#watch the remake come out and actual give lore about where the weapons come from

[moomingitz]

I just finished Jak II last night, so I'll give my random thoughts and opinions both it and the first game(I played both back to back) while they're still fresh in my mind. Most of them concerns the second game in the trilogy. Also, I played the original PS2 releases on a CRT television set, because not only did I not want to deal with the potential problems with hooking up an old system on a modern smart TV, but I wanted to play them as they were intended to be played:

- These games look gorgeous on a CRT screen and they aesthetically still hold up very well to this day. I really do mean it when I say that these games, style and story wise, are tailor made for an animated series adaptation.

- While I really do like the more dark and dystopian direction the series took after the first game, and that it's an example of doing that sort of thing right is a hill I will die on, I still wish we could have seen more of the timeline in the TPL before they made the shift. I wanted to see more about the sages, the cast's lives and backgrounds in Sandover Village, and learn more about Gol and Maia, before the switch. I think we can all agree the transition could have been smoother. And again, I liked the direction they went with after the first game, so it’s not like I hated the change. But, I really do think the series would benefit from a remake, reboot, or being adapted into an animated series, as it would allow for a good opportunity to better ease people into the eventual tone and setting change later on. Like retcon certain things, add several hints and foreshadowing to Jak's real origin like maybe his explorer uncle being well aware that Jak is his descendant from the future, have the knowledge and research of the sages have an effect on what happens in the future(like in the fan fic, "Captive Voice", where surviving documents of Gol and Maia's experiments with dark eco became the blueprint for the Dark Warrior Program), and so on. Maybe even have something of an epilogue of the first game's story that serves a segway into the second game's story. Little changes and details like that would make a difference in helping the overall trilogy feel more cohesive, and even help make the tonal and setting shift hit harder.

- Playing through the first game feels bittersweet. What I mean by that is now having hindsight knowing that Jak will eventually go through some pretty traumatic shit, and seeing this as a happier period in his life where being a hero and adventuring was this romanticized thing to look forward to, when in reality it's something that would eventually take a very real emotional and mental tole on someone especially that young. Kind of like going back and watching the earlier episodes of Steven Universe. You know what’s coming.

- I don't think people understand just how much of a difference good voice acting, voice direction, and cinematography can make in a video game, especially story driven ones. I think the voice acting alone is one of the crucial reasons why Naughty Doge was able to pull off taking the series into a more mature direction and making Jak no longer a silent protagonist to project yourself onto. There are dark gritty serious games even today where it's hard for me to take seriously because the voice acting in it completely fucks it all up. Gonna keep saying it, but these games would translate very well into an animated adaption.

- Despite the whole darker and mature shift they took after the first game, Jak II is actually very tame by today's standards. Remove the occasional cursing and raunchy humor and the game, tone and story wise, feels just like an action cartoon that would have aired on Toonami(in a good way).

- Jak II has a reputation for being really difficult, but in all honesty I actually didn't really have a hard time getting through it. Don't get me wrong there are difficulty spikes in the game, and how the check points work in some of the missions is bull, but I think people tend to exaggerate the game's difficulty(unless you're playing hero mode). I pretty much breezed right through the first act of the game, and it was only until I got to the second act where the difficulty spikes began for me, but I still managed to get through them with some practice. While I did used to play and beat this game a lot during my edgy teen years, this was still my very first time playing in over 15 years, yet I had no where as much of a hard time as I used to back then. Hell, I only died twice during the final boss fight; the first time was on purpose so I could get full health back, and the second time was due to trial and error. I actually died more during the final boss in the first game! Playing the original PS2 release on an older CRT TV probably also helped, since it controls the best for obvious reasons.

Yes, the game can be difficult and unfair in some places(fuck that ring race with Erol and the ambush in the water slums), but it's no where near the level of a typical NES game. As long as you take your time, strategize, memorize the hub areas, and utilize the combat and weapon system that doesn't just involve spamming the jump spin and shoot move(like I used to), you'll get through the game just fine. Or just don't be DarksydePhil.

- I'm gonna have to agree with people that Haven City is just a bit too freaking big to traverse around. It's not as egregious compared to other sandbox like games, and I had the place pretty much memorized, but a warp gate or two could have made a pretty big difference in cutting down the time going from mission to mission.

- There's not really much of an incentive to further explore Jak II after you beat the main story campaign, unfortunately. So unless you're into the lore or world building of the game you won't really get much else out from it after you beat the game.

- Dark Jak is, unfortunately, very underutilized. The only time I really used that form was during the final boss fight and that was about it. Guess that's another thing this series shares with the Sonic franchise back in the mid 2000s when it comes to dark edgy forms...

****

Despite some minor gripes, I still enjoyed Jak II. Going to start Jak 3 later today or after I get home from work tomorrow. Thinking of playing Jak X and Daxter afterwards. I might try out The Lost Frontier... might.

[leathenorthernlight]

My experience with FFVII

My experience with FFVII is funny.

As I’ve stated before, 7 wasn’t the first FF I knew. 6 was the first one, it was the one I grew up with, the only one I’ve ever played, and I love it, I love it a lot. It’s my favorite FF for a lot of reasons. But, as I’ve said before as well, 7 is the one I’ve dedicated more time.

It might be because it has had a lot of content since the OG came out, so I’ve been more invested on the 7 world a lot more. Or maybe it’s because it’s the most popular one out there and I always end up finding something more about it. Or perhaps it’s because I really enjoy and like the themes and concepts that 7 handles. In any case, the fact is that FF7 is the one I’m more immersed in.

The first playthrough I ever watched was around six or seven years ago. I liked the story a lot. I had troubles loving the characters, but that’s normal since I was not the one playing them, but it’s also true that I just wanted to know the story rather than being attached to the characters. And man, the story did not disappointed.

I already knew that Aerith would die, and the gamer said so a few times over the playthrough, so when the moment came, it didn’t leave the impression that it should have. Even so, I still thought it was a very important and shocking scene. I think that whole scene is pretty well done. It didn’t matter that I knew what was coming, it still was powerful. And the fight with Jenova with Aerith’s theme on the background was a punch right to the feelings. A very well done scene.

However, what ended up exploding my mind was everything after that. Everything that happen in the North Crater was something I did not expect. It’s true that we had clues about something being wrong with Cloud, but that was too much. It was as if everything I knew up until now wasn’t real. Which is awesome because that’s 7 main theme: reality vs. illusion.

Cloud’s breakdown, how he literally became a traitor giving the Black Materia to Sephiroth, Weapon awaking. Ugh, everything was amazing. One of my favorites parts in the whole game, no doubts.

Then, the revelation that Meteor has been invoked. At that moment, despair hit you with all its might.

Then, the scene in the Lifestream came and it was beautiful and we finally got to know the real Cloud, with his memories fixed. What is more, learning about the real role he played in the Nibelheim event was amazing. It never cross my mind that he was actually just a grunt and not a SOLDIER. One of the biggest reveals, I think.

Then, the rest of the game kept me at the edge of my seat. I wanted to know how everything would end. I wanted to know if the team would defeat Sephiroth, if Holy would stop Meteor, if there would be a happy ending after so much hopelessness. And I really think that ending with the Lifestream helping Holy and that little glimpse of Aerith at the end was perfect.

I really liked OG, which led me to search more about it. Actually, that first playthrough I watched was pretty complete, so I watched the secret scene with Zack after Cloud gets his memories back and you go to Shinra mansion. The gamer said that everyone who had played Crisis Core would know exactly who Zack was, so I went and looked for CC playthroughs, and I liked it a lot. Never mind Genesis who is the worst character ever created, but in general, I loved this prequel.

Thanks to CC I loved Zack like a maniac, I liked Aerith more, I warmed up to Cloud, I understood a bit more about Sephiroth and overall, it helped me to get a better picture of the world and lore of FF7. I really enjoyed the new perspective we had as Shinra workers. I might write about my experience with this in another time. Point is I liked it.

Then, searching FF7 related stuff on Internet, I found out there was a movie, so I watched it. I watched both versions: Advent Children, and AC Complete. I liked the Complete version more, but I enjoyed them both. They helped me to see how our characters were doing after the end of game and how the ghosts of their past weren’t as buried as they thought.

I also watched The Last Order OVA and I know it’s not canon, but I liked it anyway because I love Zack and I wanted more content with him. I haven’t had the chance to read the canon novels aside from some fragments here and there, as well as the Ultimanias. I haven’t watch any gameplays of Before Crisis nor Dirge of Cerberus, but I plan to do it, eventually.

I’ll admit that the Remake is what made me remember how much I love this game. I’ve also liked what they did with it, for the most part. I have some doubts, worries and disagreements about what the devs have done or plan to do, which I might talk about another time, but I’ve loved it overall.

I’m excited to see the next part. I just hope they don’t drag this out. They cannot do more than five parts or it would be a pain having to wait one part every two or three years… Although, if I’m honest, I’ll probably forget my passion about the game and will move to another thing until the second part is here. That’s me, alright.

Well, that was my experience with FFVII. I’m planing on writing a series where I’ll talk about the characters, my opinion and experience with them, as well as my feelings about Zerith and Cloti.

[pellucii]

(( been doing some more thinking about Dragon Lore for fates so hee hoo consider this a lot of Optional Story Content I won’t try and force on you with the blog but know that if you like this post I can and will bully you with Made Up Lore ))

We've cut 3 dragons from the roster from 12 to 9- dusk, dawn, fire, ice, wind, earth, astral (moro), water (anankos), and the Great Dragon who presided over them as a sort of Naga 2.0, also known as the Rainbow Sage

There's actually a bloodline for each dragon that are generally all aligned with nobility from the kingdoms, so technically any legitimate members of the royal family can be of any bloodline as long as the dragon blood within them is strong (might bring brands in might not huffs). There is also a sort of hierarchy to which dragon’s bloodline the royal member hails from to also account for, Dusk and Dawn being understandably most desireable. Yes this is now riffing off of other FE entries no I won’t apologize for i-

Rainbow is also desirable but considerably rare and thus most people give up on finding it.

Which how to tell: likely gameplay element, such as Dawn and Dusk blood yielding an effect similar to their respective statues but nerfed a bit for a unit that will obviously be moving and attacking.

For a good long while the dragons are pretty chill, haven’t developed/discovered dragonstones, and find themselves making the occasional Power Up with their human peeps:

At first the elemental tribes were made, but rather than dragon vein powers their ancestors were imbued with and given a closer bond to their chosen element rather than given a full dose of dragon blood.

The humans given a full dose of dragon blood that would be come to known as the ass kicking royal family capable of manipulating dragon veins did not come around until The War

The kitsune and wolfskin tribes are evolved from a common ancestor and were part of the Earth dragon's attempt to make a tribe of their own by imbuing wildlife with their power rather than humans, but this is largely forgotten lore and just here as a “what about the earth tribe then” answer, and present day most fateslandians believe the “earth tribe” to be a myth/snipe hunt.

“Water’s an element too” Valla can technically be the water tribe, as a treat. Also a snipe hunt to most fateslandians? Likely.

When the Dragon War happens we have 3 camps: Dawn leading Fire and Wind versus Dusk leading Ice and Earth, all of them mildly succumbing to dragon rabies that’s prodding their small rivalry into a World Domination War; Rainbow Sage Moro and Anankos are watching with popcorn until it's not so fun anymore. Humans are trying desperately to chill.

Seeing that the war was not coming to an end any time soon and getting worse with every skirmish, plus Moro and Anankos pleading for some time out, the Rainbow Sage set to work making the divine weapons to start lobbing dragon heads off. 

Meanwhile, Anankos and Moro put their brains together and developed dragonstones, and then the song/pendant wombo combo. Dragonstones at this point couldn’t fully stave off dragon rabies and would need a bit more research, so the song/pendant wombo combo was developed to help give that time and change the effectiveness from a limited time to potentially indefinite.

The Rainbow Sage was going to pick out the humans who inherited the divine weapons, but Anankos didn't want his fellow dragons dead before finding a breakthrough with this dragonstone idea and asked to pick them instead. The Rainbow Sage let him, and Anankos gave the divine weapons to humans he trusted not to use them to give himself a bit more time to refine this dragonstone idea.

The humans commit a few dragon murders, likely out of self defense/fear. His trust betrayed and on the verge of Fucking Losing It because of it, Anankos carves out the bottomless canyon and hunkers down in Valla to continue his research and try to create a paradise where man need not fear dragons going bonkers. The Rainbow Sage makes a few tweaks of his own to Anankos’s dragonstone idea, takes the form most people will remember him as, and lets the other dragons die at the hands of humans.

Anankos didn’t get the memo that death was probably the best cure for dragon rabies, seeing as it would release them from their physical forms, and the Rainbow Sage comes to foresee that letting Anankos take such actions would lead to him getting dragon rabies and eventually threatening the world, and thus this is why he refers to forging the divine weapons as his “great sin”, since he could’ve given it to the proper folk who would make sure that things went according to plan.

in the interim between then and present day, Valla is hidden so Anankos can make sure his little paradise works, the other dragons are dead and hailed as gods with the Dawn and Dusk dragon’s rivalry becoming Status Quo, and the Rainbow Sage lets humans who are powerful and wise enough visit him. 

The tee hee about being the Rainbow Sage comes from the fact that some of these humans he gives his blood to and, by being the Head Honcho Dragon, can by proxy bestow upon these humans blood that functions as that of an already deceased dragon instead (this also makes visiting him a highly sought after affair since you can go from peasant to viable nobility). Instead of getting Rainbow Sage blood they could, for example, get Wind or Ice dragon blood instead; or perhaps be given Rainbow blood only for it to be overridden by another dragon’s blood in their lineage, as if Rainbow blood is a sort of recessive gene I suppose?

Very rarely the Rainbow Sage will give his own blood, and coupled with above “recessive” trait perhaps even rarer it will stick around, Elise’s mother being one such human (that is a rad story for DLC and fanfic) and likely quickly elevating her into the Nohrian court.

The Water dragon Anankos’s lineage is forgotten almost entirely and persists only in Valla, seeing as the Rainbow Sage cannot by proxy give his blood since he is still alive.

Surprise surprise each sibling has a different dragon bloodline that takes the majority presence, leading for all 9 bloodlines on the table which hasn't happened in awhile. Corrin and Azura obviously have Anankos blood(tm), then the families are largely split down party lines: Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise have Dusk, Ice, Earth, and Rainbow blood. Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura have Dawn, Fire, Wind, and Astral.

Why does Elise have Rainbow blood if Rainbow was a neutral party? For the Bifrost tee hee since it’s a Nohrian stave. Also nice to think of everyone lauding her a bunch for being Rainbow blood and expecting her to be a great ruler only for her to die in birthright (upside down smiley)

Sakura has Astral blood for the counterpart tee hee.

The elemental tribes were also given a vague prophecy by their respective dragons/the Rainbow Sage, and it’s one they hold onto fiercely even if some nations of the world think it’s silly folklore. As follows: “The 9 Dragons quarrel / One by one taken by flood / Heralded by the Yato’s chosen / Thus the world shall be destroyed / And recreated in the waves.”

Sounds Bad but actually thanks to Water Metaphor it’s describing how everyone’s fighting, but then Corrin- those darn grey waves -unifies everyone and breaks Established World Order to remake it with the power of friendship.

So we can rewrite a couple Rev chapters- say, the wind tribe one -into The Tribe Squad bickering over it being Time For Prophecy (of which it obviously is but also tee hee what if it isn’t)

Obviously there’s all sorts of dynamics to who has what blood and legitimacy of heirs and all that but its 2am braincell tired just take the content please

[pixelgrotto]

The horrific Resident Evil playthrough, interlude three

Resident Evil’s a franchise that has almost as many spin-offs as it does main games, and when I told a friend several months ago that I was going to attempt a series playthrough, he was like, “Dude, aren’t there thirty of those?” 

Thirty’s an exaggeration, but there are about eleven spin-off games, give or take a bunch of mobile quickies that only came out in Japan. I’m not counting the “big” spin-offs like Code: Veronica or the Revelations titles, because those are essentially mainline releases with pivotal, canon story elements. I’m talking about games like Resident Evil: Survivor, an early PS1 effort that tried to fulfill the series’ first person perspective fetish with clunky results, Resident Evil: Dead Aim, a light gun shooter, and Resident Evil: Outbreak, an online game that let you tag team with buddies to escape Racoon City.

I decided to pick and choose which of these spin-offs I’d sit down to play, since quite a few of ‘em are mediocre, others have components that are now difficult to get running (Outbreak’s online multiplayer) and I just didn’t have the necessary hardware, like a PS2 light gun, to fully enjoy stuff like Dead Aim. (If you want a more comprehensive study of all of these games, then check out Avalanche Reviews’ Resident Evil Retrospective, which he began at around the same time that I started this playthrough.) I finally settled on Resident Evil 1.5, Resident Evil Gaiden, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles as the ones I was most interesting in experiencing...and honestly, it was a mixed bag. 

Resident Evil 1.5 - This isn’t so much a game as it’s a leaked beta release of what would eventually become Resident Evil 2, and the reason I chose to play this is because it’s famously different from the final product. Thanks to lots of behind-the-scenes development drama, Resident Evil 1.5 (still shown as 2 in my screenshot up there) is an unfinished build that was scrapped and heavily reworked before it became the RE2 that we know today. The differences between this and the final version are stark - the famous Raccoon City Police Station is a modern office building rather than a gothic hall of weird puzzles and art, the enemies include strange foes like zombie gorillas, there was no partner zapping system, and there’s a whole different character available from the get-go named Elza Walker. Elza, initially just a random motorcycle-riding civilian who crashed into the police station during the zombie outbreak, later became Claire Redfield in order to create a connection with Chris Redfield of RE1. I’m kind of fascinated with her, since it’s rare to get a glimpse of a character that was totally revamped during a game’s development, and I mostly ignored Leon to dabble through portions of the playable build with her. I say “dabble” rather than “play” because you can’t exactly finish RE1.5 - all you can do is wander around rooms and use a debug menu to teleport to different spots before giving up and watching a playthrough of someone more experienced do this on YouTube. At the end of the day, RE1.5 is more of a fascinating look behind the curtain than it is an actual game, and the final version of RE2 is definitely superior. It’s no wonder why the devs decided that a drastic revamp was needed, since RE1.5, even in its unfinished state, feels kind of samey to RE1. That said, I remain enamored with Elza Walker and her slick motorcycle suit, and I ain’t the only one, since it’s available as a skin for Claire in the upcoming Resident Evil 2 remake. 

Resident Evil Gaiden - RE Gaiden is a game that got infamously bad reviews upon release, with reviewers crapping on it for not being like the PS1 games. This is kind of unfair in hindsight, because it was released for the darn Game Boy Color, of all systems, and there was no way we were going to get an accurate copy of an experience which originated on hardware that was much more powerful. If anything, it shows how bad gaming journalism was in the early 2000s (you could make the argument that it still is bad, but that’s another story altogether), because honestly...I kinda enjoyed Gaiden? It’s flawed to be sure, but it comes darn close to taking the experience of “survival,” always at the heart of this series, and distilling it down to an 8-bit formula. The setting is a huge ship, just like Resident Evil Revelations (which oddly seems like it borrowed a lot of concepts from this game), and you’ve got to do the usual schtick of running around, collecting ammo and items and dodging zombies. Combat takes place from an RPG-esque first-person perspective that I liked because it struck me as an elegant reminder of Sweet Home, and you’ve got a constantly moving slider bar for each weapon with a key point in the middle that you need to hit in order to accurately fire off a shot. It’s novel but frustrating at times, since advanced weapons have the slider moving so damn fast, and it’s totally possible to end up in a fail state by running out of ammo. You can do this in any Resident Evil game, technically, but it feels more plausible here. Case in point - I got all the way to the final boss and was unable to beat him because I had no bullets. Dang! Still, despite its rough edges, Gaiden feels like a sleeper that didn’t quite deserve the bashing that it got upon release, and for a spin-off designed by a small British studio who had previously only made Mary Kate & Ashley and Tazmanian Devil games, it’s worth a look for people who always wondered what RE would be like in 2D.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles/Darkside Chronicles - I’m grouping these Wii rail shooters together because I expected to enjoy ‘em the most, since they contain remixes of the plots of RE1 to Code: Veronica and also new bits of lore, like the actual story of Umbrella’s downfall. (Why Capcom never stuck this in a mainline game and relegated it to a chapter in a Wii spin-off remains one of the company’s more bizarre franchise decisions.) Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish them, because I realized while playing both that...I don’t really like rail shooters very much. I mean, I think stuff like Time Crisis is okay in the arcade, when you’ve got a partner by your side and a physical zapper in your hand. But playing these after the fact and solo via the Dolphin emulator just isn’t as fun, though they are technically well made, for what it’s worth. I think my issue is that rail shooters take nearly all movement away from the player, and to me a vital facet of this series since day one has been exploration, so to be ushered from location to location with not much to do but blast zombies in the head just isn’t very appealing to me. The camera work in both games was also too much for me to handle, particularly in Darkside Chronicles, which has near constant shaky cam and gave me a headache after ten minutes. Overall, I think the new lore is worth checking out, at least via a YouTube collection of all the cutscenes, but I couldn’t bring myself to play these to completion. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, since I found the Time Crisis-style shoot ‘em up sections of RE5 and 6 to be kinda aggravating, but I was hoping to be surprised. This wasn’t the case, and part of me also finds both of these games to be something of a depressing reminder of the Wii era, where just about every major franchise got a gimmicky spin-off designed around the motion controls of Nintendo’s white box. It happened with Soulcalibur, it happened with Dragon Quest, and it happened with Resident Evil. The Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles are certainly on a higher tier when it comes to Wii spin-offs, but...I still think they aren’t for me.

And with that, I wrap up this so-so experience of Resident Evil side stories just in time for the big B.O.W. in the room... Resident Evil RE2make releases in two days, and you bet that I’ve got it pre-ordered and ready to load. 

All screenshots taken by me. 

[theannaredfield]

I wanted my 1001 post to be something special and cool, like the file I made doing into the lore of my Resident Evil OCs, but I have decided I shall use the time to just talking about Resident Evil. I’m seeing a LOT of comments and as a longer time fan of the games, I feel like I could add a new perspective on some issues, and maybe add some important info.

This post will talking about; Teaming Up with Heisenberg, Chris’ Role with Rose, and Dimitrescu advertisement. Spoilers ahead.

Dimitrescu Ad-

Now, this is the biggest issue. Many people are angry because Dimitrescu was only in the game for the first 3 hours at most, (or in better terms, 20% of the time if your play is 13 hours) but was the focus of all the marketing. Here’s the thing though, that was actually genius on Capcom’s part. Dimitrescu is so early in the game that nothing about the later game is revealed. Up until after you defeat her, you don’t have a clear idea what’s going on. It’s just hunt down your baby. You don’t find the first flask till after.

So because Dimitrescu is so early and leaves most of the plot unknown, it was really good to advertise her because nothing of the game would be spoiled. This was a problem with one of the last 3make trailers, as they showed Nemesis’s dog form. OG nemesis didn’t have a dog form, so finding out he’d have one in this game was a spoiler. It caused many people to be like “don’t watch this trailer. It’ll spoil you.”

Next part of its genius was that since the first trailer, people were going NUTS for Lady D. The whole internet was simping for her. Capcom saw this, and they acted on this, showing people all they could of her and making her the focus. They gave the people what they wanted, and this got Capcom more sales, because you had people who had no interest in RE beforehand picking up this game just for her. Feeding into her fans got them more money.

That’s why Lady Dimitrescu’s advertisement was actually really good. Because it kept most of the game a secret, and fed into what the fans wanted, giving Capcom more sales from simps. People are just kinda angry that she wasn’t the main focus (despite the fact the other lords were shown and Miranda was mentioned in the ads as well.)

Teaming Up with Kaaarrll-

One thing people, myself included, wondered was what would happen if we had the choice to team up with Heisenberg. Now, do I have a good idea on how it would go in game?? No. That’s a lot of speculation and headcanons. However I have an idea on how Capcom would do it. Capcom is... lazy, if I’m being honest. They like money and they do stuff cheaply.

Take into account RE2 and 3make. Those games had alternate endings depending on how you played (Claire A/Leon B or Leon A/Claire B) (plus the three different RE3 endings) however when remaking these games there was only always the one ending. There was no way to get a different ending, no matter how you played. Additionally, the A and B games were different in the OG, but in the remake they’re almost exactly the same with a few things changed at the beginning. In the OG for example, Mr. X was only in the B game. In the remake he’s at both but just shows up earlier in B.

Even looking at RE7, they give you this illusion of choice between Mia and Zoe, however choosing Zoe is automatically pointless and gives you the bad end in the long run. This is because Zoe immediately dies and after completing Mia’s portion, she also dies. Choosing between the 2 was pointless because the outcome is just death for one. Nothing even really changes in gameplay aside from Zoe and Mia dying. The ending boss fight and mines are all exactly the same. Even the ship is exactly the same.

So how would Capcom do Heisenberg? Well, like 7, I feel they’d give us an illusion of choice, where the option is clearly “don’t side with him if you want the good ending” because if you chose side with him, he will somehow end up ultimately dying and Ethan will still also get his heart ripped out. (Possibly by going after Miranda) Or alternatively, you chose side with him and then he still pushes you down the hole, changing nothing about the factory aside from some dialogue. Maybe Ethan says something like “I’ll side with you but using Rose is 100% of the table” and Heisenberg goes “well fuck you then.”

Basically if we got to side with Heisenberg, Capcom would probably do it in the laziest way possible because they don’t want to have two separate ways the game can go, and we’ll somehow wind up with the same exact places and gameplay despite the differing options.

Chris-

°-° Ya’ll are really wild with Chris, not gonna lie. I see a lot of people going “Chris was always gonna take Rose and turn her into the next Eveline” “Chris was gonna lie to Ethan, say Rose died and then turn her into a weapon” “Chris turned Rose into the next bioweapons, he’s a monster. He treats her so terribly”

This goes heavily against Chris’s character. Not gonna lie, it’s completely hypocritical of him. Why? Well you see, back in Resident Evil 5 and 6, Chris had two people he was close to, Jill Valentine and Piers Nivens, turned into living bioweapons. Jill had no free will and Piers was transformed. Chris wanted nothing more than to save both of them, urging Piers to come with him because “they could fix this.” These were people he cared about turned into BOWs, and it pained him, he wanted to save them but with Piers he couldn’t. Piers sacrificed himself. Also keep in mind, Chris is a brother. Claire is his only loving family and I don’t think he could ever turn her into a bioweapon, let alone allow someone else to. If Chris would be so against people he knows becoming BOWs, why would he look at Rose and go “screw it. She’s powerful, let’s make her a weapon.” He knows how much Rose meant to Ethan, and he felt bad about having to abandon Ethan. He wouldn’t just... do him like that.

Also, it would be way outta Chris character to turn Rose into a BOW because at the very end of the game, he’s upset with the BSAA. The BSAA has begun using bioweapons as soldiers, which goes against everything they’re suppose to stand for and is completely hypocritical. Chris is upset and ashamed in them, that’s why he says “go to the European Headquarters. Someone has to pay.” He’s going there to raise hell, essentially, because what the fuck are they doing. It would be Chris going “you can’t use BOWs but I can so fuck you.” (Keep in mind, the BSAA being corrupted is why Chris was starting to drift away, and this might be his last straw with them.)

In short Chris never planned to turn Rose into the next Eveline, nor does he want to. He is strongly against BOWs and the use of them. Especially turning innocent people into BOWs, and using them for evil. Not only that but he’s seen people he cares about be turned into BOWs and he didn’t like it one bit, why would he betray Ethan and do that exact same thing to Ethan’s daughter, when he was so determined to save his friends from it. He is most likely just training Rose so that she can control her powers and of kill anyone on accident. The most I can assume is that Rose is an agent for this new organization, of her own volition, but these guys in suits are really on top of her in case she goes rogue this has nothing to do with Chris influence.

In shorter terms, it’s against Chris’ morals, goes against his character thus far, and would be hypocritical of him to have evil plans or intentions for Rose. He is still the good guy, he just isn’t the greatest at explaining stuff (see Chris not telling Claire he was going to Europe because he didn’t want her involved and then her proceeding to go to Raccoon and get involved for more evidence)

(Keep in mind, this isn’t the first “evil” child Chris let live. In RE6, he comes face to face with Jake Muller, Albert Wesker’s son. Chris comments how he sees his father in him, and you’d think this would be a red flag considering what Wesker did. Jake proceeds to point a gun right at Chris’s head, and almost shoots him in the head. What does Chris do? Let him go. He knows Jake isn’t an enemy or going to be an enemy later, so he doesn’t kill him or try to capture him. Chris is essentially only against BOWs who are evil or used for war. If they’re just regular people who were handed a bad card, then he’d let them go (hence why he wouldn’t kill Heisenberg and Rose if they lived. As long as they weren’t planning anything evil, they’d be okay.)

[randomnameless]

So i finally finished SOV - i mean the main story - and it was...

well at first when i got the game my expectations were rather low even with the good reviews fellow friends gave to the game so i was definitely surprised, in the good way. SOV feels like an old FE, as in it’s kind of subtle about things like humor - eons away from the ham fisted “humour” of Felicia stumbling and dropping plates or something - and characterisation, as in everyone had its own character and wasn’t simply a trope, which i appreciated a lot. Support convos were meaningful, brought backstory (for the ones i did) but not in an infodump way.

So that felt “old” in the good - classical - way, but when a friend who played first FE8 to Fates saw me playing he was like “nah i don’t like this” and well, I can’t really tell him to fig off but the mechanics are, well, not archaic nor outdated, but can be quite frustrating. Maybe it’s just me or I didn’t forge my weapons enough, but Leon/Python by the endgame were locked to perpetual 60ish% of hit and a lot of tiles in the last maps five stupid avoid like +20% which is frustrating. Of course you’re supposed to use mages, because they don’t suffer from the defensive tiles but it’s annoying that you can’t “reliably” destroy things with your mounted archers.

OTOH if 5 range had 100% hit it’d be broken as, idk, a 2 weight tome with 30 might.

But i can understand the “meh” factor coming from those hit rates, mages are paper thin - again it’s good for balance - but for someone who came out of Fates/Awakening it can be disturbing, especially since the speed stat (on the screen) doesnt’ take into account the actual speed you have, as in the tome weights a little bit so in the end you can be doubled.

But I’d say it’s just a habit to take. I was afraid of the hp drain mages had when they use magic but it’s not really that bothering since you end up with a lot of rings, it’s actually more bothersome on healers - Tatiana couldn’t spam fortify she had to be healed because the ring doesn’t recover enough hp - but otherwise it’s cool, besides clerics were actually useful as in they could heal AND fight with Nosferatu, even if Nosfe-tanking isn’t wise because of the low accuracy.

Lack of WTA wasn’t that debilitating, OTOH it felt a bit redundant, i don’t know how to say it but WTA gave more “thrill” or something, here you can send Terror!Kamui in a forest and everyone will miss because of his high avoid and nothing else will make this change (of course in this setting Duma goons are dead). Granted, horseslayers are still a thing to look for (clive learnt it :’( ) and you have skills against certain foes, like the steel lance gives armor slayer or something?

About skills, well they were, imo, well implemented. You can’t double attack with them so they’re not totally broken (save for Alm’s double lion but) and kind of cool.

But what I loved the most was the magic tree, as in everyone learns different magic and not at the same level so it kinds of makes you want to use everyone or at least complementary units, Delthea hits hard and fast, but she doesn’t have the 3 range Thunder spell Mae has (even if Mae doesn’t hit that hard, she doesn’t have Ragnarok but she’s still a super good unit, at least in this run). Sonya doesn’t get Seraphim (i wonder why lol) but she can rewarp, and has Excalibur. The male mages were a kind of letdown though (i was dumb and promoted Kliff to archer, Tobin to mage) even if the Sagittarius spell is rad, they’re nowhere near the level of the priestesses. Even the Saints are all useful, Silque has Warp, Faye has Rescue and Tatiana got Fortify and physic (like Faye), Genny can’t warp but she has Physic, that spell to remove low level monsters and she can summon randoms.

To end this quickly, while the gameplay can be a bit annoying (low hit rates) it’s very fun to play, or at least to test. The map design is meh (endless meadow with some forests and fort) but that’s coming from a “faithfum” remake so it’s to be expected.

Dungeon crawling was - tedious in the last dungeons but wait i still have the optional one damn everyone is hungry - really captivating, you had to watch over your food reserves, find a shrine to save, smash enemies and pots and sometimes hunt for treasure. Honestly, i really liked it. It felt very RPG like!

Naga Mila bless the turnwheel - that thing saved me so many soft resets and I hope it’ll be a staple in the series from now on, maybe pretend that the fire emblem in jugdral was stolen by azel in the prologue and it has this role in jugdral echoes, idk something like that.

Plot wise... well it’s old FE for you, with a compelling story, it isn’t trying too hard like the other 3DS entries and you can feel the lore around like the omnipresence of Mila’s church with people going on pilgrimages or the Duma faithful not being seen as an evil only cult, unlike the Grimleal, but it has normal persons in it - who are eons away from Jedah and his schemes but still part of the religious order like Tatiana (even if quite frankly without her the Faithful would have been an “evil cult” like Loptyr’s one, complete with the guy who tried to stop the evil new leader and was banished (not killed here) in return). Randoms in villages live, they want to fish, to farm, they’re afraid of bandits, they gossip and all...

However, I feel as if the last parts - chapter 4 and 5 - were kind of rushed. Of course chapter 4 has Rudolf’s master plan (tm) so it’s meh in essence, but Celica holds the idiot plot ball even if, well, Jedah is a cunning bastard and her struggles are real, she set on her journey to free Mila so she’ll do anything to save Mila.

Which actually makes me a bit doubtful about chapter 5 where we’re supposed to understand that men don’t need gods/dragons anymore, Clive (or is it Lukas?) tells Alm that without dragons people will starve and all, but he’s all “we will find a way i know it will be hard” like, of course with Duma being mad there is no way things can continue like this, but are people really okay with having to work on a barren land? Isn’t it the problem Zofia had in the beginning of the game, everyone was hungry and then Rigel attacked? It makes me think about FE5 and Dagda, he and Gomez are toiling the barren lands of Thracia and doesn’t bear any fruits, the reason why Gomez returns to banditry, and this is a problem but everything is magically solved when Leif becomes king because in Dagda’s ending we learn that somehow things managed to grow. Yay?

But Valencia will exist by the time Chrom rolls in, so the peasants magically managed to harvest their barren lands without the power of the dragons, yay for them too.

Also Alm wants to kill/seal/put duma to sleep because his power makes people grow mad, but as the narrator put it in the credits (and something Alm forgot) even without Duma people will still thirst for power and do stupid things. Granted it’s not as stupid as burning the only person who loved you into a witch, but it leads you to murder helpless children in a bid to sit on the Zofian throne. So that really made me frown - not in the puzzled way but in the bad way, why is Duma painted as so evil, his power is evil etc? I loved that scene in the temple (Mila vs rudolf) because Mila wasn’t portrayed at sometihng Emmeryn like, she was furious, kind of distrubing/scary and well, you could understand that she will fight/will kill you if she wants, even if she is suposed to be the earth mother, loving etc.

Duma? Nope, nothing to show that he cares or has compassion, he is a dastard who might be mad, only interested with power and turns people into evil people. This is something that distrubs me because Duma isn’t something like Loptyr, evil for the sake of being petty, he was supposed to watch over the humans just like Mila did, hell people were supposed to thrive and be somewhat happy, not crazed. If he is a dastard who only thrives for power and gives powers to people who offer their daughters to be changed into witches, why people worshipped him for hundred of years? We’re not talking about fanatics like Jedah or his army of blue people, but Tatiana, the random villagers, etc...? Heck even Fates tried to paint Anankos as a “good” guy before he turned sour, but nothing for Duma?

:’(

But even if I rant a bit, IMO Echoes is the best 3DS FE, even with its wonky hit rates and rewarping witches. Plot is here, gameplay is fun (i wanted to try to forge so many things) and dungeon crawling is rad. I’d definitely recommend it to friends who can look past the wonky hit rates. It isn’t “classic FE gameplay” but it’s enjoyeable nonetheless, and the voice acting is really good. Usually i wouldn’t care, but this is really nice and i hope it will return.

[thomasroach]

Top 5 Upcoming RPGs of March 2019 (The Division, Sekiro and More!)

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Welcome to the Top Upcoming RPGs of March 2019! In this series we highlight the Top 5 RPGs for the upcoming month. In this edition, we’re going to take a look at each of the titles, talk a little about each, and then explain why we think they deserve to be on the list. So join me now and find a mixture of some hidden gems and old favorites given a shiny new coat of paint.

Top 5 Upcoming RPGs of March 2019

Last month’s top placement went to the return of Bioware with their sci-fi action shoot’em up Anthem. While we aren’t jetpacking to a distant planet this month, there are some worlds to explore that are a little closer to home, and even one that’s seen better days. Whether it’s experiencing a different era or simply learning to survive in new environment, this March brings some worlds worth the adventure as you fight for your survival. Without further ado lets get into the month of March!

Last month’s top placement went to the return of Bioware with their sci-fi action shoot’em up Anthem.

Honourable Mention: The Caligula Effect: Overdose

Release Date: March 12th 2019 (US)/March 15th (Europe) Platform: PS4, Switch, PC Developer: FURYA Corporation Publisher: NIS America

Students of the Kishimai High School are enjoying their trouble-free existence, experiencing classes and having the joy of watching performances by a popular idol called μ (Mu). While everything seems idyllic, some of the students have noticed things seem to be amiss. They begin to uncover horrifying truths about their lives and that they actually are a part of virtual reality world constructed and overseen by μ. They must rally together to join a group of students called the “Go-Home-Club” and fight the brainwashed victims known as the “Digiheads” to escape this virtual reality prison. It’s not only the world they must fight but confront their own inner traumas in order to be free of the Caligula Effect.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose is a remake of the original mixed turn-based action RPG, bringing twice the story content. The title comes with a UI makeover, new characters including a playable female character. There are also additional scenarios and endings to explore.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose comes to PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC on March 12th in the US and March 15th in Europe.

5. Zanki Zero: Last Beginning

Release Date: March 20th (PS4) March 19th (PC) Platform: Playstation 4, PC Developer: Spike Chunsoft Publisher: Spike Chunsoft

Set in world that has been destroyed by humans and life has now sunk to the depths of the sea…until yesterday. Players take on the infinite lives of 8 clones, where they must survive the lands that hold nothing more than ruins, wreckage from the recent modern civilisation. How and why you must relive these lives is a mystery that may hold some dark realisations.

Bringing a very unusual mechanic to the survival RPG genre, Zanki Zero: Last Beginning is a single-player dungeon crawler that has your normal hunting, monster battling, eating, sleeping and using the bathroom which also effects the survival of your party. But where it gets its twist, is with its 13 day life cycle. That’s right, each day will effect your stats and abilities from the beginning of your character’s life to death. How you die will also determine what bonuses and upgrades you carry on to your next life. The story is told from the point of view of eight different characters which helps piece together the narrative.

Zanki Zero: Last Beginning releases on PS4 on March 20th and PC on March 19th 2019.

4. Outward

Release Date: March 26th 2019 Platform: PC Developer: Nine Dots Studio Publisher: Deep Silver

Offering an immersed fantasy survival RPG experience, Nine Dots Studios brings players this March a world like no other. Adventure through foreign lands, as creatures, harsh environments and even infectious diseases threaten your journey. Begin perilous expeditions through wild environments to find new cities, discover dungeons inhabited by foes and take on a variety of missions. It’s up to your skills, cunning and ability to survive.

The title lets players experience the perils alone or in co-op with split screen either locally or online. Each playthrough is different from the last giving versatility when it comes to playthroughs. The auto-save functions means every decision you make, you must live with, there’s no turning back with this adventure.

Outward comes to PC via Steam on March 26th.

3. Black Desert (Xbox One Release)

Release Date: March 4th Platform: Xbox One Developer: Pearl Abyss Publisher: Pearl Abyss

This MMORPG finally makes its way to Xbox One this month, with stunning detail and endless character customisation. Black Desert the action-RPG gets its first release on console. Accompanied by a Black Spirit, players will unlock the mysteries of the Black Stones, fight demons and monsters in a medieval fantasy world. These powerful stones often lie between the battling factions the capitalist Republic of Calpheon and absolute monarch Valencia Kingdom.

Choose from six different classes including warrior where you focus on melee attacks taking up a sword and shield as your choice of weapons. Rangers excel in the master of archery, combating their targets from afar. Sorceresses find their power in wielding both melee and range attacks, luring enemies with dark magic, causing chaos in their path. Berserkers take on strength with their double-axes, their hits will pack a punch. Wizards have the unique ability to control natural forces, spells deal large amounts of damage. Lastly, Witches are great at conjuring fireballs, or blasting icy winds at their foes. Whether you enjoy fast-paced combat, or the slower side of MMO life with crafting, fishing and cooking, this magical realm has plenty to conquer.

Black Desert comes to Xbox One on March 4th.

2. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

Release Date: March 15th 2019 Platform: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Massive Entertainment Publisher: Ubisoft

The third-person shooter action-RPG Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will take players on a journey through Washington D.C. where the main conflict takes place. Washington D.C. has seen better days, giving off apocalyptic vibes after the terrors have taken a hold of America, seven months after the virus outbreak. As anarchy still rains supreme, ruthless factions prey on the weak, and it is up to The Division to bring back order.

Choosing from campaigns, co-op or even PvP modes, pick your gear and use unique skills to take on the latest threat. Each agent comes with skills you can enhance, they will also play a major role when it comes to your city’s survival. These skills include Assault Drone, Chem Launcher, Hive and Seeker Mine. Choose your specialisation taking on the role of either Survivalist, Demolitionist or Sharpshooter. Players can choose from a variety of weapons and armor plus gain gear sets and exotic items.  The gameplay gives a realistic experience as the event take place in Washington D.C., where you can find real landmarks, natural landscapes and neighbourhoods.

The Division 2 comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC on March 15th 2019.

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Release Date: March 22nd 2019 Platform: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC Developer: FromSoftware Publisher: Activision

FromSoftware is back but this time with a new IP entirely, not following the usual Souls recipe but delving into the world of action-adventure with RPG elements. Long awaited by fans, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice takes players on a journey to the Sengoku period. Players will live the life of a ninja that has a special trick up their sleeve…well arm in this case as they adorn a prosthetic grappling hook for an arm. This appendage gives the ability to reach new heights, being able to grapple buildings and structures alike.

Playing as the “one-armed wolf” or Sekiro, you will wield a sword which can attack but also defend by the use of block or parry. Players must be wary of their “posture” which will deplete over time when using these defensive actions. From takes inspiration from historic Japan but weaves its own fantasy and myth with Sekiro. Expect stunning views, an in depth lore, stealth and plenty of sword fighting action.

The title sets to bring elements seen in previous FromSoft games including a hub area called the Dilapidated Temple. An important feature that allows for players to speak to NPCs that may help aid them in their quest, and the use of Sculptor’s Idols act similarly to bonfires seen in the souls-series.

Sekiro is set release on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC on March 22nd 2019.

That’s a wrap for the Top RPGs of March. Did I miss your favorite March release? What games are you most looking forward to this year? Please let us know in the comments below.

You can also check out the Top RPGs of February 2019.

So, do you want more? If so, you can find more Top RPGs for 2019 here.

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