vacation spot. Lost world is a dark, mysterious catacomb, lit only by torches and mirrors. Generations actually got the tone of the final boss fight (though I’d prefer if chaos was less lizard+water monster and more just made of water). As for the music and sound design? Modern instrumentation are musts but the actual musical composition should remain untouched. New sounds for game interaction should be recorded so long as they’re mostly the same as the originals (with touched up quality and better sound design from more experienced artists).

3rd is chao gardens. I don’t actually think these need to be changed that much but I DO think they should be changed. Specifically, I think the chao events need to be expanded so that you’re not just unlocking emblems but rather you’re training your chao or unlocking new gear for them. I think the chao themselves need to have a direct impact on the main game in some way. Maybe an equip system so that their stats translate directly onto the character or maybe they can follow you into levels to find items and such. I also think there need to be more gardens, probably themed after levels in the games, probably subdivided so you find each level garden in the hub world garden it belongs to. Speed highway garden in the station square garden for example.

[busybellshub]

Rev- A game about Foxes

https://faxdoc.itch.io/rev

Hello, welcome to my review REV.

REV is an atmospheric 2D strategy game about trying to survive as a fox in nature reclaimed ruins. When I first started the game up the first thing, I noticed was there wasn’t any music playing, just the peaceful sounds of birds chirping, the song of bugs, and the footsteps of animals. It reminded me a lot of summer. As I sat at the menu screen I tried to change it into full screen mode, if you’re playing on keyboard and mouse then you use the “W” and “S” key to move, I tried to select it with the usual confirm keys but found myself stumped. I pressed nearly every key on my keyboard trying to find which key was “The One”. I probably spent a lot longer on this part than most people, but eventually I learned that if you press the space bar that is the confirm button. I felt like a fool.

 Now that I figured the space bar was the key to use, I quickly started my game into the tutorial, I noticed that the game was a bit jittery looking but I know the developers released an update to resolve that, so that shouldn’t be an issue for future players. Anyway, you start off in these ruins and you’re 1st objective is to attack these training dolls, you hold space to sneak and charge up your attack. If you release while the gauge is full then you bound forward in the direction where your mouse is at. You can’t stand too close to the doll or else your gauge won’t budge.  After you complete that you forward to the next area and find yourself a Foxy friend, I called the fox my Foxy Wife, together you and your newfound companion learn how to hunt together.  There is a starter rabbit for you both to eat, you can control either fox with “Left Control”, which means you can do an ambush! Now hunting a moving target is a little more difficult. If you go into the solid green circle then you have been spotted by the rabbit and they will try to flee, you must stay with within the outer green circle in order to charge up your gauge. Luckily your fox friend isn’t spotted in the circle so they can get close. After you kill the rabbit you must pick it up and take it home. That’s where you start the real game.

 Now that I’m into the meat of the game, a new screen pops up and you have a point to spend on either:

·         Getting sharper fangs that deal about 50% more damage

·         Adding 1 fox to your party

·         The ability to charge up your attacks faster

·         Footprints appear faster

·         Reducing your prey’s detections radius

·         Being able to run faster.

I decided to go with sharper fangs. After that I choose to return to the game.

I see that me and my Foxy wife live in the remains of the tree that has been cut down. So, I leave my fox wife at home and I start making my way through the dead log. As you leave the log, a screen pops up and it tells you about footprints and what they do. Footprints are the way you can detect your prey and the darker the color the closer they are, the lighter they are the farther away. Interesting, on the downside you must sit and wait for the footprints to appear. Now since I didn’t pick the ability for footprints to, they take a few more second than usual to appear, that doesn’t really bother me except for the fact that you have a limited amount of time to find food for the day. Well I need only one so it can’t be that hard right? Well on my first day I had a hard time.

I sit and wait outside of my den and spot some dark red footprints almost immediately! Sweet, I start making my way towards this wooded area, as I pause every now and wait for the footprints to appear, I hear a light thumping nearby. That must mean there is prey! Excitedly I run up to where the prey is, and I see a rabbit minding its own business. I start stalking the prey and I jump when the gauge is full, I hit the rabbit but its not dead. It dashes off and I try to pursue it, but it was way faster than me, so now I’m back to hunting the prey. Even though I landed a hit and the rabbit bled a bit there was no other way telling where it may have possibly gone except for the footprints. Which is a bit of an inconvenience, because there are many footprints in the surrounding area. Since we were in a small little clearing area, I was only able to know in one direction the rabbit ran off in, every time I kept stopping to see the footprints it took a lot longer to find the rabbit. But I didn’t mind so much because I was able to learn many routes, saw more and more of the aesthetics in the game, which I believe is the highpoint in this game, it is very calming and soothes your frustrations of not finding your prey. Anyway, I went in various directions with no luck, I wasted many seconds searching and then finally I heard the familiar sound of thumping. I made my way towards the sound stopping every so often to be sure I was headed into the right direction; I find my little rabbit near this beautiful water, its go time! I once again charge up my attack only for the rabbit to hop a little to close and spot me. It runs off and I chase it, up the stair and I get stuck on the zig zag and once again lose it. Back to hunting, by this time the timer is around 130 seconds, I start panicking. I once again find my prey after many seconds of searching, I start stalking and I inch closer to it and when the bar is full, I pounce and take it down! Celebration ensues, but way to early. I have less than a minute to grab the prey and put my butt in gear! I grab it and I start booking it towards the den and anxiously glance to the clock, 30 seconds, the sun is setting, and I get stuck on some stairs because I’m a fool. I’m right outside of the dead log and the time is up! Rage ensues and I must take a breather.

After I recoup, I restart the game and begin the 1st day once more, I take my foxy wife with me and she ultimately is going to be the one to finish off any prey, while I bumble about like a drunk toddler. As the days progress, I begin to get better at the hunting mechanic, and I upgrade myself to be proficient in the game to do hunt alone. Fox Wife and I also have a child called Fox Daughter. Another thing that made this game more fun is the addition of more prey animals! Like a herd of deer, a bison and her calf. On the day the herd of deer arrived, I took my fox wife and daughter out for a hunt and see this group chilling near my den. Awesome I love delivery! So, we go to town and get all six-food needed for that day. Probably the easiest day in the game! It is then followed by the hardest day. On that day there is a mother bison and her calf walking around our den, I take the girls and we start the hunt. Almost immediately we are spotted by momma, and she is pissed that we dare gaze upon her child and her. She goes on the offense and start giving us a thorough walloping! I runaway while she mainly attacks my wife, sorry honey. I run back and I start hunting the calf, I kill it and drag its body back to the den to hurry and end the day before my wife and child are murdered. Next day there I look for my wife and child and see that they made it through! Relief fills me because I know I suck at hunting alone. I also see that today’s prey is the mother bison now childless, I’m definitely not doing this alone, we start making our way towards the bison. We got one the offense and I start the attack; I was not expecting this bison to sonic run away from us! When I witnessed this bison run at the speed of light, I had to take a few seconds to laugh! It ran so far it took me some time to find her, eventually we find her and attack her, it is definitely taking time since she is a tank. We are slowly taking more and more of her health down and eventually she dies.

That is where I have stopped playing for the moment. I can see myself playing this game at a later date when it is a bit more polished. At first, I wasn’t too fond of the game but at time went on I began to enjoy myself and the experiencing the game offers. The game is very cute, and I find myself wanting to play more, the aesthetics are well crafted and simple at the same time, the area in which you are set is mysterious and gives me the feeling of wanting to explore. The animations of every creature in this game is very smooth and seamlessly intertwined, the sound that also go with them are well created, the thumping of rabbits the buzzing of insect and bird singing, slight rustling of grass being stepped on. The progression of the difficulty in the game is varied from having to gather just one food up to six food, while throwing some interesting challenges your way.

The only faults I find within this game is when I strike an animal and they bleed only in one spot and don’t leave trail to follow making it more difficult to find them on the map, I also think there can be too many footprints on the screen that are all dark or light, which makes it confusing to follow prey you’ve already attacked. Another issue I had, but also decided that it wasn’t too terrible, is when you’re hunting is if you forget where your mouse is then you can startle the prey or just outright miss entirely.

I appreciate the time you took to read this review! I hope you check this game out for yourself and leave the creators constructive advice on what they can do to improve this game. If you want to read more game reviews or see when I’m streaming the next indie games review please follow me on https://twitter.com/BellBusy , https://www.tumblr.com/blog/busybellshub , or https://www.twitch.tv/busybell .

You can also follow the development of this game https://twitter.com/Faxdocc

[writin-bout-games-blog]

Goty 2k18

Here are the best games I played in 2018; honorable mentions are for either games I played this year that released outside of 2018 or remasters that don’t count.

Honorable Mentions: 

Hollow Knight (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC) - I didn’t play this 2017 release until the Switch version this year, but it’s the best game I played in 2018, and maybe the best Metroidvania I’ve ever played as well. It has a bit of a slow start in terms of seeing new areas and gaining new abilities, but stick with it and it becomes one of the most rewarding games I’ve ever experienced.

Yakuza 0 (PS4/PC) - Narrative oriented games have never been my bag, but I’ve rarely felt this invested in a story in any medium. The characters are immediately memorable, at once both over the top caricatures of goofy hyper masculinity and oddly thoughtful yakuza members concerned with their community and just being human. I’ve never seen a story so masterfully jump back and forth between overwrought anime nonsense and down to earth character beats, all while retaining its unique sense of self. It’s a lovable soap opera starring handsome criminal boys with hearts of gold, and shouldn’t be missed by anyone.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PS4/Switch/PS Vita) - This series has been around for decades, and I never gave it a glance until I heard a bit of the soundtrack for this entry. It lacks polish and has a pretty simplistic combat system, at least on the default difficulty setting, but it’s one of the most interesting JRPGs I’ve ever played, as the entire game takes place on a deserted island after a ship is destroyed by a kraken-esque creature. Oh, and the aforementioned soundtrack is absolutely delightful, with cheesy electric guitars around every corner. It’s the perfect game to unwind with before bed on your Switch.

Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch/PC) - It wouldn’t be fair for the best game of 2004 to also be the best game of 2018, so it’s been excluded here. But make no mistake, this is the best purchase you can make this year.

Actual games of the year:

12. Far: Lone Sails (PC) - I fucking love games where you operate a large vessel by controlling a small character inside of it. I’m not sure how to describe this type of sub-genre, but Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime are the only other examples I know of. And while those are fast, goofy, frenetic and colorful experiences, Lone Sails takes the concept and applies it to a linear, artsy indie game. And it turns out, making one of “those” indie games and coupling it with a fun and relatively unexplored gameplay conceit makes for an extremely memorable experience; the first time my train-shuttle-car-thingie reached full speed as I perfectly managed my fuel, steam and acceleration is something that’s stuck with me all year. The only thing keeping this game from rising higher up this list is that I think it’s painfully short at around 2 hours long, and I say that as someone that loves shorter experiences. A more fully fleshed out sequel or spiritual successor has the potential to be considered an all-time great.

11. Donut County (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC/iOS) - The soundtrack for this game alone is clever enough to deserve a spot on this list, honestly. And clever is the best word to describe Donut County as a (w)hole. Having not heard pretty much anything about the game going in besides general good word of mouth, I was genuinely stunned as I realized the entire game was nothing but moving a hole around and growing bigger as I sucked up objects in a stylized world. In all respects, this game feels like the western equivalent of Katamari Damacy, though there are probably some poignant think pieces to be written comparing Katamari’s building with Donut County’s destruction. Regardless, Donut County is delightful. The humor may not be for everyone (I personally loved how accurately the dialogue captures the tone of texts between 20-somethings), but there’s something for everyone to enjoy here.

10. God of War (PS4) - God of War is interesting. It feels like a mish mash of pretty much all the non-shooter related hot trends in video games right now, and yet doesn’t really excel at any of them. The story’s fine, though I think both Spider-Man and Red Dead Redemption 2 told far more nuanced and interesting ones this year in the western-developed AAA space. The combat feels great for the first couple of hours, and BOY DOES THROWING THAT AXE AND RECALLING IT FEEL AMAZING, but encounters aren’t really changed up at all past the halfway point of the game, and the combat in general feels like it’s shown you its entire hand within a couple of hours. And yet, everything about the game is so memorable. From punching indestructible gods through mountains in the first 15 minutes of the game to hanging out with a sardonic decapitated head, I feel like this is the most I’ve thought about an action game after completion besides Bloodborne. It doesn’t hurt that this might be the best looking game I’ve ever seen, either. It might just be the meatloaf and mashed potatoes of video games, but it’s some pretty damn good meatloaf.

9. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC later) - There are plenty of sidescrolling indie metroidvania throwbacks these days. Oddly, there’s also been a fair few games in the oft overlooked Wonder Boy vein lately, the series Monster Boy belongs to. There aren’t a lot of downright pleasant games made in this style lately though, and pleasant is the perfect word to describe the time spent exploring this game. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous, the soundtrack is second only to Celeste this year, and the game somehow manages to feel like playing a Master System game without all of the drawbacks a statement like that would normally entail. What holds this game back from true greatness for me is that some of the later dungeon and boss designs are remarkably unclear in their progression, mostly the haunted mansion area. That said, these are relatively small complaints in a surprisingly large adventure, and the different animal abilities are truly brilliant. Monster Boy occupies the same space for me as last year’s truly incredible SteamWorld Dig 2, and if that doesn’t sell you on the game then nothing will.

8. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) - Everything stated above in the Honorable Mentions section applies here; Yakuza is a series about lovable handsome crime boys playing the role of boy scouts in their community, if the boy scouts kicked motorcycles at bad guys. I will say that Kiwami 2 never approaches the pure brilliance that was Yakuza 0, but most of that can largely be attributed to the fact that this game is a remake of a 12-year-old video game from two console generations ago. And don’t let that statement deter you; the story is as engaging as ever, and Kiwami 2 also shares with 0 the most fun game within a game I’ve ever played - the cabaret club management sim, which tasks you with recruiting hostesses to take on an evil circuit of club owners in a tournament of taking money from lonely Japanese businessmen. It’s as absurd as it sounds, and far more engaging than it seems, which kind of summarizes the series as a whole. My only caveat with this entry is that I would consider it absolutely crucial to play through 0 and Kiwami 1 before this, as there are some emotional seeds planted in those two games that come to tear-jerking fruition here.

7. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age (PS4/PC/Switch later) - With the sales and reception of both this and Octopath Traveler, 2018 seems like the year in which throwback JRPGs came into vogue, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I grew up loving the genre, but post high school my love largely faded for any of them that weren’t Pokemon or Mario adjacent. While I still think there’s a lot of self reflection for the genre to accomplish that Dragon Quest is existentially incapable of doing (as its own design and fandom have prevented it from making any meaningful mechanical progression in decades), DQ11 succeeds in that it’s just a really fantastic video game. Its story is always captivating and repeatedly goes in directions I never expected. Its characters are simple and painted in broad strokes (I mean that in the best way possible) while remaining some of the best written and most engaging party members I’ve ever encountered. And its battle system is oldschool, somewhat archaic and even punishing without ever feeling unfair, and it has just enough new mechanics to constantly give the player a wider swath of options than the series has ever had before without relinquishing the series trademark simplicity. It’s the most I’ve enjoyed a tradition JRPG since Chrono Trigger, and I was never once bored in my 70+ hours of playtime. Really, the only complaint I can level against the game is that the series composer is a monstrous piece of homophobic trash that deserves to be launched into a brick wall via trebuchet.

6. Mega Man 11 (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC) - Who would have imagined that a new Mega Man game under contemporary Capcom could end up being great? The soundtrack is extremely disappointing and the Wily stages are a series lowpoint (especially when compared to the previous two Mega Man games), but everything else in this game is operating at heights the series has never previously achieved. The mark of a good Mega Man game is how versatile the robot master’s weapons are within the actual platforming segments, and 11’s level and enemy design are completely built around using these weapons and the new double gear system as well, which allows a player to increase their firepower or slow down time at will. Every ability is not only useful but fun to use as well, even the obligatory shield weapon. Much like what last year’s Sonic Mania did for Sonic, there has never been a better time to try out Mega Man.

5. Call of Duty Black Ops 4: Blackout (PS4/Xbox One/PC) - The way in which the battle royale genre has overtaken video games is remarkable, though not as remarkable as the fact that a Call of Duty game is being included on one of my game of the year lists. I could go deep into how Blackout feels like a best-of compilation for the genre, or how remarkable it is that it retains the goofy, unpredictable nature of PUBG while actually feeling like a polished video game. But what’s most notable about the game for me is just how much fun I’ve had playing it with my friends. Video games mean a lot to me, and having a game in which our party chat can go from discussing poor life choices made by people we know to yelping as shots soar over our head as quickly as it takes for an armored truck to appear outside the house we’re hiding inside of is something truly special, and it’s something I’ve only encountered with this genre of games. Blackout may not add much of its own flavor to battle royale, and what little is there (the perk system and zombies) feels either broken or weirdly inconsequential. But sometimes, a less broken game with a slightly faster pace is all you need to become the most playable game of the genre, as well as the most I’ve ever enjoyed a multiplayer console shooter.

4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) - Smash is my all-time favorite multiplayer series, so the biggest character, stage and music roster to date makes this entry a no-brainer. I mean, I could spend multiple paragraphs absolutely gushing about how excited I am for all of the love the Castlevania series (another all-time favorite video game franchise) has received here alone. And that’s kind of the point. From Isabelle’s accidental murder sprees to K. Rool’s big belly rude boy moveset to Kirby sporting a beard after eating Solid Snake, with Ultimate it feels like nearly anyone that has ever played a video game can find something within that brings a smile to their face. And this is to say nothing of the over 1200(!) “spirits” in the game, all referencing even smaller and more obscure video game things. Will the game have an interesting competitive scene? I think so; I’m no pro, but the game feels so much better to me than any game in the series post Melee. Only time will tell how fun of a tournament game Ultimate ends up being, but as a celebration of the medium as a whole, this is a love letter to nearly all corners of the industry, no matter how niche. And that’s where my love of Super Smash Bros. has always stemmed from - its unflinching love and celebration of the things in my life that I love and want to celebrate. Plus, there’s Castlevania stuff in this one.

3. Tetris Effect (PS4) - Positivity in my life has been in short supply the past couple of years. To be more straightforward, the world has been an absolute fucking nuclear wasteland of hopelessness for the past couple of years. Hell, there’s an argument to be made that it’s been on this level for a while, and it’s my privilege that has prevented me from seeing that, which is even worse. My eyes have been opened, they cannot be closed, and while part of me wishes they could be, most of me can only stare with a grim sense of foreboding and wonder where the hell we’re going and how we fix all of this. So, Tetris then.

Tetris is simple and Tetris can be overwhelming. Add psychedelic visuals, spac- Enya-world music and the option to experience it all in virtual reality, and you have something simple, something overwhelming, and something oddly powerful. To say I had an emotional response to Tetris Effect is an oversimplification. Losing myself inside of my VR headset to clearing lines while dolphins made of light surrounded and splashed around me was beautiful, ridiculous, cheesy and, somehow, empowering. I’m under no illusion that the world is going to get better  while I hide inside, literally blind to everything going on around me, and no one should be. But the best art never was able to save us; it reminds us of what there is to lose and why the things we love are worth fighting for while also giving us the strength to do so. This sounds like a lot for what basically amounts to Tetris with cool music and visualizers, and I get that. But while writing and editing this piece, not only do I not feel like any of this has been hyperbolic per my experiences, re-reading my own words really just makes me want to play some more damn Tetris Effect.

2. Celeste (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC) - If Tetris Effect is your overly positive friend that can seemingly never be brought down by anything, Celeste is the friend that’s been through more than you could ever imagine and came out through the other side a better person, and not only knows you can as well, but actively pushes you to be the best you can be. This is both narratively true, as the surprisingly great story deals with depression and self-loathing and overcoming anxiety, but also what the game beats into you through your own act of playing it. Well, “beats into you” might be putting it lightly; “gently yet forcefully stabbing into you” is a bit more accurate. Yes, the game is an unbelievably hard platformer (at least on the B and C side levels), and it does take a lot of inspiration in its design from fellow platformer classic Super Meat Boy. But while Meat Boy makes your repeated deaths part of the punchline, Celeste prefers those failures to be recontextualized as experiences to be learned from. “You’re going to beat this level, and you’re going to beat this game. Just keep trying.” is what Celeste wants you to take from its harsh design. And maybe that kind of motivation doesn’t work for everyone, but the people that stick with the game found what will go down as one of the all-time greats in the genre, and certainly one of the best games of the decade.

Oh, and the soundtrack is fucking incredible too.

1. Monster Hunter World (PS4/Xbox One/PC) and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Switch) - I knew something special was happening when I saw multiple Playstation friends who usually only play Call of Duty and sports games devoting dozens (or even hundreds) of hours to Monster Hunter World this year. I was skeptical, having tried to get into the series previously on the 3DS, but something just clicked this time that hadn’t before, and soon I was farming Nergigantes for entire evenings. The game was full of nothing but memorable moments, but realizing for the first time how the insect glaive worked and flipping through the air whacking a giant electric flying squirrel as we were both being chased by a fire breathing t-rex was the most out of control I’ve ever felt playing a video game while simultaneously being the coolest thing I’ve ever done in a video game. And to revisit that same scenario over a hundred hours later, armed with the knowledge that only experience can give of how to actually control my insect glaive flips, was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. All of the knowledge gained from World was then taken to MHGU on the Switch later this year, where my girlfriend and I put over 200 hours in and still have not seen all of the content within. If two grown adults sitting in a hotel room and screaming with delight when they see how cool the weapons they can forge from hunting a bubble dragon are isn’t an indication that their families should seek help, it means that Monster Hunter is pretty great.

So which game is better? My heart of hearts tells me World wins out by an inch for its extremely intelligent streamlined design and accessibility, but MHGU has dozens and dozens (and dozens and dozens) of different monsters to hunt and hundreds of weapons and armor sets to choose from, and having a full blown Monster Hunter on a portable with a decent screen and dual analog sticks is a great argument for the Switch entry. Really though, it doesn’t matter; these are both amazing games, and I wanted to give them both their due without using two slots. If weirdos on your friends list you haven’t talked to since high school who usually only buy FIFA can fall in love with Monhun, so can you.

[joebloompianoproject-blog]

Joe's Blog Ear Training, an Introduction: the What, the Why, the How

#1 Why do ear training?

Ask a student or performer if they listen as they play, and the answer which they give, without much pause to think, is generally “yes”.  Yet the ability to hear clearly while playing, and to understand what one is hearing, is the principal things that sets a good player apart from others.  The good player does not only have a good technique, but they have as strong an ability to listen completely and objectively to the sounds they are making.  In the hands of a master, technical matters are brought under the control of the ear.

It is a surprise to most musicians if you tell them that they are not really listening attentively when they play.  That too much of what they consider listening is actually physical sensations generated in the muscles causing notes to sound.   At the moment of an attack of a new note, there is often more tactile and kinaesthetic feeling going on than listening.

When the physical action stops but the note continues to sound, it is easier to focus purely on the sound.   Ideally there is a way to how to isolate sound from any muscular feelings or other sensations than that of hearing.

There is a way for the ear alone, whether that of the pianist or a listener, to learn to identify and distinguish among the many relations into which notes can combine.

Each such relationship produces for us a quality, and it this quality that forms the basis of ear training.

Being a good musician means having a mastery over the medium in which music exists, I.E. sound.  When possessed of such mastery, one can mold the medium of sound to one’s will.

No prior experience is needed to begin to develop the sensitivity of the “ear”.

#2  Sound is a quality.

The experience of sound is a quality and not a measurable quantity.

How notes combine into a single conscious experience is not a dividable into half steps or ticks of a clock.  Being a quality, there is no way of describing the quality of sound using words.   We must experience it.  If we try to ‘describe’ it to someone else, it is useless unless the other person has also experienced it directly.

The sounds we hear may result from combining notes in some measurable way, but we do not “hear” these measurements.   The quality of a chord, for example, is like a perfume.  It impresses us directly and unmistakably.  We do not need anything extra, such as the chemical makeup of the perfume, to fill ourselves with its aroma.

As I walk I may identity a certain scent in the air as that of a “rose”.  But unless one has already experienced this aroma and then also learned to associate it with the same word that I use, it is of no use to say the word “rose” to another and expect that they will know what scent we are talking about.

Associating an aroma with a word does not alter the aroma in any way.  We can study and examine the rose, but all we gain is knowledge (facts, quantitative measurements, etc.).  But all the while the fragrance persists calmly in our consciousness apart from anything visual, descriptive or analytical.

It is easy to stray from just the quality.  We are apt to substitute for it a symbol in the form of a name or an image.

A ‘rose expert’ can tell us while blindfolded what the name is of the specific type of rose they are smelling.   And though an ‘ear training expert’ would be able to give separate names to different patterns of sounds, it is more important that we simply have the ability to recognize when sound qualities are the same, or just similar, or vary more considerably.  Thus, while we could say: ah, that’s a perfect fifth sounding, or that’s a major chord in the first inversion, or those melody notes all belong to this or that scale, the important thing is that when you hear a perfect fifth and then a perfect forth, you can “smell” the difference.   If we never heard of a ‘half step’ we would still be aware of the difference in quality.

Ear Training is most successful when you work with qualities; when you use your innate, rapid, intuitive faculty of directly perceiving even the most subtle differences in quality between one combination of notes and another.   At first maybe we may only notice the most obvious differences, as between a chord and a melody.  In the world of odor, this would be like only being able to tell difference in quality between the smell of a lilac and that of a rose.   Later though we will be able to notice the difference in quality between various types of chords (various types of roses), and still later the subtlest differences between chords that arise from the intervals between the notes in the chord, their inversion, the number of notes they contain.  Our ability to distinguish between similar qualities in sound gets finer and finer.

If we hear a fast melody, we can tell from its overall quality through time just how many notes were in it (without counting as we hear them).

Eventually we become like the rose expert and can detect slight variations in quality between two roses on neighboring bushes.  We will be able to tell the difference between two chords that have the same root note, same ‘quality’ (major, minor…), and the same number of notes, whose only difference lies in the arrangement on the staves of where the root notes are, the thirds, and the fifths.  We will be able to single just one note from the chord with our ears and say whether it is a root note, third, or fifth.

We can be just as expert with intervals, melodies, and any other abstract relation between pitches (what I call “Sonic Geometry”).   We just want to avoid the temptation of applying some sort of musical ‘ruler’ to the sounds, by which we can measure the distance between two notes by a sense of their distance on a staff, along a piano keyboard, or along a violin string.

#3. Resolving ‘complex’ ear training abilities into an amalgam of simpler abilities.

In looking for a starting point for ear training, we might be tempted to start with something like : what is this chord that I just heard?  However, this is already a fairly complex ability.  It entails separate skills: is it a chord I’m hearing; how many notes are sounding; is it in root position or in an inversion; if I wanted to can I single note with my ear each individual note; can I tell what the intervals are between these notes; which of these notes are root notes, thirds, fifths, etc..

To come to realize that the original question involves an amalgam of simpler abilities,  we can learn to ‘refract’ through a ‘musical prism’ the original ability to see if it resolves into simpler component.   Nor should we be surprised if these simpler abilities, in turn, if each is put through another prism, do not resolve into even simpler abilities.  All ear training questions ultimately boil down to: 1) which is higher in pitch of two notes?  2) which is longer in duration of two notes?  3) how many sounds just sounded?  Then we can work our way backwards to our original question: what chord did I just hear?

#4.  Ear training is fun to do when there are two people together.

If you do not have access to a computer program*, or to a class being offered locally, Ear Training can be easily practiced with the help of just one friend and a room with two pianos (one will do also but it is a bit more cumbersome logistically).

The two people go back and forth presenting “questions” or answering questions.   The questions are always some combination of sounds.  The answer is either given in words or by reproducing the sounds on the other instrument.

Some examples on the simpler side:

Play two notes in a row: ask which one was either higher in pitch or longer in duration.   You can do something similar with three or more notes in a row (which was highest in pitch; which was longest in duration).

or

Play two or more notes at the same time: ask how many notes were sounding.  Play two or more notes one after the row: ask how many notes sounded.

or

Play a series of notes, one at a time, from an agreed upon range.  Have your partner try to match each one.   This range can after a while be expanded when agreed upon.   Later, let it be two simultaneous notes from an agreed upon range.

or

Agree that all the notes will be, for example, C-naturals, then play C-s in different ranges of the piano and have your partner match it in the correct octave.

Some examples of something with moderate difficulty:

Play examples of intervals (harmonic or melodic) but limited to only two possible answers (major third / minor third; perfect fourth / perfect fifth …).  Your partner provides the name of each that you play.  Later, there can be three possible correct answers (and eventually more).

Did the two chords just heard contain the same notes, or was one or more different (one being much harder than several).

The same principle of starting with two correct choices, then adding a third, fourth, etc.. can be applied to most ear training situations:  distinguishing among types or aspects of chords, three-chord harmonic progressions, types of rhythms, etc.).

As things advance, and the recipes become very gradually more complex.

Here are some examples of things of harder difficulty:

Which steps of a common scale did you just hear and in what order?  Or match the same notes (given the first note).

Was the chord in root position, first inversion or second inversion …

Listen to two chords: by how many half steps (and whether up or down) did the root notes move.

How many of the notes in one chord were also in the next chord.

Here is the scale of a particular key (play it one octave up and then down).  Then play a series of chords.  Ask on which scale step each is built.  Complicating factors can be whether the chord is in root position or inversion; whether non-diatonic chords are allowed; whether altered steps of the scale can be used for root notes.**

* You are welcome to request a copy of the “Joe Bloom Ear Training Program” which runs on PC-s but unfortunately not on Macs.

** For a more complete list of ear training activities, just send me a request.

[sagarj-things-blog]

Enterprise Video Content Management Market Analysis, Current and Future Trends 2022

A fresh commerce and business study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has observed that as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) mushroom across the world, the vendors who are ahead of the curve in the global enterprise video content management market will continue to find vast new opportunities, especially when they are willing to expand into the emerging economies in Asia Pacific. For instance, about a year ago, Panopto partnered with Ramp to provide businesses and universities an optimized mode of streaming video to large and geographically distributed audiences. Around the same time, Qumu collaborated its video content solutions with V-Cube’s conferencing system solutions to cater to targeted audiences in Japan and rest of the Asia Pacific. The report identifies IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corp., Adobe Systems, Inc., Qumu, Inc., Kaltura Inc., Panopto Inc., Brightcove, Inc., MediaPlatform Inc., Sonic Foundry, Inc., and VBrick Systems Inc. as some of the prominent companies currently operating in the global enterprise video content management market.

Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/enterprise-video-content-management-market.html

As per the estimations of the TMR report, the demand for enterprise video content management, across the globe, will increment at an impressive CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2022. By the end of the forecast period, 2022, the revenue in this market is projected to be worth US$13,309.0 mn, which is substantially up from its evaluated valuation of merely US$8,070.4 mn in 2017. In the near future, most of prominent companies are expected to adopt the latest technology pertaining to communication and lure newer customers. The report has also noted that security of confidential information is turning into a glaring issue and several market players will aim to fix this in order to consolidate their positions, primarily by focusing on hybrid and on-premises architectures to secure video data on-premises.

Based on component type, the global enterprise video content management market currently gains maximum demand for software platform, a segment that generated a revenue of US$5,811.3 mn alone in 2017, which was nearly 72% of the overall demand. This particular segment is expected to sustain its strong demand until 2022 too, when it is estimated to be worth US$9,286.6 mn, serving 69.8% of the demand as opposed to other segment of support services. Geographically, the TMR report rates North America as most lucrative region. The North America enterprise video content management market is projected to be worth US$4,293.6 mn by 2022, expanding at a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2022.

Cloud-Based Video Content Management Gaining Adoption among Enterprise

Rising adoption of cloud technology, growing awareness regarding the benefits of video as a tool that can enhance communication and collaboration across enterprise on the real time, growing penetration of high-speed internet, and increasing demand for video streaming are some of the key factors augmenting the demand in the global enterprise video content management market. Almost all SaaS and hybrid vendors are offering stronger security as cloud-based platforms gain adoption. These solutions aids enterprises to improve their efficiency by enabling secure information communications, capture and manage video content, and document processing. Features such as webcam, audio recordings, creation of screen, and media publication helps the corporate organizations to access their important data from remote locations on their smartphones and tablets.

Request Sample Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=31082

Information Security Remains Most Glaring Hindrance

On the other hand, factors such as lack of network connectivity, technical difficulties, operational difficulties pertaining to enterprise video as a unified communication and collaboration (UCC) tool, and concerns regarding security of the content are some of the challenges that are hindering the prosperity of the global enterprise video content management market. Nevertheless, growing adoption of video analytics and increasing demand for enterprise video content management in the healthcare sectors are primed to open vast new opportunities in this market.

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