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cateringisalie · 4 years ago

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9 years later and we have at last got a new Eva film and the end of the Rebuild project.

Much was made at the start of Rebuild of the desire to introduce Eva to a new audience. 1.0 more or less leant into its original goal and restaged episodes 1 to 6 of the TV series with a bigger budget, CGI, some more blunt and early reveals and a few weird alterations for the existing fan base. The Angel numbering was off; everyone knows Lilith is stuck in the basement, Seele just default to their monoliths. Kaworu is actively introduced at the tail-end rather than alluded to in the opening titles. As an intro, its fine (though most would agree the equivalent stage of the TV series isn’t really a struggle to cope with either), though a few stylistic and environmental changes lead many to conclude this was a direct sequel to End of Evangelion. 2.0 seemed content to build off of the intro but steer away from the relevant section of episodes – roughly 8 to 17. Recognisable moments like the falling Angel, the corrupted Unit 03 and the ribbon angel and Unit 01’s impossible reactivation share the screen with altered relationship dynamics. Now we get Mari one of the few wholly new characters who gets to open the second film in a wildly dramatic fashion. The key of Nebuchadnezzar (which does at least re-enter proceedings in the final film, but I am even shakier on what it is or used for – even fandom seem to have struggle to explain this as anything other than a blunt drop-in replacement for the Adam embryo in the TV series). And come the end its time for Third Impact already, Shinji altering the world around him to rescue Rei from the depths of an Angel. Kaworu uses an unfamiliar spear to incapacitate Shinji and the preview hints at a story further from the rails than ever. 3.0 is as promised more or less completely divorced from anything Eva had done before. Just not the off-the rails version 2.0 advertised. Some will be quick to note that none of the Rebuild previews have entirely accurately advertised their subsequent instalment; 1.0’s features at least one key scene that never happened (Mistao slapping Ristuko in a seeming allusion to the Sea of Dirac Angel) while even the sequences of animation that did make it look nothing alike. Which is fair, but even then 2.0’s bears absolutely no resemblance to 3.0 and even 3.0’s very strange preview doesn’t really jibe with 3.0+1.0 ultimately. 3.0 is post-post-apocalypse and with a whole 14 years just evaporated between films. There’s a distinct last third of Nadia feel to it. About the only part similar to a former incarnation is Kaworu and Shinji’s relationship which while not even roughly mapping to episode 24 serves the same function; to make Shinji distraught before the climax of this story. But 3.0 is also the point where that initial premise of the series slams headlong into the drift from familiar territory. Where the film is a quantum leap away from the mystery terms and slow reveals. The oddities and confusions pile up given the glimpsed state of the world, the strange gridded moon, the sea of Eva corpses, the strange state of Lilith in the depths of Nerv. An awful lot happened while Shinji was (for reasons no one has explained or seems to care about except me) IN SPACE and the film only ever alludes to the sequence of events occurring between these two films in the broadest of strokes. Which if done a certain way can be compelling though I did not find it to be the case here in the slightest. It’s a huge struggle to build up even a vague idea of what went down and that’s with heavy deferral back to the TV series again. If you’re new, none of this means much of anything. Even mixed media doesn’t help. The reveal there was a limited run manga of events prior to 3.0 had a potential for answers, but upon reading a synopsis... Nope. Helps not even a tiny amount. Also this mixed media attitude is never to be encouraged. So, I didn’t like film 3 much at all. Film 4 does little to not be based on where it left off. Which is a small mercy that it doesn’t effectively toss everything out again and skip further ahead in time. And 3.0+1.0 does at least make use of some of what 2.0 revealed and setup in the spirit of trying to get this into something cohesive. It fails, but it tried. Maybe the points it touches on were the intended direction of the films. Maybe Anno changed his mind on this one. It’s not like Rebuild’s failure to cohere should be a surprise – the title of the film is simply confusing in sequence. Titled neither 4.0 nor 4.44, instead we have the pretty inexplicable 3.0+1.0 which is just annoying to type. Even thematically this doesn’t feel right given its more like 2.0 mushed into 3.0 but I suppose that’s technically film 5 so... Unless, 1.0 here is supposed to mean the original TV series or EoE, which... End of Evangelion figures unexpectedly largely in the film. Could be that its meant to infer some collection of the Eva cast (the original pilots + Mari? The Ikari family + Mari? The pilots from 1.0 (Shinji and Rei) plus the pilots from 3.0 (Asuka and Mari)?). The other part of course, is that the three prior films had titles in the form of [Thing](Not)]Thing]. 3.0+1.0 decides to dispense with this entirely and instead is titled “Thrice Upon a Time”. Nothing like confusing matters (and instead media library ordering) by not only giving the film a title that puts it before the 3rd film (since prior to this cinema releases are .0 and the home media (excepting the first release of 1.0) are triple digits of their instalment number) but also has another reference to three within it. It might be some kind of holy trinity allusion, some play on Third Impact, or an acknowledgement that this is theoretically the third version of events surrounding the end of the world (if you take TV series as 1, EoE as 2, and Rebuild as 3). Also potentially a literary reference about cyclical time and messages from the future which is all well and good and fits into a whole other essay about how Rebuild and FFVII Remake are operating on the same basis and making many of the same mistakes by both trying to be fan-service for the new fans and draw in new ones and do the big fan-moments similarly but diverge wildly off in others. Good start! The final film starts with bombast as per 2 and 3 (and thus focused on Mari) though the setup and point of the action is possibly more confused and less explicable (which is saying something given 3.0 opened with retrieving Unit 01 from space. No, I will continue to complain about not getting this. Yes it was very exciting but why was Unit 01 in space? In a strange crucifix coffin. Anyone at all?) – and only vaguely connected to anything resembling the plot. At least 2.0 and 3.0 had some immediate and long term stakes with a cover for Kaji stealing something and bringing Shinji into the plot. This film opens with a scrounge for spare parts in a red Paris that the tertiary cast make no longer red while Mari fights off a massed horde of Evas while battleships are puppeteered from orbit. It’s all terrible cool and everything, but given at no point do we even begin to understand what is going on or what the stakes even are. Which is a problem with the latter half of the sequence. 2.0 might have started with an Eva vs Angel fight but while there was ambiguity over the situation it at least seemed to lead into the eventual plot. Here we’re getting Eva spare parts for later and a whole dose of new terminology the film has no interest in explaining. Which is par for the course for prior Eva incarnations but again, I feel there was more explanation setting the weirdness up. Here we are reduced to keywords that sound important. The film proper opens with our familiar trio of Eva pilots winding up at a village with their old classmates (which of course, to follow the proliferations of 3 all the way down and also match to Tokyo-3, is in fact, Village 3. The far future sequel to Resident Evil 8 presumably). Who are necessarily now 14 years older than them. Asuka is naked (in a sequence to contrast to 1.0 and 2.0) or in her underwear for far too much of this sequence (and just as creepy as 2.0 got with this) as Shinji struggles in the aftermath of Kaworu’s death, Ayanami (critically not the Rei of 2.0) learns about life (and visits a library with – I’m not kidding – a poster for Sugar Sugar Rune on display. I like to think not many in the audience caught this slightly odd reference). 30 minutes of the film are taken up with Rei being happy and contented with her life while Shinji slowly recovers and re-enters polite society (sulks, throws up at the sight of the DSS collar, is insulted and force-fed). There’s a good case for this section just being an unnecessary time filler, though you don’t need to fill time in a film that is 2 ½ hours. But if it was cut down, perhaps it would have the same strange feeling as 1.0 had where the aftermath of Shinji’s second Angel fight lead was mostly skipped and left that part of 1.0 feeling strangely hasty and actively (and badly) abridged. Maybe that’s just my familiarity with the source material again. There’s still an edge of weirdness in the air on the film hits the 45 minute mark; even prior to this gigantic sections of the land are missing, and some things just float around now (apparently because). Past this mark is where weirdness creeps in; the barriers keeping the village from suffering the fate of Paris – the structures a curious match to the Cocytus facility at the start of 2.0. There are headless Eva copies who roam the landscape. An indicator on Ayanami’s suit runs down. Shinji is advised to talk to his father before he loses the opportunity forever. This one made me laugh, and even Asuka comments that given who Shinji’s father is and what he’s done don’t really make this plausible (or sensible). Ayanami concludes her pastoral life and this stage of the film by transforming back to her original white plug-suit; her AT Field then dissipates and she bursts in a familiar spill of LCL. For such a previously central character, Rei or Ayanami or Lilith will have exceptionally little bearing on the remainder of the film. The plot now kicks in properly as Gendo decides enough is enough and he’s going to be doing some world ending. Our Eva pilots are ready but not the same; we have Asuka, Mari and Shinji. And standing orders for Shinji to be shot if he tries to pilot anything (but given we’re at the end of the world and basically the original plan fails to stop Nerv bringing about the end of the world, that people still try to shoot him is... a little weird and an almost pointless resolution of factors the quaternary cast brought up in 3.0). The entire rest of the film is even more impenetrable and confusing than Kaworu’s sweeping explanations of what happened between films 2 and 3. If 3.0 fumbled the ball on being newcomer friendly 3.0+1.0 actively doesn’t care. Not that familiarity with series helps since so much new terminology is thrown at the audience. The entire cast – literally the entire cast – are not only caught up on but also understand the varying levels of psychological, biological and religious nonsense that Eva has formerly wielded as something almost coherent. You, as audience member, are not privy to a fraction of this understanding and thus left to flail for the remainder of the film making what you can of the maddening breadcrumb trail of exclamations and partial explanations. Shinji is no help here and infuriatingly asks barely a single question about what is going on (thankfully he does prompt Gendo to explain a few things – presumably where even the staff had gotten lost on what was supposedly going on). For existing fans, you might get a sense of it by application of known quantities from the previous incarnations (I pity newcomers struggling to make sense of this). What the Lance of Cassius is a thing introduced abruptly into the series – and contrasted with the Lance of Longinus you can muddle through to get some idea of what was going on. 3.0+1.0 however, decides that even that grip on its story is too much and adds a bunch more unnamed spears. Some of them formed from Lilith. This is a thing of some import apparently, though ultimately is effectively buzzword name-checking. We know who Lilith is in context from both 1.0 and the TV series but how that relates to spear formation is beyond me. And then there’s the part where one of the flying ships (there were four made according to Seele’s plan. Seele, the former sinister puppet-masters, who died in film 3, and if the flying ships were their idea or this stated at all, I had totally forgotten it in the last 9 years (checking wikia seems to indicate no one else knew this either so I feel vindicated). Seele feel an artefact of the old Eva Anno has no time for – EoE had what equated to three groups vying for control of the process of human instrumentality. Seele are adhering to a prophecy of sorts, Gendo is trying to subvert that process for his own ends, and Misato is trying to stop it. In terms of economical story-telling, the distinction between Seele and Gendo’s goals in causing Third Impact are so slim as to be basically zero (few critical differences though), I suspect Seele were deemed unnecessary and shuffled out of proceedings hastily despite their continued name-checking at this late stage) is turned into another spear because if all the spears are used up, the end of the world can’t be averted. You will have to forgive me for failing to notice how and where most of these spears (save three) wound up or what most of that means or why or how or anything. But we have a budget to squander and why not channel the Gurren Lagann energy for action one last time? And there is some action, this presumably part of what a good section of the audience have waited for with baited breath, that thing the TV series so rapidly lost interest in; that EoE staged for narrative cruelty. Smashy giant robot action time! So we get billions of Eva enemies for Asuka and Mari to cut through without problem. They explode and fall away despite exhaustively overwhelming numbers. There is a palpable lack of threat here. A few hitches but nothing the pilots can’t cope with. It’s just empty fan-service, a boast about how much can be rendered into a single frame. We get Asuka, unable to stab critically important Unit 13 (looking distinctly Unit 01-like just with four arms), and then hooking into an odd leftover thread from 2.0. Her accident in the activation test of Unit 03 has left her with a part of herself now more correctly classified as an Angel. And like 2.0 for surprise value, her Eva has special Angel blood injectors to again overcharge her Eva (which seems to be a thing in the latter three films – turn the Eva safety off and go beserk. As if Unit 01 didn’t do that all on its own in the first and second film). And this too fails. But this too is just another moment of important and pretention. Where the audience is meant to gasp at Eva/Angel hybridisation (not that the dividing line between Angles and Evas is ever completely clear (not least Unit 03)), at Asuka revealing herself to be part Angel (as if Kaworu and Rei weren’t established examples). So her Eva bloated and animalistic is... just another moment. We saw this in 2.0 with Mari releasing her limiters. We saw it in 3.0 in almost the same way. The distinction isn’t meaningfully different to the last few times the Evas were let off the leash and became more brutal. And just like the prior times this escalation of Eva body horror, ferocity, blood and over-indulged violence doesn’t actually help the situation. Asuka fails in her task as the Unit 13 counter-attacks. She’s saved by getting pulled out of reality moments before her end. Of course this being narrative, this being Eva; Gendo, the architect of this situation, is three steps ahead. Misato’s flying ship is badly and perhaps critically damaged so Gendo can retrieve the limbless body of Unit 01 formerly powering the flying ship. Shooting Gendo doesn’t work thanks to the key of Nebuchadnezzar (which did... Uh. Something? Kaji noted it as the lost number kept as a spare in 2.0 which implied Angel or Eva or... No I don’t know nor can I make sense of what it’s done to Gendo. Wikia informs me that while it’s never seen on-screen past the one time, its case is in some shots of 3.0. How amazing) and he leaves. And thus, of course, Shinji must get in the f-ing robot once more. But we’re back to the confident, more certain Shinji who 2.0 birthed as we enter the last (but still very long) final stage of the film – and restage End of Evangelion. Curious of course; EoE by turns can feel like a legitimate replacement for the final two TV series episodes or a bleakly, darkly, disturbing and flippant retort to the low-budget metaphysic version of the TV apocalypse. EoE to some has been not so much the intended ending (though buying a complete set of the old Eva in Japan will always net you the 26 original TV episodes, the four amended episodes and EoE), but more a poisoned chalice for the people who wanted a less introspective version of the end of the world and the process of human instrumentality. Anno was free to do what he wanted and veer off the tracks here – he can’t get away from the end of the world – this is integral to Eva’s base concept. 2.0’s glimpse of Second and the starts of Third Impact depict a process completely unfamiliar from the TV series’s version (reading Wikia explains some of 2.0’s imagery but is still bewildering with reference to 3.0+1.0’s reveals). In Rebuild, the end of the world is staged in the space below the strange aftermath of Second Impact, in an anti-universe where humans cannot venture. And yet, we are still clearly revisiting End of Evangelion. Not exactly the same, but a lot of imagery (the symbols in the sky, the gigantic form of Lilith at multiple points, the crucifix explosions across Earth’s surface) – to say nothing of some actual sections of animation – are taken straight from the 1997 film. Those moments and images were haunting and disturbing (the more overtly sexualised imagery has been completely removed). Clearly no matter what was said at the time or in the interim, EoE is in fact how the ending must play out; this is, or has become, what happens externally and internally when these characters attempt to force a next stage of evolution. The End of Evangelion will always be the end. ...just not quite the same. Not least it is missing most of the infamous moments (Shinji in Asuka’s hospital room is notably completely absent). There’s no moment where Shinji strangles Asuka, Komm Susser Tod is missing entire (in favour of something similar sounding but in Japanese), the live-action sequences of the empty cinema or the world without Evas aren’t utilised (though some live action footage is included), Rei betraying Gendo and beginning Third Impact outside his control etc. It's actively absurd to type this, but Lilith – Lilith! – has less character here. Which is so astonishingly absurd given the only depiction of Lilith we get is effectively Rei/Rei was Lilith the entire time, but those introspective sequences hinting at something more involved with Rei or the points Lilith does talk directly to Shinji are gone too. This shouldn’t be a surprise – we are after all missing a Rei character at the climax. Mostly. 3.0+1.0 almost expects you to remember the last time you saw Eva end the world and contrast it to this new version. The EoE imagery, the footage of Lilith descending from the crucifix, the looming figure of Lilith rising as humanity ends. Even something like the sequence of the backsides of cels running backward is reused – this footage also cribbed from EoE and played out on a wall between two characters. The animation breaks down into scratchy storyboards and later degenerates from finished footage down to outlines, animatics, and storyboard. The end of the world is this time around is more heavily meta. Both EoE and the TV episodes “staged” the process of Instrumentality (or parts of it) for Shinji. It occurs in filming spaces and on sets, there’s lighting equipment and dolls as stand-ins. The strange artificiality of pulling back the curtain on the TV or film production, or else the effect of setting the camera back further than you should for filming a theatrical experience. But even that’s a false layer given a true pull-back would be to people in front of computers or previously drawing key-frames. Here the staging is more blunt still. It begins with an Eva vs Eva fight between Gendo and Shinji in the anti-universe where their brains make sense of the impossible space with artificially staged areas of familiar locations. A fight in a city has a huge sheet as a backdrop and carboard buildings the Evas kick around. They fight in front of Nerv headquarters and in Misato’s kitchen. A blow knocks over a section of scenery and sprawls Shinji in the studio space surrounding the set. A crossroads of sort where Shinji will move on from Gendo to meet with Rei, Kaworu and Asuka. The major difference to EoE is that the end here is much more concerned with Gendo; we dive into his psyche and his past. His isolation and desire for it. This feels extremely confessional for Anno all things considered given Gendo was always previously kept at arm’s length. This feels revealing about the man behind it all, a reflection of the director. He has admitted during production that at his stage of life he is far closer to Gendo than Shinji – I think this is barely obfuscated here. The flashback is more about understanding Gendo and how Yui changed him than anything about Evas or the end of the world. Gendo’s motivation is revealed to be the same as always; this is how he gets to be with Yui again. Odd details catch as this past plays out. And is that Mari in his memories? Mari, who Fuyustuki calls Mary Iscariot upon meeting her and has prepared something for her. Which feels much more like religious buzz words; there’s an obvious implication coached in that selection of a name, but how it actually relates to the story or the circumstances is really unclear. Nor am I clear on what Fuyutsuki prepared. He explodes into LCL like last time too. The process is so close to EoE but the mood is lighter and the reasoning behind the cast a little different. Asuka is part of a clone series – same as Rei. Just without the physical signifiers that Kaworu and Rei exhibit and the prior short-hand for clones in this universe (as noted, their design is intended to invoke lab rats). Nice consistency there. The beach ending from EoE is re-done under a blue sky; Asuka is saved thanks to Shinji and Mari working in concert. Kaworu’s beach meeting with Shinji is restaged, the newer, confident Shinji discussing the circular system that delivers Kaworu into his place at the end of the world. So Eva has happened before, meta-wise or time-wise or dimensionally. Take it as you will, no interpretation is more valid than another. Only that Kaworu remembers them all. It’s happened before and it’s expected to happen again. But Shinji’s different now, so the end of the world is different. Now it’s time to move on; Kaworu is left with Kaji to tend the earth assured the cycle of Eva productions is at an end – both have been dead all this time. Anno’s attitude to his seeming forever association with this one franchise his and his desire to set it down and move on? EoE finished in space; 3.0+1.0 finishes beneath the Antarctic. The idea of Unit 01 living forever as a testament to humanity is no factor at all Shinji intending (and his parents possibly driving) the final riddance of the Evas from reality – none can be allowed to remain. But now, the film takes an odd turn, and as with EoE, there’s the coda. In EoE this was the beach scene. For Rebuild: The sun shines, the sky is blue. An adult Shinji sits in a train station and meets with Mari. She’s older too now; the pair share a kiss and run from the station hand in hand. So. Uh. Yeah. That happened. There’s Kaworu and Rei seemingly alive and well as adults. And Asuka of course. But Shinji winds up with Mari. Mari who knew everything the whole time and might somehow have been part of Gendo’s group at university and known Yui and no, we are not getting any insight into those peculiarities! (or more plausibly it could be Mari’s mother who looks near identical to Mari but... What are we meant to take from this, really?). Mari who met Shinji in a handful of brief moments and has never spent any actual time with him. Mari won the love-triangle! But this is not some simple alternate reality, a different better take world where the cast existed in something resembling our reality; Shinji still wears the exploding DSS collar given to him before rejoining the giant robot fray. Mari effortlessly removes it from his neck. The film ends with a live-action sequence – this is reportedly Anno’s hometown. The world without Evas; we passed the relevant date while 3.0+1.0 was stalled. Shinji made it to 2014, or more plausibly past it in a world without Second Impact. And he’s happy, well-adjusted, and... Not really recognisable as Shinji. Shinji now exists in the present, not the future as he had for so long in pop-culture. But he’s in a different 2021; a world without the pandemic. And that was Rebuild; a project intended as a new introduction to Evangelion that blatantly had its entire core conceit revised at least twice (the 4th film delayed because of Shin Godzilla and then a struggle to write at all) that increasingly and confusingly leant more and more on its famed initial incarnation even as it veered increasingly and erratically away from the familiar sequences. I liked 3.0+1.0 more than 3.0, but can’t help but still bemoan whatever 3.0 was going to be when 2.0 happened. The alternate other sequence. And despite it all, despite the allusions to a repetition of Eva and of this being the break in the chain, even those working on and involved with the film see even this as a definitive end. Even Anno’s not convinced that’s the last word. Eva will come back all over again; naturally – there’s money to be made here, and what’s yet another alternate take to add to the TV series, the manga, the games, the other manga, EoE, Rebuild and so on. Kaworu apparently is indeed doomed to revisit this forever alongside everyone else and also remember that for once he was gifted a true end. An impossible conclusion for modern pop-culture it feels.

#long post

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radramblog · 4 years ago

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Game of the Year 2020...?

Ive scrolled the list of games that came out this year to see what my GOTY ended up being, but turns out the only game I played in 2020 that released that year was, uh…….

Fucking good game but like I’m not gonna hand it GOTY by default (That goes to Hades, based solely impressions from other people). Actually, I’m not handing out any awards, really. So I guess I’m just gonna go over a bunch of the other games I did play last year, regardless of whether or not they came out then.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

A mate got me this for my birthday in December 2019, and unlike the other games I got then (Kirby Star Allies which I burned through that month and Octopath which I still haven’t played) I spent a fair few hours playing it last year. This was before the sequel was announced, and also a little bit after the fact- figured I should try and finish one before playing the other. Unfortunately, I have yet to purchase Age of Calamity nor finish Definitive Edition, because the former is expensive and the latter is expansive. Holy shit there’s so much fucking content in this game. I don’t think I ever will finish it to be honest, though despite the repetitiveness it never really felt boring to me. It’s the only Warriors/Musou game I’ve played, and I’d be interested in trying others based on the experience.

(I’m not playing Fire Emblem Warriors though fuck that)

Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC: The Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra

Sword and Shield felt somewhat lacking on release, and while the DLCs released this year did much to try and fix this its still a bit shit that it required an extra paycheck out of you to get the full game- outside of outsourced mobile games like Go and Shuffle, or services such as Bank or Home, Pokemon has never actually had DLC/microtransactions, so this was a little disappointing. I’d argue that it absolutely wasn’t worth it when Isle was released, as fun as the content was it was again, lacking. Crown Tundra I would argue exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations, however- the new and returning mons are cool and welcome (I despised Calyrex’s design on first reveal but their behaviour in story redeemed it more than enough), and the Max Lair Adventure offered a surprisingly replayable romp that has been great to just try and grind out with friends. I can’t say I’d recommend the DLC pack though- only if because you’ve probably made up your mind already as to whether or not you’re getting it, or this doesn’t apply to you at all. I could also put basically every main series Pokemon game on here, seeing as I’m pretty sure I nuzlocked every region at some point during the year, but I don’t want to make this *that* long.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate Expansion Pass

Smash is still Smash. I don’t find myself playing it much on my own, and even in Perth get-togethers weren’t super common last year. As neat as the DLC characters released this year are for the franchise as a whole, none of them convinced me to play significantly more than usual, and I can’t wrap my head around half of them, so.

Also, I’m still salty about Byleth, and I actually really liked Three Houses, it was my first FE game. Why the fuck wasn’t it Claude????

Rivals of Aether

On the other hand, in the last few months I’ve found myself grinding match after match of Rivals with one of my best mates and the game is a fucking blast, holy shit. I still haven’t bought it for myself, but its basically 100% of the reason I have played 0 smash for the last few months since we’re too busy mashing Orcane vs Ranno over and over and not really getting tired of it. It requires a specific type of person to get into it, but if you’re in that group then its just an excellent game.

VA-11 Hall-A

I first played VA-11 Hall-A (Vallhalla, since typing that is a pain) by pirating it and playing it on my laptop in the dead of night.

It quickly became one of my favourite games of all time.

When the Switch port dropped, I felt obliged to actually pay for it this time around, since the developers had more than earned my money. And then I replayed it again, playing it on my switch in the dead of night (At least this time I had the excuse of being a nightshift worker). With the sequel unfortunately delayed into 2021, it might be time to run it back once more or drag more of my mates into Glitch City since I already forcibly exposed a few of em to it.

The post-credits title screen is still my phone background.

Fallout: New Vegas

I don’t really have much to say about FNV that hasn’t been said already, especially considering HBomberguy’s recently released video, but it is also on my top 5 list and I only got around to playing Lonesome Road and Dead Money this year. Also went out of my way to 100% achievement complete the game on Steam, which I believe is the first time I’ve done that for a game.

Zero Escape Series (Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors, Virtue’s Last Reward, Zero Time Dilemma)

The Danganronpa series’ less colourful sibling, Zero Escape was a series I finally got around to finishing after having borrowed a friend’s copy of VLR back in high school and playing it wrong due to not deleting his save file (oops,). I think VLR remains my favourite, and I really hope the series continues at some point (unlikely as it seems now) considering how ZTD missed the mark pretty hard. The first 2 games are still excellent mystery games and a lot of fun, though you do need somewhat of a tolerance for words.

A Hat in Time

Oh god this game is so fucking cute. Also, just an excellent platformer. Is the DLC still on sale? I should buy that.

Fallout 4

Its just not New Vegas. It just isn’t. I really tried with this game, I really did. The gunplay is great, modding and building shit is fun, but its just not the same.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

A couple years ago I bought a SNES Mini, but until 2020 I didn’t really have a convenient way of playing it seeing as my monitor didn’t have an HDMI port. But now I do have one with one, so I got to start playing this classic! And then stopped because of uni. Should finish that, probably.

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Shit Keara I still have your copy sorry I’ll get back to it :<

Pokemon Stadium

I also managed to get my N64 up and running, and despite being the wrong region for most of the games available in local shops, I somehow managed to get Stadium for a great price. Got to dig out my old Red cartridge and anything. Fuck me though, this game is brutal. Seriously, Gen 1 battle mechanics are tough to deal with at the best of times, having to do battle after battle with said mechanics without losing is just nuts. I still haven’t managed to get Round 2 unlocked.

God, fuck you Blaine. Goddamn fire spin Rapidash motherfucker.

Super Mario 64 Speaking of, I managed to pick up a Japanese cartridge of SM64, complete with BLJ glitches and 3 entire save files. After much effort, I managed to actually get it working, and spent most of the night of Christmas getting smashed and trying to beat Bowser in the Fire Sea. I played a lot of the DS remake as a kid, and I feel like an idiot for struggling as much I did with the original.

This is all of course a buildup to the fact that I was lying about not assigning a GOTY. Because there is only one N64 game in my small collection deserving of Game of the Year, because its deserving of Game of the Year every year since its 1999 release.

BEETLE ADVENTURE RACING MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER

#ramble #video games #retro games #pokemon #for real tho beetle adventure racing is actually good #mario kart who?

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midgethetree · 5 years ago

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Hi Midge! I've been trying to make sense of some mod descriptions, but I still have questions, so I figured I should just ask. I hope you don't mind;I have a lot. 1.Hereditary Supernaturalism: Do I need all the custom lifestates? Do I need to disable anything if I don't have a life state installed? 2.Hered. Super: Is inheritance always 100 percent? Or is it less than that or tuneable? Basically, if my sims sleeps with a grand vamp & gets pregnant, will she give birth to a vamp? I hope so!

Hello!

1. Nope, you can use it without custom lifestates! Changing the mermaid/genie/fairy ages to 0 will save a little processing time, but probably not enough to be noticeable and it’s not necessary.

2. Inheritance is 100% if both parents are the supernatural type, 50% if only one is supernatural. If you have your heart set on the baby being some supernatural type you can save while they’re still doing the growing-up anims and exit to neighborhood & reload until you get the results you want or just use the supernatural transformer to make them what you want, if you really want inheritance to be 100% always you could go through and use Pescado’s delete (one of the special buttons in the BHAV editor) on any “Coin Flip” lines.

Lots of Qs anon cont'd: 3. Is there a supernatural pregnancy controller? I'd like witches to always have a fertility boost but vampires to always have difficulty conceiving. Should I bother with making or tuning a mod or just use ACR or your RCC? 4. Vampkiss: How does giving extra days to the victims work? Is it a separate interaction, constant chance, or a tuneable feature? 5. Vampkiss: Are transformation & deadly bite separate interactions like with Deadly Bite Neck? Autonomous?

3. No, there is not a supernatural pregnancy controller. There are fertility/virility/invirility potions which increase/decrease chances of pregnancy with RCC, but that’s not universal for a given supernatural type. To make a mod like that I’d edit Pregnancy - Try To Get Pregnant so Param 0x0002 is increased if either prospective parent is a witch and decreased if either is a vampire. Here are the globals to use to check if a sim is a witch/vampire. If editing the vanilla copy of the BHAV I’d do this at the very beginning before the random number is rolled, if editing one of RCC’s fertility packages I’d add it near the end before Local 0x0002 < Param 0x0002 with all the potion checks.

4. All the vampire bites are the same interaction, but you get dialogs: the first asks if you want to “vampire-bite” (you then get a dialog asking if you want to kill them or transform them into a vampire) or “suck blood” (you then get a dialog asking if you want to give them three additional days of life). It is not BCON tunable, but you can edit line 0x10 in Interaction - Person B to change it from += Literal 0x0003 to something else, and you can edit the dialog primitive strings so the dialog will reflect this.

5. As I said above, all the vampkiss options are one interaction. The only autonomous option is the original (transforming into a vampire), and that’s only if the initiator is a grand vampire.

Lots of Qs anon cont'd again: 6. Vampkiss: Is the relationship check for all the interactions in that version? Or can I tune it so that only transformation requires a check & sucking blood + deadly bite don't need a check? Whew! I think that's everything. Sorry to be a bother; thanks in advance for any help you can give. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I really appreciate all the time you take to answer questions, feedback, and give modding advice.

6. The relationship check is the same for all interactions, since you don’t decide what the interaction is until after it has started. This can’t be changed without essentially remaking the mod as separate interactions.

Hope that helps!

#ask midge #mod support #mod: hereditary supernaturalism #mod: vampkiss more interactions #replies

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venus-says · 5 years ago

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Kamen Rider Ghost Movies and Specials

It's very amusing that I'm covering a horror movie here, but that isn't a part of the Ghost series.

It is time to (kinda) close the book on the Ghost season.

I gotta be honest, I wasn't looking forward to doing this, and I was both very disappointed and also very surprise. It was a fun journey, with a few questionable choices, but still fun nonetheless.

But before I get to the works that belong under this umbrella, we'll dive into something a bit different at first...

Kamen Rider: THE FIRST & Kamen Rider: THE NEXT

So, while looking at the list of Ghost's movies I saw that Kamen Rider 1 was on the list and that it was also technically part of the canon. I debated if I should watch it or not since, after all, my knowledge of the OG Kamen Rider is pretty much below basic and I was very afraid I would be missing in a lot of stuff. I was well aware I wouldn't be able to watch the actual show right now and I didn't want to read the wiki so I was about to give up on the idea when I looked at my notes and I saw that Kamen Rider THE FIRST and THE NEXT were a thing, and I thought this would fit in perfectly with the amount of time I have right now. I knew THE FIRST was a remake/adaptation of the original TV show and the manga and THE NEXT was its sequel so this would probably give me enough context to watch Kamen Rider 1.

And I wish I had done some more research before watching these movies because I feel like watching THE NEXT was a mistake.

Like, while I can't attest how truthful to the source material THE FIRST is, it was pretty much one of those compilation movies. The impression I had was that they choose the most crucial moments in a "The Best of" format and just glued that together and sold it as a movie. Which was not really a problem because it was pretty much a very solid movie, despite the cuts that leave a lot of gaps between each point. It lacked a lot of information, like how Hayato got to Shocker, and it kinda wasted time with the plotline of the kids from the hospital that didn't get a proper payoff, but it was still an entertaining movie. I love the action scenes, I'm not a specialist in this matter but it was really refreshing seeing a fight scene that was pretty much all done with practical stunts and very little CGI. This movie made me really curious to watch the original show, I know this is not exactly what I'll get whenever I watch it, but it left the "I want more" taste in my mouth.

THE NEXT on the other hand, while it was more of a "film" rather than a "compilation", it was also less of a Rider movie, they had riders on it, but it felt like they weren't the main focus. The feeling I had while watching it was that the producers either read the Helter Skelter manga, or watched Perfect Blue, or they saw one of those conspiracy theories of artists who don't seem to age that died and were replaced and wanted to make a horror movie that would deal in with the cruelty of the entertainment world, but they got denied and were put in to make the sequel of THE FIRST without wanting it, so they picked their original idea and shoved Kamen Rider into it as a secondary element that feels like it doesn't belong in that movie, and in the end, it fails at both. Admittedly, the horror portion was pretty good, I would be interested in watching it. It was the rider portion that was a letdown, it was pretty much just some random action, and while watching that girl fighting with a chainsaw was cool as hell there wasn't much background stuff to justify all of that and put some meaning on it. And there's also the terrible final scene with that awful CGI fire that was cringy as hell. If you want some advice, skip this one, it's not worth it.

Kamen Rider Ghost: Legendary! Riders' Souls!

Because I was left with the feeling that I got no useful information after watching THE NEXT, I decided to do something that I never do that is watch the web specials they release for each movie in the hopes that I would have enough context to watch Kamen Rider 1 without a problem. And well... I didn't expect them to be so pointless. Like, they have enough content to be its own TV movie and it's all just to explain how they got the Rider Eyecons, AND THAT'S IN THE MOVIE FOR LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!!!!! And like, these form changes are so useless that if they had taken that out of the movie it wouldn't make a difference!!! I swear to god, why do they still think this kind of stuff is cool? UGH

I don't have much to say because this was pretty much just a boss rush, but I have to say this. PLEASE STOP BRINGING FINAL BOSSES BACK, they're final bosses for a reason goddammit, they're not cannon fodder! When you bring a final boss back anytime you have a chance it just loses the cool effect it could have. Please, Kamen Rider, stop, we get it, you love your own franchise, you don't need to keep doing this circle jerk all the time when you wanna do something cool that serves as an homage to your own history.

Kamen Rider 1

Complains aside, finally the actual first Ghost movie, in the Ghost Movies and Specials post.

And this was a great movie, probably my favorite thing that came out of Ghost. This movie is exciting, it has things for both old and new fans, the plot is pretty decent, the action is a lot of fun, and the emotional beats work very well. I felt in love with Takeshi after this movie, he's such a cool guy, and I really like the actor, it was always a joy seeing him on the screen, his whole thing with Mayu was great, it was very endearing, and when Takeshi dies I really felt it, and the only reason why I'm okay with them bringing him back is that I like him so much and I didn't want to see him die. If THE FIRST made me want to watch the original series, seeing Takeshi in this movie made me want that even more.

I expected the Ghost cast to be the low point of this movie, and while my biggest complaint is about a thing related to the Ghost lore, I overall liked seeing Takeru tag along with Takeshi. To the surprise of a total of 0 people, Makoto was useless again, but honestly, his participation in this movie is so minor it doesn't even bother me. I also like that the villains of the movie were Shocker and Nova Shocker and not that white-suit guy from the specials. Having both Shockers there fighting not only the riders but also each other earned a lot of points with me, I particularly love how Nova Shocker decided to do their thing by embracing capitalism and becoming a corporation because corporative people are the scariest and I love when they make villains based on that.

But I think what I like the most of this movie is that brings up to discussion a theme that I always thought the show should've tackled on TV that is the importance of life, and all that Love&Peace talk about how we're all connected, and that we're connected to nature, that is connected to the world, and yadda yadda yadda. Yes, it's a pretty old speech and everything, but it's one of the subjects that match the most with what I believe is the premise of this show, and while I love that this is a part of this movie, it's pretty sad that none of this bleeds out to the TV show.

And talking about things that are pretty sad, the element I liked the least was the thing that Mayu had a very powerful Eyecon that has been dormant inside her. I understand this is a Ghost movie and they wanna use their gimmick, but they could've used Takeru's gimmick of going full ghost mode and start fo follow Mayu while invisible instead of making the final villain just another MOTW. I honestly think the conflict between Shocker and Nova Shocker was enough to make everything they wanted to do, on the scale they envisioned, without having to add anything related to the villains of this season.

Regardless of the complaints, this is worth watching, for sure, and I wish I hadn't wasted my time with THE NEXT and the specials because I wish I could've met this movie way sooner. XD

Ghost: The 100 Eyecons and Ghost's Fateful Moment

This movie... was a choice. I feel like I have nothing to say about this movie, it was empty, it was pretty much a copy of the Wizard and the OOO's movies merged together, there were a lot of depiction of historical figures that would probably leave some people turning on their graves, they tried to make not just one but TWO familiar dramas and both of them failed in being interesting or having a good pay off at the end, and if all of that wasn't bad enough, guess what? Takeru died again! And was "revived" once more! Yay! I swear, this movie is so frustrating, I just wanna forget it exists.

Well... at least the new Napoleon and Darwin forms looked good I guess.

The Legend of Hero Alain

Now, what wasn't a frustration was Alain's special series! I absolutely love being able to see different points of view of the same story, and being able to see that from the perspective of who became my favorite among the riders of this season was a true delight. I do think episode 4 was a bit useless and if they wanted to make an epilogue they could've done something better, but the other 3 episodes are pretty good.

In particular episodes 2 and 3, that are from the time around his redemption arc, were very touching and a huge part of that is obviously from the presence of the best character of this show, the #1 takoyaki lady, Fumi-san, who once again was here giving her wisdom and passing down some of the messages the TV show tried to pass but that it failed completely. And even though I knew they would eventually hit a point where they would talk about her death, I was still hit by the feels like if they were a truck and I cried.

If I have to say two things that I don't like about these specials it would be that "Human Life Course" Takeru, Akari, and Onari had in episode 3, that was just ridiculous. And I'm not the biggest fan of having this thing of Alain and Fumi having a story that goes way back than what we saw in the show. But honestly, even with these problems, this is one of my favorite media that came out of Ghost.

Kamen Rider Ghost RE:BIRTH: Kamen Rider Specter

Last, and deservedly the least, is Specter's movie. And talk about a bad movie,

You would think that at least on his own movie Makoto would be important, play a big role, but even though he defeated the big bad in the end, he actually did nothing that couldn't have been done for another character. Heck, if you think about it, the real hero at the end of the day was Onari because it was sneaking around and stealing that gem that solved the main problem about clearing the sky atmosphere in the end. All Makoto did here was take a dumb decision after the other and is dreadful to watch.

I think the biggest problem of this movie is that it depends on us believing in feelings developed between two characters that know each other for less than three days and one of those characters is framed by the movie SINCE THE BEGINNING as a maniac villain. And our pay off of this is to believe Makoto forgive the guy who was conducting crazy experiments and that threatened to kill his beloved sister because he considered her a failure. Thanks, I hate it!

Oh yeah and we had power-ups for Necrom and Specter that came out of nowhere and we just have to buy it. At least Spector's new form looks pretty cool, despite me not buying the "sin" motif, I would like to have an opinion on Necrom's form, but it happened on a shitty rain scene and I couldn't distinguish any memorable feature while watching it.

All in all, this movie was another disappointment.

Well, that's it for Ghost. I wish I could have something good to say to sendoff this series, but I honestly don't so I'll just wrap-up here after all this post is already long enough. What are your thoughts on these? Have you watched any of them recently? Let me know in the comments down below. Stay healthy, stay safe, never stop resisting, thank you so much for reading, and until the next time. Bye~

#Kamen Rider Ghost #Kamen Rider THE FIRST #Kamen Rider THE NEXT #kamen rider

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senpai-no-lie · 5 years ago

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Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Prologue & Chapters 1-5)

After months and months of seeing old physical copies of FE games being sold for ridiculous prices online, I discovered Shadow Dragons and Sacred Stones are still for sale on the Wii U eshop. Although I've heard these are some of the "less good" games in the series, for like $10 each, might as well. I have been making my way through Shadow Dragons, and I thought it'd be fun to do a live blog of sorts in 5 chapter bursts. I'm also loosely consulting the kidzworld guide for the heck of it.

Prologue:

Those graphics... oof. I can see why this game helped to run the franchise into the ground lol. My favorite is when the battle animation model doesn't even match the color of the character (such as Navarre wears red in his portrait but his animated self is blue)

I think the Prologue does a fair job of explaining the basics of playing Fire Emblem and the central conflict. No complaints

I chose Jagen as the decoy because I thought an older man dressing convincingly enough like Marth to trick the enemies was fun. Additionally, the peanut gallery said pick between him or Cain, and I couldn't bear to part with Cain-- I was lead astray and should've parted with Gordin.

Chapter 1:

We have more new recruits! Already the army is bloating. I was happy for a healer, though he's now been benched.

Draug is ok, though I wish he wasn't an armor knight and I had the courage to reclass him.

Caeda is great, but man do I forget she is frail to archers. I had to reset for her during chapter four iirc. I'm very nervous about using the wing spear too much, so hopefully I'll get another one.

Chapter 2:

My boi Ogma!!! He's the only one I can count on to double, which is both a boon and a bane (will explain later)

Of the three fighters, I selected Barst as the one I wouldn't bench and he's great. He'll hit and kill even at like 40% chances. The other two were looted for their weapons and promptly never used.

Whoops, killed the other recruitable characters in this chapter lol

Gordin performed poorly and I find myself missing Jagen.

Chapter 3:

Lena has become the new go-to healer, though Wrys is invited along through the next chapter. She's cute; Julian is cute.

Warp staff... very nice. Warp Marth straight to the armory

Originally I was just gonna recruit Navarre for his weapon and bench him, but it turns out he's in Warriors, so I want to keep using him to see if he has an appeal.

I reset at least twice for Ogma during this chapter. It wasn't even his fault, because I made the same hasty decision twice. He's just... too good at killing enemies and it gives them a way to keep chipping him down into 0 HP. Please get a little less good, Ogma. I need you

Chapter 4:

I don't remember this chapter being hard or eventful. I think this was the last time I brought Gordin along, and while he did ok, why bring him when I can have three cavaliers

Merric's so cute; he looked older and like that ghost dude from Hikaru no Go on his wiki page, so I was not prepared for that baby face. He killed the boss no problem and earned a spot on the team.

Recruited Matthis to help keep the bench warm.

Chapter 5:

The chapter of resets because I'd lose 1 character, such as Draug or Caeda. On my successful attempt, no one died, not even the chapter recruits.

The first reset was to get the Firestone for Bantu in the future. He might as well be useful until Tiki comes

Wendell replaced Wrys as my new healer. One old dude for another, though Wendell has thunder. But on attempt #2, he doubled and killed Draug, ugh

Hardin proved himself to be useful for the chapter, but he'll be benched because of aesthetics. Rosehea and Vyland were instantly benched too

Sedgar was really determined to suck, so he'll be benched. I'll see how well Wolf does since Frey's strength stat is falling off compared to Cain&Abel. Edit: Apparently I didn't bench him quite yet in favor of benching Fray, based on what my save file looks like. I guess we'll see what his growths do to his stats..

Overall, Thus Far:

The setting and general gameplay is a bit lackluster/more straightforward than previous titles, but I'm willing to forgive it since it is a remake of the first game. I'm a bit tired of always having to seize things, especially since only Marth can do that. Usually Marth is on the other side of the map, recruiting enemies or visiting the armory. No supports suck. I don't ever play with Permadeath on, so this has been a nice change of pace, but I miss the undo button for when I make arbitrary mistakes that exists in SoV and 3H lol

#my opinions about fire emblem #fire emblem #fire emblem 11 #shadow dragon #I-It is FE 11 right?#FE 11 #fire emblem shadow dragon

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kaorei-endgame · 7 years ago

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Ranking of Resident Evil save room themes?

I got my first latte of the season, it’s chilly enough to wear pants indoors, #Streamtober started yesterday. LET’S DO THIS, NICK. >:O

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17. Resident Evil 6 Chapter Ends, All Characters: Back to the cabbage patch. None of you are valid, with your Netflix Original knock-off of some ABC knock-off of 24-ass soundtrack. Go suck a giraffe’s dick with an Ada clone, Jake Muller.

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16. Resident Evil, Deadly Silence: What is this Resident Evil for Babiez? Nintendogz+ResidentEvilz? Imagine listening to this on the crappy DS speakers. Wasn’t there something creepy about Jill’s costume in this game, like you could tear pieces of it off, or am I just conjuring fall memories and combining them with how they went out of the way to add boob bounce to the REmake 15 years after the fact, and now Jill’s boobs on PS4 undulate languidly beneath her shirt like a pair of Dragon Quest Slimes yearning to be free. This track: aural despair, unleavened. A way to quickly induce nausea in dogs who have eaten chocolate or raisins.

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15. Resident Evil 6, Ada Chapter End: Well, okay, this one is all right. The first fifteen seconds feel like a HiFi version of a track from those Playstation 1 top-down shooters where you played a murder clown or a pyro guy escaping a space prison where you were held for crimes you definitely DID commit. The little background jog kicks in soon after and look, I’m a soft sell for ululation, what can I say.** But it just all just serves to stir memories like embers finally gone to smolder beneath the fireplace ash, stoking them after all these years, reminding me what a weird psycho they turned Ada into in this game. I like reflecting on how people got so mad about there not being co-op in Ada’s campaign that Capcom patched in a partner but his name is like “TeamMate” or “Buddy” and he has no lines of dialogue and is never addressed in the story in any way and thus is either a figment of Ada’s imagination or he’s a real dude who’s just pretty quiet and ultimately drowned on that sub? Well, I guess life’s tough if you’re the (potentially imagination) friend of an ex-spy turned pod person.

**(i contacted my musician friend, Kylie, who confirmed that ululation was the term i was thinking of, lest i second guess myself. at the same time, i’ll post her text here lest i misrepresent her words “Yeah, ululate as a technical term is vibrato using the tongue, so that would be wrong, but ululate as a descriptor refers to a sound that has a very pronounced waver between tones to it.” cool! i’ve often wondered if that’s the most accurate way to describe it. thanks Kylie!! :D)

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14. Resident Evil Revelations 2: Claire gets the best costumes probably across the whole series and yet it feels like she’s gotten the least love of all the main cast. I never really got it, she looks good in denim, whether jacket or pant, and her Revelations 2 blazer does her all the favors. But now they’re remaking RE2 and they turned her face into this weird porcelain Precious Moments dol—MY BELOVED DAUGHTER. MY MOIRA. I SWEAR I’LL FIND YOU. FOR THE SAKE OF JBLL I WILL AVENGE YOU AND THE OTHER ONE.

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13. Resident Evil 0: What’s with all the shivery whiney stuff. Like your younger sibling running nails down the chalkboard of your spine, like how the speed run of this game hinges on juggling an evasive bat with 5 out of the 6 flame rounds on hand, so try. Neither relaxing nor scary. Do I hear something like a bongo in the distance? That is the clarion call of Becky Chamber’s goose booty coming home to roost.

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12. Resident Evil 7: I had a dream last night about this game. If you have phobias about glass and/or mouths and/or wasp genitals, I would skip this paragraph. I was in the house where you have to run away from the mom with the disgusting wasp hive vagina. Also—unrelated and yet somehow related, as dreams always are—I had opened a beer bottle in such a way that the stem broke. I had decided to drink it anyway and now, as I progressed through the house, I found that there seemed to be endless small slivers of glass in my mouth that I had to repeatedly spit out lest they cut me. When I woke up, my jaw was clenched to the point of soreness. Welcome to the family, I guess. Otherwise this save room music reminds me of the game itself: mostly dull and barely there.

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11. Resident Evil Revelations: Item Box Music, only Save Room Adjcanet. Can’t disassociate this from the “swish-swish-swish-SHUCK” sound effects of navigating menus to equip Charge Shot 2 to my Shotgun. Not as pleasing or as integrated into my bone marrow as the Resident Evil 3 equivalent, but I have probably played this game through thirteen or fourteen times at this point. Life is short and yet the strings of fate tug us the directions they will.

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10. Resident Evil 5: Again, this is menu music. No save rooms at all in this game. Anyway I have no inherent memory of this song because I’m sure I’ve talked over it while upgrading my M92FS to 100 bullet capacity 110% of the times I’ve played this game. Exempted from higher echelon of rankings on these technicalities, but still A POOR PERFORMANCE INDEED for Not The Best Resident Evil Yet Paradoxically The One That’s Given Me The Most Joy In My life.

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9. Resident Evil, Dead Aim

: Wow I almost can’t believe I don’t remember this despite playing this game enough to write a speedrun guide for it. Well, that was the style at the time. As was a bloated zombie corpse boss, I suppose (long before Left 4 Dead, those copy cats), whose weak spot was its exposed brain which, halfway through the fight when you’d done enough damage, would pop out and dance a sprightly jig on its brainstem every time you shot it. With the whisper of wind and rain and single intermittent synth I feel like I’m living in a cyberpunk future and not a game whose protagonist’s “””cajun””” accent is as questionable as its presentation of the antagonist’s gender.

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8. Resident Evil, Umbrella Chronicles

: Hey now, weird bit of the creepy-freaky bass here kind of does put you in a certain headspace, but it’s not the headspace i remember of this game, which was basically unplayable in co-op for the final 3rd because a failed QTE would result in a hunter slicing away half your health. Good for an Into the Breach playlist to keep you focused on the action and stop you from trying to play it while also binging a Netflix show about werewolves that you didn’t really like anyway, and splitting your attention between visual mediums is just getting Good Pilots Killed.

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7. Resident Evil 2: Ominous. Maybe TOO Ominous at points. Aren’t save rooms about being safe? I guess we could argue that because the save room reflects the lacuna of safety BING BONG piano is the Try Hard version of video game music asking “you scurred yet?” Perhaps a novice mistake from a first-time director who would go on to do so many great things (well, RE2 among them, no lie). In a way, this fits with Rookie Cop Leon S. Kennedy, and anyway it’s so over the top I’m kind of okay with it. Most innervating when first heard on your way to equip a cowgirl costume for fast-firing six-shooter action. Guns suck, and cowboys too, but both are okay if we experience them in the abstract sense. This is what culture teaches us. Fan the trigger.

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6. Resident Evil 4: A surprisingly gentle one, considering the series turn towards action from which it would never recover. I am transported to the early minutes of a horror movie where the audience knows something the protagonist doesn’t about the terror that’s about to befall them while they blithely pick up a desiccated nudie mag in an old shed on a haunted property they inherited from their estranged uncle, more focused on the “ballistics” before them than the axe murderer crouched in the shadows of disused farm equipment behind.

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5. Resident Evil 3, Nemesis: More languid riff on 2. Strings get you shivery, and no more than a single BONG per two measures proves that save room music is as much about the notes you DON’T play. Two bongs to scare, but one bong to keep you on your toes, disallowing you from getting *too* relaxed by the soothing bleeps and bloops as you combine the 3 Gunpowder As you just found to make sure you have enough ammo to pistol-juke the so-called unkillable Nemesis. You’re not coward, but that doesn’t make you brave. Discretion is the better part of valor, they say, but that’s not taking into account that non-discretiony valor rewards you directly with a faster-firing pistol with critical headshots. :3

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4. Resident Evil 1, Vanilla: Gentle, plucky strings make you question your memory, more familiar with later revisions than you are this one. How often was I in this place? Or does its primacy belie its immediacy? If I went to the strange, pointless closet around the corner from this medicine save room, would I find a broken shotgun I expect there, a round of magnum ammo, or simply the ghost of discarded aspirations masking as memories. I recall a time when it felt like time was enough, but then again, this was back when anything sub-three hours would get you the infinite rocket launcher, regardless of how many First Aid Sprays you used.

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3. Resident Evil 1, REmake: High fidelity version of RE1’s gentle strings remind you of simpler times when your worst fears were zombies resurrecting into scarier, faster zombies with claws. What we wouldn’t give to go back to those days, and maybe tell ourselves not to take out so much student debt. Listening to this sends a pulse of gentle energy through my shoulder blades that makes me think “relaxation,” though I’m not sure my body understands the meaning of the word. A respite in trying eras, there is no association with the tension of shaving 15 minutes off your time to be competitive. “Safe Heaven,” they call it; a theme for a place that is not our own, but should be.

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2. Resident Evil 1, Director’s Cut: Wow I did not expect music box chimes and tones stirs something ancestral in my blood. I’ve played the Director’s Cut far more times than the original RE1 and this is like coming home to a big house where I enjoyed an idyllic childhood, but I now know every box is filled with the creepy knife doll from Onimusha. Though these senations are foreign to me, something about them inspires a thirst for a homeland I never knew.

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1. Resident Evil Code Veronica: The absolute chillest. In life, paths may wind, but the ultimate The strings are tickling your spine. You’re so relaxed you feel like oiling your ponytail, and you could even take a nap in Steve Burnside’s arms without reflexively gagging. When you hear this, you are at peace, and the world seems like a place that can be kind. Truly, the Code is Veronica.

and don’t forget to vote in our poll on whether or not we’re playing Claire A or Leon A tonight!

#resident evil #save rooms #survival horror

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lmaonade · 8 years ago

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yo i wanna get into yakuza but there are so many games i have? literally no idea where to start. do you have any recommendations on which game to start or what order to do them it?

absolutely, you gotta start with Yakuza 0. that’s facts.

then you’re gonna play Yakuza Kiwami, which is a recently released remake of Yakuza 1 with updated graphics and everything else. honestly though, you COULD play the original ps2 one, i’ve heard the English dub is funny in a corny way, but i recommend Kiwami.

THEN you can play Kiwami 2 (just a remake of yakuza 2) whenever that comes out. it’s coming out in december in japan but i’m sure it will be localized, we just don’t know when. alternatively you could buy and play the original ps2 version, i think the game holds up great and that’s how i experienced 2, tho i will still definitely buy Kiwami 2.

then you’re in the ps3 era, yakuza 3-5, 3 is a disc only game, so you’ll need to find a copy somewhere.

yakuza 4 is on PSN for $20

yakuza 5 never got a physical release in the US, so you gotta pay $40 for it digitally from PSN.

next comes Yakuza 6! it’s a ps4 game and is the last game involving the main character Kiryu, and it comes out march of 2018! check out the badass special edition we’re getting here.

there’s also a spin-off game called Yakuza Dead Souls, I honestly have no idea when you should play it. but i believe the non-canon story it has follows after yakuza 4.

there’s other spin-offs like ishin that are japan only and have no way to be played in english :(

sorry i ranted! i love talking about yakuza, hope this helped

#anon #asks #long post

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vietnamtour-blog · 6 years ago

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What to buy in Vietnam: 10 Souvenirs and Gifts to Bring Home (Part 1)

Wondering what to buy in Vietnam as souvenirs or gifts for your family? Locals here tell us that picking on or two of these items is a definite must-do in Vietnam – they are so exotic yet practical. Let’s keep your memories with this list of best souvenirs to buy in Vietnam. This first part will include local specialties like local brands of clothes, jewelry, bags, either fair-trade textiles or handmade ones. The second part will focus more on the edible and ornamental side: Vietnamese cuisine and those little cute souvenirs. As we put ourselves in the shoes of travelers, our criteria to choose souvenirs and gifts are: unique, Vietnam-themed, practical, good quality, and lightweight to carry home!

1. Pearls & jewelry from clam

As a tropical country with over 3000 km of coastline, Vietnam owns several coastal areas with warm temperatures, calm water – the perfect environmental conditions for pearl-bearing oysters. Experts say that Vietnam is home to some of the finest Akoya pearls with the rare blue color. For other oysters from the Pinctada family, the high nacre thickness results in a natural, creamish color and a special, high-quality luster. Three provinces with concentrated production areas are Quang Ninh (Ha Long Bay), Kien Giang (Phu Quoc), and Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang). Where to buy: Ha Long Bay:

My Ngoc Tourist Center, Don Dien, Ha Khau Ward, Tel +84(0)203.3511519

Halong Pearl Farm I, Bo Hon Island, Halong bay, Tel +84(0)203.3511519

Halong Pearl Farm II, Vung Vieng, Halong bay, Tel +84(0)203.3511519

Phu Quoc: Ngoc Hien Pearl Farm, Duong To, Phu Quoc, Tel: +84 933 221 221, +84 776 820 999

2. Shoes

In case you didn’t know, Vietnam is a top exporter of shoes and clothes in the world. You can easily find pieces of good quality and reasonable prices from domestic brands and those international brands with a lot of promotions. Fake or high copy of international brands are a problem, so it is wiser and cost-effective to buy local brands. Our most famous ones are Bitis (sports and casual footwear), JUNO (women footwear). Let’s spare your suitcase for these babes! [VIDEO] https://youtu.be/TQKSu-zGYTI Bitis – 2018 The Evolution Where to buy: Bitis: Hanoi (68 Hai Ba Trung street or 8 Hang Dau street). List of outlets Juno: Hanoi (46 Hang Da street, Hoan Kiem). List of outlets Detailed guide: SHOES AND CLOTHES IN VIETNAM

3. Silk products

Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn Silk was regarded as one of the finest handicraft products in Indochina. Luxurious touch, eco-friendly and good for health, silk can be great gifts for your beloved ones. In Vietnam, silk products are available in most stores around the city center in Hanoi, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh city. Everything from scarves to áo dàis to dressing gowns, with a rainbow selections of silk, can be bought with reasonable prices. If you are into the silk industry and have time, take a tour to the origin of silk like Van Phuc village (Hanoi) or Bao Loc village (Lam Dong). Or else, these are our suggestions for authentic Vietnamese silk shopping with best value for money! Where to buy: Hanoi:

Ngoc Diep Silk, 9 Bao Khanh Alley (a local hidden gem with very good price)

Hang Gai street (silk street for a variety of items)

Hoi An:

Hoi An Silk Village, 28 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Tan An, Hoi An (best for a silk interactive tour)

Saigon

Nhasilk, 149 De Tham Street, District 1, HCMC (best for scarves and ties)

Toan Thinh Silk 25 Cach mang Thang Tam Street, District 1, HCMC

4. Áo dài

The áo dài is a national symbol of traditional Vietnamese beauty, femininity and sophistication, especially in Hanoi. This elegant tunic consists of long sleeves, stand collar and side seam slits up to the waist and is usually worn with palazzo-style pants. Vietnamese women can be seen wearing áo dàis on a daily basis in Hanoi, but it is most popular at weddings and around Tet holiday (Vietnamese New Year). The dress shirt and pants combo start at $25 per set. Where get your ao dai tailored:

Hanoi: Thuy An Silk, 208 Hang Bong Street

Hoi An: A Dong Silk, 40 Le Loi Street, Hoi An

Where to buy inexpensive ao dai:

Hanoi: Luong Van Can Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Da Nang: Han market, 119 Tran Phu Street, Hai Chau, Da Nang

5. Conical hats

Source: Backpackers Vietnam Conical hats are the most recognisable and classic symbol of the Vietnamese silhouette. The handwoven, palm leaf hat is rich with history, cultural sentiment and designed to protect people from the rain and sun. These are worn by people of both sexes and all ages although you’ll see it is most favoured by those prone to working outside in markets, rice paddies and on the water. You can easily find this hat as a souvenir at any tourist attractions. Price range: around $2.

6. Clothes

Save your If you decide to buy local brands clothing in Vietnam, you’ll find clothes of high quality at very good prices. Local brands, VNXK shop (VNXK means made-to-export clothes) are where you should head to. In Hanoi, go to Bò Sữa by Boo to shop for your teenage daughters and sons, as this brand is very much youthful. For a wider range of choice, head for any M2 or Vietbrother stores – you can find yourself and family pieces of value for money. Don’t worry about the price, these shops are for locals. Yet, be prepared that Vietnamese size is much smaller and European. Affordable options Clothing for youngster and children: Bo Sua by Boo (18 Dien Bien Phu Street, Hanoi or 308 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi), Clothing for all family members: M2, Vietbrother (22 and 6 Dien Bien Phu Street, Hanoi), Canifa (29 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi) Price range: $10 – $30 Middle-range options Clothing for all family members: May 10 (2nd Floor, 156 Ba Trieu Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) Clothing for men: An Phuoc (3 Hang Bai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi), Viettien (25 Ba Trieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) Clothing for women: NEM (156 Ba Trieu Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) , Ivy Moda (34 Ba Trieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) Price range: An item starts from $25 to $100 Detailed guide: SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES IN VIETNAM

7. Products of ethnic minorities

Textiles in Ban Lac mountain market, Mai Chau. Photo: vietnam.travel Tribal textiles are prized possessions for tourists in Vietnam as the opportunity to see and buy such uniquely exquisite, hand-stitched craftsmanship is a rare luxury to those visiting from the West. Vietnam has a rich variety of hill tribe ethnicities (especially in the north) that relatively still makes their living the same way today as they have done for hundreds of years. Buying authentic textiles from recognized dealers helps to keep their way of life and artistic skills alive. Fabrics typically start from $15.

8. Eco-friendly Vietnamese handicraft

Authentic Vietnamese handicrafts are much environment-friendly. Look at our raincoat!

Photo: tuanbaovannghetphcm.vn That’s just for fun. Yet there is a trend to bring a modern touch to traditional designs. Born in traditional handicraft villages, these products are made of natural materials like bamboo, rattan and rice straw by local artisans. Better, they have been modernized for practical reasons and modern aesthetic. You can have a wide range of products, of different shapes and styles for you to choose from. A single purchase in these ethical shops like MadeTerra, Vuver accessories, or Craft Link, you can directly impact the community of its maker in Vietnam. A rattan bag starts from $12.

A modern touch added to traditional designs

9. Thai Duong herbal shampoo

Thai Duong is a famous Vietnamese product line for hair care and beauty products. From cosmetics to toothpaste, this brand uses mostly ingredients from natural herbs with antioxidants and healing properties. One of their best sellers is the Duoc Lieu shampoo, with the haircare recipes passed down from mothers to daughters for centuries. The antioxidant properties in herbs and essential oils will detoxify your hair, while boosting strength and replenishing moisture. It helps to bring out healthy hair, lasting refreshing feeling, with forest-like aroma, and best suited for people having hair loss or baling.

Best gifts for: Female friends, a sister or your mother Where to buy: Supermarket or pharmacy Price: From US2$ Website: www.saothaiduong.com.vn

Their international eco-friendly version, the Nature Queen, is in growing interest of US and EU market.

10. Artwork and print

Walking along Hanoi’s Old Quarter or Saigon’s Dong Khoi Street, you will notice a large number of art shops selling paintings on canvas or paper. If you love to keep memories of your trip to Vietnam, just walk in and pick up one of Vietnamese propaganda posters or usually remake artwork at very reasonable prices varying between $2 and $30. Yet, if you are an art connoisseur who want a more serious look at Vietnamese contemporary art, upscale galleries around Hanoi and Saigon are where your should head to.

Photo: silverkris.com Hanoi: Mai Gallery, 113 Hang Bong street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, +84 24 3938 0568 Nguyen Art Gallery 31A Van Mieu street, Dong Da District, Ha Noi, +84 24 3747 6001 Museum Shop and Coffee Gallery, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hanoi Apricot Gallery, 40B Hang Bong street, +84 24 3828 8965 Art Vietnam Gallery, No. 2, Alley 66, Yen Lac Street, Hanoi, + 84 24 3862 3184, [email protected] Thang Long Art Gallery, 41 Hang Gai street, Hanoi Craft Link, 43 – 51 Van Mieu Street, Hanoi, Tel: +84 24 37336101 (This one is an NPO support traditional artisans) So, that is the first 10 fantastic souvenirs and gifts from Vietnam. Stay tuned for our next episode of handy, exotic and delicious Vietnam gifts! Should you need further information, please contact our travel consultants at [email protected].

Source: https://blog.evivatour.com/what-to-buy-in-vietnam-10-souvenirs-and-gifts-to-bring-home-part-1/

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digital-dragoon · 6 years ago

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what are your top five fave games and why?

this became longer than i thought it would jdxghkj

so here it all is after the cut:

i’d definitely say that panzer dragoon zwei is my top fave game. i started playing zwei when i was little (around six? i think?) and have two different copies which i return to every so often. i love how different it still is to a lot of the other types of games that i play, being that it’s a rail shooter with such an intriguing overarching story written via episodes of stages that alter depending on the pathways you choose. it feels so alive, full of beautiful music, gorgeously generated bgs for it’s time and really intriguing alien-esque designs for the enemies. but that’s... actually not what had the biggest impact on me

what did was what happened depending on what score you get at the end of each episode; the higher the score (from low to perfect accuracy), the higher a chance that your dragon will morph. lagi goes from being this young yearling who is still struggling to fly at the beginning to this absolute flipping powerhouse at the end if you play it right. and you have multiple endings associated with what morph he ends up as too!

it’s just.... such a thought-provoking, immersive and cool journey to go along with. especially as you’re not just watching your dragon grow and become ever more powerful, but watching his rider, and previously, his carer, grow along with him too, developing from an angry, vengeful person into someone who realizes that. their fate, their destiny as a duo is one and the same and it’s not just about his feelings anymore but for the fate of their entire world and the rest of the population, both monsters and humans, that live in it

second to that is panzer dragoon saga. another one i played when i was younger. but, originally, i only had the demo disc, so just... kept repeatedly playing that due to the fucking gorgeous boss battle music at the end of it

this time, it’s the world building that draws me to it. how... everything is so well thought out; from the militaristic stand points of two warring armies, to the struggle of humanity in the face of a post-apocalyptic world and it’s ever more mutated, monstrous inhabitants. the dragon, this time, has ever more of a crucial role, completing his role as a ‘destroyer’ of that which is actually? (not that either army knows this) to save the human race from extinction

again, there’s a lot of cool character development that goes on: from the dragon’s rider edge, to the ‘rival’ azel, who is an android-esque entity known as a drone designed from an ancient age.

as a game, it not only brings some of the regular mechanics to the table, but also allows you some fun room to do silly little antics like barrel roll through the air when you’re controlling the dragon. it has such a gorgeous soundtrack and subtle little details to the controls, alongside the replay value just... being immense tbh... so this almost joined the top one spot but just managed to miss by a near margin due to zwei being just a bit closer to my heart

okay so. this third spot has a mix of a few different games. most of them horror. there’s resident evil 0 and 1, 4 and also.... eternal darkness! they all have some really cool features that it was hard to decide on one of them! as a kid, i watched my dad play re a Lot, there were some of his fave games and i ended up really attached to them myself

they have a really cool story that pretty much jump-started all of the zombie horror games that came after. i just... find the whole fact that this virus can infect and turn others a really cool concept to bring to the table even now? (and then parasites and also Sci-fi leeches that the t-virus originally came from?? such cool stuff) especially as. you’re playing as some of the survivors. zero has a really cool mechanic that, well, was a tiny bit clunky maybe but fascinated me when i first played it. you get to switch control between rebecca chambers and billy, trying to piece together a series of murders and the secrets behind them. there’s a lot of really cool enemies in that game

and just... re1 and re4 are so Iconic and fun to play. especially the remake of re1

then there’s spyro 3 taking fourth place! a fun childhood game that really always be in my heart tbh.... i still prefer the original, even as p nicely put together as reignited is. it holds so much charm!! from the colours, to the music, to the fact that you’re picking up dragon eggs that hatch the babs! it has a lot of v cool minigames and then some... super hard ones (looking at u rhynoc ice hockey)

it’s such a fabulous and fun game that i will always end up returning to tbh

and finally.... there’s sa1!! i Love absolutely Love the cinematic opening before you play the game!! just. Oomph that music is so good (and perfect chaos eye just. opening in this cool way?? A+ tbh)

i played it for dreamcast and went on to play it on gamecube. i think... besides the main story and tikal being such a fab and sad character (alongside chaos himself), it also illustrated some things about the other characters you play as. particularly knuckles and tails

honestly though?? one of my main focuses outside of the actual storyline is always gonna be the chao gardens. i couldn’t get enough of them as a kid and still can’t now whenever i play! i just... end up veering back to them over and over again... mainly bc of how cute the chao are? but also how fun it is to raise them and see them change into all of these different forms

#thanks friend!!#this has been a really fun ask!#numinousbones

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savetopnow · 7 years ago

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2018-03-26 10 GAME now

GAME

Attack of the Fanboy

Xur Exotic Items and Location in Destiny 2 This Week

A Way Out Review

God of War goes Gold for PS4

New ESO Expansion Will Take Players to Summerset

PlayStation Top Console in February but Nintendo Switch on Record Breaking Pace

Brutal Gamer

IDW’s Transformers universe comes to an end this summer in Transformers: Unicron

Battlezone: Combat Commander (PC) Review

More Mirror Universe action prepped for Star Trek: The Next Generation- Terra Incognita

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #1 (Comics) Review

DST’s Avengers: Infinity War Minimates are hitting stores

Game Banshee

Dauntless User Interface Update Preview

State of Decay 2 Video Interview

Soldak Entertainment's “Hardcore Game Name” Mutations Explained

The New World Interview

Mike Laidlaw on Dragon Age IV and Departing BioWare

Game Informer

Construct Your Coasters On The Go With RollerCoaster Tycoon For Switch

RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride Lets You Build Your Dream Coaster, Then Ride It In VR

Human Head's Rune Revival Integrates More RPG, Survival Elements Into Its Hack-N-Slash Core

Far Cry 5 Has A Secret Ending

Morality Is Far From Black-And-White In City Builder And Survival Game Frostpunk

Game Watch

Hearts of Iron 4 Multiplayer Desyncs – What to do?

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Review

Ion Maiden Secrets Guide - Blast Processing, Disrupted Service and Nukage Nightmare

We're Giving Away 5 Copies of Action-Adventure Beast Quest - And It Couldn't Be Easier To Enter!

Ion Maiden Secrets Guide - Defence Farce & Washington Wasteland

Gematsu

This Week’s Japanese Game Releases: Super Robot Wars X, Shining Resonance Refrain, more

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice coming to Xbox One on April 11

Steins;Gate 0 anime second trailer

Fate/Grand Order Arcade third trailer

Persona 5 the Animation second trailer

IGN

13 Things Sea of Thieves Doesn't Tell You

Beat Far Cry 5 Before Even Seeing the Title Screen

Updated: 30 Tips to Become a Pirate Legend in Sea of Thieves

How to Find Chickens, Pigs, and Snakes in Sea of Thieves

Ni No Kuni 2: How to Open Locked Treasure Chests

Niche Gamer

Nidhogg 2 Heads to Nintendo Switch

Blazing Chrome Hands-on Preview – Burnin’ For You

Yu-No Remake Heads to Switch and PC

Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded Western Launch Dates Set for July 2018

Monster Prom Hands-on Preview – Delightfully Disturbing

Nintendo Life

Talking Point: What Games Are You Playing This Weekend

Super Mario Happy Meal Toys Are Coming Back To The UK This Summer

Feature: Aiming For The Stars With OPUS: Rocket Of Whispers Developer SIGONO

Review: Gekido Kintaro's Revenge (Switch eShop)

Video: Grab A Cuppa And Enjoy 15 Minutes Of Little Dragons Cafe Footage

PC Invasion

PC Invasion site changes have been happening

Steam Top Sellers week ending 25 March

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom PC Technical Review and Options

Futuristic racer GRIP rollcaging its way out of Early Access this year

Budget Cuts finally gets a release date

Playstation Blog

PlayStation Blogcast 285: Like Father, Like Son

The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 3/27/2018

Share of the Week: Portraits

Q&A: Cory Barlog Talks God of War Origins

Kratos and Atreus: It’s All in the Family

Reddit Gaming

Shelter doing bios on cats

When I told my niece we couldn't play a Mario game since that system was packed away, I immediately realized how silly that sounded, and my wife and I did something about it. All Nintendo systems connected and playable! [x-post r/pics]

(Interesting title)

Post-Apoctalyptic Pokémon Universe

Charizard made by autumn leaves

Xbox News

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Coming to Xbox One April 11

New Preview Beta & Delta 1804 System Update – 3/25/18

New Preview Alpha 1804 System Update – 3/24/18

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for March 26 to April 1

This Week on Xbox: March 23, 2018

#game

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recentanimenews · 6 years ago

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Hit the Streets of Kamurocho Again as Yakuza 3 Returns in HD!

It should come as no surprise that when I heard that Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 were getting HD treatments, I was thrilled; after all, Yakuza is one of my favorite game series, and as a die-hard Majima fangirl I could hardly contain my excitement! Then, Sega announced that not only would the rest of the games be released gradually, but Yakuza 3 Remaster was already unlocked for us all to play and enjoy on the PlayStation Store. The fine folks at Sega sent a review copy our way, so it seemed like fate was on my side: it was finally time to take a look at Yakuza 3 in HD.

But how does the game hold up? Since its release in 2009, a lot has changed in the video game world, and even more has changed in the Yakuza series, with Yakuza 4, Dead Souls, 5, 6, Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 0, and Judgment all released since then. So where does Yakuza 3 stand in the series now that the series has been reborn? Does the weight of newer iterations and remakes like Kiwami help or hurt the the 3rd game in the original series? Well… the answer is a bit complicated.

Yakuza 3 picks up right where 2 leaves off, with Kazuma Kiryu and Haruka visiting the graves of their loved ones, reflecting on things that have transpired so far. Kiryu has decided to take over the Sunflower Orphanage in Okinawa, taking Haruka with him, as a way to get away from all of the crazy antics and potential dangers that may still be searching for him in Kamurocho. After convincing best boy Majima to rejoin the Tojo Clan to watch over Daigo Dojima, now head of the gang, Kiryu takes his leave and starts his new life in Okinawa.

Sadly, barely 6 months pass before trouble rears its head once again, and Kiryu finds himself embroiled in another twisting plot of danger, intrigue, double crosses, and shocking deaths. Yakuza 3 follows Kiryu as he moves between two locations: Okinawa, where the orphanage is located, and the familiar streets of Kamurocho, finding himself entangled in various sub stories, diversions, and of course the dramatic action of the main story missions. Without going into too many spoilers, the story spirals quickly in the way Yakuza stories usually do, with twists, turns, and unexpected events throughout the entire story.

People familiar with Yakuza will find most of the same types of activities and game systems that they’re accustomed to, but for newer players, Yakuza 3 is a third person action adventure game that pits in the role of Kazuma Kiryu. You’ll level up your fighting abilities, unlock sub story paths and meet various colorful characters, play various mini games, arcade game emulations, and many more in your time in Okinawa and Kamurocho. Yakuza games have always billed themselves as something of a mixture between a simulator and an action RPG, with you guiding Kiryu to do whatever activities you feel like in a recreation of Japanese locations; you’ll even see popular, real life businesses and landmarks in the backgrounds, and returning players will get a kick out of seeing how Kamurocho is rendered this time around.

The new location, Okinawa, gives players a chance to explore a somewhat brighter and more tropical location, but you’ll still find various activities to participate in (and fighting action) as you explore your surroundings. Many of the Okinawa activities revolve around Sunshine Orphanage, such as doing missions for the children, playing with the adopted dog, and more, giving a bit of a change to the seedier, more urban appeal of Kamurocho. In what would become a series staple, this ability to move between locations helps keep the “sameness” of Kamurocho at bay; while the map and general area of Kamurocho doesn’t change, some of the activities do, but it is easy to see how giving players new places to explore helps expand the enjoyment of the games. Even the newest game in the series, Judgment, has the exact same map that Yakuza 3 has, as the city of Kamurocho doesn’t change very much between titles!

However, it does need to be said that Yakuza 3 might be one of the weaker games in the series narratively. Yakuza 1 and 2 were written by author Hase Seishu, with 3 being the first game in the series written by Masaoyshi Yokoyama, who would go on to write the scripts for all future Yakuza games, and rewriting Seishu’s scripts for Kiwami 1 and 2. This leads to some noticeable differences in tone for long time Yakuza fans, but even newer players coming into the series will notice some differences. While the Yakuza 3 Remaster has a newly redone script and localization, some of the core parts of the story are still a bit weaker compared to other iterations of the series, and it certainly feels like a bit of an oddball sequel in some ways.

The orphanage bits, while heartwarming, take up an enormous amount of time in the game, and there is some real dissonance between Kiryu, the former yakuza, and Kiryu, the orphanage owner. The game seems to denote this even harder by the very different locations of Okinawa and Kamurocho, with strict limits on the types of activities you can do in one location versus the other. If anything, Yakuza 3 occasionally just feels narratively slower than the rest of the games, mainly due to this disconnect between the two storylines; when they finally do merge, things do so in shocking fashion. But that disconnect still remains, as sub stories will have you trekking between the locations to do specific events in specific places, and some of them require particular timing in the game, or you’ll potentially miss out on them, meaning you’ll need to use Premium Adventure Mode after beating the game’s story to go back and pick up sub stories you may not have completed the first time.

While that may sound negative initially, it still goes without saying that the story of Yakuza games are some of the best crime dramas available in video game format, and even though Yakuza 3’s story is occasionally a little wonky or disjointed, you’re still going to get a solid drama to enjoy. The returning characters help continue that level of connection between titles in the series, and once you’ve started investing in the various people who call Kamurocho home, it makes seeing them in each new iteration all the more fun to see how they’ve changed since the last time.

This doesn’t just apply to Majima and the other yakuza members; characters like detective Date, Kazuki and Yuya from Stardust, and other locations all make their usual appearances, and familiarity with the cast really starts to breed a level of connection between player and game that’s hard to find in other series. When you meet up with Date for the first time in Yakuza 3, it feels like meeting up with an old friend, and in some ways the city of Kamurocho is similarly your friend, welcoming you back with the familiarity you expect, while wanting to tell you all the new things that have happened since the last time you visited them.

In this regard, a lot has changed in the Yakuza 3 Remaster from the original. The graphical update alone makes this a fantastic investment for Yakuza fans, and newcomers to the series curious to try out the titles between the Kiwami games and Yakuza 6 will find the facelift much appreciated. While it does still show its age at times, the character models, which already looked amazing, generally look much smoother, and textures overall have really been improved (the seat cushion in Daigo’s limo was so textured it almost looked real!). Even when the game dips a bit in the graphics department (smaller characters, like children, and one off NPCs, or tree textures), it still looks good, and the HD aspect really shines through.

The game loads far faster than it ever did before as well, which helps bring some of the slowdown that would come from ending up in too many battles on the streets; not only did the fights take time, but each fight would have to load in a title card and have some sort of ending flourish. In the Yakuza 3 Remaster, fights now take far less time to start and finish, helping to make the game flow better. Load times between areas and such are also reduced, making the game feel a lot more modern and faster by today’s standards. Controls, too, are better, with fights seeming much more fluid and responsive than they were in the PS3 edition of the game; I remember my frustrations with the battle system and throwing enemies, finding that grabbing them would sometimes be inconsistent, but in the Remaster version, the controls feel much more responsive to what I want to happen. While it doesn’t quite meet the level of complexity that Yakuza 0 or Kiwami introduced to the series, these slight changes mean that the Yakuza 3 Remaster feels much more in line with newer versions of the game than older.

The other big changes to the Remaster version are a redone script, and the addition and change to some sub story and additional content. The script changes may not be as easy to notice for newer players, but those who played the 2009 version of Yakuza 3 may notice that characters talk and act a bit more naturally in this new version, with the dialogue feeling snappier and more alive to match modern tastes. Characters retain their dialogue traits, and the localization of terms and attitude feels more in line with what modern players expect from the series. Also, the speed in which the text appears on the screen has changed to match the same speed as recent Yakuza releases, making those “...” moments more bearable.

The biggest change, though, is the reintroduction of many of the sub stories and activities that were removed from the initial version of Yakuza 3 in the West. Originally, the game lacked Mahjong, Shogi, and most importantly to newer fans, the Hostess bar minigames, as well as various amounts of missions that could be taken throughout the game. In some estimates, the game had likely 10% of its content removed for the PS3 release, and adding those back in really feels like a treat to people who played the original but never got to see this content. Personally, I’m thrilled to have the Hostess club game back, as those minigames were some of my favorite parts of the previous Yakuza titles, mixing in a management minigame with a dating sim style game. As a bonus, the Yakuza 3 Remaster adds in 2 new hostesses, meaning that we actually get more content than before, which felt like a nice reward!

Other changes include altering the unfortunate Michiru sub story, which felt outdated and cruel even when the game came out in 2009; this was a change series producer Toshihiro Nagoshi had wanted to make when the Remaster was first planned, and frankly it is a welcome update to the game and tone of the series overall. Having played Yakuza 3 in its original incarnation, I can say that I don’t miss the Michiru storyline, and its removal is a net positive for the series for sure.

There is also so much to do now in the Yakuza 3 Remaster that you’ll be able to really take your time in completing all of the possible sub stories and activities the game has to offer, and the game never really closes off anything to you. If you do happen to miss a sub story, you can always revisit it once the game is completed, and the Premium Adventure Mode that you unlock after beating the game lets you see all the sights and sounds of Kamurocho and Okinawa without needing to worry about pesky things like the fate of your orphanage or the life of the Tojo clan leader!

So where does that leave those curious to know whether the Yakuza 3 Remaster is worth their time and money? Well, if you’re a Yakuza fan, you probably owe it to yourself to play through the remastered versions of 3, 4, and 5, and 3 really does set a good standard of what to expect out of the remaining two Remastered editions. While this isn’t a Kiwami style remake of the game from the ground up, it is a welcome change to the older game that helps it feel more in line with the cinematic feel and quality of the rest of the series.

As a jumping on point, I don’t really suggest Yakuza 3 Remaster; instead, if you’re curious to try out the Yakuza games, my suggestion is to pick up Yakuza 0 and start from there. If you’ve already played Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1 and 2, and want to continue the story of Kazuma Kiryu, then you absolutely need to grab Yakuza 3 Remaster as soon as possible. While the story is a bit weaker than the previous games (and some of the later games), it's still an amazing Yakuza game, and a necessary chapter in the development of Kiryu and Haruka as they move towards future installments in the series. Now the only real choice you’ll have left to make is whether you’ll get the digital edition, or wait for the physical edition of 3, 4, and 5 to drop next year! Or, be like me and just get both! Either way, get back on the streets of Kamurocho and show them what the legend of the Dragon of Dojima is all about!

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Upgraded graphics and controls make this installment feel more up to snuff with newer titles.

+ Load times have been greatly reduced and help make the game flow far better than before.

+ All of the cut content, and even more new content, have been added, making this the definitive version of Yakuza 3.

+ The Michiru storyline being removed helps the game and shows the care RGG studio have for their audience.

- Yakuza 3’s story is a bit weaker than 0, Kiwami 1, and Kiwami 2, and certainly feels a bit like a middle chapter to the overall series.

Are you excited to get back out onto the streets of Kamurocho as I am? Who is best Yakuza boy and why is it Majima? Let us know what you think of the game in the comments!

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Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

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heromngmnt · 7 years ago

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You may know that Funko had their ups and downs throughout their most popular line production. Their figurines weren’t always amazing or cute. It was a time when most of the figurines looked quite the same which wasn’t much fitting for most of them. It has changed when the production moved to Vietnam and the quality went up but there still are some pearls which are simply ugly. I want to invite you to my personal list of the ugliest Funko Pop!s I could find. It’s not the definitive list and I don’t expect everyone to agree with it. As the first part of this series, I present you the characters out of imagination. Cartoons, animations, comics and games, all of those that don’t belong anywhere else. Enjoy!

Sidenote: I am aware some of them are terribly pricey and rare. It does not change their appearance. I still don’t understand why people want them, but well, I don’t have to. 😉

1. Beavis and Butthead – the personal favourite

These are not like the other Pops! They are my personal top of the worst ever Funko Pop!s. Sure, it was definitely tricky to make something out of the cartoon but then these are far from their original appearances.