#to be fair this specific gameplay has had me doing this from like round 6

[plumbogs]

becoming one of those people that hunts down specific cc just to put a specific sim in it... this is character development for me

[faultychips]

Unique AND Emotional; Game Soup For Your Gamer Soul

What do you mean it’s been over a month since last time!! Well anyway. I’ve been able to rack up three games (plus an honorable mention at the end) to talk about this time! They’re all pretty different in style and content, but I really enjoyed all of them, and I especially enjoyed the different ways they did their story-telling, so I'm gonna talk a lot about each of 'em!

First of all. Beacon Pines. Holy cow did I like this game more than I thought I would. I looove love love the artstyle and loved it from the get-go, but was wondering how much I would actually like the choose-your-own-adventure format. Turns out I loved that too!

I was uncertain about the narration at first, but I soon got comfy and accustomed to it, and I think the genuinely really good voice-acting really sells the performance. It also stands out nicely from the noise-speak of the characters (y’know, the Animal Crossing/Banjo Kazooie thing) and the difference in voices is a fun way to separate the layers of meta there. In general I really love the music, sound effects, and overall sound work of the game too. Together with the narration, the sound alone makes this one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever heard. And it’s a whole game on top of that!

It should be noted that while this game’s artstyle can be described as charming and cute, and it has immaculate storybook aesthetics, it isn’t necessarily a game for kids (or trying to disguise itself as such). I know gamers everywhere are already getting nauseous over the mere mention of the “cute thing is actually messed up” genre that’s risen to popularity as of late, but I don't think Beacon Pines sets out to pull that trick at all, and it’s more just an assumption one might make because of the art. Still, I don’t think any kid older than ten will have any issues playing this one, just something I thought was worth mentioning.

I also want to talk a little bit about the game’s central mechanic, which is basically a choose-your-own-adventure type system where you can choose different words (based on various phrases or ideas you pick up on during the course of your playthrough) to use to affect the branching path of the story. I really like how when you have an opportunity to affect the story in this way, the game only shows you the options that will actually do something in the situation you're in, and then lets you choose from that selection. It seems like a no-brainer design choice, but from other games I’ve played I can easily imagine a scenario where instead at these parts they would just make you plug in any and all of your charms at random to see what actually works. Sometimes it's good to figure things out by yourself, but these situations in specific can easily get aggravating and feel like a waste of time. Beacon Pines never once had me frustrated or confused on what to do next. I consider a smooth experience like that a rare and wonderful thing!

Overall, while it threatened to end a liiiittle anticlimactically, in the end I think Beacon Pines delivers on being a fulfilling and well-rounded story. It has plenty of interesting turns and twists while maintaining a thought-out solid plot structure, especially for something that branches off into multiple paths and timelines like it does. At a solid 6-ish hours, this game is the perfect length to be finished in one sitting on a free day or a nice long evening. That's what I went with, and still I think it’s the best option, but it can certainly be played in a few short sessions too. I was tearing up as the game rolled to credits, and that's a significant recommendation in itself, so go check it out if it sounds up your alley!

Next I played a game that I expected to be relatively simple but actually surprised me: Unpacking. To be fair a lot of this game is exactly what it seems to be; the gameplay is about unpacking a bunch of different boxes and filling a living space with all your various things. The game is gorgeous, just a glorious motherlode of colorful pixel-art, and it is indeed very nice, satisfying and relaxing to put things away in their proper place (until that last minute when you can’t figure out where some odd object goes, but you figure it out. Eventually). That’s really all I expected and all Unpacking really needed to be to be appealing; a cute little relaxing feel-good game is a demographic goldmine, and you don’t need to go beyond that to be successful, so some games just don’t. I was delighted to realize over the course of my playing that I wasn’t unpacking the belongings of random people in random situations, but was actually unpacking each chronological new move in this one character’s life. 

I can see getting a little disappointed that there isn’t as much variety as there might be in my first assumed scenario, but I’m really happy they took this approach, because it let me really focus on this one character and how they change over time. It made me introspect on how much of our lives are defined by the stuff we surround ourselves with, the clothes we wear, the cooking utensils we use, and to that extent, how much we can infer about other peoples’ lives just by looking at what they own. It also made me think about what exactly you do to a living space that makes it a home; what exactly makes it our home. (Something I've had multiple film class teachers enthuse about is the importance of a character's house, and more specifically, their bedroom, which is the space most likely to have things they chose and like in it. This game made me think about that tidbit a lot.)

Unpacking also invokes a crazy amount of… what I can only describe as nostalgia and longing, at the same time. It probably helps that the main character grows up in a timeframe that’s not exactly the same as my own but close enough that many of the things they own are familiar to me, and are things that I own/owned myself. The later sections, the ones where they get farther into adulthood than I have, are also similarly evocative, but these obviously invoke more longing and excitement than nostalgia. I try not to spoil too much, since half the joy is slowly uncovering this person’s life as they grow up, but there’s a level where the main character moves in with their assumed romantic partner, and that was something that really scratched a particular itch in my brain. I daydream about these sorts of simple domestic pleasures from time to time, but the idea of putting your shirts and socks next to those of the person you love and sharing a space in this way kind of made my brain explode (in a good way!). On that note, there came a point in the story where I forgot which characters' items were which (specifically clothing items). I worried momentarily about mingling the wrong clothes together, just throwing everyone’s shirts and underwear together. But in a little revelation, I realized that might be the point; the game never tells you it's wrong to put those clothes together, even when you do it intentionally (and believe me, it’s not too shy about telling you where stuff should go). I was struck with the impression of a relationship where it doesn't matter if I mix the shirts and socks together by accident, and they were close enough that things like those could be shared easily. It's enough to SHATTER A MAN!! I really liked it. <3

…Though, as you move from place to place, from apartment to a big ol’ house, I will admit a small pang of envy sets in near the end. How many of those who play this game and live a similar life, like me, will ever reach such a grandiose stage of housing in the future, and will share it with the people we love in the present? It's a sweet taste of wish fulfillment, but with a little bittersweetness to it. But I earnestly think it’s a wonderful dream to step into, one way or the other. No matter where I end up unpacking my things in the future, it will be home as long as I get to put my socks next to a pair belonging to someone I love, and that’s what I got out of Unpacking (especially the ending). I didn’t expect to feel or think about anything like this from such an unassuming game, but I’m really glad it put in the work to deliver that experience.

Speaking of unassuming, the last game I finished recently was The Eternal Cylinder! Just one glance at this will probably make you think of Spore, and yes, this game is very Spore-like in many ways, particularly in central mechanics and general style. You control a bunch of little aliens called Trebhum, and while you can’t throw them into a character creator and mold their bones like Play-Dough, you can obtain consumables that change their appearances and give them unique abilities. Also notably similar to Spore is the distinctly “alien-looking” world the Trebhum live in, which is strange and colorful and covered in delightfully weird creatures (I think you could also compare its similarity to No Man’s Sky, though admittedly I haven’t played much of that one myself). What’s unique about this game is, well, The Eternal Cylinder, which is the main antagonist of the game, and also is a literal giant metal cylinder that steamrolls the land for miles across as your Trebhum do their best to outrun it whenever it starts rolling again. As silly as this sounds (and to be fair this is all very silly and great for its silliness) there is actually a very heartwarming story at the core of it all. The game stresses the importance of family (not necessarily of blood but of friends and allies), and of surviving and keeping yourself and culture alive. 

Similar to Beacon Pines, there is a narrator here as well, and similarly I was worried that the voice-over would become annoying after a while. I’m very pleased to say that it, too, only enhanced my playing experience. Beacon Pines leans much more heavily into the storybook theme than The Eternal Cylinder does, but the narration here uses a very nice touch of those cozy dramatics to tie the strange wonders of the game with the more plot driven and touching narrative. I see mainly two common complaints when hearing about the game, and one of them is about the narrator; people tend to argue that the game tells too much when it should be showing, and the Narrator explains too much. While I sort of understand where this is coming from, I never really felt like this was a problem while I was playing? I felt like occasionally the game nudges you a little in the right direction when it could probably be fine leaving you to your own devices, but I actually felt that sometimes the game doesn’t explain enough to you, particularly when it comes to a couple puzzles and boss fights, though honestly I think these were pretty minor cases and I could figure everything out on my own pretty easily. The narrator explains a good bit of “lore” to you, for certain, but I could not fathom how they would communicate this level of knowledge to the player without outright saying it, so I never really felt upset that I did so, especially because it let me understand the circumstances of the story as it unfolded and helped me connect and feel for the characters of the story (including my little Trebhums). The second usual complaint is a little more grounded in my eyes, and that is the sort of janky difficulty that the game struggles with at times. I had my fair few moments of frustration with the game, and most of it came from struggling to deal with the various creatures that hunt you even when you think you can rest safely. I’ve also seen people get frustrated that certain enemies take your consumable abilities away, worrying that it will prevent them from proceeding in the game. While these elements can be, from my own experience, annoying, I found that a lot of this annoyance is very easily circumvented. The truth is that the game has a function to save and load almost wherever and whenever you want (except in certain areas, presumably to prevent softlocking), making it incredibly easy to retry over and over if you found yourself in a situation you don’t want to be in, or if you want a different outcome than what you got. This is both a blessing and a curse, since players tend to reload saves over and over to keep all their Trebhums alive when the game is best experienced by just going with the flow, even if you lose a few friends along the way (which you can actually resurrect at multiple opportunities later in the game anyway). The abilities, while being important to solving puzzles, will always be available when you need them, whether by being unlocked permanently without the need for a consumable item, or just because every time the game needs you to use one of these abilities to solve something, there will always be plenty of the consumable nearby, so you never really have to stress about losing them. I feel like understanding this can help you relax and really enjoy your time with The Eternal Cylinder, instead of stressing too hard about it. 

The only few things I really have to note personally on the negative side of things is that the jankiness and repetitiveness the game will display at times, in a sort of way that reminded me of my personal frustrations with trying to make functional 3D games with premade assets in Unity (imagine my surprise when I saw it was made in Unreal Engine 4! I’ve never used it though, it could be an extremely similar engine for all I know). I could tell there’s a bit of bugginess that, while not ruining the experience by any means, you may notice while playing when a Trebhum gets too close to the motionless Cylinder and randomly dies or something. Again, those easy loads and saves are really helpful. The repetitiveness isn't egregious but I did note that general areas and building structures in particular are kind of copy-pasted, and after 20 hours of seeing the same small interior or cave structure it just gets a bit boring. I noticed from the dev logs that they are continuing to update this game over time, mostly with a few new creatures here and there, so I would love it if they increased the variety in upgrade shrines and caves to help keep the game feeling fresh for all of its long runtime. Overall though, The Eternal Cylinder is a delightful and surprisingly sweet tale of perseverance against all odds, and I think it’s definitely worth experiencing. I say at least pop a nice no-commentary playthrough on in the background sometime if you get the chance, it’s worth your while.

And finally, my wrap-up…except surprise!! There's a random extra game I want to talk about, which is MOONPONG: Tales of Epic Lunacy! This one only gets a mini paragraph here because admittedly I haven’t beaten it completely, and I probably won’t be doing so, since while there are more difficulties besides the one I’ve beaten (normal mode) it seems like it’s all the same content but with less HP/more damage taken/etcetera. BUT I want to mention it here anyway because the game just looks and sounds fantastic. The gameplay is fun too, but with only about 7 short levels to beat (though technically 4? Because the first 3 levels are randomly picked before the boss level, which is the same each time) it’s not a lot to dig into personally. I just wanted to throw it out there because for like a week this game’s music was all I could think about before I fell asleep at night. “Ear candy” is one of the weirder turns of phrase out there but if anything deserves it (in a good way) it’s MOONPONG’s soundtrack. While I enjoy MOONPONG for the fun little game that it is, I’m admittedly a little sad the game is fairly short. I would have loved some more of what it had to offer, but from looking at the publisher page it seems like they publish a new game every month, so I guess I can’t be surprised that it’s not as fleshed out and realized as it could have been. Ah well! I only hope that game-devs who set themselves to such fast-paced schedules give themselves time to breathe in the midst of it all. <:-]

AT LONG LAST, THE GAMES:

Beacon Pines is available for $19.99 on: Itchio, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox

Unpacking is available for $19.99 on: Steam, HumbleBundle, GOG (and just about every currently relevant game console under the sun)

The Eternal Cylinder is available for $24.99 on: Steam, Epic Games , Playstation 4/5, Xbox

and MOONPONG: Tales of Epic Lunacy is available for $6.00 on: Itchio, Steam !

[shnowbilicat]

Why Overwatch 2 will be just fine

Before we begin I wanna say that all of this are my own perspectives and thoughts, so take it with a grain of salt ... but tbh yall should sit down and chill until the game drops, kay? Kay.

Soo, there was another OW2 livestream not so long ago and people started freaking out and boycotting the devs. Why? 5v5 and there will be only one tank now.

I'm hearing left and right how much of a problem this will be and I can't stop getting annoyed about the fact that people really are SO upset that there will be no 'off tank' in their games and how the devs 'refuse to balance their game' instead and how there will be smurfing and- you get the point.

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm not into the 'meta' cuz my competitive rank is a 'metal' one, OR MAYBE I'm just this guy who says 'it just game, why u have to be mad??'.

I personally really look forward to OW2, mostly for the PvE part of the game as it sounds so massive and seeing how much they've done with the very first mission they've shown us and the fact that we can level up our heroes and equip unique abilities just makes me giggle and excited about the final release and future events and updates!

So many cutscenes, so many new animations and skins, so many new maps to play X33

And 5v5?? I'm looking forward to that too!

No, for real, one tank does not make or break anything for me, mostly for one single tiny reason alone.

A Tank is still a Tank.

I dunno if you ever played other games where there are Tank, DPS and Healing roles, like LoL, Dota, heck even Pokémon and Fire Emblem.

Tank roles have one single purpose; be the literal meat shield for their team.

I dunno about you, but I've never played a Tank in my life that wasn't completely about taking the attention from my squishies and jump in to protect them. And according to my ranking I'm a Tank main, sure my highest Rank is Platinium, but just because I don't grind my way up like any other madmen.

Tanks are SUPPOSED to be in the front lines taking the damage, making a way through the crowd, mess up the other team's formation. I also believe I'm not the end all be all for my squishies, I trust in them that they can protect themselves when I go in for a kill, which they can with their several abilities like a sleeping dart, climbing walls or building up a wall to hide behind.

Here we have Pro Tank players freaking out and complaining that 'they lack a tank' that there won't be any strategy involved cuz they are missing another meat shield that has their back etc. etc.

Again, I'm just a noob playing my Quickplay and Arcade games for lootboxes ... but god am I sick and tired of hearing these excuses from one trick pro players who have been stuck in their metas and comps.

SURE they are up there for a reason, but the fact of the matter is that I don't care if you do not want a 'dive comp' if I wanna play D.Va to get myself a 6 stack Ult kill, kay??

I don't care if we have a Zarya and Roady, they gonna wreck our enemy team and I'm gonna pump up their asses with as much healing as they want, kay???

The standarts OW pro players have been setting time and time again has muddied the waters of normal play. Because of them Symmetra and Bastion have been thrown into the corner of the back room and will never be seen in normal play because 'they ain't meta'.

Bro, I've been a Bastion main since Comp Season 3 and I've been wrecking my games left and right whenever I play him. I do not need your meta to succed, I don't need a Mercy pocket or a Rein shield because people like the pros set the standart that Bastion is ONLY useful when these criteria are met.

Not only that, BECAUSE of their standarts I forced myself into being able to switch to any roles with heroes that do just as much good as my Bastion. And that was actually a very good thing! Now I'm a solid Gold-Plat rank player that can play pretty much every hero in Mystery Heroes.

... and then I see our current pros. Who are scared shitless that their off tank players gonna play ... DPS?? Or Healing?? Like, weren't you guys moaning about one tricks? About people not being able to switch?

You ... you do know how OW started, right? OW was a game the devs SPECIFICALLY made to be open gameplay, they WANTED people to switch to heroes and experiment with new combos.

But lately we had buffs, nerfs, change in ques and all you can do is complain about it.

YOU put the standart 2-2-2 because people started to go tank-healers only, or Genji-healing only, or some shit because that was OP.

YOU were the ones forcing in a role que system because other people could not or refused to switch their roles.

YOU forced the devs to rework ALL HEROES to your standarts. Granted, here you got the devs to make Symmetra interesting to play, Bastion and Torb more viable and Brig to be more fair ... for you, because I cannot play Brig to safe my life, she's such a squishy and I die the second the round starts.

If you cannot handle what pro players dished out years ago, then please do me the favor and stay with your Rein-Zayra combo for the rest of eternity thxx

And we haven't talked about the OW2 hero reworks and new maps with more things to hide behind yet! Making each Tank more viable and more enjoyable to play. And guess what? THEY AIN'T DONE YET! I've seen alot of players moarn that the game will be SO unfair ... but we haven't seen anything yet. Espacially since they haven't told us any DPS or Healing ability changes either.

'But BUT 3 years of development!!!' so?? 3 years could mean anything. Not to mention that the EXACT SAME DEVS are working on OW2 are ALSO STILL working on OW 1 at the same time. And it's a pandemic. Sure they are a huge team, but they have a huge goal; aka THE STORY MODE WITH HUNDRETS OF HOURS OF PLAYTIME AND ANIMATED CUTSCENES.

They still have a long ass way to go, so chill out and give em some time. There are over 30 heroes they have to rework, remodel, give a part in the Story. Multiple new Maps to work, maybe even rework, test and make sure everything is as polished as possible for the general player base; which ain't the pros btw.

So, with pretty much mostly everything said, what's my final stand?

I would say to everybody worrying that the game won't be good; trust me, it'll be just fine.

If you don't enjoy the 5v5, there will still be Arcade and Story to keep ya company, like, I've been playing Quickplay and Arcade 99% of the time, you gonna be fine fam.

And if you're a pro player who JUST CANNOT handle 5v5 without their off tank puppy jumping after them then here's a tip:

Don't play Overwatch 2.

Nobody will force you to it, Overwatch will still exist with it's 6v6 2 tanks, 2 DPS, 2 healing boringness and it's frozen metas and comps and the same ass people in the Top 100 you play against each and every day with tiny buffs and nerfs every other day.

Meanwhile me and my squad will enjoy more shenanigans in OW2.

I'll gladly play momma Orisa and keep my friends save and sound, while also hooking every evil doer who dares come close to em ewe

Overwatch 2 is for us, the players who play the game like the devs intended; play the heroes you want, no matter if you lose or fail and have to pick yourself up again to grow and become stronger.

Overwatch 2 will be just fine.

[zephyrthejester]

Three Years Blog Anniversary!

Well, would you look at that. In the blink of an eye, an entire year has gone by! It has now been a grand total of three years since I started up this liveblog, and ever since, it's been a whirlwind of an adventure that has introduced me to amazing shows, amazing games, and above all, amazing people! As has become tradition, it's time for us to gather 'round by the fire, bundle up in blankets, sip some hot cocoa, and reminisce about the shenanigans we got up to in the year 2019.

You know the drill! Click "Keep Reading" to see the rest! Let's go!

January kicked off with the closing episodes to Steven Universe's fifth season, and what a finale it was! In true SU nature, it managed to be wholesome, funny, terrifying, and sad all at once! Not to mention the finale episode specifically, which was rife with both fan service and a breath-taking final confrontation. It even prompted me to type up three whole Addendum posts just so I could get all my thoughts out there. Intermingling with these episodes were some rather poignant and touching episodes of RWBY's 6th Volume, which saw some great plot advancements for some of my favorite characters. And of course, there was one liveblog session early on dedicated to Fate/Stay Night, a series I began back in 2018. And that would end up being the last I'd liveblog about it. Following the technical difficulties of the Visual Novel crashing at an important moment, I lost much of my motivation to keep going at it, putting Fate/Stay Night on the bench... For now. But more on Fate/Stay Night later.

Then came February! Where I proceeded to do absolutely nothing at all. For 42 days, I fell into a pretty bad funk that I called depression, at the time. Well! I must be in a better mental space right now, because until it came time to make this post, I forgot all about it! Moving past the shame I felt for wordlessly abandoning my blog and discord community for over a month, come March I pressed right into a brand new liveblog: Kill la Kill! A frenetic, frantic, freaky series that serves as the spiritual sequel to what was, once upon a time, my favorite anime ever: Gurren Lagann. I was immediately charmed by it's absurdist humor and over-the-top everything. However, it wasn't long before I succumbed to my greatest flaw. I'm exceptionally picky about what I liveblog, and sadly, Kill la Kill didn't tick the boxes that needed to be ticked for me to stick with it. I eventually dropped the series after only three episodes.

Needless to say, I was getting desperate to reinvigorate my lost momentum. It was then and there, at the tail end of March, that I introduced the most significant change to my brand ever: Liveblogging itself was being benched in favor of a fanciful second attempt at running my video game focused Youtube Channel! While I would certainly continue to liveblog new episodes of shows I had previously caught up with, my efforts would be redoubled and focused upon something I hoped would shake things up for me. I put in the effort of buying a new, fancy, high-tech microphone, and set about to new projects!

First up was a tense and troublesome self-imposed-challenge: A playthrough of Resident Evil 2 Remake on its hardest difficulty, with the added stipulation that I can never access the item storage box! My knowledge and skills of that game were put to the test as I skirted by the dangerous zombies and mutants while carrying only the bare essentials on my person. That series lasted 7 videos, plus a Highlight Reel, over about a week. My new microphone really brought out my screams of terror. Yes.

Immediately following the conclusion of the REmake 2 challenge run in early April, a new series debuted: A blind let's play of Subnautica! A simply incredible sci-fi survival game set on a planet that's nearly entirely an ocean... But much to my surprise, it was secretly a horror game all along. Spanning 18 episodes + a highlight reel between April 5th and May 23rd, we descended ever deeper into the abyss, deciphered alien riddles, fled from toothy leviathan-class predators, established a lovely home base, and had a great ol' time overall. A truly remarkable game with a surprisingly good story, for its genre, and it left me eagerly looking forward to making a Let's Play of its sequel: Below Zero.

Simultaneously, beginning on April 10th, I embarked upon yet another adventure that was of such a large scope, I made my channel's primary time slot dedicated to it. The Phoenix Wright Trilogy! A collection of the first three Visual Novels in a wonderful, wonderful series about the titular attorney at law. It wasn't long before I fell in love with this series, big time. It had everything! Immensely satisfying mysteries for me to solve, memorable and lovable characters, great pacing, and it knew how to keep things fresh and interesting. Although I started out the Let's Play by saying I wouldn't read everything aloud, that proved to be a lie. As of now, the series is a whopping 78 videos long (I do expect it to reach 100 before all is said and done), and I have given voice to roughly 50 unique characters so far. The series really helped awaken my Let's Play chops by improving my speech, vocal clarity, and focus. Swapping between my first video ever (for Legend of Grimrock II) and the most recent Phoenix Wright video is a real night-and-day difference! Overall, it's very safe to say that the series has stolen my heart. Unmatched hype, dizzying plot twists, and delightful shenanigans burst from the seams, truly. The Let's Play is currently ongoing, though the end is within sight...

As the Let's Plays of Subnautica and Phoenix Wright Trilogy progressed, so too did the production quality of my videos. I got a better grip on editing, improving the design of my video thumbnails and taking more care to edit out needless and dull moments of gameplay. I even introduced a brief and stylish video intro, which was my avatar appearing over a dark background before it faded off into gameplay. That would be the image up above! However, as we move into 2020, I’ve begun to feel that it could do with a slight improvement... Wink wink!

Following the end of Subnautica came a new Let's Play involving yet another sci-fi horror game: Prey! Spanning 25 videos + a highlight reel between June 3rd and November 19th, it immediately gripped me with its stunning attention to detail, marvelously crafted environments, and boundlessly creative gameplay. It was a pleasure to explore the varied regions of the Talos One space station, blasting aliens, uncovering secrets, untangling the connections between the employees there, and making some seriously difficult moral choices. A truly impressive video game that's just begging for a second playthrough on my own time at some point.

July 20th saw the beginning of new activity on my blog. In a spur-of-the-moment decision that I didn't think out too well, I brazenly announced out of nowhere that I would be doing a re-watch of Steven Universe! I proceeded to liveblog the first 11 episodes of Steven Universe over a week, lovingly looking back at the series' origins, calling out moments of foreshadowing, and analyzing everything with the lens of all my knowledge about the show. And then... Nothing! Just as soon as it began, the project was dropped. I had hoped it would rekindle my interest in Liveblogging (outside of new episodes of SU and RWBY), but I had no such luck. You know I'm burnt out when even Steven Universe, my favorite thing ever, can't help...

By September 3rd, the Steven Universe Movie had finally released! Over a hype-as-hell two days, I liveblogged the entire film. It truly was Steven Universe at its absolute best! Touching, sincere, unexpected, and rife with some stellar songs that are STILL stuck in my head. It proved that the Crewniverse hadn't lost its spark since the conclusion of the original series.

November 5th was my 25th birthday! My family celebrated by all going out for an amazing sushi dinner. Good times! Sometimes, it's really hard for me to grasp that I'm actually 25... I'm a kid at heart, really! Or maybe it's that I'm a social recluse who enjoys watching anime a little too much. Regardless, I feel no shame!

November 10th saw the debut of RWBY Volume 7, and so far it has been an exceptionally strong season. I've long maintained the opinion that the show gets better and better every season, and Volume 7 has given me no reason to doubt that. One episode in particular became my second favorite in the series, right behind a certain one from Volume 6! I'm really enjoying how the characters, new and old, are playing off each other this go around, and the fights and art direction have been no slouch either. This season's a looker! I'm really looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Hot on the heels of the ending Let's Play of Prey, I immediately started up a new series on November 20th... Chrono Trigger! A legendary and widely loved JRPG from the SNES era of gaming that I had somehow gone all my life without playing. Better late than never to fix a mistake like that! I eagerly dived in and nearly immediately understood why it's heralded as an all-time great. The series is currently 13 episodes long, and each one is an endless stream of me being hyped and giddy. I’m already excited to record more!

December 8th saw the debut of Steven Universe Future, a very special epilogue series that's sure to tie a nice bow on the franchise as a whole. As of this post, I have liveblogged the first 8 episodes, and it's fair to say that while it's not holding back in giving the audience exactly what it wants, it's also doing something very unexpected and very, very interesting with Steven himself. Only time will tell how it all ends and whether every remaining mystery will be answered, but so far I have been more than satisfied with it.

And that brings us to the present! Wow, it felt like a lot less happened this year than you would think, huh? No, it's been jam packed with new adventures! I think I am very content with how the year has gone, and I hope you are as well. We'll be striding into the year 2020 with more Steven Universe, more RWBY, more Phoenix Wright, and more Chrono Trigger! Plus, it may very well be that we'll see the return of Made in Abyss and Madoka Magica, both of which (I believe) are getting continuation movies in 2020. I may or may not be entirely wrong about this. Forgive me if I am...

In the near future, the Phoenix Wright Trilogy will be followed up by a Let's Play of Fate/Stay Night! Indeed, the canceled Liveblog will be reborn in youtube video form! And following Chrono Trigger, well... It's mostly up in the air, though I do have a few good ideas. In particular, I recently got a Virtual Reality system set up... Wink wink!

So that's really all there is to it! Cheers, lads! Cheers to a good year, and cheers to the next year being even better! To our good health, our unbreakable friendships, and all the stupid bullshit we’ll get into together! 2020 has arrived!

[playeroneplayertwo]

The Ten: 5.19

It seems a good icebreaker, or as good an icebreaker as any, to lay bare my top 10 of all time. Clear the air, so to speak. Get to know each other. It’s fair to say that this may be a make or break moment for us. Hopefully, I won’t lose you. Let’s see.

This is a list I imagine I’ll update periodically (which is why it’s dated), as my wife Kathleen (Player Two) and I play a lot of games, and a lot of new games. I’m a notoriously curious and searching type, and I love trying new games, sometimes to my wife’s chagrin. More often than not, my spare change goes to new games for the house. New games that make a splash tend to spike pretty high and then slowly fade. It’s not a great trait to have, especially in someone who tries to speak or write critically about quality (ie write reviews). But being that I’m aware of this, I hope that tempers it at least somewhat.

Anyway, where’s the list, you say? Here we go:

1. Brass: Birmingham (2018)

Oh boy, it’s a new one. Cult of the new? To be fair, Kathleen and I have played this game fairly regularly for the last eight months. By our third play or so, I knew it had locked itself into my top spot. I’d done a fair bit of research on the OG Brass (now Brass: Lancashire) prior to purchasing Brass: Birmingham, and by the time I eventually took the dive and purchased Birmingham, I was as excited to try it as I was unsure we’d actually enjoy it. At the time, it was the heaviest game we’d played, and it also relies heavily on route building–it’s in fact one of the most important parts of the game. I mention this because tactical spacial elements are not Kathleen’s forte. In fact, it’s one of her least favorite mechanics.

This is a good time to tell you that Kathleen and I think (and play games) very differently. Kathleen is a strategic player, relying on long term planning and execution to maximize scoring/performance. I, on the other hand, do not make long term plans. I find it not only remarkably difficult, but also unenjoyable. I’m a short term/tactical player. On my turn, I’m more likely to look over the board, get a lay of the land, and make the best, most advantageous play available to me at that moment.

Brass: Birmingham remarkably manages to cater to both of our play styles, which is one reason it ranks so high. Birmingham presents a myriad options for players to pursue. You’ve got a whole pile of different factory tiles you can build, a whole mess of locations or regions to move into, and about as many different strategies to pursue on your way to the end game. I don’t think I’ve ever played the same game of Brass: Birmingham twice, nor have I ever pursued the same options. The card play means, for me, that I will go where the cards lead, and I find using these cards as a guide to build my engine incredibly satisfying.

2. Covert (2016)

Dice placement. For some reason, this mechanic sounds incredibly unappealing to me, and I think it’s because it’s literally a portmanteau mechanic consisting of the worker placement mechanic using dice, two individual mechanisms that I seem to enjoy less and less. Dice I tend to avoid for their randomness (yes, I know that’s the point), and Worker Placement, in it’s most stereotypical application, I find frustrating. Why can’t I just put my worker wherever I want and just run my engine? Being stymied in a worker placement game just annoys the hell out of me.

So why do I love Covert?

It’s a pretty straightforward points race built around mission cards that have specific requirements. And using the dice as workers seems a fairly typical euro mechanism, but what I like about Covert is how puzzly it is. When you place your dice workers, they’ll be placed on round tracks with spaces numbered 1-6, and you won’t be able to place a die unless it’s adjacent to another die. In this case, you can do anything you want, but only if you plan correctly and work well with the other players. It becomes an order of operations puzzle, which may frustrate some, but I love it.

Also, I can’t get enough of that spy theme. And the production is fantastic.

3. Eldritch Horror (2013)

Ah, Cthulhu. For being the spawn of such a troubled person (HP Lovecraft), I find Cthulhu’s mythos and surrounding universe positively enthralling. 

But dice! Ugh yes, this is a huge, sprawling, long, and [sorta] bloated game that is built all around a very simple dice rolling resolution system. I have no way of justifying why this doesn’t bug me, but it just doesn’t.

Maybe I’m just a sap for the theme (Indiana Jones + Cthulhu = Win). Or maybe it’s nostalgia, considering this is the game on my top ten that I’ve played the most and had the longest. But, if I try to dig into the real reasoning here, it’s probably because this game manages to give you a big, rich, story-based experience that feels like an event when it’s over. Yes, it’s the biggest, longest play session on this list. But I love every minute of it. Even those maddening bad dice rolls.

4. Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (2011)

A long time ago, Kathleen and I came to this hobby via Magic: The Gathering, the deep, long standing king of the collectible card game. Magic is a great game, but it brings out the worst in me as a gamer. Playing Magic makes me both a bad winner and bad loser. Frankly, that’s a terrible combination. Why would you want to play with me at all?

This obvious problem led us to cooperative board games. If I’m gonna lose, why don’t I just lose with you. That’s a refreshing change of pace!

And speaking of losing, hey let’s talk about Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. The word used most frequently when talking about this game–by me and pretty much anybody who’s ever played it–is PUNISHING. And yes, it’s punishing. Kathleen and I have played a few punishing euros at this point (feed those people), but this is something else. Get a few bad card flips from the encounter deck and you’re suddenly up to your eyeballs in LOTR baddies. Orcs and goblins? Oh hai. But your dwarves or hobbits or whatever are never really out of it. Smart deck building (and luck) definitely has carried us out of the tall grass on more than one occasion. And there’s something to be said for a game as well balanced as Lord of the Rings. More than once, a game has concluded on a turn where we either win or lose based on that single turn’s outcome.

The theme doesn’t really do much for me, but I took the dive on this game because it looked like a well-designed and well-supported cooperative card game (of which there really aren’t too many). It’s stood tall over the years, and I hope it continues for a while. When I first played Arkham Horror: The Card Game, I figured it would knock this down a peg or two. But the designers’ ingenuity in the LOTR quests and encounter deck designs has been (for me, at least) a much more rewarding experience.

And I appreciate a cooperative game where you actually lose more often than you win. It seems a rarity in the co-ops we have.

5. Great Western Trail (2016)

I’d heard and read so much about this game prior to purchasing it that I almost didn’t even want to get it (which is exactly how I feel about Concordia and Trajan, subsequently). I dig the cowboy theme, but beyond that, I’d pretty much phased out all the actual details on this game’s gameplay.

But yeah, it really is good. Ya’ll were right. I love games that are heavy but are built around simple gameplay, and Great Western Trail epitomizes that. One your turn you move your cowboy on the (effectively) huge rondel board and then take an action on the space where you stop. That’s it. 

The beauty of the game comes from the remarkable breadth of options you can pursue. Using cowboys to buy cows, hiring engineers to move your train and build stations, hiring carpenters to build buildings and busy up the board, and completing objectives are some of the main tasks you’ll be focusing on, and what really clicks for me with Great Western Trail is that it’s a tactical player’s dream. The board is constantly changing, and as it changes, so must your plans. The objective cards steer you somewhat, but you’ve really gotta cut your own path across the wilderness here.

Oh, and I love deckbuilding as a sort of side dish mechanic. It isn’t always enough to sustain a whole game, but it’s great as a single piece of a pie.

6. Gloomhaven (2017)

All right, so this big beast has moved all over my ranking in the year+ since my first game. I won’t lie, it sat at #1 for a while. Then it slid a little, then a little more. I mean, it’s still at #6, so it’s not exactly plummeting. It’s the Board Game Geek #1 game of all time (as of this writing), and it’s hard to say if it’s deserving of this (and if not, what deserves the spot instead). Again, this is so subjective, and games like this or Scythe tend to be lightning rods for people who want to take a shot at the new hotness.

But yes, it’s good. It’s very good. I’m not as enamored by the sprawling nature of it as I was, nor the campaign, but being a person who loves variety, it’s scope is certainly a nice bonus. But after you haven’t played it in a while, it becomes a HUGE box that takes up a whole shelf and is a bear to set back up. And even though the box is 20lbs and takes up a whole shelf and the game takes 20+ minutes just to set up, the card play in Gloomhaven is just stellar. I love that this is essentially a tactical minis game with a euro engine. Tactical minis games rank incredibly low on my chart o’ interest, but this game takes that standard tactical minis expectation and smashes the shit out of it. 

Despite its niggling flaws, it’s an excellent game.

7. The Exit Series (2017-?)

This is the last co-op game on my list, and I just looked back and saw that there are four on here. I was just talking to Kathleen about how much I’d rather play competitive games instead of co-ops, and apparently I said that in a moment completely lacking self-awareness. Also, this is a cheaty kind of entry considering we’ve played at least eight Exit games.

Remember when I said that I liked Eldritch Horror because it was an event game that provided a big, rich experience? Well, the Exit games give you a meaty, brainier experience in a slightly shorter time period. There’s not much story–despite the designers really trying to cram one in there–but I’ll always love Exit because it’s become our Date Night game. Kathleen and I will get some nice booze, take out food, and sit down with a new Exit after we put our son to bed. The experience can be frustrating–remember we think very differently, but each experience has always been something to remember (except the Secret Lab; what happened in that one?). Special props to Exit: Dead Man on the Orient Express, in particular.

The puzzles are really satisfying when you crack them, especially after working on them for a while. We take longer than average to do these because we resist those hint cards as much as possible, so our games can stretch. But Exit should be an event, and when savored like one, it doesn’t let you down.

Also, if you have concerns about the value of an Exit game, if you look at it as an event (like going to the movies or *cough cough* playing T.I.M.E. Stories), it’s actually a very good value. Recycle it!

And finally, yes, Exit trumps Unlock any day of the week.

8. Glory to Rome (2005)

That Glory to Rome is out of print is a cryin’ shame. Our copy isn’t even a real copy, I printed a crappy DIY version at Staples and then cut and sleeved them with old Magic commons. Our copy looks bad, is cut unevenly, and has eery MTG watermarks shining through the thin weight paper, and I couldn’t care less. This game is awesome. It’s got about a million different combos that are all seemingly game-breaking, but the fact that everything is so powerful is really what makes this game so exciting.

Multi-use cards are one of my favorite mechanic, and this game is completely built around them. And like any well-designed game that is build all around cards, the design of this never leaves you feeling hamstrung by bad card draw. If you’re doing badly at Glory to Rome, it’s your fault. Sorry. You haven’t found the combo that will win the game for you. I can say this because I’m terrible at Glory to Rome, and I know it. That’s not saying I’ve not won before. I have, but more likely than not it was because I accidentally stumbled onto something good. 

Like Brass: Birmingham, no two games of Glory to Rome are the same. There are so many cards in the box, and the subtle sense of humor that permeates some of the cards just tickles me (please see: latrine).

It’s fast and exciting, and giving you options on other players’ turns is also one of my favorite mechanics.  I’ll happily play and lose Glory to Rome anytime.

9. Nippon (2015)

Full disclosure, this is the newest edition to this list, and Kathleen and I have only played this a few times, but there’s something about this game that really fascinates me. 

At first blush, it feels like Brass, but it’s not. Like Brass, this is an economic engine, but it doesn’t allow the multi-turn build up to The Big Turn like Brass. Then I thought it was a little like Great Western Trail, but it’s not really like that either. Great Western Trail presents a ton of options, but by the end of the game, you really need to work on all of them, at least a little bit, or else your score will suffer. Nippon, however, doesn’t make you do a little bit of everything. There are a number of elements in Nippon (like trains), that can be all but ignored except for certain circumstances. It’s a game built around area control via slow burn engine building. A number of other elements to the game are very specific tools you can use to hone that engine, but could just as easily prove useless under the wrong conditions.

This may be misdirected musings by someone who hasn’t played the game enough, but it feels right to me. The last time we played, I came to the realization that the game felt so fraught because I was trying to do too much. The game presents you with a large amount of avenues to pursue because you don’t actually have to pursue them all; you can’t, there’s not enough time in the game (or money!). You need to choose your actions and build the best engine as quickly as possible.

Nippon is a cutthroat fight that feels both wickedly fast and frustratingly slow at the same time. Special bonuses for completely subverting the worker placement mechanic with its own implementation that runs the whole game. It’s a puzzle that I have relished greatly.

10. Star Wars: The Card Game (2012)

Two Fantasy Flight LCGs on the list? Sweet Christmas!

But yes, this is a great game. I’m not sure it ever got much love, and it saddens me that it’s now dead, but it’s such an interesting design. That it does a fine job of simplifying deck construction is just a bonus.

I appreciate that Star Wars feels like a game of high stakes gambling. The first few turns are slow and quiet as you work through your deck and build your forces, but once conflict erupts, everything tends to break wide open. Each decision you make has massive repercussions, as single large mistakes will lose you the game. Add in some actual bluffing and a ticking clock, and this is the simplified and streamlined (if safer and less wild) version of Doomtown: Reloaded, another card game that I absolutely love. 

But where I think Doomtown ultimately fails, Star Wars succeeds. The game doesn’t get bogged down in complexity, and instead feels relatively streamlined considering its medium weight. Every time I play this game, I’m impressed by how smart Eric Lang’s design is. I feel like he played a ton of Magic: The Gathering, and then he removed all the things that bothered him (and bothered me, too).

I think this game is overlooked and underplayed, and dare I say forgotten, but for my money, it’s absolutely worth revisiting. And played over and over again.

Please remember, this list will change. Check back occasionally to see how. If you have any questions or opinions of your own, let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Eric (Player One)

[queenmercurys]

hey love :') ALL the odd numbers for the ff asks??

NOTE: I realize now that this said all the ODD numbers, but me being an idiot, I just read “all numbers” and went for it. oh, well. here’s answers no one asked for :P and the ones you asked for, thanks, ems ;))

this is why you’re the greatest friend in the entire world ;D okay, here we go!! i’m gonna skip the ones i already got asked, but there’s still plenty to do ;P thank you so, so much, I love you!

2. Least favorite game?

well, out of the ones i’ve played, i’m gonna have to go with type-0, at least for now. it’s pretty good, i like the story, but the gameplay is crazy hard (and this is coming from someone who has played final fantasy since she was 8) and i’m not like crazy in love with any of the characters. they’re all good, but there’s not that thing that i have with basically every other final fantasy. but i’ve not finished it yet, it has plenty of time to change my mind!

3. Which games have you played?

i have played vii, viii, ix, x, x-2, xii, xiii, xiii-2, lightning returns, xv, world of final fantasy, type-0 and dissidia nt. however, i would like to note that i’ve watched crisis core so many times that i have basically played that, too. and i would, if i had a psp. anyway, i recently bought vi, so i’ll be playing that next, and then going backwards. the only ones i am not actively trying to play are xi and xiv. i’m not into multiplayers. but anyway, i also know the stories of the dissidia games, and i know the stories from i to vi, so nothing is really unfamiliar to me. it’s an amazing franchise and i love it.

4. Most underrated game?

i have to say x-2. it gets so much hate and for no reason whatsoever. it’s such a joyous, beautiful game with wonderful characters, the best turn-based gameplay and surprisingly fun minigames and sidequests. i stan x-2 100%.

5. Most overrated game?

if i were less biased, i’d say vii, but i’m not perfect, so i’m gonna go with my other pick: vi. i am sure it’s absolutely wonderful, and everything seems great based on what i have heard, read and watched. however, the fact that the cast is literally cramped with 20 million different characters throws me off a tiny bit. i can’t see it being that easy to give good character development to all of them, and i guess that hasn’t happened. but yeah, i honestly can’t say much before actually playing it. but i suppose part of the praise is largely due to nostalgia - as it is with vii, too. 

6. Favorite protagonist?

that would be my perfect darling, cloud strife.

7. Favorite antagonist?

this was a bit of a tough one, but i’m gonna go with ardyn izunia. 

12. Best looking male?

cloud strife for sure. he’s really, really handsome, okay.

14. Character you would most like to marry?

well, this may come as a shocker, but cloud strife.

15. Character you hate the most?

i appreciate him for everything that he is, i think he’s a totally epic villain, but after everything he’s done to cloud, to aerith and to everyone else, i am definitely gonna have to go with sephiroth. but he is iconic and the franchise wouldn’t be the same without him.

16. Which game had the best cast of characters?

even though it’s not my favorite game, i’m gonna go with vii. it has such a large, engaging multiverse to itself that it’s had a lot of time to develop the characters and make them more interesting and fleshed out. and i love so many of them so much. like my darling cloud, or sunshine boy zack, or aerith, or tifa, vincent, yuffie, cid etc etc. i think the cast of characters is really awesome. but that’s not to say i don’t love the other casts, because i do, very much so.

17. Which game was the saddest?

crisis core. what made it worst was knowing from the start that zack was going to die, and then living through it all, seeing how happy he was. watching him fall in love with aerith, befriend cloud, and even hang out with sephiroth and genesis. it’s so heartbreaking watching that boy try so hard, and then eventually die protecting his best friend a few miles away from his goal. it’s really not fair, and watching the ending always breaks me. that’s not even counting the pain that cloud had to go through in crisis core, but if i take that into consideration, it just strengthens my argument: crisis core is definitely the saddest game.

18. Which game was the funniest?

x-2. i know it’s a bit cliche and maybe even a bit cringe, but i love every bit of it. it’s pure joy, and watching yuna be happy and carefree even for a bit warms my heart. and personally, what i think makes it even better is that the game also has so many heartbreaking, sad moments. it balances itself out very nicely.

19. Which game had the best love story?

i am definitely gonna go with x. the story of yuna and tidus is well fleshed out, it’s romantic, it’s tragic, it’s sweet and above all (because i love this aspect in couples) it’s angsty as fuck, and that is exactly what i want from any fictional couple. they are a big part of why i love x as much as i do.

21. Which game would you sooner die before doing the above ^?

since i picked x-2 for the game i’d like to insert myself into, i am gonna go with… xiii for the game i would not like to be in. the world is gorgeous, but the divide between the people of cocoon and the people of pulse, and the dictatorship-like way the world is ruled, yeah, no thank you. besides, i could never replace lightning, i have literally none of her good qualities.

22. Which game’s world would you most like to live in?

this was really hard for me to pick, but i think i would actually go with the world in viii. it’s a world that has technology (which, as a child of the 90′s, i do need), and it still has many fantasy elements to it, not to mention some really, really gorgeous locations, like fisherman’s horizon, balamb town etc. 

23. Which specific location (e.g. Besaid Island) would you most like to live in?

if we’re going with specific locations, i think i would like to live in tenebrae from xv. it seems like such a gorgeous, peaceful place, i think i would be very happy there.

24. What’s your favorite job/class? Is this the same class you would want to be if you entered a class-based Final Fantasy game, or would you rather be a different one? If so, which one?

my favorite class is probably summoner, but i also have a fondness for the white magic, the black mage and the knight/any other variation of that job class. i think i would probably be a white mage myself.

25. What is your favorite ability?

summoning is always something i find very useful, obviously, but i also like noctis’ warp strike in xv. using weapons with abilities like stone strike is also really satisfying in x, too.

26. Favorite boss fight?

i really love the final boss battle against ardyn in xv. the main reason for this is because in the fight, ardyn doesn’t have an elaborate second form (tho i don’t mind those either), it’s literally just two men fighting each other. and the end, how ardyn loses because he can’t summon up the sword of the father, i think that’s really meaningful and i’ve always liked it a lot.

28. Your favorite spell?

well, i sure have grown very fond of curaga over the years, but in terms of something that i just consider really cool… i’ve always liked holy quite a bit, not really sure why.

29. Favorite summon?

the knights of the round from vii. other than that, probably shiva. i also really like alexander and bahamut.

30. Least favorite battle/boss fight?

i am not a huge fan of the fight against cid raines in xiii. i don’t know why, but that fight took me forever, and multiple tries. just… nope.

31. Do you have any theories or headcanons you swear by (e.g. Rinoa as Sorceress)?

i used to swear by the “squall is dead” theory just because it seemed super interesting, but nah, i love squall too much. he ain’t dead. i think the theory i am very fond of is that vii and x are connected. the theory that the kid shinra in x-2 eventually started developing a technology that would eventually lead to the shinra company in vii. it’s grim, but it’s entirely possible. 

32. Are there any fanon theories/headcanons you just can’t believe?

i mean, there are a lot of weird ones that i don’t buy into, but i guess one that i don’t believe is that cloud actually killed aerith (aka he killed her by drowning her because sephiroth’s sword didn’t actually kill her, but paralyzed her instead, or something). i am pretty sure he checked if she was breathing, give him some credit. 

34. Which canon couple do you think is most likely to break up sometime after the credits roll?

umm… well, considering that they weren’t really even together, ever, i guess it doesn’t qualify, but i’m gonna say cloud and tifa. i just don’t see how it would work, romantically. i get that there are feelings there, but actually as a functioning couple? idk about that. everyone can think what they want, though, what do i know? my second pick would probably be snow and serah. i find them very cute, but that’s another ship where i can’t see how they would actually work in everyday life.

36. And your least favorite non-canon couple?

please don’t throw cloud and sephiroth at me, i really can’t. i have literally nothing against m/m ships, my favorite non-canon ship is strifehart. i just don’t ship these two and i think cloud deserves soooooo much better. again, just my opinion though. 

37. What do you think makes a game a “quintessential” Final Fantasy game? (In other words… some people say the new games don’t feel like Final Fantasy games to them. What FEELS like a Final Fantasy game, to you?)

well, since my first final fantasy was x, i might not be the best one to answer this because my first one wasn’t one of the “classics”, really, but… to me, they all feel like final fantasy. the games don’t have to all be same, nor should they be. but for the sake of the question (which is a very interesting question btw), i think that there needs to be a big bad, and a group of mismatched, troubled heroes who do what they can to defeat that big bad. that’s literally all i need from a final fantasy game for it to feel like a final fantasy. plus, at least one engaging character who i can root for.

38. What things did/would bother you when/if they were put in the games (i.e. what things DON’T belong in Final Fantasy games)?

nothing’s bothered me much yet, but i guess what i don’t really care about are those weird collabs, like xv + assassin’s creed or something. i get why they do it, but ehh. i think those rather “pointless” dlc additions are just that: pointless. i am, however, on board useful and important dlc additions, like story additions or new fighting arenas, like with dissidia nt.

39. What is your favorite prequel or sequel?

my favorite prequel is definitely crisis core, and my favorite sequel is x-2 (does advent children count? if it does, then ac, too). 

40. Square-Enix hands over the reins to you, to make a prequel or sequel for any game of your choice, even ones that already have those things. What do you make?

first i make a sequel to vii to see what happened to cloud after advent children, then i make x-3, and then i make a sequel to viii. it absolutely doesn’t need a sequel, but i want it in glorious hd.

42. Worst character design?

no one looks bad, to me anyway, but i guess some characters are pretty weird, like cloud of darkness’ design for dissidia nt. i get that she didn’t really have any clothes on in the original, either, but that crap must be very impractical in battle.

43. What is your favorite weapon?

cloud’s buster sword, and cloud’s fusion sword.

44. What cutscene do you wish you could cut out of any of the games?

the date scene with iris and noctis in xv. why did they do that???

45. What creature do you most wish was real? (Chocobo’s, moogles, etc.)

oh, moogles would be so adorable. so would moombas.

46. Best soundtrack?

i think all the soundtracks are freaking fantastic, final fantasy music is the best music ever created, but i am gonna go with final fantasy xv. my close second pick would be final fantasy viii.

47. Favorite overworld song?

the one from viii, just because it brings back memories of me wandering around for hours, grinding for magic spells and items.

48. Which game had the best opening cutscene?

they are all freaking amazing, honestly. like honestly, all the games are so beautiful and perfect in this aspect, but i guess if i have to choose… probably x. the destruction of zanarkand is pretty powerful stuff, especially for an opening cutscene.

49. Which game had the best ending?

i’ve always said this, and i will always say it: final fantasy x-2. it’s called the perfect ending for a reason. and yes, i mean the ending where tidus comes back and he and yuna are reunited. 

51. Favorite non-vocal song?

somnus and somnus ultima from xv. honestly the most gorgeous song i have ever heard in my life.

52. Favorite limit break/overdrive/trance/you-get-the-picture mode and/or ability?

cloud’s omnislash for sure. can’t wait to see that in the remake.

53. Are there any plot-holes or questions you have about any of the games that you wish would be resolved?

nothing that bugs me too much. i guess the one that bothers me the most is that, why was ultimecia’s summon called griever?? has anyone ever explained this? if ultimecia isn’t rinoa, then why?? it worries me. i don’t know why, but it worries me.

54. What scene had the most impact on you?

there are plenty, but here is the top 5: yuna and tidus’ goodbye at the end of x, aerith and zack saying their final farewells to cloud in ac, noctis calling the kings of lucis to help him bring back the dawn and they all proceed to kill him in xv, luna and noctis getting married in the afterlife in xv and that scene at the end of viii when rinoa is pointing to the sky, we think she’s alone and then she turns and squall’s there, smiling for the first time in the entire game. okay, no, i’m cheating. also the ending of crisis core, for sure. 

55. Which game did you play first, and when (how old were you, etc.)?

i played final fantasy x when i was around 8 or 9. i got introduced to it by my friend’s sister. we watched her play for days and weeks until i finally asked my dad if i could have the game, too. and i got it, and i loved it. i still do. what a game. 

57. What game that has yet to be released are you most looking forward to?

*laughs nervously* final fantasy vii remake. square… please? 

58. What do you think of the Final Fantasy fandom in general? Do you think it is a good one? Any complaints?

oh, i think it’s a very good one! i’m not one to get too involved in fandoms anyway, so if there is bad blood, i don’t know about it. but everyone i’ve met has been super friendly, very talented and just genuinely wonderful. no complaints :) ok, maybe one. it doesn’t matter if you ship clerith, zerith, cloti or whatever you want. everyone can ship in peace. it’s all good.

59. Do you have any favorite works of art or fanfiction that you always go back to, and/or basically accept as canon?

i have no shame in admitting that i basically consider it as canon (tho this goes into the kh story, too) that squall and cloud are basically the fathers of roxas and sora, and they’re the best, happiest family ever. i go back to a lot of strifehart fanfiction, and plenty of awesome fanarts i’ve seen.

60. If you got the chance to work at Square Enix making Final Fantasy games, at any job, regardless of your skill set (they offer you paid training), what would you most like to work on or do?

hmm, i think i would like to be a character designer, but i would also really, really love to be involved in the story creation and writing, too. maybe i could do both?

thanks so much again, hon, you’re the greatest and i had the best time answering these :D talking about final fantasy makes me so happy! love you

[survivetashirojima]

Episode #6: “LITTLE MISS MADISON said FUCK JACOB” -Kevin

*takes my numbers back and hisses at Stephen Vi and Timmy*

WHATS POPPING, this game thats whats popping ladies and gentlemen whew, to say the least that is. Considering my last confessional was like round 1, let me go ahead and fill you guys in on what you MISSED!! (from my perspective) We voted Tom, then Julia, then Kenny all unanimously which was meh, I liked Tom but he's very ruthless but I think I could've worked with him for a little but he just wasn't on so I couldn't do anything without risking my game, then theres Julia another person I liked and wanted to work with but her inactivity was gross and she made her own bed and she's kinda crazy so hopefully it was for the better, lastly in the string of unanimous votes we had KENNY I was ELATED to see him go, finally someone actually bad for my game left, we never talked and we did not have a good history so him staying would have sucked, then JG had to walk from the game which was.. something, personally for my situation that was great and while I hope everything is ok with him and his life I am not ashamed to say I was happy to have his presence in the game be gone, to be frank. THEN!!!!!!! things started to heat up! So going into the 4th tribal I was vulnerable for the FIRST time all game, and to make matters worse there was only 5 other people to choose from outside of myself, so that was really really shitty and I hated that feeling, luckily prior to the vote I found my way into 2 different alliances one being named the "fat five" consisting of myself, madeleine, jacob, ricky and andrew! this is a group i feel comfortable with for the time being and I trust, and then after that I was added to a chat with Joanna, Pat and Stephen which seems to be an alliance but is not properly named. I appreciate that my social ability has led me into 2 different completely non-overlapping alliances but it's also put me in the MIDDLE of those 2 alliances which seem to have different HOPES about where this game is going. So during the final 14 vote my name was brought up for what was told to me as a millisecond, a very short period of time that didn't really spark any fires in people to want to vote me out, I heard of this first through JOANNA, surprisingly she told me Stephen told her about it which was alarming to me because I liked Stephen and should he have heard my name I would have expected him to bring it to my attention, frankly he did NOT and in the midst of having a 1 in 6 shot of going home I was not going to rock the boat at all, so I bit my tongue and let the round play on and considered this something to be better addressed at a future time. So back to the actual VOTE the actual coming up of names I had no part in both Dylan and Brien were brought to me by the respective "sides" of the tribes if you will, with Dylan being Pat/Jo/Steves choice and Brien being Mad/And/Ric/Jac's choice both side were VERY intensely wanting their vote to go through (which is expected) but as everything unfolded I realized the kumbaya spirits that blessed the 3 tribals prior had seemingly left the building because me being vulnerable for the first time is a GREAT time to take a break, to put it quickly THE VOTE WAS SPLIT. With neither side budging despite my best efforts. After some investigative work I realized that outside of the fat five the brien vote was not widely wanted, and after taking myself out of the picture would have resulted in a 7-6 vote with Dylan leaving. So once i realized this and decided for myself that Dylan leaving was in fact the better move for my game, considering his challenge dominance and his close bonds to people who i considered my closest allies, he needed to be cut loose. In the final stretch before tribal I knew what was coming and what needed to be done so I had to lay the base work for what I was about to do which MEANT either flipping my alliance (fat five) or providing visible doubt within myself enough to prove that I was not LYING, I spoke to madeleine through most of this confessing concerns that we did not have the votes and perhaps it was best to just ride the dylan wave out as a unit like we had done up until that point, but there was no budging with her I expressed MULTIPLE concerns MULTIPLE times, and no movement. Then I went to jacob who was out of the loop as ever, he had no idea dylan was even an option and I told him that it was and it was likely to be the end result of the night with or without him, and I then tried to speak to andrew who was presumably at work but i really couldn't tell ya, I messaged him asking had he heard Dylans name at all, no response but the effort was there and I wasn't gonna call him just to give bad news, and lastly in the final moments I confessed to madeleine I "switched" my vote to Dylan to avoid a tie, which was true, and became my main selling point for WHY I did it which is fair, while there are revotes it's still half way to rocks and thats one hike i will NOT be taking, at least not this early and not over Dylan's ass lets make that clear. Then, the deed is done and the dust settles and im left to pick up the pieces of a devastated alliance, as I said i expose myself and admit to not wanting a tie and worrying for the safety of myself and ricky (who would've had a 50% chance of one of us going should it have gone to rocks) Im comforted by Madeleine and Ricky who understand the position I was in, Andrew was understandably and slightly upset but hey I DID try and talk to him, jacob pretty indifferent as always, I felt in the clear and I had nothing to do but move on. I will be doing the final 13 vote in a SEPARATE confessional, you're welcome  

BACK BACK BACK AGAIN, HALLELU! where were we? lets keep this going shall we, anyways SO FINAL 13, the challenge is remembering the cats trailer which I tried slightly after quite a long day at work so my brain wasn't fully there, I did do quite a bit of studying but my dumb ASS didn't think to remember the order of celebrities, or the featured names/works that were affiliated with the trailer, so I lost a lot of time in having to go back and watch those parts which scored me a mere 14 !! which was sadly not enough to win Immunity, instead Andrew and Stephen won! 1 person from each alliance, how poetic. The winners didn't really affect me or my gameplay this week it was quite a non factor. Which makes sense in a 14 person tribe, with now 12 people eligible to be voted out. The first half of the day was quite like every other vote, no names, no activity everyone waiting for the storm to flood in and sweep us away in the dark murky waters of tashirojima where somebody's gonna end up drowning. AND THEN IT HAPPENS!! suddenly there's names... LNGVO (Pat/Jo/Steve alliance) seems to be wary of Madeleine, who is quite the talker and a good social player considering her persistance with talking to people, it's impressive really. She won the social challenge by a landslide and that scared people and specifically scared Pat who threw her name out there first, pitching a pretty decent case in my opinion but Maddie trusts me so I don't really give into the pitch while Joanna agrees I subtly drop a message providing why her gameplay isn't all it's seemed to be and how she'll likely do herself in in due time, and we should probably just wait it out. While my tiny message likely had no impact Stephen did somewhat agree, he felt making another big move (was dylan that big of a move?) would set a domino effect into play and ultimately catch up to one of us which I agreed with. So while Pat and Joanna were still hung up on Maddie going home if at all possible we/they also recognized that her likability at this point in the game would make it hard to vote her out considering Jay/Timmy 2 MOTR players wouldn't write her name down was a game changer. So then the vote swapped to Jacob a less social and less likable player but also a key component to the unbeknownst to them alliance, the fat five, so I couldn't really have that happening BUT I did encourage the idea once it came up because while I wanted to pitch the idea of going Brien to this group but with the talk of "staying strong" as an "8" that voted together previously I knew it wouldn't be well received and I didn't want to risk looking sketchy that early in the day cause you never know how quick a vote can turn if given the right chance, so I sat back and agreed and made a small case for why jacob "SHOULD" be the vote and then they settled on Jacob because my assumptions were that if the vote was Jacob then Madison (who i assumed to be close to jacob) would not vote for him and would mean not necessarily a vote for the fat five but one less vote for LNGVO who by the mathematics of it, had the majority. BUT BOY WAS I WRONG, cause "we" settled on jacob and as it turns out LITTLE MISS MADISON said FUCK JACOB and voted for him !!! That was a shocker. But lets back up, before the votes were read I eventually brought up Brien's name AGAIN in the fat five, hoping we could stick on that, piss off less people and keep the sides more even so I don't give either side the upperhand WITHOUT needing little ol me, the middle position is only powerful if theres a middle to sit in. So if Brien went home I kept the balance, I appease the previously disappointed fat five and save the day with getting brien out just 1 round late. Without much fight they agree, it really does seem like the best decision so now I know where both sides are aiming I just need to figure out what their ammunition looks like. I knew where most of the votes were gonna be EXCEPT FOR Jay and Madison, both promised both sides their votes (which I know because I am somehow a part of both sides and thats why I hate my life) so without myself madison and Jay the votes looked like like 6-5 in the  LNGVO favor in eliminating Jacob, a close ally of mine, so now I had to secure 1 more vote to tip the scales in my favor, Jay had been on the fence all day from what he said, and so I went to talk to him like 10 minutes before tribal and he confessed to being on the fence and he told me while he promised his vote was going to go against jacob he didnt feel like he could follow through and i said SAME DUDE!!!! we're in the same boat, so i took this opportunity to relate and then make sure he felt confident in his decision because he was making it with me. And we locked on Brien, and he went on to later tell me that me agreeing with him and our conversation was the push he needed to lock that vote in, which im so grateful for. Now yet again I had to soften the blow to the side that I was voting against, while I knew Jay was flipping for about 20 minutes before I said anything (from 5:50 to about 6:10) I needed to find the perfect timing to tell LNGVO that I heard Jay was flipping and that Madison was also voting Brien (which wasn't true but I DID HEAR that she was from Madeleine and Andrew so I didn't lie) and with this I said I don't know if the votes are there anymore, and obviously Joanna not showing up until the last second was helpful too because that added to the sense of insecurity with that vote, and I also said I don't wanna vote Jacob if he's not gonna go home (again, true) and so with only 1 more person to be asked a question I dropped the bomb with little to no time to recover and have Stephen or Pat go and talk to jay to flip him back and no time to really figure out what was happening. Then the votes are read Brien goes home THANK U BABY JESUS and my plan worked out. Now I just need to continue to balance these 2 alliances as best as possible. In my next submission I will talk about the information and events that happened AFTER the votes were read. Thank you!

PART 3, THE FINALE, ARE YOU EXCITED? im excited, anyways. So Brien's gone hallelujah amen am i right. The LNGVO alliance seems understand when I express my concerns that the vote was too close to call and I couldn't really trust much of what anyone said like I mean come on, it was 7-6 for christs sake. They seem ok with it, understanding that this isn't the end of the world and theres still a bunch of game to be played and just hope to move forward stronger than before and hopefully still with the majority. And then I speak to Jay again, "baffled" at the fact that we were in the middle and the decision makers, making sure he knew it was both of our decision which leads him to propose that he would like to work with me, and I agree obviously! I really like Jay we share a love of pizza and pretzels and anything that combines pizza and pretzels. But also he's in the middle as well and he was another person to promise his vote one way and go back on it, similar to what I did, so I wont or shouldn't be taking heat alone which is always good. AND THEN the real kicker of the night, earlier on in the day I spoke to Stephen about hearing my name and not telling me, and gave him the chance to tell me his story, as vague as can be he tells me that it came up but wasn't truly considered, when asked specifically who said my name he dodged the question but did tell me it originated in a conversation with Madeleine, who I trusted and also didn't tell me about hearing my name but AFTER THE VOTE Maddie brought it up that Stephen in fact said my name on a call to HER not the other way around which jogged my memory and I confirmed and he in fact threw me out as an option for the vote, the same round he started an alliance with me! Ridiculous that guy. So now I know that Stephen has a thought in his mind that looks at me as a threat and someone that he ALREADY has considered targeting. While I initially felt bad having to let down LNGVO considering the alliance was created by Stephen I feel less bad now knowing that he is two-faced and is to not be trusted by me, despite how hard he wants to try and seem loyal to the alliance. People such as Andrew and Mad already see his sketchiness and the back and forth and I'm glad I want to capitalize on that and hopefully make something happen. But it's too soon to tell what I want to happen this round with 2 days for immunity and another for tribal really anything can happen and thats worrysome. but lets end on a positive note, Madeleine told me that I am her favorite person in this game and that she trusts me the most, which is AMAZING, she also brought up the idea of forming a final three of myself, her and Andrew to which I obviously agreed to but I think she may not know that Andrew has a pre-existing relationship to Ricky, and I have a pre-existing relationship to Jacob and Jacob and Ricky ALSO know each other well. But that may not even come into play but it's important to note that I am now officially a part of someones end game (for the time being) this is huge and I hope to become a part of more peoples end games as the game progresses. Good Luck Charlie!

I was scared I wasn’t coming across how I wanted to be in this season, turns out I am and I’m so freaking happy!!!

I was think about the challenge in class and looked at my coffee and my mind just screamed “Starbucks cat!” And then “MADDIE NO”

Madeleine is totally a backstabber but that's okay. I already knew that since tribal 2. I think I'm gonna switch to vote her off only bc now I have Jay and Pat talking to me. Thank gods Brien got voted off. He never talked to me besides setting up the alliance. I favor people who talk over people who doesn't so that's one less inactive person. I"M SO GLAD THAT THIS CHALLENGE IS AN ARTISTIC ONE. I can not wait to see how people react to what I drew. I think its hella nice. Even if I get voted off after this challenge, that's perfectly fine and I'm okay with that since this is my pride and joy of the season. Plus I won't be gone gone since we're all jurors anyways. It'll just be lonely for a few days until the next juror gets voted out. Or multiple. Lukas and Olivia seems to be hinting at more than one person can be voted out and idk man. Scary business right there

So this is how I'm pretty sure the votes went last time? - Andrew, Maddie, Ricky, Kevin, Jacob, Jay, Madison: voted out Brien - Stephen, Timmy, Vi, Joanna, Pat, Brien: voted out Jacob Unless I'm a buffoon......but I think Madison was the swing vote. I think. Idk. I had to convince Jay very very very very very VERY last second and then at the same time get people to convince Madison while I was also trying to talk to her. I wouldn't have been so adamant about NOT voting out Jacob had Stephen not been sketchy as all hell coming to me at like 8:30 being like "teehee wut if we did jacob uwu" cuz that was fucking stupid. He was like "well why does Jacob deserve to stay over Brien" and I was like why the fuck are you all of a sudden trying to keep Brien? For numbers? Yeah no. No Brien for you. He's gone now. So Stephen is high on my hit list. Also I just like do not have a connection to Vi, Timmy, Pat, and Joanna and like I've talked to Vi and Joanna but the convos are stale. I guess I can try messaging Pat. I might look like a doofus messaging Timmy this late in the game especially when I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me but I think I've decided I don't give a shit about social graces and might just message him anyway for funsies. The key word is might. For this vote though.......Maddie, Ricky, and Jacob are all vulnerable. Like at least Maddie puts in work but if I have to keep dragging Ricky and Jacob's lagging asses I'm gonna lose it. I'm love Ricky so much but like......please. Do smth.... I'm gonna break my back from carrying this alliance. Jay is also vulnerable btw. So that's 4 people I don't wanna target. Then there is Timmy and Madison. Will Madison vote out Timmy? Idk. That could be an issue. Because if she doesn't then I think it could end up being 6-6. Nnnnnn. So like if it's 6-6 that's gay because if it deadlocked then Timmy and whoever the other side voted would be safe. So like it would be a 1-4 chance that Madison goes over one of my allies. We need people to vote out Timmy. This is GAY. Or maybe we just scrap Jacob because he's useless. Who fuckin knows.

*spongebob timecard narrator voice* the next day: So apparently Madison voted Jacob? And Timmy voted Brien? I'm confused but idc lol maybe we can just get majority on Madison then

These people are so messy. So Jacob left my alliance with him and Madison but I’m messaging him (or at least trying to, he’s responding slowly but I think he’s at work so it’s all good) because I need him to know I didn’t vote for him. Madison did though and now I know she also voted Dylan and she thought I did too. I still want Madison in but like I don’t want to go to the end with her mainly bc I know she would be more likely than others to vote for me in the end. There’s plenty of reasons to get Madeleine out but she’s not winning immunities so the opportunity will be better with less people and these people are smart and will see that she is a social threat but yea she is easy to beat in immunity (although I haven’t been doing too well in immunities). I want Ricky gone bc I fucked up and never answered his message from a while ago so that is a dead relationship so he can go. Also I want Joanna gone sooner rather than later because I know she is smart.

so, gag of all gags, everyone in my core alliance is immune, woo. This means we dont have to be worried about a massive blindside, the only true ally i have thats vulnerable is Madison, but it seems the vote is aiming more at ricky, thank god. I like the guy but hes just one of the less-active people and I want to make sure we dont have an ftc full of goats who just drifted through. Kevin is the only one of my alliance im wary of, he has done great in challenges so far, and that can be dangerous the closer you get to FIC, so eventually he will lose immunity and ill have to betray him. Make it to f8, then the next time he loses hes gone.

https://youtu.be/qHZhhQIvOcU

CASUALTIES:

CAST ASSESSMENTS:

PART 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF-qsugZ6RM&list=PLB-4yJ0EHce-bxHQVmQVdrV6tx36_6Jly&index=14

PART 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF6SrpCKBrA&list=PLB-4yJ0EHce-bxHQVmQVdrV6tx36_6Jly&index=15

[heysnowflake]

Sims 4 Questions

1. What is it about the Sims franchise that draws you into playing the game? 

Being able to build with so much control and creativity. Also being able to live vicariously through my sims is a big seller. 

 2. Are you working on a build right now? If so, what are you building and why? 

I am currently working on a recreation of Barbie’s Dreamhouse from the netflix series ‘Barbie’s Dreamhouse Adventures’. From the first episode, I just fell in love with the house. It is such a different take on a Barbie dreamhouse. It truly gives you the sense that the house does exist, whilst still being a complete fantasy. Unlike most barbie houses, you actually get a feel for the scale and the floor plan, whereas others would often have endless closets that just couldn’t exist and didn’t appeal to me. I love how, because it’s with Barbie’s whole family, it’s a proper family oriented house with every colour imagined used within. And the rooms are so inventive and quirky, I just had to build it. I’m currently around, I want to say 3/4 way through and it is easily my favourite build I’ve ever done. Will be creating the whole family soon, including the puppies of course. And then will also make Ken and his house, and the Reardons for their neighbours so that I can fully enjoy my gameplay. I’m also thinking of making Barbie’s friends too to really fill out Del Sol Valley.  

 3. What is your favourite feature that was introduced in the Sims 4? 

I’m someone who never properly played with the earlier Sims games. I played with Sims 2 and 3 with friends but I’ve never actually owned the game myself and played hours on end of it. So my knowledge is somewhat limited where those are areas concerned. But what I have noticed is that the building tools are far more flexible and cross-neighbourhood travelling is much simpler which really enhances the gameplay. 

 4. Which life stage is your favourite to play? 

I have always played as a young adult, they’re my favourite to control as I feel like you can do the most with this age. But I do love having pets and children in my family. 

 5. Do you like completing challenges? If so, which ones have you done? 

I have yet to do any gameplay challenges but I have done a fair share of building challenges which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve done the strictly black and white build, I’ve recreated many existing/fictional houses as a challenge for myself (like I’m currently recreating Barbie’s Dreamhouse for my save file) and I’ve done a few budget builds like creating starter homes and large houses under 100,000 simoleons. 

 6. What are your current top five packs? 

Seasons, Get Together, Cool Kitchen Stuff, Parenthood and Cats & Dogs (that was extremely difficult and I hate that you made me do that). 

 7. List your top three favourite packs from each pack category: 

Expansion packs: Seasons, Get Together and Cats & Dogs 

Game packs: Parenthood, Jungle Adventure and Spa Day

Stuff packs: Cool Kitchen Stuff, Laundry Day, Movie Hangout, Perfect Patio and Vintage Glamour

It all varies depending on which style I’m into at the time, but the packs I’ve mentioned easily have my favourite gameplay and build and buy items. 

 8. What pack would recommend a beginner to purchase first? 

As a first pack, I would always recommend an expansion as they offer the most gameplay and items to build with. Sooo...... It’s a tie between Seasons and Get Together. Get Together if you’re more into modern items and hanging with friends. Seasons if you’re more into family time and traditional country houses. 

 9. Name three gameplay items you’d really like to see in the Sims 4: 

I’d love a proper sized telescope that I can place in someone’s room, a cinema screen where you can book certain movies to watch and visit with snacks (I get that you can kinda do this with movie hangout stuff but it’s not the same as an actual cinema), and a mini golf course. 

 10. What kind of world would you like to see next in the Sims 4? 

I’d really love another world that is based around animals. In particular, I reeeally want an farm expansion pack. So we’re talking building your own farm, you can own and ride a horse, flock sheep, take care of pigs, get milk from cows etc. And the whole world could be very country-esque like Cats & Dogs, but instead more land and you could have grocery shops that only sell fresh food. You could live somewhere else but then also own a farm that you can visit/work at. OR!!! I think a Zoo expansion pack would be amazing. Like we could get a new zookeeper career, take your kids to the zoo, feed certain animals, watch animal shows. And the build and buy items could all be animal themed. 

 11. If you could create and release your own stuff pack, what would you make? 

I would 100% make one of two packs. I’d reeeeally like to collab with Disney and release an official Disney stuff pack. Have some really versatile furnishings with plenty of swatches, but also include some very clear disney items. Like disney character toys, disney bedding, maybe even give kids disney vhs tapes where they have to rewind them before they watch the movie. Just little things like that. But one I’d really love to make right now is an actual Barbie stuff pack. Especially if you base the stuff pack on things in the netflix series ‘Barbie’s Dreanhouse Adventures’, you could get so many versatile furniture pieces that all have this modern yet 70′s vibe(each one having every colour swatch available, including pink). You could have iconic pieces like an actual buildable elevator that you can stick in any house, a computer with multiple screens, barbie’s official pink and orange bed spread, a twisty slide, a trampoline, a 3D food printing machine, an inside children’s train that children and pets can ride around the house in… I feel like there’re so much potential there.

 12. What are some particular build and buy items that you would like to see in the next patch?

As in the aforementioned, I would like to see a buildable elevator. We’ve seen that they can make them in City Living, but I want to be able to have a working one in my house, rather than just simulate one with clever building. Preferably, I’d love two versions- one that is walled, and one that is windowed, both with many swatches. I feel like four squares (2x2) is the best size as it’s not too big or too small. Another one I’d like to see is spiral staircases. I feel like, moreso than the elevator, this is one the community has been asking for for a while. And whilst the configurable staircase tool they created is genius and I use it all the time, I’d love a simple spiral staircase that fits all wall heights and has a variety of swatches. Another build item I’d like is one I’ve seen in customer content. As someone who plays exclusively on console and never wishes to play on a computer, I rely heavily on packs and patch updates. So I’d really love them to add in infinity windows. Essentially, these work similar to some rugs where you have two items of the same window- one being either end and one that is the glass in the middle. That way, we could have windows that run across the whole wall seamlessly. Another window related feature I’d like is where we have windows that adapt with the line of the roof. For example, in many modern builds, you see windows that cut off at an angle in line with the roof, and I’ve love a tool in the Sims that can help me recreate that. Talking of roofs, I’d like to see an option where we can sledgehammer the inside of the roof so that we can have angled ceilings. And whilst we’re also talking about ceilings, along with having the option for an angle, I’d like to be able to change the colour of the ceiling. I know I’m not a programmer, but I do feel like these are all features that could easily be implemented into the game. As for buy items, I’d simply like to see more swatches of what we already have. We have plenty of furniture, but just give me more swatches of that furniture piece so that I can use it more. Though I would love a nice and simple, large, round dining table.

 13. What’s a pack you’ve been waiting for?

I am currently waiting for some sort of farm expansion. Although, whilst I’m in the Barbie kick, I’d love something to do with Barbie. Particularly in the Sims 4, I feel like everyone has created a Barbie house at least once in their life, in one way or another, and would benefit from a Barbie pack.

 14. Do you have a least favourite pack?

I don’t particularly hate any packs but there are definitely ones I don’t use or only use for one thing. Realm of Magic for example, I haven’t even delved into the gameplay and I’ve only ever used the items in one build because that build was specifically for a witch. Spooky Stuff pack is great for when you want to experience Halloween and they have a great wooden floor but that’s basically about it. Strangerville, I’ve never even bothered with the gameplay but they do have some nice windows.

 15. A pack you feel is underrated?

I don’t think it’s as much now but I feel like Get Together gets extremely overlooked when their game play is genuinely fun and you get a great array of items. I also feel like Spa Day is underappreciated by some people. Like their wallpapers, floor swatches and build and buy items are some of the most versatile that we have in the game. Plus, being able to do various relaxing exercises with Sims is really fun.