#tried to simulate visual studio

[unity-real]

Opinion on public transit

public GameObject inbox;

public Inbox questions;

on Start{

questions = inbox.getComponent<question>;

if(question.question = "Opinion on public transit"){

Debug.Log("it's pretty silly!");

}

}

it's pretty silly!

[morganeactually]

The pivotal role of Plauché's reference in understanding the lyrics of Ethel Cain's song 'Punish'

Hi everyone,

In this week's post, I'll explore Ethel Cain's video clip 'Punish' to illustrate the importance of understanding a given reference when analyzing a song.

TW: mention of pedophilia.

The video clip for 'Punish', the lead single from Ethel Cain's second studio album Perverts, was released on Halloween. Since its unveiling, fans have been questionning the significance of the lyrics and have arrived to different conclusions without suspecting Ethel Cain's true message behind the song. On her Tumblr account, when inquired to explain the line "He was a natural Plauché" and its meaning in 'Punish', she replied: "[...] 'Punish' is about a pedophile who was shot by the child's father and now lives in exile where he physically mains himself to simulate the bullet wound in order to punish himself. At least, that's what I had in mind [when] I wrote it. This song can be whatever you want it to be." Ethel Cain recognized the plurality of interpretations because the song can resonate differently which each listener. Hence, 'Punish' does not have a single fixed meaning : instead, it invites listeners to find their own personal connection and significance.

Without knowing Ethel Cain's intended message, I also tried to analyze the lyrics because since I listened to 'Punish', I could not get it out of my head. When I searched for secondary sources to find the meaning of the lyrics, the answers were about toxic 'love' and the victim's suffering which influenced my analysis.

My interpretation was the following : Toxic 'love' makes one feel an intense emotional burden, resembling an inescapable mental trap they fell into. The visual images "Nature chews on me / Little death like lead / Poisonous and heavy" describe one's powerful and uncontrollable attraction to someone they should not be attracted to, just like a natural force, despite the inevitable negative outcomes. This is likened to experiencing a symbolic death as it taints the body and the mind and oppresses the heart. The resignation sounds obvious in "In the morning I will mar myself again" where the narrator views self-harm as a way to externalize their unbearable guilt and shame, though it only perpetuates the vicious circle of self-destruction. Furthermore, the metaphor "Shame is sharp and my skin gives so easy" attributes to same the characteristic of a knife, reinforcing the narrator's vulnerability to both self-harm and self-loathing which lead them to believe that the pain is deserved. Thus, it represents the narrator's self-punishment for their toxic 'love'.

However Plauché's reference "He was a natural Plauché, saying, 'You won't forget this'" preceding "Shame is sharp, and my skin gives so easy" contradicts the idea of toxic 'love'. Gary Plauché was an American man known for a highly publicized act of vigilance justice. In 1984, he killed Jeffrey Doucet who had kidnapped and sexually assaulted his 11-year-old son Jody. Plauché was given a suspended sentence with probation and community service, but no prison time.

When I came to the conclusion of my analysis, I noticed a discrepancy between the interpretation and the title 'Punish' when we don't have the reference. The title suggests a focus on punishment but potentially leads to a misinterpretation of who is being punished. I thought that the song was from the victim's perspective and not the culprit's because that's what we would first imagine when a song is meant to denounce harmful actions and behavior. Believing it was discussing victim-blaming and victim denial as a double punishment for themselves, I took some lyrics literally. However, the song deals with how the pedophile's punishment will never be enough, it does not matter if they have already been punished and punished themselves in a way.

The fact that the song is from the culprit's perspective (Jeffrey Doucet) makes us doubt the reliability of their words. Coming from the culprit's mouth, they become harder to believe and are not always faithful to reality. On the one hand, the (unreliable) narrator feels "punished by love", but his 'heart' seems so distorted that what he feels is actually too perverted and abusive to be love. On the other hand, this hyperbolic part of the bridge “Only God knows, only God would believe / That I was an angel, but they made me leave” suggests that God is the only one who can recognize the narrator’s purity which has been altered by crime. Given His all-knowing nature, it is paradoxical to expect God to believe in his past innocence, while his metaphor of an angel is too exaggerated to be the truth. Indeed, the only innocent is the victim, not the culprit. In these lines it is as though the pedophile puts all the blame on the victims ("them" may refer to the victims or the crimes committed) or even pretends to be the real victim. (The latter impression gives another explanation of the listener’s confusion regarding the narrator’s identity.) Obviously, the culprit’s way of thinking is utterly wrong.

Taking a step aback I also realize that even though we use Internet to analyze the lyrics of a song, we cannot claim that these websites or ourselves hold the absolute truth because we are not in the artist's mind. Plus, non-academic secondary sources are not always reliable.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading this long post about such a sensitive topic.

[thirstyforred]

10 games I played this year, vaguely in the order of playing them and not by how much I liked them

This year was pretty good for me and games, I feel like I played more than in previous years. I also started to pay more attention to demos, which led to discovering new cool projects, and I want to see a few indie titles come out next year.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

I heard about it from NoClip Podcast, tried the demo that was on Switch, and just brought it immediately. I don't have nostalgia for the franchise and I'm not well-versed in metroidvanias or platformers, but this was just such an immediate hit for me. The visuals, the music, the smooth gameplay, the story! I love how unapologetically anime it is. I feel like I can't shut up about how good this game is. Also, Sargon is just such a good guy, love that short boy.

Balatro

Listen. It's Balatro. It's numbers go up game. It's Balatro. It's the game everyone has been talking about this year. I have 130h in it and I still haven't unlocked all decks.

Neon White 2022

I heard about it when it came out, but for whatever reason I haven't played it until this year. They weren't lying, this is good shit. Real how to teach a speedrunner. I love all the abilities, movements, and levels. One thing is, I think that the boss fights are mostly unnecessary, or at least could be done better. The music is killer and the writing is fun.

Marvel's Midnight Suns 2022

I was actually supposed to play it when it came out, but I didn't. I think I just didn't have money at the time. But I got the game sometime later on sale and still haven't played, until this spring I was listening to Dear Dwyery podcast and was like "shit, I need to play it". I'm not even sure where to start on this one: the story is fun and exciting and very comics book-ish. This deckbuilding turn-based gameplay sucked me in for hours and was in the perfect mix with the not-dating-sim dating sim mechanics. I know it's not an RPG, but I swear my Hunter had a deep relationship with Morbius. Also, I'm not even annoyed about the queerbaiting, but it was funny as hell. A goddam shame this flopped and won't get sequels. Tho now I'm gonna look for the next project from Jake Solomon and his new studio.

The Thaumaturge

Hey Fool's Theory, are you in my walls? I have been keeping tabs on this one since the very second I learned this studio is going The Witcher remake. And holy shit what a little pearl this is. Deep atmospheric story, so much folklore and history. Absolute banger of the protagonist. The music! Man, some of these tracks I had on loop since March. Yeah, this game fucks.

Strange Horticulture 2022

I had a Moment this year of trying different strategy simulator puzzlers, some are still in beta, and some I just didn't like that much, but Strange Horticulture is just perfect for me. On a shorter side, occultist but not incomprehensible (yes, this is a dig at CultSim), with very nice visuals and story. I want more of it and can't wait for the sequel.

Knock on the Coffin lid

I put like 20h in the prologue and kinda forgot I'm not even playing the full version of the game. This is just a solid roguelike deckbuilder. Looks good, sounds banger, Bjorn is a dog, the toes are out, and the villain has hot ultimate form, this game has it all.

Hades II Early Access

It's fucking Hades, man, what's more to say here. Can't wait for the full release.

Dragon Age The Veilguard

I decided not to do top10 because I would have to put Midnight Suns above it and I feel like the Bioware team already embarrassed themselves enough. I like my Rook a lot, but that's more to do with the fact that I had him since 2016, not the writing of this game. I think the music is all over the place and I'm not a big fan. The game looks gorgeous but lacks interesting designs. It runs well and I had no bugs or performance issues, which apparently isn't the norm in AAA anymore. I did enjoy the gameplay as a rogue a lot, way more than any other DA game, and will return to this game more often. On the one hand, I'm satisfied, but on the other, I know there really wasn't anything to be satisfied with. Also, I fucking hate the secret ending.

Dungeons 4 2023

I may be the Ultimate Evil, but I love my little Snots.

Games I eagerly await:

The Diary, The Alters, Cabernet, The Horror at Highrook, Sultan's Game, Strange Antiquities, Arkane Studios' Blade, literally any news on TW1 remake, Two Point Museum, VTM2 if it even exists

[pixelheat]

Merge, Makeover, Slay: Merge Studio is Serving Puzzle Power and Fashion Fantasy 💅

Hello, darling 💋 It’s your girl Savannah Vyxen, and I’m back to sprinkle some glam on your game list. This time, I dove heels-first into Merge Studio: Fashion Makeover, a game that fuses fabulous fashion energy with the satisfaction of classic puzzle games — and whew, it had me hooked faster than a lip gloss addiction.

So get comfy, fluff that hair, and let me walk you through this wardrobe wonderland.

💄 Gameplay: Merge, Match, and Werk

At the heart of Merge Studio is that good-good merging mechanic — tap two matching items to create something fresh and fabulous. Think skincare sets transforming into runway-ready makeup kits, hairdryers turning into full-on salon stations. It’s puzzle game magic with a makeover twist.

You’re basically playing stylist to the stars. As you complete merge tasks, you unlock fashion upgrades for your clients — new makeup, outfits, accessories, and even total glow-ups. It’s the ultimate merge-and-serve fantasy.

👠 Style That Slays

This game knows its audience. The visual design is crisp, girly, and just the right amount of extra. Every item sparkles like it belongs in a beauty influencer’s haul video. Each level lets you curate new looks and vibes — from street chic to red carpet royalty.

And the character transformations? Babe. They’re satisfying on a spiritual level. You go from frumpy to fierce in three merges flat.

💅 Why It’s Worth Your Swipe

Let’s break down the glam highlights:

Merge mechanics that are simple but addictive 🧠

Fashion-forward visuals and aesthetic goals ✨

Level progression that keeps things fresh with new themes

Mini-stories that give each makeover session a little emotional juice 😌

Power-ups and boosters to help you slay when the board gets tight

It’s that perfect blend of casual play and creative control — like organizing your closet but with dopamine hits and sparkles.

🙅‍♀️ The Not-So-Fab Bits

Of course, no puzzle game is flawless. You’ll run into the usual:

Limited energy system that tries to slow your glam rampage 😤

Ad interruptions that pop in like uninvited exes

But honestly? I still kept playing. The aesthetic and satisfaction loop is just too good.

💋 Final Verdict: Merge Studio is Giving "Yes Queen"

If you’re craving a puzzle game that isn’t just about numbers and tiles but also feeds your inner glam goddess, Merge Studio: Fashion Makeover is it. It’s cute. It’s stylish. And it lets you live your best stylist life while flexing that merge muscle.

This isn’t just a game — it’s a glow-up simulator with puzzle power.

Score: 9/10 💖 Merge. Slay. Repeat. Only on Pixel Heat, with your girl Savannah Vyxen 🔥🎮

[vgamea1]

V3 Game: The Next Level of Gaming Innovation

The gaming world is buzzing with excitement as the much-anticipated V3 Game makes waves across platforms. Designed to redefine the player experience, the V3 Game introduces cutting-edge graphics, dynamic gameplay mechanics, and immersive storytelling that places it ahead of its predecessors. Whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore enthusiast, the V3 Game is a must-play title in 2025.

What is the V3 Game?

The V3 Game refers to the third version or installment in a popular game series that has seen significant upgrades over its previous editions. “V3” typically stands for Version 3, signaling a major leap in both features and performance. Unlike minor updates or patches, the V3 Game is a full-scale overhaul, offering new content, better AI, enhanced physics, and optimized multiplayer functions.

Many gaming studios use the “V3” label to emphasize a generational shift — meaning players can expect a completely new level of realism, customization, and interactivity. Whether it’s a shooter, RPG, battle royale, or simulation game, the V3 version often introduces revolutionary elements that redefine the game’s identity.

Key Features of the V3 Game

Here are some standout features that make the V3 Game a trending topic among gamers:

Ultra-Realistic Graphics: With ray tracing, 4K resolution, and HDR rendering, the V3 Game pushes visual boundaries to create a lifelike world.

Next-Gen AI: Enemies adapt to your playstyle, NPCs behave intelligently, and allies interact with the environment more realistically than ever.

Open-World Exploration: Most V3 Games embrace expansive maps that provide freedom, diverse environments, and side missions that offer rich lore.

Cross-Platform Support: Whether you're playing on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, or mobile, the V3 Game ensures smooth cross-play and save synchronization.

Modular Customization: From character skins to gameplay mods, players have more freedom than ever to tailor the game to their preferences.

Why Gamers Love the V3 Game

Gamers appreciate the V3 Game for its ability to deliver both familiarity and innovation. It builds upon what made the original games successful while introducing fresh mechanics that keep the experience exciting. Streamers and content creators have also embraced the game, making it a favorite on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

The V3 Game's community is thriving, with forums, Discord servers, and Reddit threads full of tips, tricks, and fan theories. Developers often engage with the player base for feedback, leading to faster updates and better support.

SEO Keywords for V3 Game Enthusiasts

If you're searching for the latest information about the V3 Game, here are some useful keywords:

V3 Game release date

V3 Game trailer

V3 Game review

How to download V3 Game

V3 Game PC/PS5/Xbox compatibility

V3 Game mods and cheats

V3 Game multiplayer guide

Best settings for V3 Game

V3 Game walkthrough

V3 Game tips and tricks

Using these keywords will help you stay updated and connected with the V3 Game community.

Conclusion

The V3 Game marks a significant milestone in the evolution of interactive entertainment. Whether you're drawn in by its graphics, gameplay depth, or online capabilities, this version sets a new standard for what games can achieve. If you haven’t tried the V3 Game yet, now is the time to level up your gaming experience.

[theodorobrejafmp]

Promotional Video Blockout & Planning

At this stage, I started working on the promotional video and making a sketch of the layout. Following the given guide and examples of the past students, I built the skeleton of the presentation.

To make sure I achieve a professional level of presentation, I researched how other studios present new characters. As I am a big fan of Riot Games, I looked at their League of Legends Champion Spotlight. They have an excellent format of showcasing characters. However, instead of showing abilities, I will include details of the characters.

Fig.1: League of Legends Aurora Champion Spotlight

I am not a graphic designer, nor a video editor, so in order to still achieve a cinematic and professional look, I decided to download some good-looking templates for AfterEffects and adjust them for my project.

While researching for the best websites, I found MotionArray, which has an impressive library of video templates, as well as sound and music.

For my project, I chose the Fire Explosion Logo template by Elemental, to which I changed the logo with my own, as well as the writing.

Fig.2: Fire Explosion Logo template by Elemental

In addition, I also wanted to have some title transition screens, to split my video into sections and tell the viewer what they are watching. For this, I chose the Epic Fire Logo by Egor Zen. I then took out their logo and changed the titles to match different sections of the video.

Fig.3: Epic Fire Logo by Egor Zen

I also researched how other artists present their characters and I tried to match that level. I decided to make for all the characters turntables fully textured, wireframe, and just with the normals baked. I then overlapped the renders in Premeire Pro and edited the videos to fade in and out at certain key frames, making it look like a smooth transition between the three stages of the characters.

Fig.4: Necromancer Turntables

Besides the visuals, I also wanted to add intriguing music to enhance the viewer's experience and support the visuals. From MotionArray's music library, I chose Evil Rising by PegasusMusicStudio, as I thought to be the best fit for the visuals and the theme of the game, as well as allow me to voiceover without any distraction.

Fig.5: Music - Evil Rising by PegasusMusicStudio

I also introduced the character selection simulation I made, to better showcase the characters and present them with the animations.

Fig.6: Character Selection Screen Simulation

Moreover, I have introduced a short compilation of the gameplay to show the abilities and spells I have created. However, this is only a small part of the video, as I wanted to focus on the characters, the gameplay being just an extra part I have done for the project.

Fig.7: Gameplay Presentation

To end the video, I made a compilation of renders with the environment to fully present the details of the temple and the altars.

Fig.8: Temple and Altar Renders

At the advice of my teacher, I also included a short recording of myself introducing me and the project, in order to achieve a better connection with the viewer.

Fig.9: Self Introduction

At this stage, there are still some few tweaks I need to make for the final video. However, I am happy with how the video looks, and I am really excited to see the final promotional video at the end.

Bibliography:

Fig.1: League of Legends (no date) Aurora champion spotlight | gameplay - League of Legends. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Za9xjMg84&t=35s&ab_channel=LeagueofLegends

Fig.2: (No date) Motionarray.com. Available at: https://motionarray.com/after-effects-templates/fire-explosion-logo-417663/

Fig.3: (No date b) Motionarray.com. Available at: https://motionarray.com/after-effects-templates/epic-fire-logo-935115/

Fig.5: (No date c) Motionarray.com. Available at: https://motionarray.com/royalty-free-music/evil-rising-1374984/

[poeticbloodtissue]

Reasons why my art practice has stalled since leaving uni

Having a studio at home. At first it was great, as I could easily roll out of bed and head into the studio to create, but I found the routine that came with uni was more beneficial has it had more structure. I had been asking myself that perhaps I need to allow more time for myself to adjust to a new routine? I’ve been thinking this now for a while and my conclusion is that I associate home with family time and relaxation whereas studio time is productive and simulating. I will start searching for a place to rent and turn into my art studio to recreate this boundary.

Lack of community. Sure, my dogs are great company but lack artistic insight. The studio at uni was a shared space with others in the BFA program and it was normal to walk about the studios to talk and look at others art progress. That environment helped create new ideas through conversation and great lurking abilities. Now that I am home I only have my art and opinion on stand by. I do believe that I can combat this by actually reaching out to my friends more often, going to openings and galleries, and purchasing art mags.

Distractions. Going back to my dogs, I have gotten a new pup who will eat anything. She jumps onto chairs and onto tables to remain the centre of attention so I am unable to get into a flow state. There is also the worry of needing to be clean and tidy while working so she does not eat anything toxic. I have tried to close the door. She cries. I have tried to put her in a play cage where she can see me. She cries.

Nobody is holing me accountable. I do not have a supervisor that will check up on my progress and I do not have any upcoming events that will put pressure on me to create. I use to enjoy making art for myself and friends however I want to be a full time artist. I believe that renting out a studio will put more pressure on me to create as well as it is a finically responsibility and I’ll need to pay for it somehow.

Lack of confidence. I think that this speaks for itself. I am constantly comparing myself to my friends and art accounts I see and feel disheartened rather than motivated.

To combat these struggles , I will be starting up another blog. I need to be gentle on myself and create a sustainable routine for my art practice, beginning with this blog.

Here is my blog from my BFA hons last year. I look forward to ousting my progress, thoughts, and research on here. This will be my visual diary.

[miloscat]

[Review] Jaws: Ultimate Predator (3DS)

Jaws? More like snores... gottem

After Jaws Unleashed I was curious about other licencees and how they delivered on the shark action that you might imagine. This 3DS effort by n-Space—veterans in the “handheld companion game” space—was accompanied by a Wii release from a one-off studio which was apparently quite goofy but oddly bloodless. This one hews closer to Unleashed but is even more grounded, to a fault.

I was bemused by a PS2 game and a 3DS game being only five years apart, but Unleashed was late on its console and Ultimate Predator quite early. They end up looking pretty similar, although the draw distance is poorer here... perhaps the 3D visuals are meant to make up for that but as usual I tried them out for two minutes and turned them off. Art direction goes a long way, as demonstrated by the blandness of the environments here. The shipwrecks and occasional corals peppering the seafloor are a nice touch, but it’s just not enough.

The setting is Amity Island, again. Diary entries in between levels that are by implication from the perspective of Richard Dreyfuss’s character from the original film set the events in the game’s release year of 2011, with a new mayor following in the footsteps of the old and a new shark out to cause more trouble. This trouble mostly consists of biting or slamming a set number of boats until they sink and eating the hapless humans, while chowing down on rival sharks and the scarce handful of other edible sea life. A couple of levels are more interesting, like when the shark has to escape a semi-aquatic research base, or explore a cave system. Then there’s boss fights with another giant squid (or its tentacles, at least), an advanced submarine, or a big Coast Guard cutter. But so much of the content is rinse and repeat.

The experimental control scheme deserves a mention. Jaws automatically swims forward at all times, which is another way to interpret the idea that sharks must keep moving to stay alive, and makes the game feel a bit like a rail shooter, albeit in all-range mode. The L button slows you for more precision while all other controls can be done either with face buttons and R, or by using the touchscreen. This has a shark jaw in the middle around a sonar minimap, with three large touch panels around it. On their own these are a dash, a dodge, and a 180˚ spin, but Jaws has more advanced moves executed by sliding between the panels in one motion (including some in common with Unleashed, such as the corkscrew and flop). The touch interface facilitates these better than the awkwardly-timed button combo windows, so a combination of both works best. Neither are terribly responsive though and failing them in a pressure situation with lots of harpoons and torpedoes coming at you can be frustrating.

I just wanted the game to get a lot weirder. A realistic shark attack simulator isn’t done much justice by the underpowered 3DS, especially when it’s as barebones as this. The moments of whimsy were too few and too tame: finding treasure chests to unlock mini-challenges, all the submarines being yellow, the retry button on the Game Over screen being labelled “Revenge”. Knocking nautical mines loose to blow up a ship commanded by a rogue coastguardman with a vendetta sounds cool but in practice it’s about as tedious as the rest of the game, with the exception of the on-rails autoscroller sections which naturally are much much worse. With my playtime being under three hours it won’t take you long but there’s got to be better shark games out there, I’m positive.

[rust-official]

This time round trying emacs is different because I'm using doom (at the brilliant recommendation of one of my partners, mentioned above), which is kind of like one of the neovim distributions but for emacs. Good defaults that match what a 25 year vim veteran wants, enough customizability to fit to what I need. Like any massively complex piece of software, it's taken a lot of getting used to, and there's always more to learn. The doom docs say that learning emacs is an adventure, and I agree.

org mode is cool! There are some plugins that simulate it in (neo)vim of course, but nothing really manages to match org. The more I learn about org, the more I love it--it is always the marquee feature which gets me playing with emacs every time I've wanted to try it. Of course, the most basic features for outlining are state of the art, even among commercial outliners like omnioutliner, everyone knows that. But it also supports cool things like tables with integrated calculator support and exports to every format you can think of and and and. org's manual is hundreds of pages and it can do so, so much. And it's just one package!

Continuing from the above, neovim can't have a plugin that does everything org mode does, for a variety of reasons. It's too mature and has too many people working on it for a few loosely-associated plugin writers to be able to accomplish the same thing. Beyond this, even neovim just doesn't have the same extensibility that emacs does. Most of neovim is still written in C with a thin layer of lua for extensions, whereas the emacs philosophy is a small core in C and the rest in elisp--a lot like atom or, more recently, visual studio code--but using a real language, of course, and not JS.

evil mode is a far better approximation of vim than I was expecting. Just about every other vi mode falters and has bugs / missing features. I've not run into any such limitations or bugs with evil, again probably due to its popularity compared to the vi modes in those other tools, which are often an afterthought (or just removed / dropped entirely, like in the new repl for python 3.13).

The emacs philosophy is as it was 30 years ago when I first tried learning it: it still expects you to open the editor when logging in and never close it. As such it has better tools for managing lots of open buffers (I particularly like ibuffer, it mostly approximates vim's bufexplorer plugin, but it's missing a few things from vim or I don't know about them yet; will be looking at the manual).

There's seemingly a package for everything, and often a few different ones for the same thing. The "emacs is my operating system" mantra makes a lot of sense when viewed from this angle. Lots of things have good documentation, too, and of course, as I said above, so much more is possible in emacs than neovim.

doom's out of the box LSP support seems nicer than neovim's. I'm sure I could get similar results with configuring neovim, perhaps with more plugins or config, but things just feel more robust right from the start. I still need more time to evaluate this, as I've spent the least amount of time editing code. Mostly I've been focusing on editing documents with org mode and the occasional dabbling with magit for doing git stuff. magit is quite nice and very mature; I know it'll work quite well for managing code repos once I'm more comfortable with emacs as a code editor. I have lots of custom keybindings for neovim's LSP support that I'll need to relearn if I want to use emacs as my code editor.

One criticism I do have is that none of the emacs terminal emulators I've tried work well with vi keybindings in my shell; when I press esc to enter normal mode in the shell, the buffer for the terminal emulator goes into evil's normal mode. There may be a way to fix it, but I've not looked into it yet.

Am I going to switch? I don't know. I'm giving it an honest try, a more honest try than I have in the past, and having someone to ask questions is proving absolutely critical. I can't answer this question right now. Maybe? I cannot say how helpful evil has been with this. Modal editing is how my brain works and I don't think I'd be able to learn non-modal editing.

Given how @neovim-official hates me (see here) I have started learning @emacs-unofficial , using @doom-official and hence @emacs-evil-mode.

(this is not entirely a shitpost, one of my partners has been showing me around, largely for org mode but I've always been curious. Back when I got my start with Unix/Linux in the late 90s on a shell provider, emacs was the first editor I tried, but it was so slow to start back then that I switched to vim. How things would've been different for me if computers were faster when I started!)

[mediabasedlife]

A Look Back At...The Last Generation (2013-2020)

I’d like to start this off by thanking those who encouraged me to write this article, my friends and family who encouraged me to rekindle this project despite my own trepidation. I hope its quality lives up to those lofty expectations.

     Say what you will about the hobby, gaming is in many ways the gift that keeps on giving. Every year there are hundreds, if not thousands of new offerings for every brand of player out there. And wouldn't you know it, there's a fairly significant portion of that library that are actually pretty good. Now, people will argue ad infinitum about what games are the best, or what consoles, or even which generation trumps the rest. This diversity of opinion is what has allowed gaming discussion to thrive just as potently as the medium which it encapsulates. Like any opinion, all of this is especially subjective; great games have been coming out pretty much every year since gaming began, a trend that seems like it will continue as long as gaming itself continues to thrive. While some may argue, I would say the latest generation thrived especially well. Ignoring the Wii-U, since I never owned one, and skirting around handhelds, the latest generation spanned the life of the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, and technically, the Nintendo Switch. And through their seven-year life [switch notwithstanding], we saw the release of some truly excellent games - from top budget AAA titles to humble indie offerings. Now, in 2020, while we as a community are taking our first steps into the new generation of gaming, I think it fair to take pause, gaze back, and remember some of the games that made the latest generation so memorable for so many.

2013

    2013 marked the start of the last-gen, with the release of both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Both consoles were built to shepherd out their predecessors, marking leaps in visual fidelity and infrastructure that would empower them to become the monoliths of gaming that they hoped to be. I won't say that both consoles had an equally vibrant launch, but they both tried to put their best foot forward. While the Xbox was busy desperately trying to become the multimedia center for your living room, Sony kicked off the next generation in style, releasing a whole seven days earlier than its competitor. With the Xbox not far behind, both consoles brought a suite of new, shiny games to play. Well, in theory, anyway. I'm not here to speak of the quality of the launch lineups of either console, but what I can do is list off the game that stood out, and why it made it onto my list.

-Assassin's Creed Black Flag      Black Flag actually saw its initial release on the PS3 and Xbox 360 almost a month prior to the soon to be current generation, but with both new consoles came a second release, one that came equipped with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from what was then a next-gen game. It doesn't look good for my list to start things off on a technicality, but this game is worth it. Black Flag remains one of my top three Assassin's Creed Games, which is saying a lot considering the sheer scale of the franchise. Fresh off the love it or hate it Assassin's Creed III, Black Flag looked to take a revitalized approach to the franchise formula, playing off of fan feedback, expanding upon what fans loved from AC3, and adding in new activities and a broader, fresher open world to explore. In it, you play as Edward Kenway, a charming rogue of a pirate who kicks the game off by stealing the identity of a defected Assassin. Expecting nothing more than riches and glory, his masquerade instead goes quickly sour, thrusting Edward into the conspiracy filled, secretive world of the Assassin and Templar conflict. What makes this story stand out is how different Edward was as a protagonist, seeing him acting largely indifferent to the traditional formula the assassin's creed games had followed thus far. The game's setting also helped it immensely; the game plays more like a pirate simulator, seeing players sail the Caribbean searching out treasures and fame, gathering a sturdy ship and a hearty crew, engaging in thrilling naval battles, and basking in the warm glow of the sun-drenched sands that define the game's many islands. Along the way, you interact with a bevy of historical or mythical figures, such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Calico Jack, and many more. All of this came together to create an immensely satisfying game, a standout amidst its peers and predecessors, and an experience that still stands the test of time despite the numerous sequels it has received.

2014

    2014 was the year the new generation really started to pick up. The consoles had begun to get their footing, truly ushering in the next wave of quality games and proving their value to the players. Several critically acclaimed games got their start here or saw revitalized releases on the current generation of consoles. However, there were a few strays, games that elected to release on the prior consoles first and foremost, games that wouldn't see new-gen ports for some time, and others that never did, but still merited recognition and praise. But how many will make it onto my list? Well, you'll just have to read on.

-Titanfall     Titanfall was, for me, the first game on the Xbox One that truly cemented it as a worthy purchase. It was a melting pot of ideas and innovation that I immediately fell in love with. Built with an always-online principle, Titanfall sees players engaging in a pseudo-campaign of multiple, looping competitive matches. On the surface, you could easily glance Titanfall's way and see nothing remarkable. Another first-person shooter in a sea of competitors, all of whom had far more clout at the time. But what set Titanfall apart from the start was its dedication to movement, satisfying and fast-paced gunplay, and especially, robots. See, Titanfall's whole gimmick is this; players take on the role of Pilots, better than average soldiers of the far future who are deployed in times of conflict as superior ground troops, but more importantly, heavy artillery. As pilots perform well on the battlefield, they can call in the titular Titanfall, summoning their respective Titan to the fray. Titans are large, deadly mechs that can be piloted by the player to give them a distinct advantage in battle. What this translates to in gameplay is simple; as players make their way through matches, they build up a meter which when filled allows them to call down a massive robot to wreak havoc. Every player can do this, usually multiple times a match if they're good enough. Titans are fast, tough, and lethal, and fun as hell to control. But what kept the game balanced was the fact that titans weren't invincible. All players came equipped with anti-titan weaponry, alongside their usual loadout of rifles or handguns. This meant that anyone could take a titan down if they were savvy. The titans, coupled with the frantic movement and satisfying shooting, made Titanfall a one of a kind game. It's fitting, then, that the inevitable sequel would go on to improve on it in virtually every way, but that'll have to wait for later.

-Diablo 3     I will admit to not having played this in its initial release window, in fact, some years would pass before I finally picked it up on console during a sale. And though my time with it was quite belated, I would still consider it to be a genuinely fun game, one worthy of being on this list. In Diablo 3, players choose between seven classes; Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Witch Doctor, Demon Hunter, Barbarian, or Crusader. From there, they are thrust into the demon-plagued land of Sanctuary, beginning their adventure in the town of New Tristram. Each class has a different backstory and a slightly different narrative throughout, but the core throughline is thus; you are sent to the village to investigate reports of a falling star, only to be swept up in a fight against hell and heaven itself for the fate of the world. In terms of game difficulty, the game sports an impressive twenty difficulty tiers; easy, normal, hard, master, and then sixteen levels of torment. Should players want an even greater challenge, there's also hardcore mode, which starts you off with permadeath: you get one life, no exceptions. Die, and the character is gone for good. Overall, I would say that Diablo's biggest strength is in its gameplay loop; Diablo plays like a top-down, hack and slash role-playing game, with players exploring the various levels in search of loot all the while battling hordes of enemies and leveling up, earning new abilities and skills that players can swap out to create their ideal builds. The core gameplay loop, while simple, is wildly addictive, with a massive loot pool to chase in an effort to grow ever stronger. Each class plays differently, but all of them are easy to learn. Diablo also supports local and online multiplayer, making it a great game to play with friends or family.

-Sunset Overdrive     Sunset Overdrive is a game I've previously covered on this blog before. In fact, I'd say I did such a good job that if you want to read about it, go read that article. But if you'd rather not click away, let me give you the TL;DR. Sunset overdrive is a satirical open world game made by Insomniac in which you play as a cocky and comedic hero out to save their city from a bogus energy drink that caused a pseudo-zombie outbreak. It's built around movement, with the player grinding on rails and running on walls and doing everything they can to stay mobile while gunning down the mutated enemies and exploring the environment. It's funny and feels great to play while being hampered by an underwhelming character creator and suite of customization options, but still manages to come out on top as an immensely satisfying game.

-Destiny     Destiny is the brainchild of one Bungie studios, the original creators of Halo, the next game on this list. Fresh off their amicable split from Microsoft, Bungie did what they did best; develop a truly great FPS. But this time, they added a twist; Destiny is equal parts Shooter, Looter, and MMO. It took these three core ingredients and mixed them together with gusto, delivering an immensely entertaining game that felt incredible to play both alone or with your friends. The story of destiny is a long one, but can be summarized simply; Some years in the future, Humanity met and allied with an alien being known as the Traveller, an alliance that heralded massive technological and social leaps, ushering in the new Golden Age of humanity. Unfortunately, the Traveller's natural enemies, The Darkness, attacked the solar system, destroying much, and whittling down the last survivors to a single safe city. In response, the Traveller created Guardians, reanimated protectors infused with the Traveller's power, tasked with defending the earth and all its colonies from the encroaching forces of evil that threaten this dwindling peace. Resurrected by a ghost, an emissary of the Traveller, you play as one of these Guardians; taking on the role of either the agile Hunter, the cosmically magical Warlock, or the strong and stalwart Titan. From there, you could either progress alone or join up with friends to take on the challenges of the solar system, pushing back the forces of darkness. Although lacking in longevity in its first outing, destiny was quickly expanded and iterated upon, turning it from an already impressive game to a true powerhouse and pillar of its genre.

-Halo: The Master Chief Collection     I won't pretend this started off as a flawless, perfect compilation of prior Halo games. But I love Halo, and I loved playing these games again, so it makes the list. Especially after all of the improvements and subsequent additions 343 made to the collection post-launch. On release, it featured Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4, but has since gone on to include Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach as well. If you're unfamiliar, Halo is a staple franchise in the Xbox lineup, and the master chief collection sought to unify all of the prior releases under one umbrella for the newest console. Halo is a sci-fi FPS franchise, largely following the saga of the titular Master Chief Petty Officer, John-117. John, or Master Chief as he is more commonly called, is a Spartan; a supersoldier of the future, who fights to protect humanity from an alien collective dubbed The Covenant. In the first game, Master Chief crash lands on an alien ringworld known as Halo, which later turns out to be an ancient superweapon created to exterminate all sentient life in the galaxy. Subsequent games only build the stakes from there, seeing John stave off one intergalactic threat after another in a franchise that continues to satisfy time and again. What the Master Chief Collection does is bundle everything up in one convenient package, while simultaneously offering tweaks and improvements to complement the technological advancements of the new consoles. It offers local and online multiplayer, both for its story and its competitive modes. Overall, even with the flawed beginnings, I would consider The master chief collection a must-have for Xbox players.

-Grand Theft Auto V     Ah yes, GTAV, the game that refuses to die. Technically, this game released on the Xbox 360 and ps3, but it's been put on the PS4/XBO and now even the PS5 and the latest Xboxes too. I won't be surprised if this game gets ported to the consoles that come after that, too, in seven or so years. This game just won't quit. But that's also a testament to the dedication of its player base and the overall quality of the game itself. GTAV is an irreverent, biting joy of a game, replete with humor and charisma. It was, and remains, the latest in Rockstar's open-world crime franchise, in which players take on the role of not one, but three separate characters trying to make their way through life in Los Santos California; Michael, a retired crook stuck in the witness protection system, Michael's former, quite deranged partner Trevor, and rounding out the cast is Franklin, a street-savvy up and comer. Together they go about committing numerous heists, shady deals, and more than a few moments of mayhem in their quest for glory. Its secondary selling point was a robust and open-ended online mode, where players could create their own character and participate in myriad activities with and against their friends and strangers for fame, money, and clout. This is the mode that has kept GTA going in the years since its release, and it is the mode that has seen the most improvements and updates as well. I spent a not inconsiderable amount of time in it myself, but it was always the story of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin that drew me in overall.

-Tales from the Borderlands     Tales from the Borderlands is the only Telltale game I'm putting in this whole list. Not for lack of quality on the other games' parts, but simply because this one has to be my favorite. For those unfamiliar, Borderlands is a series of FPS games that take place far in the future on the fringes of space; the titular Borderlands. It follows a revolving door of ragtag Vault Hunters, people who go in search of mythical, alien "vaults" that are rumored to contain vast amounts of treasure. They are incredibly popular, addicting looter shooters that match satisfying gunplay with beautiful cell-shaded graphics, topped off with charming and funny characters and not too shabby storytelling. Telltale games, on the other hand, are traditional point and click adventure games, released in episodic formats and usually broken down into seasons. They focus on storytelling first and foremost, showcasing incredibly compelling narratives influenced by player choice. You'd think, then, that these two dichotomous formats wouldn't pair well together at all, but Tales from the Borderlands proves that sentiment is wildly false. Tales from the borderlands took what was great about previous telltale games, and matched it perfectly to an original tale set in the Borderlands universe. It weaves an incredibly compelling narrative, filled with equal parts humor and feeling, and manages to tell one of the best Borderlands stories to date.

2015

    I don't have a lot to say about 2015. The new generation was still going strong and saw some truly excellent games grace its shelves, many of whom are going to appear below.

-Bloodborne    2015 kicked off incredibly strong with Bloodborne, the latest instant classic from the studio behind the equally popular Dark Souls franchise. Bloodborne melds the skill-oriented, punishing combat and exploration heavy maps of the Souls games with an eldritch, psychological atmosphere, a match so perfect it went together like peanut butter and chocolate. To espouse the story of Bloodborne would be an effort in itself, but  I shall do my best to summarize it; Shirking the more medieval settings of the Souls games before it, Bloodborne sees players navigating the victorian gothic town of Yarnham, a city plagued by beasts and monsters. It is these monsters you are tasked with dispatching, taking on the role of a Hunter of Beasts, sent to cleanse the town of that which ails it. But not is all as it seems, and the beasts may not be the only monsters Yarnham has to offer. Outside of its interpretive yet incredibly strong narrative, Bloodborne offered equally polished gameplay, iterating on the previously mentioned combat from prior dark souls games to create a punishing yet wildly satisfying gameplay loop that was easy to learn yet hard to master. Bloodborne forced players to always be on their guard but gave them no shield or barrier with which to do so, believing that offense was the greatest defense, making success hinge on your willingness to fight and your skill in surviving the nightmares that Yarnham had to offer. A melding of horror, action, and exploration, Bloodborne was a true success, cementing itself for years to come as a top tier action-RPG, and saw countless fans that remain dedicated to it to this day.

-The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt     I'm going to be blunt; This is one of my favorite games of the last generation. It is a top tier RPG, made up of an incredibly charming cast of characters, a beautiful open world, and a thrilling, fantastical narrative that all come together to make one of the best games to release in the last seven years. Though a sequel to not only two prior games, but also a long line of books, The Witcher 3 was surprisingly friendly to newcomers, of which I was one at the time. Despite its pedigree, I felt right at home in the world of the Witcher, quickly picking up on what I had missed in its long and storied life. The Witcher 3 puts players in the role of Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher, a magically enhanced human tasked with routing out monsters that threaten the world of man. This time around, Geralt is searching for his ward, Ciri, as he navigates a world fraught with monsters and men in equal measure. what starts as a simple search for a missing friend quickly blossoms into an adventure for the fate of the world itself. Though a fantasy RPG at its heart, the witcher manages to tell some particularly grounded and human stories, and this game is no exception. One moment will see you stalking a beast out in the wild, the next will see you navigating political intrigue in the courts of royalty. But it all flows together to create one of the best RPGs I've ever played, and one that earned a not inconsiderable amount of well-deserved praise when it first debuted back in 2015.

-Assassin's Creed Syndicate     Hot off the heels of the muddied AC Unity, Syndicate was the last proper Assassin's Creed game before the franchise would experience a massive genre and gameplay shift in its next entry. Where Unity saw too much focus on graphics and not enough care anywhere else, Syndicate finely balances all of its parts to create an impressive experience overall. This time around, players get to visit London, at the tail end of its industrial revolution. Out goes flintlocks and swords, in came steam and steel. This entry sees players in the role of both Evie and Jacob Frye, siblings fresh off their induction into the Assassin Brotherhood, tasked with dispatching justice on their Templar foes across London. The setting isn't the only big change for this game, as Syndicate saw an overhaul in both visual quality, scale, and gameplay. London feels lived large and lived in, with plenty of ground to explore and streets filled with people going about their day-to-day. Missions are split between Jacob and Evie both, with some allowing you to pick and choose and others forcing you into the shoes of one or the other as they work together to clean up the city. It innovated on the traditional gameplay loop, with this game having you going from borough to borough, toppling its templar leaders and expanding your sphere of influence with the aid of historical figures like Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Nikola Tesla. These famous faces are not the only people lending the Fryes their helping hand, as Syndicate also put the Fryes in charge of their own street gang, a ragtag group of brawlers and scouts that would come to their aid at the press of a button. Most times, conquering a borough involved you and your gang scrapping it out with those of the templar order, dusting knuckles to see who got the final say in the control of the area. This may seem at odds with the traditionally stealth-oriented approach prior games focused on, but that side of the game was not neglected either. Assassination missions saw fine-tuning and innovation as well, with players able to plan out and partake in uniquely tailored kills that matched the locale and personality of their target, from disguising yourself as a scientific cadaver to kill a corrupt doctor to allying with a guard and feigning capture to infiltrate and kill a target in the Tower of London. The game saw improvements out of combat as well, with Syndicate receiving a large overhaul in its parkour movement and general navigation. The Frye twins come equipped with a grappling hook that allows for speedy travel across London's many rooftops, while ground travel was made all the more expedient with the inclusion of horse-drawn carriages. The general parkour itself was also tuned, allowing for freer player movement and tighter directional control. All of this to say, Syndicate saw some truly welcomed improvements, iterating on the legacy and creating a lasting impression that stands up as one of the better games of the franchise.

-Star Wars Battlefront     While I've spoken of a Battlefront on this blog before, this is not that same game. Rather, this is Battlefront 2015, a soft reboot to the previous Battlefront line of games for the new generation of consoles. This Star Wars Battlefront was helmed and developed by Dice, famed for the Battlefield franchise, a line of competent and entertaining military-focused first-person shooters. They were known for solid campaigns, but more importantly, massive scale competitive multiplayer modes. This pedigree is shown heavily in Battlefront, with the game sporting 64 players competitive multiplayer, with teams taking on the roles of either the empire or the rebellion as they fight their way through maps taken straight from the star wars universe, from the snowy plains of Hoth to the immense forests of Endor and everywhere in between. The game was replete with game modes and had the ability to be played in either first or third person. Players were given access to a modest selection of in-universe weaponry, and could even take the role of recognizable star wars heroes on occasion. Visually, the game was stunning, with incredibly faithful and detailed recreations from everything to weapons to the maps themselves. It felt like a genuine passion project, built from the ground up by competent developers and made for fans and first-timers alike. Battlefront, much like many games on this list, has since been usurped by a sequel but remains an incredibly competent shooter and a genuinely fun game to play.

2016

    While 2015 saw the release of some truly impressive games, 2016 was a genuine powerhouse of a year. It saw the rise to prominence of Virtual Reality, through the oculus rift and the PlayStation VR. 2016 also saw the first re-released console of the current generation, in the form of the Playstation 4 Pro, a trend that Xbox would follow as well, seeing the release of 2016's Xbox One S, and in 2017, the Xbox One X. These were touted as faster, better performing, better-looking consoles than their base model predecessors, offering several enhancements to graphical fidelity and console performance, running games even better than they already did. And with these new consoles came an all-star suite of excellent games, a multitude of instant classics from big-name studios and fresh indie developers alike. Many of the games that released this year are ones I've individually covered before, but they still deserve their spot in this article. So without further ado, here are some of the most noteworthy games of 2016.

-Oxenfree     Where Bloodborne was the standout hit that kicked off 2015, Oxenfree did the exact same thing for 2016. Developed by the California based indie team at Night School Studios, Oxenfree is a supernaturally infused, slice of life adventure game that follows Alex, a witty, rebellious, soon to be high school graduate as she makes her way to the fictional Edwards Island, accompanied by her best friend Ren and new stepbrother Jonah. This small group of friends is meeting up with what they assume will be a large group to have a weekend bash, But what was supposed to be a boisterous weekend party turns out to just be two extra guests; Clarissa, a fellow student who has ties to Alex, and Nona, a mild-mannered girl who just so happens to be Ren's current crush. Their modest get together quickly goes south when Alex uses a small handheld radio to tune into a weird signal emanating from the island, unleashing the spirits of a sunken military submarine, long since lost at sea. These wayward souls possess one of the kids and scatter the rest across the island, forcing Alex to uncover the mystery of their death and find a way to save her friends and escape the island. The game wears its inspirations on its sleeve, taking queues from classic ghost stories as much as it does retro coming of age stories, but it adapts these ideas masterfully. As for how it plays, Oxenfree is a side scrolling point and click adventure game, built around exploration and dialogue rather than complex game mechanics. It explores the interpersonal relationships between all the characters as much as it explores the haunted nature of the island itself. It easily shifts between these disparate tones, with a story filled with as many supernatural spooks as sarcastic teenage banter, seamlessly integrating player choice into the mix to create a truly excellent narrative. Oxenfree also features a high amount of replayability, with player choice going on to influence which of the game's many endings, as well as touting a new game plus mode that adds an extra smattering of content for your subsequent playthroughs. Oxenfree was a gift that kept on giving, more than earning its spot on this list.

-Firewatch     Firewatch is the first of several 2016 games I've previously written about, and while my opinion of it may have not been the highest initially, ruminating on it since has led me to a new appreciation of the time I spent with it. I would recommend reading my original review, but the short summary is thus; you play as Henry, a man on the run from his troubles who takes a job in the Shoshone national forest, keeping an eye on the wildlife and ensuring nothing is amiss. Your companion through the game is Delilah, a voice through your walkie talkie, somebody else who has taken the same job as you over in one of the adjacent watchtowers. Throughout the game you explore the forest, keeping the area safe while exploring the mysteries of the area you now inhabit, all the while developing a friendly relationship with Delilah as you go. It's a simple, but satisfying first-person adventure game, with an emotionally charged but comedic narrative about one man's journey to get lost and find himself.

-Stardew Valley     Stardew Valley is a retro-inspired simulator game about a down and out office worker who inherits their grandfather's farm in the titular Stardew Valley. They leave their mundane life behind and embark on a new journey in rural life, building up the farm from a rundown, untamed field into a bustling agricultural powerhouse, all the while making friends and forming bonds with the locals that you meet along the way. Stardew plays like a dream and features a stunning pixellated art style that complements its easygoing nature. Stardew is a game you can get lost in with ease, featuring an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop; It's a charmingly simple sim, one that encourages players to make their own way and their own choices, with a multitude of different ways to spend each in-game day. You're encouraged to play the game at your own pace, experiencing its range of content as it comes, rather than being railroaded into any one path for progression. It's a game that encourages exploration, diversity, and freedom, one that never really ends. Stardew made waves when it first came out for being such an open-ended, friendly experience, and it has since gone on to be heavily expanded upon by its developer, seeing releases on even more platforms and accruing even more fans along the way. It's a game that's easy to love and hard to put down, a comfort food game that makes you want to revisit it time and again.

-Titanfall 2     Where the original Titanfall was an excellent Xbox exclusive, Titanfall 2 bloomed the franchise into a multiplatform powerhouse. While it kept the excellent multiplayer modes, Titanfall 2's biggest change was the inclusion of a proper single-player story, and it's this inclusion that sees Titanfall 2 earn a place on my list. Titanfall 2's campaign is short, but sweet, seeing players take on the role of Jack Cooper, a pilot in training under the mentorship of an experienced soldier named Lastimosa. Unfortunately, on their first field mission, Lastimosa is killed, forcing Jack to embrace his future role as Pilot in an effort to survive and keep Lastimosa's experimental Titan out of enemy hands. This Titan, given the codename BT, is unique among Titans in that it can freely equip the various titan weapons and abilities, while simultaneously having an expanded AI that allows it to perform better in combat than its contemporaries. Together, Jack and BT make their way through the Frontier, coming into conflict with the varied enemy forces that they were originally sent in to stop. The campaign is brief, but what it lacks in lengths it makes up for in entertainment; the banter between Jack and BT makes for some great dialogue, and the campaign is perfectly built around the shooting and movement tech that made the first Titanfall so distinct, creating a series of levels that are just as built around gunfights as they are around precise first-person platforming. The game's environments are also beautiful to look at, varying from gritty industrial complexes to lush jungle environments that are as nice to look at as they are to maneuver through. Accompanying the stellar story mode is the recurring suite of multiplayer offerings, all of which have been upgraded and improved upon to complement the innovations of the sequel. Where Titanfall was good, Titanfall 2 is great, and it's a continual shame the series hasn't been given more time to shine.

-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition     This is another game that I've previously covered on my blog, and it's also another technicality. See, Skyrim technically released back in 2011 but saw so many re-releases in the years afterward that at this point the only device that doesn't natively play it are phones. With this particular re-release, Bethesda sought to give console players the same quality of life changes that PC players had been seeing for years, namely graphical improvements, stability patches, and most importantly, player-created content. Skyrim had developed a bustling and dedicated community of creators in its years since release, all of whom had made countless mods for the game that ranged anywhere from simple tweaks to full-on expansion sized stories, and the special edition release marked the first time Xbox and Playstation fans could get their hands on this library of unique content. It created a situation where the already hefty game could be made all the more robust with fan contributions. Don't like the music? Download one of the unique music packs somebody put together. Want any number of pop culture-inspired items? Looking for some new quests to spice up this five-year-old game? It's all there and more.

-Watch Dogs 2     You might be wondering why I've put Watch Dogs 2 on this list while its predecessor is nowhere to be found. While the first Watch Dogs was a middling revenge story that happened to incorporate some neat hacking based features, Watch Dogs 2 is where the franchise really found itself. It follows the story of one Marcus Holloway, a bright and witty young man who's been framed for a crime he didn't commit by a faulty surveillance network that monitors the city of Los Angeles in a pseudo-dystopic future not so removed from our own. So Marcus does what he does best, hacks into the network and removes himself from it entirely, embarking on a campaign to take the whole system down with the help of white hat hacker collective Deadsec. What sets this game apart from its predecessor is the charisma of its cast and the far more varied ways in which you can use the game's technology to your advantage. Hijack cameras, remote control vehicles, manipulate streetlights, the world of Watch Dogs 2 is yours to manipulate all at the press of a button. And if hacking doesn't get you where you need to be, Marcus has some skills of his own; he's particularly skilled at parkour and quite handy at non-lethally dispatching foes with a weapon of his own design, a billiard ball attached to a bungee cord. And if playing non-lethally isn't your thing, you can also accumulate quite the arsenal of homemade weaponry, all 3D printed from the base of your hacker collective. Watch Dogs 2 is a game about a group of people trying to take down a corrupt system using whatever means they can. It's a witty, satirical, but surprisingly grounded story told across a beautiful open-world recreation of Los Angeles, one that drew me in far more than its predecessor ever managed to do.

2017

    2017 might not have had the same pedigree of games as its predecessor, but it did see the belated release of the latest current-gen console; The Nintendo Switch. A revolutionary step up from the Wii and Wii U, The Switch took the gaming world by storm thanks to its ability to seamlessly transition from a home console playing on your TV to a handheld console able to go with you anywhere. The Switch remains a staple of the console market to this day, easily standing tall next to the Playstation and Xbox consoles both new and old. Aside from the Switch, there was still a healthy collection of games for people to enjoy, some of which will be highlighted below.

-Night in the Woods     Night in the Woods marks yet another game I've personally reviewed, and also stands proud as one of my absolute favorites of this generation. A humble offering from indie studio Infinite Fall, it was a gorgeously animated sidescroller of an adventure game that followed college dropout Mae Borowski as she returns to her small home town of Possum Springs to rekindle old friendships and reconnect with her family. Despite its anthropomorphic cast, it tells a genuinely human story, one that perfectly reflected what it feels like to revisit old haunts; how things can be so familiar yet change so much, seamlessly blending an emotionally charged narrative with a dark, suspenseful hometown mystery. Night in the Woods remains an absolutely incredible game to experience, showcasing themes like mental illness, sexuality, and identity through the lens of youthful wit and clever, dry sarcasm. I haven't played many truly perfect games, but Night in the Woods came damned close to being one.

-Kingdom Hearts 1.5/2.5     Ah yes, another collection of re-releases. Kingdom Hearts technically started back on the PS2, with the release of Kingdom Hearts 1. From there it blossomed into an incredibly diverse and lengthy franchise that saw releases on consoles and handhelds alike, from the PS2 to the Gameboy Advance. What these re-releases did was bundle all of the Kingdom Hearts games into one complete package, and tossed them all onto the PlayStation 4. It created a cohesive collection for this storied saga and presented it all in an easy to follow order that anyone could pick up and work through. Both games also offered the previously exclusive Final Mix content to the west for the first time, expanding on the already hefty games with more difficulty options, more enemies, more story content, and more challenges to keep the fun going and going. But what is Kingdom Hearts, I hear some people ask. Kingdom hearts is a series of action RPGs that follow the adventures of heroes known as Keyblade Wielders as they fight against the forces of darkness that threaten the worlds beyond. They play great, feature an especially enjoyable cast of characters, and tells a heartwarming story of good and evil. A joint project between Square Enix and Disney, Kingdom Hearts features an abundance of Disney characters and worlds, crossing over with various Square Enix properties in this epic struggle against light and dark. That's the easiest summary of the story by far, as delving any deeper would almost certainly confuse the casual reader, but let me say this; The Kingdom Hearts games are fantastic, well worth the time, and with these remastered collections, more approachable than ever.

-Nier Automata     Nier Automata is a tough game to talk about in-depth, on account of just how easy it is to spoil for people who haven't experienced it. But it was also one of my favorite games of 2017, so I'll do my best to give it its due. Nier Automata is somewhat of a hybrid game; it blends so many genres together but somehow manages to do each one of them justice. Equal parts open world, action RPG, Bullet Hell, and more, Nier Automata takes place in the far, far future, in the ruins of earth. Humanity has long since abandoned the planet and sought shelter on the moon, entrusting a group of humanoid androids to defend the planet from an encroaching alien threat. The story follows several of these androids; 2B, 9S, and A2, as they wander the ruins of humanity and fight back against the robot foes that the aliens use as soldiers. It tells an amazing story that all but demands subsequent replays to get the full breadth of its narrative weight across, with each subsequent playthrough seen through the eyes of one of the other characters. Equal parts sci-fi story and humanist breakdown, Nier Automata is a deconstructive, philosophical pondering wrapped in the guise of an anime action game. That's not to say it doesn't wear the disguise well; Nier Automata plays like a dream, with stylish combat and an accompanying score that makes for easy listening both in and out of the game. It's another must-play, especially with the remake/remaster of its predecessor soon to release in 2021.

-Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal     Persona 5 is an absolute joy of an RPG. It's slick, stylish, has a superb soundtrack, and tells a top tier story to boot. You take the role of a down-and-out high school kid who's been forced to transfer from his hometown in the countryside to Tokyo, thanks to a bogus police incident. Labeled a criminal and looked down on by the adults of his new school, the protagonist goes about bettering himself, raising his grades, and making the most of his new life in a new city. He forms bonds and relationships with the people around him, making fast friends with many of his classmates and even some chill adults along the way. Oh, he can also use a supernatural phone app to dive into the corrupted hearts of society, utilizing a special power to battle the evils that lie within and force them to change their ways and confess their deeds. Herein lies the dichotomy of the Persona 5; Much like the other Persona games that preceded it, the story it tells is a hybrid of supernatural mystery and coming of age drama, blending mundane highschool life with a fantasy adventure. It is equal parts life simulator and stylish role-playing game, as you and your friends do their best to repair a broken system using the fantastical powers they've been imbued with. These powers are the titular Persona, powerful creatures that embody the sides of ourselves we keep hidden behind the masks of society. These personas allow one to do battle with the shadows that lurk within these corrupted hearts, creatures that take on myriad forms inspired by religion and myth. Wielding this power, they embark on a journey of social reform, fighting a revolving door of less than scrupulous individuals that all culminating in a battle to change society itself. In spite of its overtly fantastical elements, the story it tells is decidedly grounded and surprisingly relatable; at its core, Persona 5 is about a collective of disenfranchised individuals trying their best to make it through life and change things for the better, a story that was and remains especially poignant and a welcomed escapist fantasy to fall into time and again.

-Slime Rancher     Slime Rancher is an adorable simulator game and one I've praised before on my blog. It blends first-person shooter elements with the farming simulator genre, tasking players to manage and explore a planet on the fringes of space that's almost entirely populated by a race of creatures known as Slime. Slimes come in a varied selection of types and sizes, but all of them have one universal similarity; they all produce a resource known as a Plort that you can trade to an intergalactic trade center for currency, which in turn allows you to upgrade your slime farm and expand into new territories. The gameplay loop is nothing but fun, with each new expansion bringing in new species of slime that you can wrangle and combine to make hybrids that in turn create more valuable plorts. As you make your way through the planet, you start uncovering logs left behind by your farm's prior owner, that weave a narrative of love and loss, a story that drives you forward in your quest if only to see how it concludes. You're not alone in this quest, though, as you have your slimes for company as well as several long-distance conversations via the computer in your home between friends and fellow farmers alike. Subsequent game updates have only expanded upon the experience, seeing new opportunities for trade, daily activities, and more, making an already invigorating and enjoyable game all the more so.

-Destiny 2     It's no secret that Destiny 2 had a complicated launch window. Many fans felt that Destiny 2 left too much of what made its predecessor great on the cutting room floor, electing instead to reset the player base back to zero and tell a brand new story. While I missed some of what Destiny 2 left behind, I was still somebody who found a lot of joy in Destiny 2, as evidenced by the thousand-plus hour count it tells me I've poured into it since its 2017 release. The game has also seen countless improvements and additions in the years since its release, adopting a new seasonal model and even going free to play after a point. Most recently, Destiny 2 saw the release of Beyond Light, the first in a new trilogy of expansions that hopes to continue the game forward over the next few years. So, while it might have had a rough start, it still remains destiny at its core, making it one of the best shooters on the market, coupled with a satisfying loot hunt and a rewarding structure that continues to keep its fans coming back for more. That alone lands it in my list of games for 2017, and the generation as a whole.

-The Sims 4    Though this game technically saw the light of day back in 2014, I didn't end up playing it until its console release here in 2017. Thus, I place it here. There isn't a lot of complication with Sims 4. If you're at all familiar with its predecessors, you know exactly what to expect. An engaging simulator game, in which you craft an individual or family and set them on the path of life, influencing them as they go or leaving them to their own fates so as to see what happens. You tailor their looks, personality, aesthetic...it's a premier example of micromanagement as entertainment. This installment shirked some of the advancements made by its predecessor but still manages to be a robust and enjoyable game all on its own, made all the better by continued additional content releases in the years since its premiere. It's a game that keeps on giving and seems primed to continue doing so for some time yet.

2018

    2018 saw the release of some genuinely top-shelf games, with the Switch continuing to establish itself against its contemporaries, while the Playstation continued to add excellent exclusives to its lineup.

-Far Cry 5     The Far Cry games have always been known for being competent shooters with large open worlds, and this one is no exception. Shirking the usual foreign locales, Far Cry 5 takes place a lot closer to home, seeing players cleaning up the rural backwoods of Montana, taking place in the fictional Hope County. In it, you play as a rookie cop sent in to apprehend an evangelical doomsday cultist; John Seed, The Father. This arrest quickly goes south, leaving you as the last lawman willing to stand up to the Seed family and free Hope County from their grasp. To do so, you systematically break the hold of his lieutenants, dismantling their bases of operations and taking down his associates in a slow climb to face him once more. Along the way you make friends and allies out of the locals, people with a similar drive to rise up and clean up their county. As far as the gameplay, Far Cry 5 is a mix of FPS and RPG elements, with a rudimentary character customization system and plenty of powerful guns to acquire. You level up and earn skills that augment your preferred style of play, be it stealthy or over the top, all in your pursuit of justice. Augmenting this quest is the world it takes place in, with players exploring lush forests, vibrant fields, and the general detritus of rural America. Hope county feels real, with looks to match, despite its farcical tone and over the top gameplay. All of this came together to make a Far Cry that felt fresh and fun, a genuine step forward for the franchise.

-God of War     Prior games in the God of War series were not known for subtlety, nuance, or humanity. Rather, they were violent hack and slash games that featured the titular God of War, Kratos, seeking and exacting bloody revenge on the greek pantheon for their slights against him and his family. They were by no means bad games, but they weren't what I would consider masterpieces either. Then, we were given God of War (2017). This soft reboot/Sequel for the franchise saw Kratos embarking on a distinctly more grounded story than its predecessors, navigating the perils of fatherhood while on a journey to deliver his late wife's ashes in the world of the Norse Pantheon. He is joined by his son, Atreus, a bright but rebellious young boy who seeks only to prove his worth to the gruff and distant Kratos. This more human story is accompanied by a more grounded approach to combat and gameplay; while it retains the emphasis on action, it feels more deliberate than prior entries, shifting the combat style from the hack and slash nature to a more measured approach, with players needing to conserve stamina and plan their attacks lest they get easily overwhelmed. The game also incorporates a more open world structure than its predecessors, seeing Kratos and his son freely traversing their environment, unlocking shortcuts, and finding means to double back on past areas in a level progression that feels more like a Souls game than the God of Wars of old. All of this came together to make a game that felt genuinely innovative, a fresh new direction for a pre-established franchise that was as welcoming to newcomers as it was to prior fans.

-Donut County     Donut County is a silly, short indie puzzle game in which you play as a mischievous raccoon delivering "donuts" to the unsuspecting populous around him. These donuts are, in fact, large sinkholes that expand as they eat different objects, eventually growing to swallow the entirety of the lot they were sent to. The core gameplay lies in this concept, with you controlling the various sinkholes from level to level, figuring out the order in which to consume the various objects on each map in order to grow in size. As the game progresses you unlock various upgrades to these sinkholes, like the ability to spit things out of them, adding new layers to the simple puzzles the game encapsulates. It isn't a terribly long game, as already said, only taking an hour or two to finish, but it cemented itself as a charming indie game amidst a sea of big-name titles.

-Marvel's Spider-Man     Developed by Insomniac, previously mentioned in the Sunset Overdrive excerpt, Marvel's Spider-Man is a rare example of a genuinely amazing superhero game. In it, players take on the role of Peter Parker, a Spider-Man who has already established himself as the hero we know and love, but one that still has room to grow and learn. What starts off as a triumphant takedown of one Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, soon blossoms into a complicated web that involves a shady group known as the Demons that Spider-Man must stop from wreaking havoc on the city. But the game isn't just about the Heroics of Spider-Man; The Game showcases the best aspects of Peter's character, splitting the game equally between his time as Spider-Man and his normal life as Peter Parker, a scientist working under the apprenticeship of one Otto Octavius, while simultaneously working with his Aunt May at the local Homeless Shelter and trying to rekindle his forlorn relationship with Mary Jane. All of this unfurls simultaneously, weaving a web that melds incredible movement with fast and stylish combat, stellar characters, and a heartwarming tale, cementing itself not only as a great game but also as one of the best Spider-Man stories out there.

-The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories     The Missing is a heartfelt, down to earth story told through the lens of a grisly but goofy premise. In it, you play as the titular JJ Macfield, a young girl who goes on a trip with her close friend Emily to a remote island off the coast of Maine. What is supposed to be a fun excursion takes a turn for the worse, as Emily goes missing, leaving JJ to track her down. Unfortunately, this quest quickly leads JJ to her death...but not for long. Resurrected by a bolt of lightning, JJ gains the ability to remove various parts of her body, as the island quickly goes from an idyllic wonderland to a psychedelic nightmare. Undeterred, JJ uses her newfound ability to traverse the island, ever searching for her lost friend. The Missing might sound like a horror game on paper, but it uses these macabre themes to tell a distinctly grounded story about dealing with personal identity and navigating a hostile and unfamiliar world, culminating in a heartbreakingly bittersweet twist that I won't spoil here. This is all to say; the Missing is an excellent game. It's a joy to play, despite its harrowing content, and it manages to convey its themes in a way that feels genuine and meaningful, telling a story that's still relevant to this day.

-Super Smash Brothers Ultimate     Smash games have always been good, and Ultimate more than earns its moniker. This is the Ultimate Smash game; iterating on its predecessors without changing anything for the worst, Ultimate is an unabashed love letter to the series as a whole, incorporating every character and every map from every prior game all in one upgraded package. If you don't know what Smash is, let me explain; Nintendo is known for a lot of fantastic first-party titles, from Mario to Kirby to Metroid, and countless others. Smash takes all of these well-loved characters, throws them in an arena, and has them fight for supremacy. Debuting on the Nintendo 64, Smash has seen one major game release for every Nintendo console since, culminating in Smash Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch. As earlier stated, it features an absolutely enormous roster of playable characters, featuring every fighter from the previous games and several new additions for good measure. This roster was only further expanded with the release of the fighter passes, seeing an additional eleven fighters across the two that have thus far been released, ranging from surprise hits like Persona 5's Joker to fan favorites like Banjo and Kazooie. While not featuring a traditional story mode, Ultimate makes good use of its characters in a suite of different game modes that can be played both alone or with friends, online or locally. It's a fantastic party game and an equally praiseworthy fighter, rewarding skilled play but catering to casual players and newcomers alike.

2019

    2019 marked the slowdown for the current generation, shadowed by the whispers of a new age of consoles. This made for a simple year for games, but one no less stacked with noteworthy games and worthwhile experiences.

-Kingdom Hearts 3     After years of waiting, 2019 finally saw the release of Kingdom Hearts 3. The wait might have been long, but the game delivered on the hype, simultaneously closing out the narrative arc that had begun so long ago with Kingdom Hearts 1 and beginning a new chapter for fans to look forward to. In service of this goal, Kingdom Hearts 3 wrapped up the majority of dangling storylines from all the previous games, while still leaving a handful of mysteries to chase into the future of the franchise. It featured a new suite of Disney worlds to explore, and incorporated Pixar properties for the first time in franchise history. The new content accompanied refined and polished gameplay mechanics and a complete visual overhaul, while still retaining the heart and soul that defined the games thus far. It all came together well enough but was later expanded upon through the release of Re: Mind, the game's beefy expansion that rebalanced gameplay and added in hours of new story content to better cap off the story. All told, Kingdom Hearts 3 was another great game, building on a legacy that seems like it will continue well into the future.

-Devil May Cry 5     For those not in the know, Devil May Cry is a series of games that follow the life of Dante, a half-demon sword for hire as he does his best to kill monsters and eat pizza. It's a franchise known for skillful, precise, stylish combat mixed with goofy, over the top stories, usually involving Dante and his associates contending with the fallout of his family, the demon king Sparda and his brother Vergil. While not a flawless franchise, it saw several excellent releases over the years, but then went depressingly dormant. Devil May Cry 5 was the perpetual waiting game, but 2019 saw it finally come out, accompanied by mass acclaim and praise. it really seemed like all the years of waiting were well rewarded. DMCV features three playable characters; Nero, a fellow demon hunter first introduced in Devil May Cry 4, Dante, the series' staple protagonist, and lastly the mysterious V, a newly introduced character for this game. Together the three were tasked with working together to take down the demonic Qliphoth and its master, Urizen, an immensely powerful demon lord. The game looks gorgeous, marking the first time the games have looked truly next-gen. Accompanying this boost in visual fidelity is the franchise's staple; combat was finely tuned to be more stylish than ever, with each character having a variety of tricks at their disposal to dispatch the demon hoard that stood between them and Urizen. Devil May Cry was back, and it was better than ever.

-Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night     Bloodstained is the spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, helmed by its most prominent contributor Koji Igarashi. Starting its life as nothing more than a simple Kickstarter, it blew through its funding goal and a few years later saw its release on the current generation of consoles.  It's not a particularly complicated game, but it is particularly fun, with it adapting many of the staples that made Castlevania so great. As a spiritual successor to Castlevania, the games play very similarly; both are side scrolling hack and slash games that take place in fantastical gothic castles, and both see protagonists with varied combat and magical aptitude on their quest to take down the castle's owner. In the case of Castlevania, that owner is Dracula, but in the case of Bloodstained, players are tasked with defeating Gebel, an alchemically modified human known as a Shardbinder. You play as another one of these Shardbinders, Miriam. Miriam and Gebel are the lone survivors of an alchemical experiment that gave them the ability to wield a power called shards, crystalline embodiments of demonic essence. The narrative is simple, but the gameplay is where it shines; as players progress through Gebel's castle, you can accumulate more and more shards, all of which give Miriam access to new abilities, abilities that go on to aid her in her continued exploration. This creates a very satisfying loop; explore the castle, collect shards, unlock more of the castle to explore. Augmenting her shards are a suite of craftable and upgradeable weaponry, a selection of melee and firearms that allows players to diversify their preferred playstyle and experiment with what works best in any given situation. Subsequent content additions have added even more to the game, in the form of new modes, difficulties, and playable characters, adding to the replayability and longevity of what was already an excellent experience. Despite starting from simple roots, Bloodstained rose up and became something all on its own, paying homage to its inspirations while cementing a name for itself as a new staple of the genre.

-Catherine Full Body     While originally releasing in 2011, 2019 saw an expanded re-release complete with new characters, new stages, and hours of extra story content. At its core, Catherine and its Full Body re-release are unique gems in the gaming world. One part puzzle game, one part dating simulator, it blends the complicated world of relationships with macabre block puzzles, all the while weaving a beautiful tapestry about one man's quest for love. In it, you take the role of Vincent Brooks, an unambitious 30-something simply going through the motions of life. He has a steady relationship and a stable job, a group of colorful and enthusiastic friends, but it's clear from the start just how much he's stagnated. His current girlfriend, Katherine, is starting to ask the big questions; marriage, children, their future. Unable to parse these ideas, he loses himself in his time at the local bar with his pals, shooting the shit and getting sloshed. That is, until, a new flame suddenly appears; the seductive temptress Catherine. One thing leads to another, and it comes to pass that they spend the night together...maybe. This is where the game's narrative really kicks off, with Vincent having to navigate the day to day, attempting to reconcile his long-time love with his possible new fling. This story is juxtaposed against the game's core gameplay loop, which sees Vincent forced to climb the deadly tower of babel each night in his dreams. To do this, players must stack blocks and avoid the perils and traps that each stage presents, making a mad dash to the top of the tower before the bottom collapses in on itself and Vincent plummets to his doom. For you see, this isn't an ordinary dream; if you die on the tower, you die in real life, making this desperate ascent a race for his very life. Each stage of the tower represents the game's various core themes, and each gets more and more complicated as the game progresses. In the interim of these climbs, players are set about answering multiple-choice inquiries that influence the direction of Vincent's relationships, with each answer adjusting a conspicuous morality meter that eventually comes to determine which of the 8 endings you could attain. With Full Body, this number was increased to 13, to adjust for the inclusion of a new paramour; Rin, a mysterious piano player that sets up shop in Vincent's favorite bar. Both Catherine and its Full Body re-release are excellent games, but I was especially smitten with the layers of extra content and story that Full Body brought to the table, additions that made Full Body one of my favorite games of 2019.

-Untitled Goose Game     Untitled goose game is a simple premise on paper; players take on the role of an ornery, mischievous goose as it wreaks havoc through a small English town. Equal parts puzzle and stealth game, the goose has a laundry list of tasks it seeks to complete, from stealing hats off people's heads to infiltrating the local pub. It's not a long game by any means, but it has a ton of replayability in the form of additional tasks and challenges that only present themselves after your first playthrough. These range from time-based completions to additional bouts of mischief and all of them are incredibly satisfying to chase down. Untitled Goose Game has a quaint, painterly art style that compliments the charming simplicity of the game's premise, accompanied by a dynamic, classically-toned score that rises and falls in prominence as you go about your goosely business. All said Untitled Goose Game is a genuine treat, a brief but whimsical game that's just about having fun and goofing around.

2020

    It's no secret that 2020 has been a rough year for a lot of folks. Between a pandemic, political controversy, and general drudgery, it's a year that feels like it can't end soon enough. But in spite of it all, 2020 was also a fantastic year for games. Serving as the last hurrah for the Xbox One and Playstation 4, we saw the release of some truly excellent stories that kept players going through the long months of an otherwise mediocre year.

-Animal Crossing: New Horizons     Releasing right at the start of widespread quarantine, New Horizons supplied people with something they couldn't easily do in their own lives; escape. Animal Crossing New Horizons is the perfect escapist fantasy for the year it released in, seeing players partaking in an island getaway in the hopes of colonizing and forming an idyllic town on an untamed paradise.  At their core, the animal crossing games are simple simulators. You create your character by selecting a few presets; hair, eyes, skin color, and then you're let free to explore your new locale. With this latest release, that locale is the aforementioned island, a small paradise in the sea dotted by trees and rivers, accented by flowers and weeds. You start your life on this new Island with a handful of other residents; the Nook Family, the proprietors of this island venture, and two random villagers who are looking to make a life on this island the same as you. Things start small, with everyone working together to set up tents and create a bonfire and find some food for a welcome party. Afterward, the game synchronizes itself to your console's date and time and sets you off on your way. Unlike other simulators on this list, Animal Crossing is a unique breed, running concurrently to the real world, continuously progressing in real-time. Flowers grow, trees produce fruit, and each day is a new adventure. It follows the general turn of the seasons for your respective hemisphere, celebrating holidays and alternating available activities with each passing day. As for what you can do yourself, the opportunities are legion; you can catch bugs, go fishing, search for fossils, chat up your villagers, visit other islands, and much more. As you progress, more ventures open their doors to you; catch enough bugs and fish, and you can elect to have a museum built to showcase your finds. Collect enough resources, and you can build new furniture and create plots of land that encourage more villagers to come and move to your island. Everything you do is in service of continued growth, but also serves just as simple fun, a charming, easygoing distraction from the concerns of the day-to-day.

-Final Fantasy VII Remake     The Final Fantasy franchise is a long and storied one, replete with highs and lows. One such high was 1997's Final Fantasy 7, a game that quickly cemented itself as a fan favorite and an absolute classic. Now, in 2020, FF7 is back...sort of. See, FF7 Remake is the first in a line of games that will eventually go on to tell the entirety of the original FF7's story, which means that this release is only the first portion of a much larger narrative. Adapting what was originally the first few hours of the original game, FF7 Remake expands upon the opening section of its predecessor, simultaneously remaking the old content for modern audiences and adding in new aspects for old fans. FF7 Remake improves upon the original in practically every way, serving as a genuine remake that still manages to retain what made that original game so memorable and important to fans. The game might be new, but the heart is the same; FF7 Remake follows the story of Cloud Strife, an ex SOLDIER turned mercenary hired by an eclectic group known as Avalanche to dismantle a local power plant that's poisoning the planet. What starts as a well-intentioned but extreme case of eco-terrorism quickly explodes (pun intended) into a much larger story that sees Cloud and Avalanche bringing the fight straight to the corrupt Shinra Corporation and beyond, culminating in a battle against fate itself. Because this remake only covers a portion of what will go on to be a much larger narrative, it only scratches the surface of what makes the original FF7 so great, but it does so with gusto; the game plays and looks better than ever, bringing with it a heartfelt and compelling narrative that keeps you hooked the whole way through.

-Minecraft Dungeons     Minecraft Dungeons takes the charming, voxel visuals and world of Minecraft and melds them seamlessly with a charming, easygoing dungeon crawler that's approachable for casual and experienced gamers alike. Where Minecraft is an open-ended sandbox game about building and exploring a blocky world, Minecraft Dungeons sees a collective of heroes on a quest to defeat the evil Illager, a powerful sorcerer whose armies have been sweeping the land leaving destruction in their wake. It's not a very complicated story about good and evil, but it doesn't have to be; Minecraft Dungeons prioritizes it's simple and easy to master gameplay first and foremost. You collect loot, battle recognizable Minecraft enemies, and progress through a litany of stages on your way to fight the big bad. It's not very long but encourages you to play it time and again, collecting better gear and trying your hand at the many difficulty levels for additional challenges. It's not the best looking or the best playing game that released this year, but it had heart and made for a short and entertaining way to pass the time.

-Ghost of Tsushima    Ghost of Tsushima isn't a game to scoff at. One of the best looking games of the generation, this PS4 exclusive is one part historical timepiece, one part action-adventure, and one part stealth game. It follows the story of Jin Sakai, a samurai and one of the last survivors of the Mongol invasion of his home island of Tsushima, Japan. Left to die, he is found and nursed back to health by a wayward thief who teaches Jin the art of stealth and subterfuge, seeing him off on his quest for bloody revenge on the Mongol invaders that have encroached upon his homeland. To do this, he must first build up a fighting force of equal minded, skilled warriors, all while dismantling the various camps and operations the Mongols have set up in the absence of the defeated Samurai army. Jin can approach this in one of two ways; relying on his prowess as a formidable Samurai, Jin can challenge the many enemies in the game to flashy yet precise sword combat, or he can utilize the recently learned skills of stealth, infiltrating their encampments and silently picking the Mongols off one by one. There's no wrong answer to how you choose to play, although it takes some time for Jin to accept his new roles as both Samurai and assassin. Both methods of play feel equally as stellar, too; Combat in this game is incredibly polished, finely tuned swordplay that focuses on timing and well-planned strikes to dispatch your foes with ease, while the stealth feels tense and requires a distinctly tactical approach, planning your routes and cleverly dispatching foes so as to not raise suspicion. But the game isn't just about taking out your enemies. Ghost of Tsushima boasts one of the most beautiful open worlds I've ever experienced, a vibrant and gorgeous landscape dotted with myriad activities and side quests for you to explore and enjoy. One moment, you could be doing battle with a wayward group of Mongols or bandits, while the next could see you tracking a friendly fox to a shrine, composing a haiku in the shadow of a large tree, or recuperating your strength at a small hot spring while you ruminate on your adventures thus far. Ghost of Tsushima is an incredibly varied game, alternating between intense highs and calming lows, all coming together to become one of the best games of the last generation.

-Spiritfarer     While I have not finished this game, it more than deserves recognition on this list. In it, you play as Stella, a young girl who takes over as the ferryman for the River Styx once Charon retires to the afterlife, tasked with providing for the wayward souls who live on the river as you ferry them to their final rest. To do this, Stella must collect various resources and build up her ship, outfitting it with living spaces and various commodities tailored to her current passengers. These aforementioned passengers will, in turn, begin to open up to Stella, tasking her with making certain foods or visiting different locales, all in an effort to give these wayward souls a proper farewell on their trip to the afterlife. Spiritfarer is a simple simulator game about resource management and exploration that showcases a lovely, genuinely heartfelt story about love and loss, one that will put a smile on your face as easily as it brings a tear to your eye.

     And with that, I close out this hefty list, closing out the last generation. This compendium hardly scratches the surface of the last seven years' library, but hopefully, I did a good enough job remembering some of the games that made this last generation so great. There are a lot of games that I've still yet to play, resting in wait in my backlog for the time they get pulled out and given their due, but for now, this concludes my walk down memory lane. The last generation saw some excellent additions to the vast and ever-expanding library of video game history. Here's hoping the next several years can say the same. The start of the new consoles is off to a very promising start; in the last month or so alone we've seen excellent releases from both indie and big-name developers, fresh takes on old franchises, and new IPs alike. So, here's to the Last Generation, here's to the Next Generation, and here's to gaming overall; may it continue to thrive for years to come.

[leearob]

ITGM 405 Blog #1

In the recent weeks I have started a project for my senior Studio class where we work on one long portfolio project. There is free range of what we can do, with some students programming a game and others modeling characters or environments. I chose to create the UX/UI design for an imaginary game which I have titled “Farming Protection Program.”

Farming Protection Program, or F.P.P for short, is an imaginary farming simulator game where you play as a character who recently stole valuable information from a foreign government and has to go into witness protection program. They have to be a farmer by day while at night you have to protect your crops from villians and foreign enemies at night.

The past 3 weeks I managed to finish 3 versions of wireframes for my project and they went under 5 different user testers to see what the issues were involving placement. Wireframes are meant to be in greyscale so that users can focus on placement before they see the visual design.

Above is the user testing that my wireframes went through. I found that I lacked a direction and that the wireframes weren’t cohesive so when I worked on my final wireframe I took the things that my user liked and didn’t and tried to apply it to a more cohesive design.

This was the final wireframe. I included some icons I also drew to help with context for the users. It underwent 3 more user tests just so that it could be nitpicked and get feedback as it was a completed and cohesive wireframe. (Note the backgrounds are not my property. They were simple placeholders that helped with context).

After, I had to come up with the visual design. Doing this required me to think about a color palette and font that helped with the style. I struggled with this at first and decided to work on creating more art such as icons and things of that like. After doing that I felt a lot more comfortable making the visual design, and they helped me a lot. The icons really helped with the visual design.

Included is the title screen, a HUD, an inventory, a main menu, a weapon customization screen, and a character screen. It has begun user testing and has already gotten some good feedback, but I haven’t finished the usertesting quite yet. 

More updates to come!

[listicle-monster]

Visual novels

Note: These VNs are for a computer. They're not mobile games. Those soulless money-making stuff suck.

Legend: 👩 fem protag, 👦 masc protag, ✍️ pronouns customization, 🚪swing both ways, ♠️ swing no way, ♥️ romance, 🗡️ adventure, 🔍mystery, 🧠 psychological, 🎒 school, 🔞 mature, 🧙‍♂️ fantasy, 🕳️ isekai, 💼 magic realism, 🚧 only tried the demo, ☑️ played the full game, 💖 all-time favorite, 📃 long playthrough, 🔁 high replay value, 💡cool concept,🎙️ with voice acting, 📆 simulation, 👾 with minigames

Doppelganger: Dawn of the Inverted Souls by azurextwilight 👩♥️-🔍🧠🎒-💖📃🔁💡-💼☑️

Lucid 9: Inciting Incident by Fallen Snow Studios 👦♥️🔍🎒🚧-📃👾

Redwood by Malisa 👩♠️-🧠-☑️💖💡📆👾

The Pretenders Guild by minyan ✍️🚪♥️-🗡️🧙‍♂️-☑️📃💡

Those Without Names by yuucie 👩♠️-🔍🧠🕳️-☑️

Ciikos Bridge by skyharborr 👦🚪♠️-🔍🧙‍♂️-☑️📆👾

Autumn's Journey by Apple Cider 👩♠️♥️-🗡️🧙‍♂️-☑️🎙️

Nova: Synthesis Creaturum 👩♥️-🗡️🧙‍♂️-☑️📃

Cinderella Phenomenon by Dicesuki 👩♥️--☑️🔁📃

Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones by SweetChiel 👩♥️-🗡️🧙‍♂️🤼‍♂️-📃🔁☑️

Andromeda Six by Wanderlust Games

When The Night Comes by Lunaris Games

Chromatose by Akabaka

Arena Circus by Minyan

The Pirate Mermaid by Navigame

Eternal Home Florist ey by Deconstructeam

Cute Demon Crashers by Sugarscript

Signed X by Selavi Games

Book Sleeper Reanimation Scheme by Wind Chimes Games

XOXO Droplets by GBPatch

Flights of Fancy by ilyilaice

Candied Carols by Violet

[pinksilvace]

Most of this is based on information from this page on the Cats wiki because I don't really have the energy to search for more at the moment. First, let's just appreciate this section:

Imagine. Imagine. I think about what an aristocats-style Cats would look like every single day. This version, though, wouldn't have had Webber's music.

Anyway, when Amblimation (animation studio founded by Spielberg) got the go-ahead to make an adaptation of the musical, the initial plan was to use a lot of new characters and such, which... okay. Sure. Maybe it would have worked. We'll never know.

Promotional materials for this project date back as far as 1990. By 1994, the studio was supposed to begin on a feature-length film for release in 1997. Production reportedly began by sometime in 1995. Then, Amblimation shut down in 1997, thus leading to the project's demise. In its place, Cats '98 was released.

In terms of whether I would have preferred to get one over the other, I'm glad '98 exists; it's as close to a "definitive" version of the show as we might ever get. Considering that some of the creative team, including Spielberg himself, went on to contribute to 2019, the original vision for the animated film might not have been something I liked at all, but I'm not actually sure how much input these folks had.

But oh, gosh, the concept art. The concept art.

This isn't to say that this adaptation would have been perfect. Far from it. The information we do have leads me to believe that certain aspects would come across in a less than ideal (read: racist) way, but I'd be a liar if I said the style wasn't alluring.

I know a number of artists here on tumblr have tried their hand at redesigning Cats characters for hypothetical animated projects, and they look fantastic.

Going back to the original question: do I think an animated adaptation of Cats should be made? I would certainly like one. I think it would have the potential to be fantastic.

The biggest argument I see against doing something like this is that the dance aspect of Cats would be lost or, at the very least, diminished. It all depends on how different folks view the show, but I personally enjoy Cats because of set design, costume design, and character interactions - things that could all translate very easily into an animated film. Besides, I think that 2D hand-drawn animation is the most dynamic visual medium out there, and even if the characters weren't outright dancing in this hypothetical film - which they very well could - the visual style alone could simulate a similar feeling.

At this point, I simply must shout out the Cats 2019 re-animated fan project - some of the clips in there show INCREDIBLE movement, even the ones clearly meant for laughs. Or, think about Lackadaisy! Visual style just isn't a concern in my mind for this hypothetical.

An animated film would be able to give pointed emphasis to certain character interactions, which is what I'd personally be looking forward to most. Even just imagining an animated Munkustrap interacting with the kittens fills me with excitement, and oh, gosh, the kittens! If nobody had told me that Pouncival, Victoria, Tumblebrutus, Electra, Etcetera, and George are kittens, I might not have ever guessed it for myself because 1) they're obviously played by adults, and 2) most of them blend into the chorus. Little clarity problems like that could be solved instantly.

This is all without mentioning how different characters could be made to better resemble siblings, to convey facial emotion, and just express personality, family, and thought through visual design alone.

I think I might start repeating myself, so I'll just say that I think an animated Cats film could be incredible IF it's directed by somebody that actively enjoys the source material and appreciates everything that it builds up. This is a character-driven show, after all, so somebody that doesn't understand the characters (cough Tom Hooper cough) wouldn't make a faithful adaptation at all.

Do you ever think they should make an animated Cats musical?

Bestie I am forever mourning the canceled 1990s Spielberg Cats adaptation

[sylleboi]

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖈 𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 | 30/03/20

For this week, we have a new workshop to do, tying into the first brief (Pick & Mix), focusing on surrealism and the theories linked with this by psychologist Sigmund Freud. 

Attached was the following text written by our teacher to introduce this workshop and the tasks that come with it;

“After a successful week with the post it note comic, and some excellent write ups that are really well documented, this week's task revisits some of the work from Term 1 (as we started in our drawing sessions) with some of the ideas stemming from Surrealism, dada and the psychoanalytical theories of Sigmund Freud.

This task is presented by Bristol based artist & animator Will Barras who will be offering commentary on your work at the end of the week. Follow the PDF attached and work through the tasks at your own pace. You have all week so take your time and experiment as much as possible.

We have more challenges to come, so try to put time into these as they will form the main body of your experimental work.

Upload your results and be as creative and imaginative as possible, but most importantly let go and embrace the ride.

Good luck peoples!”

Consider the primary objectives of a Final Project:

Collect information (Research) 

Recall knowledge (Use learning)

Apply understanding through application and review (Propose & make exciting work and evaluate it)

I find that the above points refer to a simplified process of working through meet the final goal that is set by the FMP, althought this also applies to workshops and side projects that gets documented on this blog, as well as the productionfile.

Question: Are you doing these things and how can we improve and develop this?

I feel that I already do these, althought I yet have to further improve on evaluating the things I do, asking “Why” more often.

Answer: Experimentation - (The action or process of trying out new or revisiting ideas, method and activities)

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This weeks aims & objectives:

To review basic principles of automatic practice in relation to a specific artist

To experiment with working from abstract starting points

Be generate experimental work that shows progression of learning

To compare your work to the work of others

The surrealist/dada movement was an art movement, as well as a literary movement, that began around 1915 - 1917. Some of the key artists leading this movement was Hannah Höch, André Breton & Max Ernst. The movement aimed to break free from the chains that weighed down everyone during the great depression- The artistic field had now begun to evolve into a playground for ones’ imagination, challenging what used to not be acceptable in common culture.

Accident & chance

Embracing Improvisation (What does improvisation mean to you?)

BEING AUTOMATIC!

Surrealist automatism is a method of art-making in which the artist suppresses conscious control over the making process, allowing the unconscious mind to have great sway

Unlocking the unconscious mind.

In Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, theunconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness.

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𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖈𝖍:

This weeks challenge for experimentation is bought to you by Bristol based urban artist and animator Will Barras. Your task is to analyse his work, considering the effect of the visual language (how he uses line and tone for example). Find out about him and considering the aforementioned surrealist principles write a short statement to suggest how he uses those principles in his own work. 

Will Barras

Illustrator, artist and animation director, Will Barras, currently lives and works in London, althought he grew up in Birmingham and later moved to Bristol to study graphic design. He quickly became known for being part of a group of young artists, working within Bristol’s street art scene. This then led to him appearing in a book titled “Scrawl”, alongside the artists Steff Plaetx and Duncan Jago, becoming a core and founding member of the Scrawl collective. “Scrawl”, originally published in 1999, was an influencial book made to document a new movement in street art, graphics and illustration. 

Barras was selected to be one of the original artists for this collective. He was selected due to being renouned for his methods of portraying fluidity in movement. He also worked closely with creating pieces that were more narrativly driven compositions, incorperating such narratives into his line work. Barras’s unique composition of these three key elements, made his mark as an artist all the more inspiring, pushing new ideas against the grain of classic art. All of this has led his work to become staple pieces in many galleries across the globe. This includes Asia, Europe and the U.S.

He has painted a variety of different murals around the world, within this mix is one that he did with the members of his Bristol group at Tate Modern’s tubine hall, as well as one that he did for Pow!Wow! Festival in Taipei. In the studio Th1ng, located in central London, he worked as the head of animation.

Visual analysis and study:

His artwork has a very recongnizable style and feel to it. It has an urban flare to it, making it feel very fitting within the scene of street art.

“A big barn I painted in Dumfries with Amy Winstanley for the Spring Fling festival and Recoat gallery based in Glasgow.

http://www.amywinstanley.com

http://www.spring-fling.co.uk

http://www.recoatdesign.com”

The painting below has little information about it, as for what I can find, but somehow the piece almost speaks for itself. The play on perspective, composition and values is very eyecathing. It impresses me how he is able to convey motion to such an extend that you can almost just imagine it moving before your eyes, but perhaps that’s just me.

“#divinestyler #defmask #gammaproforma #kallenbachgallery”

I attemped to do some simple continuous warping animation to convey what I mean a little better:

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𝖁𝖎𝖘𝖚𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖙𝖞:

01: Using a wide brush create a large sheet of accidental/automatic/ unconscious blots & splatters, organics shapes and curvaceous marks using a range of coloured ink/paint. The brighter and more acidic the better!

Because of the fact that I don’t have paper made for paints/ink, I decided to try doing this task digitally- simulating the analogue look of watercolour or watered down ink, or even arcrylics.

I did this by using a variety of different watercolour brushes, made to emulate the look of the analogue mediums. I used them as randomly as I possibly could, trying not to plan where I would put the next brush stroke.

Once I had put down all the paint stokes, I then went over it while the layer was locked with a big soft edged brush, layering up different colours until I was happy with how it looked.

02: Make 3-4 sheets of these and then let them dry.

Digital 01:

Digital 02:

03: Then using fineliner develop these marks into faces/characters/scenes by adding details/features and developing these into detail illustrations that are spontaneous and free flowing.

For the linework, I primarily used one single brush; hard edged and circular. (The one selected in the picture below)

I chose this for the reason being that I have found it to be very responsive to the use of a drawing tablet & pen. It does a good job at making expressive lines with its tilt sensitivity, making it a pleasure to use; It reminds me of how brush pens work and feel.

Here are a few tests on some of the lines I can create with it;

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Digital 01: 

Digital 02:

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Digital 02: Process

1. I have always found that beginning these blob doodles are the most diffucult for me. Perhaps because it takes me a little while to really get into the flow of continously seeing images in the randomness.

2. I began from the left, slowly working my way to the right and the top, since I felt that I had more clear lines to go from being around the edge of the paint.

3. Eventually I braved it and went right for the middle of the piece. This was the turning point for me in the process of doing this. It enabled me to truly let get, have fun, and not feel intimidated and nervous to do the next doodle.

4. This is when I began drawing creatures of the sea, slowly building up a story/narrative.

5. I don’t actually remember what I was even thinking at this point anylonger- I was simply just letting the pen guide me around the canvas; letting it all flow together however it felt as to do so.

6. I began to delve into the little details. I felt as if they would add to the general flow of the piece; being busy, yet in a manner that lets your eyes wander with curiosity.

7. I was now moving on to doing the right side of the piece. I had a little more trouble visualising the top right corner, so I did that last.

8. At this point I felt a little stuck as to what to do, hence it being, yet again, dedicated for adding some more little details here and there.

9. Eventually I overcame the frustration I had built up and took to do the right side of the artwork.

10. I tried to convey motion and flow by the way the animals are positioned and posed, trying to make it calm in the middle where the girl is, and then busy/chaotic the further away you get from her.

11. This second to last step was, again, for adding detail. I wanted to fill up any bits that I felt appeared too empty and spaced out, so to no disrupt the feeling of flow in the painting.

12. With the inking done and rendered to my satisfaction, the last step was to play around with colours.

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Digital 01: Colour variations

Digital 02: Colour variations

04: Scan/photograph and upload to Moodle.

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𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖑𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓:

Which of these words would you use when discussing the work of Will Barras and your own art pieces:

I would most definitly use;

Organic/Fluid

Figurative

Automatic

On top of these I would probably add;

Harmonic

Dynamic

Epochal

Visionary

Can you construct a comparative sentence/paragraph using at least 5 of these words. What are the differences and similarities between the works you have created. What conclusions did you make about this experimentation?

[synergybct]

Creating a Corporate Experience

Game feel is a big part of experiential design, especially so in the case of designing an interactive room. We wanted to portray ourselves as a Machiavellian megacorporation named “Aethos Corp” to create a foreboding atmosphere to prime participants before entering our installation on the night of Open Studio.

To do so, I began designing a brand for Aethos Corp. First, I started with a logo. We bounced some ideas back and forth in our Discord server. You can see our developments in the image below.

Initially, in 1, I was trying to go down a path similar to the design of the megacorporations in Mirror’s Edge. James thought the text looked too book-ish, and I agreed, it wasn’t quite what we were going for. I tried some abstract layering in images 2-4 for inspiration. In 5, the analogy of squares inside squares for the simulation was made. 7 added a better font. 8 was an attempt to make the visual design of the logo simpler, more suitable for a corporation as their logo should be easily made out at a glance. In 9 I tried some of the overlaying stuff I was doing before, as a sort of glitch-esque look, but that wasn’t what we were going for in the end. Marked in red outline are designs Jack made and in green, those by Ben. With 11, Jack was on the right track. 13 was nice too, but it was too reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed’s Abstergo. 14 looked like a play button - no go. In the end we thought that 11 looked right, but needed a final pass to make it a bit better, so I made the lines of shape thinner and added some appropriate typography. 

By building a narrative of corporate malevolence, this will allow us to prime participants before entering our installation, which will help us to communicate our ideas around simulation theory. We will put posters up of us outside where we exhibit the intro to the project, where once interested, we will escort participants into the meeting room to begin playing.

[jackhealybct]

Narrative Testing

In the efforts of testing how players would interact with the narrative we have worked toward, we decided to, similar to some of our earlier testing, run players through a D&D style tabletop roleplay type of scenario. I used some reference shots from our UE4 white-boxing of the levels and an HDD Drive Cage that we plan to use for participants to interact with in order to progress or change what happens inside the “Simulation”, as well as narration and description to set them in the scene and run them through the narrative. In another Blog Post, I will post the videos of the participants and answers to the feedback questions we asked them after their run-throughs.

The testing quickly showed a bias that is hard to avoid in this style, in that when an element of the level changed it seemed to lead people in that direction. As much as I tried to remove this bias, I still needed to tell players that something had changed and that caused them to immediately want to investigate. While this will likely not be so much of an issue when participants are finding out for themselves visually, it will require testing within the UE4 build in order to make sure it does not appear as though the participants should be going down this new path, if we want it to be a bit more balanced and less biased. Since we want participants to be picking the path based more on their own thoughts and decisions we want it to look as little like the traditional “new path” that games set up as possible. We might also need to look at putting this change further on or in a different part of the level so that there is a slower establishment of the changes in the level.

Something the testing revealed narratively, however, was that participants can go as far as getting the components to unlock this new path, but will still choose different routes when they reach the “fork in the road”. Where one player felt they had something they weren’t supposed to have and this drove them to avoid using it and take a safer route, another had this same feeling and it compelled them to dive deeper into what it unlocked. This is exactly what we are looking for and is something that we are going to have to look further into why and how it occurs to be able to add it at our other “forks in the road”.

The testing also showed that players were further engaged thanks to the physical elements, which was positive. However, it also revealed that we have to be sure to player proof our installation pieces due to the nature of players and the public especially when it comes to physical installations. Especially of note was the HDD Drive cage, that when players interacted with, had some less positive situations. Notably, a player tried to remove the first “drive” we had put in there. While the majority of the installation should be straight forward, it was worth noting that we can not forget to make it simple and indestructible, especially if it is to be a driving part of our narrative and should not be missed nor broken on the evening. Fortunately, we have been already heading this direction but this was a good reinforcement and reminder.

I had also begun to question whether or not the physical installation being interactive was going to be a necessary element. Before this testing it seemed as though it may be over complicating the project and interactions, however, after testing, each player mentioned that the physical installation added to the overall experience, even in the limited capacity we were able to test with. This helped to remove some of the doubts I was having about this element of the project as it was clear that the players felt somewhat more immersed or enjoyed the experience somewhat more thanks to the physical interactions. Further testing will reveal to what degree the physical installation needs to be interactive, especially since the majority of it so far has limited interaction, but this testing revealed to me that this physical installation will possibly contribute heavily to the experience, vitally due to the nature of the project being centred around the participants experience on Open Studio night.