#Gamereview

[ryanbeardy]

Music and games have been intertwined since the beginning. Sometimes that relationship can result in something more. In this video I'll explore the legacy of Rez, Synesthesia, and the talented minds behind this unique philosophy.

#Rez #RezInfinite #TetsuyaMizuguchi #SEGA #SpaceChannel5 #QEntertainment #Lumines #Meteos #EveryExtend #ChildofEden #EnhanceGames #TetrisEffect #Humanity #Synesthesia #Game #Gaming #GameDesign #Review #GameReview #Retro #Retrogames #Dreamcast #Playstation #Xbox #Nintendo #PC #VR #Youtube

[cannedbread95]

Slow Damage Review

Not Spoiler Free! What makes Slow Damage such an emotionally compelling and rewarding experience? To answer this question, we first need to look outwards at ourselves and the social conditions of the society we live in. It doesn’t take much insight to understand that capitalism is in a deep and severe crisis. Inflation, poverty, political instability are just a few things that have been exacerbated in recent times. And I find that art in general rarely takes inspiration from the sickness of this system. Right away in Slow Damage, the prologue dives into the economic collapse of post-Olympic Japan. Describing basically word for word what life has become for the majority of people around the world. Shinkoumi may seem dystopic, but are the material conditions on the island really that different from our own? Its clear where the writers drew their inspiration from.  

Towa is both a unique and familiar character. Compared to other Nitro Chiral protagonists, Towa certainly stands out, but why is that? I think there’s a few reasons. Towa for most of the story is really just someone trying to get by in life, and barely at that. He has few hobbies, spends a lot of time doing nothing, works a boring low wage job, wanders around. Not even mentioning his drug abuse and other destructive behaviors, its clear that Towa isn’t very interested in being alive. There are reasons for this, which are later revealed in the true route. However, Towa’s internal dialogue reveals that a lot of Shinkoumi residents feel the same way, and he’s no different. Given the staggering unemployment rate, high cost of living, and prevalence of violent crime, Shinkoumi is a suffocating place to live, especially for young people. Towa’s lifestyle may standout in comparison, but in his world--our world, he’s just the average guy. Throughout the story, Towa meets people who are just like him. People who have suffered the same exact abuse he did as a child, and who cope in the same destructive way he does. Even though Towa has familial connections to the bourgeois of Shinkoumi, his lived reality is crippling poverty. I think at times throughout the story, there seems to be not a lot going on. During the exploration component, Towa has the option of going to local shops and districts, but these movements are not necessarily plot relevant. A lot of the time, Towa just goes to places and you get to listen to his thoughts. If Towa goes to the old school candy shop, you get to hear him talk about gentrification and nostalgia (obviously in his words). Depending on what district he’s walking through, he describes the class character of the neighborhood, who probably lives in the apartments, etc. I think this is a wonderful component of the story, and Towa’s descriptions really solidify the class character of Shinkoumi. Towa’s meandering and inner dialogue are the heart of the game in my opinion.  Its not until after Fujieda’s route where Towa has regained his lost memories that he starts to find joy in everyday life. But Towa doesn’t magically heal from his trauma. In fact, when Towa is brutally confronted with his childhood, we see him breaking down and falling into the lowest point of his life. Its only through Fujieda’s compassionate intervention where Towa begins to slowly accept himself. By the end of Fujieda’s route, Towa is still suffering from daily nightmares. However, in the past when Towa would use self-harm and alcohol to cope with his trauma, instead now we see him experiencing the same distressing flashbacks, and then letting the painful feelings pass. This is not to say that he’s unaffected from the agony of his trauma. Towa still struggles from insomnia and feeling like shit in general, but at least now he wants to live.  Unfortunately, Slow Damage does not end in the revolution of Shinkoumi. I’ll admit that I was bit disappointed that nothing fundamentally changed in the resort city. Even though the two gang leaders who governed the city were removed, we are told that some other “corporation” took their place, and it was business as usual. Although anti climatic, this is the reality under capitalism. Social conditions don’t magically improve just because the scary cat lover ex-yakuza assassinates the head honchos. So basically, post story Shinkoumi is still a shitty place to live if you’re poor. But at least in each ending, we get to see Towa trying to live his best life regardless if he’s decided to confront his lost memories. Its enough that Rei, Taku, Madarame and Fujieda accept and love Towa for who he is. And this feeling is mutual too. Although perhaps more obvious in other routes, Towa openly voices his admiration and respect for each love interest. This doesn’t mean that these relationships are perfect by any means, but that these characters can be imperfect, crooked, and happy.  It was really difficult putting together a review, especially since I love this game so much. I think the point overall of writing this was to somewhat clarify why this visual novel resonated with me so well. The strong point of this game is undoubtedly Towa and getting to experience Shinkoumi through his eyes. I think in general if Slow Damage had come out ten years ago, it probably wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact on its players, or at least for me. But for me, and millions of other young people, the world has turned its back on us. Conditions are rapidly deteriorating, life has become unbearable, and like the barbarism of Shinkoumi, there seems to be no way out. But at least in Slow Damage, we get to see someone like us finding a sliver of respite in a world deprived of hope.  Afterthoughts: By the way, this game also has an amazing soundtrack, art direction, voice acting and UI. There are so many other wonderful aspects of the game that I will not mention publicly on social media platforms. But if you must know, Slow Damage is an R18 game. Slow Damage has really  elevated the Boys Love genre in general and I hope future titles will continue to go beyond expectations. I was also all over the place with this review, which is indicative of how badly I want to pop off on all the things I love about Slow Damage. 

#slow damage #nitrochiral #towa #visual novel #gamereview

[jeffs-gamebox]

Daggerheart First Impressions

Taking a brief look at Daggerheart Playtest document from Darrington Press. This game needs some refinement, but it looks great on paper so far. I definitely see it selling to the Critical Role audience.

It’s awesome for Critical Role fans. The playtest package can be found at this link. I’ve been in this hobby for over 40 years, and I’ve seen many games come and go. Companies with products who looked like they were going to stand the test of time are gone now. Games that looked like hot garbage at first glance are still around today. Darrington Press’ Daggerheart is still very much up in the…

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#criticalrole #Daggerheart #DarringtonPress #gamereview #mattmercer #rpgblog #rpgblogger #rpgwriter #ttrpg #TTRPGblog #TTRPGblogger #ttrpgcommunity #ttrpgdesign #ttrpgplaytest #ttrpgreview #ttrpgwriter

[flamingtunapictures]

Honest "Death’s Door" Review - *7/10*

Tl:dr - A good game that delivers a challenging and polished souls-like gaming experience, however its choices in story/world building; repetitive dungeon structure; and lack of simple navigational tools detracted from a thoroughly enjoyable adventure for me.

The Good Things About Death’s Door

Overall Presentation - A clean, polished game with well developed systems and beautiful art. Combat is challenging but not impossible, and visual style is graphic and engaging without being too juvenile. Characters are fun with a good balance of gritty and whimsy.

Music - Wonderful soundtrack. Each area boasts a variety of fun thematic instruments. I found tunes and arrangements very reminiscent to Okami.

Gameplay - Challenging combat that rewards patience, with a variety of ranged and melee weapons a player can interchange fluently in battle to fit their personal fighting style. Puzzles are balanced, never crossing into so-hard-lose-interest territory. The game can be 100%-ed in a reasonable time without guides if one chooses to do so.

Despite my initial impression, the shrines were also fun riddles to solve. I loved the local pub's “hearsay” method with “Jefferson” at the Sunken Sailor. It was a fun touch of flavor and helped make the shrines feel tangible.

3 major criticisms for Death’s Door

(-.5 point) Game progression is extremely linear and dungeon structure lacks core differentiation. Each dungeon’s objectives are structured the same way: you explore an area and fight through mini-boss rooms to free 5 crow souls. These unlock the next power upgrade via almost identical combat challenges. This is followed immediately by ascension to the final stage of a dungeon; concluding with the boss fight. While each dungeon offered their own unique puzzles and layouts, the lack of variety in objectives started to feel more like a checklist than an exciting opportunity for discovery. It’s worth noting as well, the game is linear (Urn Witch > Frog King > Betty) as each previous level provides you with a necessary upgrade to access the next challenge.

(-1.5 points) The lack of a map made the experience of exploring vast areas (extremely) frustrating. This frustration was exacerbated in the world-scouring post game collect-a-thon. The fact that a map was not even an option was incredibly infuriating to me. I understand the creators of the game declared their creative choice “promoted as organic of a gaming experience as possible,” and aligned themselves further with the “souls-like” label, however it does not feel like an infallible decision. Take Hollow Knight as a compare and contrast. Maps were provided throughout the game but the player was also given the choice of how much they wanted to engage with, or take advantage of the map. Maps had to be purchased, making it entirely possible for a player to forgo it completely if they chose to do so. There was also a balanced trade-off of forfeiting an equipment slot to attach the Wayward Compass charm for effective use of the map. Death’s Door doesn’t even give you the option.

(-1 point) The game’s narrative feels a little hollow, lacking in any commendable character depth or motivation. Essential world lore is also delivered too late, is confusing, and detracts from the drama’s overall impact. I finished the game feeling underwhelmed by the plot despite the game’s (self)positioning as a prolific drama. (Spoiler Alert)

I found myself floundering to feel anything for the final act, or to really make sense of the world’s logic and lore between the end of act 2 and beginning of act 3. From what I understand (having 100%-ed the game) the world, since coming under the rule of the current Lord Of Doors, became a place of stagnation… Most, if not all (?) creatures were living unreasonably long lives (past their “due dates”) because the Lord of Doors cut off death itself from the worlds, and subsequently the Crow Commission (who had assumed Death’s role of reaping souls). With no no one reaping souls, nobody was actually dying? But then why was the Grey Crow aging with the threat of death looming over him? Or why did all the crows who got cut off from the commission die? Or how were the free-crow’s movement for that matter, that promoted the natural order of embracing death, actually fulfilling their own creed? I should not be this confused or have this many questions at the explanation of the state-of-the-world after playing the game for 20 hours.

Secondly, many of the significant “reveals” in the 3rd act felt rather underwhelming. Starting with the “Free Crows” movement (a tropey rebel group that “fights the system”). Their presence and justification provided almost all the context to the world’s supposed stagnation. Thus, their late-game reveal (almost the end of act 2) caused me to completely reevaluate and question if I had understood anything from the soft world-building up to that point, and not in a good way. Their motivations felt rather generic as well, and lacked any kind of originality or robustness. Additionally, the pacing between defeating the Grey Crow and the sudden “call-to-arms” from the Free Crows felt very jarring and like the story was just trying to quickly wrap things up. It did not feel very justified.

Death’s reveal was equally underwhelming. His reveal should have felt like a reward for the arduous efforts it took to open his door. His reveal should have left me feeling like I finally had answers… but because I was not aware the world was supposedly “stagnated” (?) until moments before I encountered him, his presence felt confusing, and a little insignificant to me.

As for the final two bosses, the Grey Crow and the Lord of Doors, another reviewer captured the narrative's failure best: It felt like the story was telling me to care about these characters more than actually giving me substantial experience with them to want to care about them. I found myself not caring about the final boss’ motivations and just wanted to finish the game. 

All these things considered, it really boils down to me not finding the lore of this game’s world particularly compelling.

Even the “truth” revealed after completing the post game did not feel like it added any significant detail or insight into the story. For how much effort it demanded to unlock, it was another narrative disappointment.

One exception exists however with the Gravedigger. He was by far the most compelling character. His sad story was the only one that drew an actual reaction from me when I realized just who “Monty” was (hint, look at the shiny-thing locket you find). His final battle was the most satisfying and his emotional departure felt wonderfully delivered.

In conclusion, Death’s Door is a quick (10-20 hours, including post-game) adventure challenge that offers a polished gaming experience, pleasant visuals, and catchy soundtrack. Combat will leave you gnashing your teeth if you don’t employ a little patience, solidifying its position as a “souls-like” game. I would definitely say it’s worth your time if you enjoy games like that. If you’re looking for a more compelling world-lore, convicting story or just better navigation support however, I would recommend something like Hollow Knight instead.

#deathsdoor #death's door #gamereview #nintendoswitch

[thechubbiestlamb]

Super Fatty RPG: Expanded

Holy SHIT you guys, it's the Super Fatty RPG. This'll be the first kink-game I've ever paid for (there is, however, a free version). I gotta warn ya, this review gets EXTENSIVE (and spoiler-free!).

Gameplay: I'm gonna be completely honest, I have 17 hours of playtime in this game in order to get all the endings (and occasionally enjoy myself) and good-golly-gosh there's a LOT of content. We're talking 3 quest-lines, 2 side-quests, 35 NPCs with full dialogue (actually there's probably more that I just forgot about!), a mystery to solve, a book of lore, and more! Combat can work a variety of ways: beat enemies to a pulp! charm your way into their heart! swallow them whole (if you're big enough)! feed them until they can't move! outsmart them in a riddle-contest??? The choice is yours! And the way that there are a variety of goals that your opponent can have, so that you losing the battle could mean different things??? Incredible. I was so utterly blown away by the variety offered by this game. I have a single negative about this game, however: the power scaling is way too steep. You either are way too weak to face monsters or way too strong. Once you unlock all of the moves from the gym and gain a few weight-classes it's not uncommon to start one-shotting the mini-bosses, which on one hand makes the vore option much easier, but on the other hand it makes it impossible to just enjoy a fight where the enemy is force-feeding you boxes of chocolate or whatever it is they have. Honestly I deleted my first save because I thought I'd need way more Power, and ended up defeating one of the final bosses in two hits. I genuinely recommend only upgrading your Power after you've been defeated by something.

Kink: Hoo boy, where to start? As stated earlier, the sheer variety is where the game shines: feeder, feedee, vore (eat people, objects, or get eaten yourself), immobility, gurgling, furry, cow-transformation, pregnancy, inflation (slime, air, blueberry, and breast), tube-feeding, breast-feeding, intox, lycanthropy, vampirism, macro/giantism, and probably others that I couldn't find! I'll be posting some spoiler-free tips on this blog if you don't want to go digging through the walkthrough for where to find each kink. Another great feature of the game are the options you have for maintaining whatever size you want; if the higher weight-levels are just too big for your taste, you can reduce your size using the gym, F-ATMs, or buying the Reduction Bracelet. Don't worry: you maintain all of the stat buffs from the highest weight-level you've reached. With so many options you'll definitely find yourself spending extra time in certain areas to enjoy the kinks offered there. On top of all that: if you find yourself unable to project yourself onto a blank, featureless character, then you can INSERT YOUR OWN ART! That's right! The game has three separate spritesheets for you to choose from and edit! Granted, it can take a hell of a lot of time to draw over all 240 sprites (and that's 240 sprites for each of the 3 levels of badonkers, so if you're interested in swapping between sizes that's more like 720). Still, there's a handful of community-made spritesheets available for download!

Overall: 10 / 10 Slam-grandwiches

#gamereview #sfrpg

[nomoneytoplay]

Prince of Persia (2008)

Bought for: $1.99

Played on: PC

Release date: December 2, 2008

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Game Type: Platform game, Action-adventure game, Adventure

Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS, Classic Mac OS, Java Platform, Micro Edition

ESRB Rating: T for Teen - Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence

Pros & Cons

A brand new Prince! 

Graphics are stunning.

Superb voice acting.

PARKOUR! 

The classic hack and slash the series is known for.

A huge map to explore with different paths to unlock. 

While the map may be impressive, yourself parkouring around in circles. Which at one point the world will start to feel empty.

Enemy designs are cool, however same enemy, same area.

Four unique bosses and encounters. However…..

Combat is very repetitive. 

Glowing seeds to collect all over the map.

My Experience:

Before the acclaimed Assassin’s Creed franchise was born, Ubisoft's greatest parkour master game was the Prince of Persia. An epic tale of a warrior prince and unique rewinding time ability that was always fun to do. But to create something new, Ubisoft made a total 180 on this game, no longer would the Prince be ... .uhm a Prince. But he would be a (I guess) traveling thief who has lost his donkey………one word: AWESOME! 

This new Prince is now my favorite, THAT”S NOTHING MORE TO SAY!! 

A Score of~~~

Okay Okay I’m kidding! 

Prince of Persia is a game where you are immediately sucked into its plot. Helping a young woman named Elika to stop the curse that has left her kingdom ruined and her people dead. While you are playing as the “hero” of this game, The Prince behaves more like an anti-hero than anything else, cocky, a bit arrogant and flirtatious when given the chance. This is what makes this game worth it. The interaction between Prince and Elika is so much fun, there’s a button where you can have them speak to one another at any given time. Elika will fight alongside Prince, so if you parry or activate any special move, Elika will provide a hand. But here’s the issue of this game, Elika will always prevent Prince’s death. From falling off the platforms or enemies about to deliver the final blow. 

Safely put this game has no game over!  

As amazing as this sounds, it kinda takes away from the difficulty of this game, if there really is one. You see, while playing Prince of Persia, the game does feature four interesting bosses. These bosses have some unique story backgrounds, they all were in charge of different parts of the map which gives them a cool intake of who they were. But while the part of the world is challenging and enemies themselves are unique. It will be the same boss battle hack and slash encounter over and over again. 

The maps themselves also feature some challenging paths that are unlocked through story progression. It adds more to the parkour challenge and they are a challenge. One mistake and you would have to start all over again.   

As much as I can nitpick a person’s upper strength to climb and jump all the obstacles in this game. This is (like I said) not the most typical Prince of Persia game, but I enjoyed it so much. Simple to play on keyboard, beautiful graphics and character interactions that make up for the amount of ideas this could have had. This is an adventure that your two dollars investment will be proud to spend! 

OH! It has been 15 years and he still hasn’t found his donkey…

A Lost Donkey Score of 3 out 4 Quarters. 

#nomoneytoplay #playstation #video games #gamereview #pc games #xbox #review #ubisoft #classic #parkour

[gertlushgaming]

Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review (PlayStation 5)

For this Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review, Play as Poppy, Branch, and more of your favorite DreamWorks Trolls as you explore, smash, dance, and battle your way towards rescuing the Troll Kingdom from a melodic mastermind who’s trying to alter the Trolls’ musical harmony!

Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review Pros:

- Decent graphics that look like the film. - 2.93GB download size. - Platinum trophy. - You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game. - 3 save slots. - Action platformer gameplay. - A full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. - Locations are very open and do let you roam as you wish. - Many hidden areas and bonus crates. - Earn new abilities as you play like swirling your head around to damage crates and enemies, get wall jumping, etc. - Big boss-like encounters. - Gems are everywhere and carry over between levels. - Characters can be chosen or you can edit and create your own. - Local multiplayer support with up to 4 characters. - Two playable characters are from the new film that is coming soon. - Constant checkpoints. - Accessible easy-to-learn controls. - You get a good amount of health and can pick up health parts at a level. - Mini-games play a part in rhythm action sequences. - A collection of the enemies you face fills in as you take out one for the first time. - As you go through a location you come across safe areas that act like a hub, before you can use it all enemies have to be cleared out and the DJ decks activated. - Trader trolls are in safe areas and here you can buy costumes for your character. - A wardrobe is in the safe area and is where you go to edit your character. - Hidden Golden Troll statues are traded for higher-end customisation items at the trader troll. - The hot air balloon in safe areas lets you fast-travel to unlocked areas. - Kids will love the open space and the way they can progress how they want or not, Do as they want and still have fun. Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - The music sounds the same in every location and if it does change then it loops so much that you learn to hate it. - The platforming is not great. - Jumping feels spongy and loose. - You never know when you have hit a checkpoint. - Not all the cutscenes can be skipped or fast-forwarded. - The gems you need to collect are loose and do everything in your power to avoid being picked up. - Gems disappear really quickly after dropping. - The combat is boring and simple. - At many points of a location, the game takes control of the camera and it is not great and jarring, it then feels like you are wrestling with the camera during it. - You get very little guidance and progression feels more like you stumble upon it rather than scripted. Related Post: Shuyan Saga Video Review (PlayStation 5) Dreamworks Trolls Remix Rescue: Official website. Developer: Petit Fabrik Publisher: GameMill Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article

#PlayStation4 #PlayStation5 #trollsbandtogether #Trolls #Dreamworks #Gamereview #GLG

[reviewsdosidney]

Hi-Fi Rush - 10/10

Que jogo BOM! Me senti na época do ps2 da melhor forma possível.

Jogo completo, sem travar, com personalidade, proposta diferente, feito com carinho e genuinamente engraçado.

Infelizmente esse não tem sido o padrão deste ano para jogos triplo AAA, mas todo carinho desse projeto já coloca ele como sugestão para jogo do ano.

Amei e recomendo demais!

#gamepass #hi-fi #hi-fi rush #xbox #pcgaming #review #gamereview #microsoft

[thecptfroggy]

G'day all,

We added 5 #steam keys of Myth of Mist：Legacy to our member giveaways section. I would like to thank Interwise Multimedia Corp.for this great opportunity!

5 fortnightly draws. Draws start on 05-01-2023

Here is the link:

Myth of Mist: Legacy Zeepond Giveaway

Feel free to read our Myth of Mist：Legacy #review on the following link:

Myth of Mist: Legacy Zeepond Review

Good luck all.

THE CPT FROGGY🐸

#videogames #videogamers #gamers #gamer4life #pcgamers #gamersunite #gamergirl #gamerguy #gamerboy #gamersonly #gameready #playinggames #gamereview #indiegames #indiegamers #pcgames #games #pcgaming #gaming #gamingcommunity #gamingnews #gamingposts #gamingchannel #gaming4life #youtuber #mixerstreamer #twitchstreamer

[coyotiii17]

Sonic Frontiers Review

Hello I finished Sonic Frontiers and now I'm crying. So I think it's the perfect time for me to reviewe this god damn game. Let's just start with one thing I wanted to do from the beginning since I started playing this game. Like I said, so far, my favourite sonic game was Sonic Generations. And I was wondering if this game would ever beat it. So what's the answer to that question? Yes, it absolutely beats Sonic Generations. Sonic Frontiers is officialy my favourite sonic game. Not only, because it has something that I always wanted, which is open world, but because it's really well made game that entertains for hours! Of course, it's not perfect, but I'll get to that later. Let's list positive sides of this game. 1. GAMEPLAY It's honestly really fun, especially with open world formula. Many fans were worried about it, but they did such a great job with it. We have 5 islands where we can run freely and do what we want, stunts, challanges, stages, SO MUCH THINGS. So it never gets boring. And let's be real, who never wanted to run around big fields with Sonic's speed. I did, that's for sure! What I also like is that the open world feels like and actual world. We have days, we have nights and even different weathers! It makes those islands more 'alive'.

2. STAGES Like I said, many fans were worried about open world, but we got stages too, which is great! And let's be real when it comes to stages in Frontiers. They're not as good as stages in Sonic Generations for example. But in this case, I understand. Because this game is not just stages. There's more they needed to work on. And stages, even if quite short and easy when it comes to red rings, are still fun! And it's fun to fully complete them. 3. MINIGAMES Aside from this normal gameplay where we just run around and complete stages, there are also minigames we can find on our way! Like for example pinball unlocking our way to third Titan, or this weird hacking game or FISHING! Those minigames are simple, but super fun and can really diversify the gameplay. I fell in love with fishing game, because it made me relax when story made me sad :'> Also I love Big.

4. CHARACTERS The characters were actually fixed!! Are you tired of Amy being only a sonic fangirl? Or Knuckles being a dumb comic relief? Or Tails being a coward? This game fixed that for you. Amy is still crushing on Sonic, but she's this sweet girl that wants to help others and will be stubborn if you're not willing to help. Knuckles is the responsible Guardian of the Master Emerald, but he still likes to crack jokes and just have fun. And Tails is the smart fox he always was, who wants to be truly independent and be his own hero. Eggman is not just a joke anymore, but truly an evil scientist that wants Sonic dead. And Sonic. Sonic is still this chill dude that loves joking around. But he still knows when to stop and get serious. Especially seeing his friends in distress. The moment when he saw that Knuckles is upset and at first wanted to just start with jokes, BUT he stopped himself and listened to him. This was brilliant. The same with Tails. Seeing him as this big older brother cheering up Tails made me really emotional. That's how it's supposed to be. There should be time for fun moments, but also serious things.

5. SAGE Sage is the new villain. And seeing the previous villain from Sonic Forces, really made me worry. But God, Sage is just so.... so amazing. She was so hostile and cold towards Sonic, trying to just murder him with those giants. But then she started to understand him more and more while the story progressed. And another great thing about her? Her relationship with Eggman. Seeing her call him father and Eggman call her his daughter... We've never seen something like this. We've never seen this side of Eggman. And when she sacrificed herself in the end, I actually wanted to cry. Especially seeing Eggman look into the sky, visibly upset. I never thought I would feel so bad for him. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HURT ME SO MUCH.

6. PLOT

It's been a while since Sonic had some interesting plot. Discovering the backstory of the Ancients. Titans. And the Koko. It was so exciting to see more and more of it. Also, why do Ancients look like Chaos? :0

7. MUSIC

The music in this game is just so good! From the peaceful soundtrack you can hear while running around the islands to exciting soundtracks you can hear while battling Guardians TO EVEN MORE EXCITING SONGS IN TITAN BATTLES. COME ON THOSE ARE MINDBLOWING! Shout out to my favourites: 'Undefeatable', 'Break Throught It All', 'Find Your Flame' <3

8. FIGHTING MECHANICS Sonic was never a fighting game, but this concept works in Sonic Frontiers and it's honestly really great. All the cool moves Sonic can make while battling enemies (of course if you unlock them). It just makes me want to fight those enemies more and more.

9. SUPER SONIC AND TITANS The last one is the best thing in Sonic Frontiers. Super Sonic, something that the previous game DIDN'T EVEN HAVE. But he returned and absolutely destroyed all fans. Usually Super Sonic was only in final battles in the end of the games, but here, we have 5 super battles! That's just- IT'S A LOT. Not to mention every battle is unique. While fighting Giganto we have so much freedom while flying around and hitting him and doing crazy combos. With Wyvern, we need to be more careful and actually understand this boss to defeat him. With Knight, we also have a lot of freedom, but in the middle, we also need to think a bit to land a hit on him. Overall Super Sonic in Sonic Frontiers is actually portrayed as this powerful being that will literally beat the living shit out of you and slam you into the cliff if you keep messing with his friends.

So that's all when it comes to positive things (I hope I didn't forget about something). So now the negative things. Like I said, this game is not perfect. 1. THE END The final boss disappointed me and I wanted to make a rant about how it's not even a boss fight, but I've actually read that it's like that only in normal mode. If you have a hard mode, there's going to be a real battle, but a really hard one that will get you an achievement. I- don't know what to say about this. Why delete the whole thing from this one mode? It's the final battle! It should be there, no matter what mode you're playing on. If I didn't read that just now, I would have thought that there's no battle at all and it just ends so fast! ESPECIALLY that beating up Supreme was so easy and fast that even Sonic said 'That's it?'. So I really thought there's more. But I'm gonna say more about it, after I actually play this fight. Maybe my opinion about it will change I dunno. 2. WEIRD CONTROLS OR SOMETHING Overall playing is super fun, but on stages, controlling Sonic is just so weird and hard to control, because he ends up all over the place. I even saw some mods already that fix the issues. 3. 2D SECTIONS Oh my God here we go I've never been a huge fan of 2D sections in modern games even tho there are exceptions where they do work. In Sonic Frontiers we can see 2D sections on some stages or some part of open world. I honestly don't really like them in open world, since we're supposed to feel free there, but if you found yourself in 2D section you need to either turn back or complete it (or fall somehow). I personally sometimes felt trapped when I got into them. But 2D sections in stages is the worst thing. I'm just gonna say it right now. I don't have anything against 2D sections if they work. In Sonic Frontiers... they don't. For some reason Sonic feels just so much slower in them. And it's just... not really fun and I don't understand why it is that way.

4. LACK OF SOME SONIC'S ABILITIES Why did they get rid of drift? I know they added it on this one stage (or maybe more of them, idk), but drift should be something that Sonic always has, especially since some stages really need this ability. Ok, maybe I get it, there's just not enough buttons yikes- This is also something minor, but what really bugged me is that Sonic can't run on water while boosting. Which makes me sad, because I loved doing that in Generations.

5. CAN'T BATTLE WITH TITANS AGAIN Why, just- WHYYY. Battling with Titans is one of the most exciting things to do in this game! I don't want to play the whole game again just to fight Knight for example. This option should be here, since you could do that in previous sonic games. And yeah, there are saves. You can just save the game before the battle with Titans starts and then just make a new one. But there's only 4 saves. One is autosave. So you only have 3. That's how I ended up with saves with Giganto's fight, Wyvern's fight and also Supreme's fight. But I can't fight again with Knight- I've heard something that they will probably add this feature, but I'm not sure-

There are probably things I forgot about or they were just so small they don't bug me that much. Overall, positives of this game are much more stronger than the negatives! Sonic Frontiers is definitely one of the best sonic games that ever came out. And personally, it's my favourite from all of them. This game is beautiful and made me so emotional it's not even funny. I wish I could forget it and play it again, because that was truly an experience! Although I'm definitely going to still play it and unlock more and more achievements. And we're actually going to get 3 DLCs so there's still more ahead of us! I really recommend this game to everyone who loves Sonic and recently had a lot of doubts when it comes to his future in modern games. Thank you for reading my review and remember that a lot of things said are very opinionated! You do not have to agree with everything I'm saying! And now....

Time to watch Sonic Prime now :')

#sonic #sonicthehedgehog #sonicfrontiers #sonicfrontiersreview #review #gamereview #gameopinions

[ryanbeardy]

Voice of Cards takes all the things you've seen before and gives it a new coat of paint, making it feel fresh again. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Al8EWhBf7xA

#VoiceofCards #SquareEnix #YokoTaro #Alim #RPG #Tabletop #Gaming #GameDesign #Review #GameReview #Playstation #Nintendo #Switch #PC #IOS #Android #Shorts

[gabiplayinthegames]

game review 6: mezzanine

mezzanine gave me an ANUERISM!! i have never been more confused in my life, but for some reason, i love it. i haven’t finished it yet, but i’m not even sure there’s an ending. part of me thinks it’s an incomplete game but part of me also thinks that i’m missing something.

review:

story: X/5, i can’t find a story. well, maybe a bit of one. again, confusing af!

visuals: 5/5, okay i have to give it this. a spectacular display of frutiger aero, which i’m a huge fan of. it is a beautiful and confusing game. it feels like a lucid dream.

characters: X/5, ain’t no characters in sight.

gameplay: 4/5, not to hard to control but takes a little getting used to.

overall: 9/20, 45%; okay this is a super low rating, but PLEASE play this!! i want to know if anyone can find an ending or anything of the sort! honestly i would recommend this game just to have the experience of playing it.

#mezzanine #mezzaninegame #steamgames #pc games #gaming #games #gamereview #gabiplayinthegames #games games games #weird #frutigeraero

[changingplay]

The World Ends with You and Soundscapes

The ways we experience sound have grown through the past century. The immersion of hearing the world around us has evolved to experiencing a facsimile of the aural world in films and television. One modern evolution of sound consumption is the video game. Uniquely, sound in video games is both passively enjoyed (like film scores, music and sound in games can play uninterrupted) and actively engaged with (sounds often appear at the will of the player through active gameplay). Through handheld systems and home consoles, game sounds can be heard anywhere, at any time, and at any fidelity – be it through hi-fi headphones on the train or through the built-in speakers of consoles like the Nintendo DS. These factors influence the ways we perceive the virtual worlds of video games through their soundscapes. The World Ends with You (TWEWY) makes it possible to sit within the middle of Shibuya, with the soundscape of the real world ever-present, whilst a virtualized “simulacrum of the real” (Collins 135) Shibuya is playing out in your hands. TWEWY takes place in the Shibuya district of Tokyo as players control Neku, a teenager never seen without his headphones, as he battles monstrous representations of “noise” to save Shibuya and eventually learn to accept other people into his life. This essay will discuss the ways in which TWEWY converses with soundscape studies, both pinpointing the influence soundscapes of the real world have on its sound design, and vice versa. Firstly, the essay will discuss the impact of portable sound systems – how the game expresses ideas around blocking the outside soundscape whilst creating one’s own curated internal soundscape. Design ideas such as keeping all music within the game diegetic, as it’s implied that the music the player hears is the self-same music Neku is listening to through his headphones, create an immersion with the narrative and sense of relation with the character. I will discuss how the soundscape of the game therefore effects the player in the sense that the player can also use headphones to interact with the music in the outside world, basically transforming the games console into Neku’s music player. Furthermore, the impact of the city itself, and TWEWY’s attempts to recreate a virtual Shibuya soundscape tells us how simulated soundscapes can influence and take from real soundscapes. Lastly, I will elaborate generally on how TWEWY and games as a medium both are impacted by soundscape studies (in the case of TWEWY in its narrative) and can impact soundscape studies themselves. Interactable sound is unique to video games and can inform how soundscapes are interpreted in wider soundscape studies.

What happens when you block out the world’s noises? Neku explores the many streets of Shibuya under the player’s control, never removing his headphones even while talking to the people he meets. If the game is left without input for an extended period, Neku will start to nod his head to the music in the middle of the street (fig 1), demonstrating that when not pushed to act by the player, he wishes only to absorb himself within his own catered soundscape. Narratively, Neku wants to distance himself from the world. “I was never good with people. I covered my ears and blocked them out” (TWEWY) he remarks, showcasing that his inability to talk with people and his relationship with the outside world is aural in nature. That by covering his ears to the world, he’s able to escape the “noisy maelstrom of the city” (Bull 352) and continue to live his life without conflict. Michael Bull extensively discusses the different kinds of people who use portable music players while traversing the cities they live in, and their reasons for doing so. One particularly prescient idea is that “iPod users might be understood as creating spaces of freedom for themselves through the very use of the technologies that tie them into consumer culture” (347). The imagery of carving out a personal space within the crowded streets of Shibuya as a method of garnering freedom is very apt to Neku’s disposition. The game has taken inspiration from the impact music players have on the type of urban teenager Neku is based on and implemented it as a core tenet of his character. This further extends to the player’s experience of sound and their ability to understand the culture of the game’s created soundscape. “Spatial acoustics” are a way to “help to create an environment” in games (Collins 132), and yet due to TWEWY’s commitment to relate Neku to the player, all sounds within the game are muffled during city exploration scenes due to the headphones Neku wears. The sounds of Shibuya are background to the music blaring through the game system. Players hear the rumbling of buses and trains when nearby Shibuya’s stations only as low bass frequencies, while the chatter of pedestrians is an ever-present murmur underneath the Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop music seemingly ever present. So deft is this recreational aspect of the game that IGN praised it specifically in their review of the game, calling the audio “impressive and realistic” in the way it “captures the sounds of Tokyo” (Bozon). Game sound design here has taken ideas from soundscape studies, that “noises are the sounds we have learned to ignore” (Schafer 4) and therefore continue to drown out with our own curated soundscape. TWEWY’s sound design uses this to express Neku’s personality and enhance the player’s ability to relate to him.

The game’s soundscape is largely based on the internal, private sounds Neku plays through his headphones. As such, the game features an eclectic soundtrack that largely meshes with the tastes of a teenager in Tokyo in the mid-2000s. It is a practice in video game sound design to rely on leitmotifs in their scores to “help to situate the player in the game matrix, in the sense that various locales or levels are usually given different themes” (Collins 130). In TWEWY this convention is not followed, as the soundtrack follows the ideology of the iPod shuffle. Like iPod users who give “themselves over to their music collection and the technology of the iPod” (Bull 344) when shuffling their music, the music in TWEWY is always randomized during gameplay. One battle can be scored by a hardcore metal song, while the next will play a bubblegum Shibuya-kei style pop ballad without any control from the player. At every transition point the song will change (such as starting a new battle), but never in a way that feels curated to match the specific mood of an area by the game developers. This complete trust in the shuffle of a playlist mirrors the way people interact with their music in day-to-day life, even offering an easy way to ‘skip’ a song by opening the menu and closing it again. The way to make sense of the world of TWEWY, and by extension a way to make sense of the Shibuya as seen through a teenager’s eyes, is through this often chaotic and randomized soundscape of music and the muffled world around it. One ironic factor of this is the specific usage of genres like Shibuya-kei, a genre of immense international collaboration between Japanese and non-Japanese musicians. The worldwide nature of this genre has led to it being called a “transnational soundscape”, one that includes many “sources, including French retro-pop, the art-pop of él Records (…) and Brazilian bossa nova.” (Roberts 116). Roberts goes on to describe the genre as being characterized by a “happiness always tinged with sadness, loss and nostalgia” (119). That a product of such transnational efforts would find itself integral to the playlist of an anti-social teen can show how, through music, one can open themselves up to a wider world even while they shut out the world around them with that very same music. That the genre is described in very melancholic terms points to Neku’s ability to relate enough to the music to have it score parts of his life, given his own melancholic disposition. Even during the curation of an intensely personal soundscape, neither Neku nor the iPod users he is based on can escape music that are often inherently “transnational soundscapes” by design. There is always a leakage, be it from the world outside or from the music itself, that assures internal soundscapes are influenced by soundscapes outside of themselves.

Games are unique in that they offer the ability for their soundscapes to be influenced by a player. In other mediums, the ability for the consumer to influence what they’re consuming is often very slim. One can yell at the screen in a theatre, but generally what one hears while watching a film is always curated. In TWEWY, not only are players able to explicitly cue when certain sounds are played (as with most games), but they’re also able to take the sounds they make into the game itself. Through using the games console’s microphone, TWEWY demands players scream at their DS to specifically drown out the noise of enemies as part of its battle system (fig 2). Games can therefore go much further than film in providing an accurate facsimile of a soundscape – the soundscapes we hear in the world have their own cultures, and the ability for oneself to influence these soundscapes is integral to their existence. Murray Schafer puts this poetically, asking “is the soundscape of the world an indeterminate composition over which we have no control, or are we its composers and performers, responsible for giving it form and beauty?” (5). Film would take the former answer, largely, I’m sure, due to technological restrictions on the medium. Video games, however, can make players into a game’s “composer” or “performer”, and TWEWY is an example of this. By physically mimicking the player’s shout into the microphone with his own world quaking version in game, the game developers have given more avenues of relation between Neku and the player. Like real soundscapes, the game’s virtualised soundscape has a culture of its own. This culture can be influenced by the player, not only the game developers. Likewise, Neku’s internal soundscape is influenced by the player through their ability to buy new songs for his music player, which can then be used recreationally by the player through their use of the games console as a portable music player itself - headphones sold separately.

While games are unique in their ability to have soundscapes that are interactable by the player, they are also capable of providing soundscapes which influence the player concurrently. Largely, the abilities of the soundscape in this regard are related to enhancing the effectiveness of a game’s narrative, such as to increase immersion or relatability between the player and a game character. I’ve already touched on some of the methods TWEWY incorporates to enable this, such as the mirroring between the sounds Neku hears and the ones the player does. As such, a player can don their own headphones to intensify this connection. By hearing the game in an immersive stereo configuration, the player is more effectively transported to the world of the game aurally. “The personal stereo” Sophie Arkette remarks, “might be used (…) as a way of superimposing an often faster beat on our own internal heartbeat. Whatever the reason, listening to music directly fed into the ears creates the illusion of enlarging our own physical scope.” (164).  The idea of music influencing physical factors, such as a heartbeat, is incredibly useful to a video game, whose kinetic inputs are necessarily physical in nature. Physically affecting the player improves immersion, given Neku’s heartbeat is likely high while in combat. The concept of music being useful in enlarging one’s physical scope is also very relevant to the themes of TWEWY, whose title is elaborated on within the game’s script: “Enjoy every moment with all you got. The world ends with you. If you want to enjoy life, expand your world. You gotta push your horizons out as far as they'll go.” (TWEWY). Arkette’s musing in this context seems tailor fit for TWEWY, showcasing the breadth of inspiration games can and have taken from sound studies. The music allows Neku to create a world around him, giving him new experiences, new ways to wander Shibuya. For the player, TWEWY offers them the same ability to experience the world around them in new ways, whether it be through listening to its music in the same way as Neku or through the moral messages of the game.

Games follow film in that they are often a medium of recreation. However, in many ways, “sound is as much an aesthetic choice as it is a reproduction of the imagined space” (Collins 135). In TWEWY’s recreation of Shibuya, there is both an eye to realism, as IGN noted in their review (Bozon), and a level of creative license. The essence of Shibuya, as a place “overloaded with stimulus” (Konomi 4) that is characterised by its “crowding and noisiness” (2), is accentuated in the sound design of the game. Noise is itself named the enemy of the game, a threat to life that must be eradicated, and it (naturally) invades much of the soundscape of Shibuya with animalistic roars or distorted, synthesized cries. In a city where one cannot escape stimulus, the prospect of constantly wearing headphones to control some of those stimuli seems understandable. The headphones become a “space” to “unwind and unravel” one’s “emotions, thus providing a base for thinking more clearly or lucidly.” (Bull 349.) This is especially important for Neku, given the emotional and stressful situations the game puts him (and by extension, the player) through. One area that contains an abundance of realism in its configuration, however, is the Hachikō statue west of Shibuya Crossing. In his description of Shibuya, Brian Morris says:

“thumbing through the messages on your mobile, while standing next to the area’s intimate and nationally famous human-scaled statue of the loyal dog, Hachikō, you are also often strongly aware of being physically enveloped by the multiple cinema screen–scale images dancing across the surrounding canyon of building surfaces. This experience is sensorily amplified by noisy soundtracks that are themselves frequently challenged by the ear-splitting sound systems of a number of vehicles temporarily passing” (290)

This description not only perfectly describes surroundings of the area in the game (an indication of its verisimilitude) and the actions players take there, but also the general experience of being surrounded by sound. The game has recreated Shibuya in a fantasy story, taking liberties to showcase the noise pollution of the city as a tangible enemy with physical properties. This not only makes the game ‘fun’ to play, in that the game has a basis to design a multitude of creatures to defeat around, but also makes its central feature – combat – into a commentary on the state of Shibuya and its problems with noise.

This essay has thus far concerned itself mostly with the ways TWEWY takes from and engages with soundscape studies, yet I think there is room for soundscape studies to take from TWEWY and gaming as a whole. The medium’s unique property of hyper-interactivity, and the ability for games to engage with players over “thirty to forty hours” (Collins 132) helps them to create a microcosm of the world around us with much larger potential detail than other artforms. Take, for example, the importance of “sound symbols to help identify goals and focus the player’s perception on certain objects” (Collins 130). In this case, games are reliant on sound studies to keep players aware and engaged. These sound symbols are like the idea of signal sounds, “foreground sounds” that are “listened to consciously.” (Schafer 10), such as traffic signals. As in its real-world equivalent, games expect players to be able to recognise signal sounds and react to them through conditioning over the course of gameplay. One of the most common examples of this in gaming is the low-health beep, also seen in TWEWY, where a high-pitched noise will play repeatedly to inform the player they are close to losing. Players are trained to listen to this as opposed to using their sight to visibly look at their health as this would distract from the player’s ability to succeed in the gameplay (if one takes their eyes of the enemy, they’re liable to lose then and there). Significantly, games offer soundscape studies a longform and realistic case study to look at the effects of sound signals on a wider populace and the ways that they can be used to condition people to behave certain ways when faced with a signal noise.

TWEWY is but one example of an industry of games which interact with sound studies to build their worlds and the cultures around them. While a soundscape is often thought of as a physical element of the world, I have discussed the ways in which a virtual “simulacrum of the real” (Collins 135) can also embody the elements of a soundscape. Through dialogue with concepts of soundscape studies, such as Michael Bull’s work on headphone use in city commutes, TWEWY showcases an awareness of sound and an ability to enhance sound studies itself. Headphones are an ever-present feature on the main character, Neku, which narratively connects his anti-social behaviour with a desire to disconnect his internal soundscape from the noise of Shibuya around him. The game shows through dialogue that he is unable to listen (as Tom Rice describes listening: “allowing oneself to be persuaded by another” (100)), and the object of the portable sound system represents literally this inability to listen. Games, too, allow the player to influence the soundscape – TWEWY incorporates the human voice directly into its gameplay; the game effects the world outside it by convincing the player to shout into their console. This too means, naturally, that the soundscape influences the player too. TWEWY is adamant on creating immersion and relatability between player and game character through making sure they’re constantly sharing the same soundscapes. Shibuya was chosen for the game’s locale likely due to its clear relation to consumerism, youth culture, and its sheer noisiness (Konomi), offering the game a clear relation to a real city soundscape as inspiration. Lastly, this essay has briefly looked at the potential uses of video games in further soundscape studies through the medium’s use of signal sounds, but an entire article can be written on this idea and I hope to read such an analysis in the future. Video games, in their creations of environments for players to engage with, can create soundscapes which necessarily converse with the virtual soundscape the game creates and the soundscape of the world around the player.

Works Cited Arkette, Sophie. “Sounds Like City.” Theory, Culture & Society, vol. 21, no. 1, Sage, 2004, pp. 159–168.

Bozon. “The World Ends With You Review.” IGN, 16 Apr. 2008, https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/04/16/the-world-ends-with-you-review

Bull, Michael. “No Dead Air! The iPod and the Culture of Mobile Listening.” Leisure Studies, vol. 24, no. 4, Routledge, 2005, pp. 343–55.

Collins, K.C. “Gameplay, Genre, and the Functions of Game Audio”. Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design. MIT Press, 2008, pp. 123-137.  

Morris, B. “Un/Wrapping Shibuya: Place, Media, and Punctualization”. Space and Culture, vol. 13, no.3, SAGE Publications, 2010, pp. 285–303.

Murray, Schafer. “Introduction.” The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World. Destiny Books, 1994, pp. 3-12.  

Rice, Tom. “listening.” Keywords in Sound, Duke University Press, 2015. pp. 99-111.

Roberts, Martin. “‘A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular’: Shibuya-Kei as Transnational Soundscape.” Popular Music, vol. 32, no. 1, Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp. 111–23,  

Shin’ichi, Konomi. Lost Again in Shibuya: Exploration and Awareness in a Labyrinth. 2014

Street Jam. The World Ends with You Wiki. https://twewy.fandom.com/wiki/Street_Jam

The World Ends with You. Nintendo DS Version, Square Enix, 2008

#the world ends with you #twewy #gamereview #games #video games #square enix #tetsuya nomura #vgm #video game music #essay #analysis

[rquerdo]

I finished Saints Row (2022) and I have some thoughts...

If you guys know, I'm a fan of the Saints Row series ever since I can remember. I remember watching the a few game plays of Saints Row 2 and immediately was intrigued. So intrigued that I remember getting hyped up for the 3rd game and watched any leaks Volition and Deepsilver threw at us. Well, it's hard to say for the games after the 4th and reboot. I just want to discuss the Saints Row (2022) but if I mention the other games, I'll try my best to make sure it pertains to the reboot.

Keep in mind: These are just my opinions and by no means am I a professional reviewer or critic. Also possible spoilers.

First off, let's talk about the name they gave the game....Saints Row. Not to get mixed up with...Saints Row. But I thought that was such a poor move on branding. Little moments where I would stream Saints Row (2022 not the original), Twitch would mix the two up. Not only that, searching for guides and walk throughs were a bit messy as well. My suggestion: Give it a name that has Saints Row, but change it up. Example: Full House (the OG), Fuller House (the series). Maybe name it "The 3rd Street Saints". Just. Something. Else...

Graphics:

.... Yikes :)

Everyone's skin is so gross and THAT HAIR TEXTURE! You can literally see every pore as if it was marked with a highlighter-it was bad. Their skin looked so bumpy and it made the characters look more alien-like than realistic. I get it, we all don't have clear skin, but that skin's not human. As for the hair, it's stiff as a board and every time you wear an accessory, the hair goes right through it so sorry if you wanted to give your character longer hair.

The Outfits:

So my biggest issue with the outfits is this huge glitch. I'll talk about the glitches in a bit (because trust me, there's a lot) but I just want to talk about the overall, outfits that are available for the characters.

Overall, not the worst selection-but not the best. I was a bit annoyed where there are so many smaller stores with few items to choose from around the city compared to having 3 or 4 big stores with a bigger category to choose (like how they did in all the other games). Personally, I thought this was quite cheap of them to do that. Not sure how much they showed off the stores when doing their sneak peek game plays, but if they bragged about a "wide variety of clothing", then there's nothing to brag about, really-probably about the same as 3 and 4.

Story line:

Remember in Middle/high school where you have that one teacher or faculty member that tries too hard to make you or your peers laugh but instead, makes you cringe? Well, that was this game. To me, it felt as if the writers were trying to hard to appeal to the Gen Z audience.

Hear me out:

In the beginning of the game, you and your friends are struggling to make ends due, so each of you guys join separate gangs (Which if that was realistic, all of them would've been killed since they have some sort of affiliation with their gang's enemies; each other). Until, you and friends decide on creating The Saints (they never said 3rd Street Saints), your character would not shut up about how they can't pay rent or how they don't have medical insurance. Regardless or not if you find that funny, after the 3rd or 4th time hearing them on repeat, it makes them sound whiny and annoying.

The ending was alright. But leading to the ending was baffling. Something that I like about the 2nd and 1st game is how you can progress each story line one gang member at a time and when the gang member's story finishes, you move on to the next until you eventually get the prologue and ending. This game's like: We work for other gangs, we made our gang, party!, end of game.

Side story line/ non-main game play:

I actually enjoyed it. I'm happy with the things to do throughout the city and I often catch myself sidetracked with a few hitman missions or being an evil "yelp" reviewer on stores. I found it a bit annoying with the lack of fast travels, but I think that's a personal preference than anything. Overall, I do see myself going back to finish all the side missions and challenges

I will say, I've been working so hard to get the Let's Pretend store available to use, I was quite underwhelmed with the selections but I've already mentioned that complaint.

Your Character:

I would say from the 2nd game to this game, they all have the same generic personality. Granted, from the original Saints Row to the 4th, it's all the same boss. The reboot has no connection to the previous games which honestly lacks character development (or just a personality at all). The character is that same "I'm a bad ass-ready to kill" vibe where if there's a moment the other characters say something statistical, they get all "I don't care-I'm just gonna threaten them with a gun!" Again, no character development. Where's the weakness? Where's...basically anything else. I know nothing about this character and I played them for 20+ hours.

Glitches:

Another yikes...

Keep in mind that not all glitches are consistent with the player. These are the one's that I've received so keep that in mind...

During the end of my game play, I've been more-and-more nervous on my game crashing or finishing a task but the game doesn't register that you finished the task so you're stuck until you restart from checkpoint. I don't know if this is a PC glitch, but I've been getting that a lot with open world games; another notorious game that's prone to do that is Cyberpunk 2077. Only difference with that game and this one, I can actually restart from checkpoint; Saints Row 2022, I can't- I have to restart the game and start over.

Going back to the Character outfits, there's a huge glitch where you would put your character in an outfit, and it doesn't show. This was more towards the Jackets. When you boot up your game, you may also notice that your character may be missing a few accessories as well. Also, when shopping for pants, some stores never show the pants selection on your character; I find that weird.

Other than that, there were some funny, harmless glitches like an npc stretched out and is flying all over the place or when your character is giving a serious dialogue and their mouths are not moving.

Gameplay and Controls:

I'm very iffy on this one. Usually when I play games on the computer, I like to use my PS4 controller (sue me-I come from a Console only, gaming family). But I've noticed that I was not able to do quite a few functions. Granted, I should've changed the controls in the settings, but I can't remember why I got impatient and decided to go keyboard instead. The keyboard controls weren't too bad. Auto aim helps a lot and it's not too "deadlocked" on one enemy; I picked up real fast.

I will say, I don't know what the point of the emotes are in the game, I don't even know how to toggle them. (no hate for that, just a random thought).

Directions were pretty much to the point but the GPS arrow thing tends to throw me off a lot. I often find myself ignoring it since it's too wishy-washy on directions.

I played this game on the Hard Difficulty. I found Normal too easy but to be fair, I have a tendency to jump straight to Hard mode on any game (unless if I know it's a strategic game)

~~~Overall Thoughts~~~

I mean, I think you can tell what I think of this game; I'm disappointed in it. Gameplay wasn't the worst, but graphics, glitches, and the story line killed it for me. If I had to give an overall grade, it would receive a "D" or a 4/10. If you're debating on if you should get it or not, best recommendation is to wait for it to go on sale-this is definitely not worth $60, heck even $40. I'd pay maybe $15 for this game and that's not on sale. Hopefully the game ends up with some cool DLC's and patches (which I would not be surprised if they discontinued Saints Row 2022 because of the bad reviews).

It was a shame too because I was really rooting for this game. I let my love for the other games allow me to have a positive mindset when playing, but the more I played, the more I end up disappointed. I see The Saints Row series one roller coaster. 1st was the rising game, 2nd was the peak, 3rd was a slight fall 4th and Saints Row 2022 was the falling.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you'd be interested in more reviews!

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#saints row #saints row 2022 #review #gamereview #gaming #SaintsRow2 #SaintsRow3 #SR2 #SR2022 #critique #saints row the third #Saints Row 4 #Glitches #gameplay #walkthrough #thoughts #saints row review #saints row reboot

[suzuran777]

Review: Nie no Machi -Iromusubi-

I finally finished playing the Nie no Machi fandisc! The first game was released in 2018 and I really liked it, so I was very excited when they announced Nie no Machi -Iromusubi-. This review might contain some spoilers for the first game, but I’ll try to not mention too many details.

Most routes are a direct continuation of the ones you played in the first game, though they also added some new original stories! The first time you play this game only one of the new routes is available (開幕/Opening). In this route Hisora is still staying at the inn with everyone who you met in the first game. This route also introduces a new character called Sanjuugo, whose name literally means…35 and that’s because Hisora thought that would be a good name for him (….yeah, don’t even ask). Sanjuugo/35 has two endings, but you can play most of the other endings after finishing his main ending (the one with the CG, you’ll know when you see it...). I of course recommend getting them all because you probably need all endings to unlock the final route.

After finishing this route you unlock many new stories, I summarized the three different categories below:

Sequels (後日譚): Will Hisora stay at the inn, or will he return to the real world? These are direct continuations of all the good and normal endings of the first game.

Side Stories (外伝): These stories focus on the side characters, but in most of them you’ll also see some other characters. Akari, Totonoe, Komachi, Kuro and Sata all have their own new stories.

If (いふ): These are continuations of the first game’s bad endings, though only the ones in which Hisora is still alive of course. In this case that’s both of Naruomi’s bad ends (Akari end, Shiro & Kuro end), Koko’s bad end, Asuku’s bad end and one of Mio’s bad ends (Totonoe ending).

You’re free to play them in whatever order you want, but some of the bad endings and side stories can get pretty dark, so be prepared for that! (but if you played the first game you of course already expected that).

Once you finish all of these two other stories unlock! Especially the final one is pretty long and almost feels like a whole new route. In this route the choices you pick matter because you can get a few different endings, though there’s only 3 choices so it’s pretty easy to figure out.

Final thoughts I really enjoyed this fandisc! In my opinion fandiscs are always a bit of a hit or miss, some of the other ones I’ve played felt a bit short and others didn’t add the bad ending continuations I would love to see. However, Iromusubi is a pretty long fandisc, I think it took me at least 38 hours to finish everything, which is comparable to the length of the first game. Iromusubi is also a bit cheaper than the original game too, so I think pricewise it was a good deal.

Apparently they changed the writer for this game, but I didn’t really notice it? Of course Japanese isn’t my first language and it has been 4 years since I finished the first game, so maybe I just don’t remember. The first game had a lot of gory content and the fandisc definitely had a lot of this too. Not every scene had a CG, but sometimes you didn’t even need that because the descriptions were already graphic enough. I’m not complaining though because I’m a big fan of horror VNs! Also that first route which you have to play before you can even access anything else... I certainly didn’t expect that...

I was surprised that one of my favorite endings was actually Mio’s good end, because I don’t think he was my favorite character in the first game. I also really liked the side stories because not only do you learn more about the side characters, they also show a couple of new scenes with Koko, Naruomi and Mio. I do wonder what happened to some of Asuku’s content? The side character in his first game route was Ao, but he’s not mentioned anywhere in the fandisc. Because of this you don’t learn super much new about Asuku’s past either, though they do briefly mention it in his good end continuation. Also the new route you unlock near the end is my guilty pleasure route... but I won’t spoil it right now.

I do recommend playing the fandisc if you enjoyed the original game! You can buy the digital version here, DLsite usually has discount coupons, so I think I got it for 30% off too. If you still want to buy the first game, they also sell a bundle which contains both games here! All pictures in this blog belong to Zombilica and were posted on the official website.

#nienomachi #nie no machi #iromusubi #visualnovel #vn #blvn #review #summary #gamereview

[hilltopsunset]

Scarlet/Violet’s Poor Performance Overshadows Bigger Problems

Preface – What follows is not a proclamation arguing that no one should have fun with the new Pokémon games. People are allowed to enjoy what they enjoy. That sentiment can coexist alongside the fact that the game deserves a heavy amount of criticism. Criticism is not synonymous with hate. Often times, we criticize what we love most, because we want more for it/them, we want to see something/someone succeed, so we offer criticism as an opportunity for growth and improvement. If your initial reaction to criticism of something/someone you love is anger, it may be helpful to take a few deep breaths, consider the intentions of the criticism, and try as objectively as possible to examine whether there is any merit to the criticism before attempting to shut it down.

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who is mostly OK, but doesn’t put in much effort? Sometimes they’ll do something special to remind you they care, but usually sacrifice other aspects of the relationship along the way? And you've loved them so long it's hard to acknowledge the faults, and even harder to let go?

That’s Pokémon.

We are now at the end of the first weekend following Scarlet and Violet’s (S/V) release date, and what a weekend it was. Anecdotes about the horrendous performance alongside galleries of glitches have flooded the internet over the past few days, highlighting example after example of poorly optimized gameplay and occasional game-breaking bugs. The situation has gotten so severe that many players are requesting refunds for spending money on a triple-A official release that seems more like an alpha or beta version of the game. While the jury is out on exactly who is to blame (Gamefreak? Nintendo? The Switch hardware?), the answer to that question is a moot point—the fact remains that the game was released in this state despite similarly ambitious titles releasing on the same hardware with little to no problems at all, and now players are experiencing the consequences.

The biggest problem with the hype around performance issues is this: performance issues aren’t the game’s biggest problems. I definitely think they are the most egregious problems, and probably the most universally obvious ones, so maybe it’s good that these issues occurred so that the Pokémon community can start more seriously considering the criticisms players have been vocal about for years. I myself wrote a piece following the release of Sword/Shield (Sw/Sh) discussing my disappointment in the game and the franchise as a whole, followed by another blog post offering suggestions on ways to breathe new life into the games while still maintaining the charm and allure of its predecessors.

Yet the games continue to demonstrate apathy toward innovation and improvement in a way unprecedented for the highest-grossing franchise ever. Even if the performance of the game was immaculate, running at 60fps 100% of the time with no visual glitching anywhere to be seen, I have identified a collection of recurring and new issues that I’m grouping under the single umbrella of “immersion” issues. Textures are still reminiscent of N64 era resolutions, the game’s animations are still extremely low-quality, and Pokémon are still just roaming around aimlessly with no purpose or sense of belonging in the world. They even reverted the out-of-battle catching mechanic that made Legends: Arceus (L:A) feel so fluid and improved over the old “fight-and-catch” method, and have made a number of new poorly executed additions specific to the new games.

But why does immersion matter? Similar to how a book draws readers into a story, videogames should draw players into the gameplay. When reading a good book, people often forget they are even reading, mindlessly turning pages while completely engrossed in the pleasure, excitement, fear, or romance created by the words on the pages. Video games have the ability to offer a similar experience. Now, imagine you’re reading a book and encounter an entire page where each letter is a different color, and there is a random image behind all the letters with even more clashing colors on it. Or maybe you turn the page and suddenly the book slams shut, forcing you to remember what page you were on and relocating it. This would be distracting to the reader, and likely would disengage them from the story. Similarly, the aforementioned issues with the Pokémon games often pull players away from the immersion of the gameplay and create a dissatisfying experience.

Many of us remember the infamous tree from Sw/Sh. When it was first shown in a preview for the then-upcoming games, fans were understandably concerned. Many voiced a hope that the textures would be improved before the official release of the game. We’ve now seen similar or worse textures in 3 games since—Sw/Sh, L:A, and now S/V. Textures are often so bad that they are difficult to look away from. Just like the example of the colorful page in a book, the poor textures draw attention away from the game itself and ruin any immersion players may have been feeling up to that point.

Image: Giant human hands strike the enemy Pokemon.

Similarly, it is extremely distracting to see massive white-gloved human hands suddenly appear out of thin air to strike enemy or friendly Pokémon when using moves like Arm Thrust or Double Slap. There is no justifiable reason for this anymore at this point. The human hands and feet served their purpose within the 2D games due to graphical limitations, and were forgivable on the 3D handheld games due to limitations once again. But now they are just a slap in the face to players. Pokémon should be allowed to use their physical bodies to physically strike other Pokémon during battles. To be honest, it’s embarrassing that these artifacts from bygone generations continue to plague modern-day Pokémon games.

And then there’s the issue of Pokémon themselves popping into existence out of thin air as you approach them. This issue was present in Sw/Sh and L:A and doesn’t seem to have been adequately dealt with for S/V. When Pokémon do show up from a distance, it is often at an extreme lack of framerate, sometimes dropping to what looks like probably 3 or 4 fps. Framerates in S/V are constantly hit or miss from the few streams and examples I’ve seen floating around. The very first stream I went into showed a classroom full of children kicking their feet and swaying their heads at a solid 4 frames per second.

And when Pokemon do show up on the field, what are they doing? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which brings us to the issue of wild Pokémon behaving like automatons rather than real, living creatures. Ever since Pokémon started appearing in the overworld beginning with Let’s Go: Pikachu and Eevee, I have been yearning to see Pokémon behave more like real creatures. This issue has existed within every title since then: hoards of monsters just meandering in bushes and open fields, walking in circles and waiting for players to come battle or catch them. There is no reason so many creatures should just be hanging out in the open, often in groups integrated with other species which one may expect to be more hostile, and the only thing that causes any sort of reaction from them is the player’s existence. Every Pokémon in the wild exist solely for players to battle and/or catch them, and the games make no attempt to hide that purpose or integrate Pokémon more seamlessly into the world.

Image: Pokemon just...standin’...standin’ around...

Alongside better Pokémon integration with the world, making finding/catching Pokémon more meaningful and exciting would do wonders for the games. Players got a sense of this in L:A. Imagine if many of your encounters felt the same way as the first handful of alpha Pokémon you dealt with? Finding strong or rare Pokémon in the world should feel scary, tense, and/or exciting, and battling or catching them should feel challenging and fun. With that being said, I think they should move forward with the out-of-combat catching mechanic from L:A still in place. I don’t think I will ever play a Pokémon game again if that mechanic does not return, as it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a Pokémon game, despite L:A having plenty of other problems. In fact, finding a way to make battling occur while still being able to control the player character would open up a LOT of opportunity for interesting interactions and gameplay (I’m imagining something like Kingdom Hearts style combat where you can move around while choosing commands for your Pokémon, but this is a big jump and not something I expect).

Besides these recurring issues I’ve had, I know that there is a new problem in S/V of level-scaling—i.e. there is none. I have already seen players charting out best paths to take where you are more likely to encounter challenges within your team’s levels. A simple scaling mechanic would have done well in this game to allow players to choose their own paths while still encountering reasonable challenges all along the way. I’ve also read anecdotal experiences of folks lamenting the lack of interior exploration available in the game with buildings only existing as facades, and some buildings leading only to a store menu. I was watching a streamer play through a part of the game within a school, I believe, and to get from one room to another, the player walked to the doorway and POP! a menu screen asked where the player would like to go. Was modeling an interior so difficult? They couldn’t just let the player explore the building as they like? What is the purpose of requiring a menu to go to a room that is likely just down the hall? Anyway, regarding the stores, I’ve also read that they are exactly the same in each city/town, leaving no reason to make a journey from one location to another for unique goods, which could have been an interesting motivation for players to want to visit new locations.

None of these problems would be solved by the performance issues being resolved; they are inherent parts of S/V that ruin game immersion and bring what could have been an absolutely incredible addition to the franchise down to a barebones minimum, scarcely managing to crawl across the threshold of acceptability even for some of the staunchest supporters of the games. Coming from the most affluent and popular franchise to ever exist, the bare minimum is not good enough, especially when taken in combination with an absolutely atrocious technical and graphical performance on release.

We as players and Pokémon enjoyers need to hold Gamefreak to higher standards and draw the line somewhere if we ever want to see a main-series Pokémon game grow and innovate. If you purchased the game and are having fun with it, I’m genuinely happy for you. If I played it, I’m sure I would have fun, too. However, I want more for the main series, and I can’t bring myself to support Gamefreak financially knowing they are perfectly happy to release a complete mess of a game and call it finished. I will not be purchasing S/V.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet #pokemon violet #scarlet #violet #gamereview #gaming #gamefreak #nintendo #criticism #pokemon gen 9 #gen9 #game review