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hephaestuscrew · 5 months

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Sometimes I think about Dominik Koudelka's assistant who takes Minkowski's call in Ep43 Persuasion...

In the moment, dismissing the voice on the other end of the phone feels like the right thing to do. She can't just put any random person who calls through to Mr. Koudelka immediately; if she did, there would be no point in him having an assistant at all. And when that random caller is claiming to be Mr. Koudelka's dead wife, of course it would be wrong to subject him to that. (Cont. below cut)

She's seen Mr. Koudelka in the denial stage of grief, if only from a professional distance. She knows that the only time he took off after he heard the news was the day of his wife's funeral. She knows he started working days so long it was a wonder he got any sleep at all. She's heard rumours that he tried to insist that The Times' coverage of the shuttle crash ought to use the word 'allegedly' more. Apparently he ignored every sensitively-worded inquiry about whether he wanted to have any input on his wife's obituary.

Mr. Koudelka certainly doesn't need some cruel joke reopening emotional wounds. It's better not to mention it to him. His assistant knows that she did the right thing.

Or at least, she thinks she did. But she still can't stop thinking about that voice on the other end of phone, its desperation, its sense of urgency, its bizarre impossible claim.

So maybe she finds herself looking up Renée Minkowski, just to set her mind at ease. And there's surprisingly little information out there, but she eventually finds a clip of an interview from just before the launch of the Hephaestus mission. And that's when her stomach drops. She recognises the voice in the video. It's the same voice as the one she heard on the end of the phone. She's sure it's the same voice.

And what is she supposed to do then? Go to her boss and tell him that his wife is alive? Tell him that she lost him potentially his one chance to talk to his presumed dead wife? Admit that she didn't tell him about that call straight away? She's got no proof, just her memory. What if she's wrong about it being the same voice? Maybe it was a good impersonator, or a technological trick, or the power of suggestion. Is telling him the truth worth risking her job for? Is it worth risking giving false hope to a widower who has only just begun to move on? What if he doesn't believe her? What if he does?

#Wolf 359 #w359 #Dominik Koudelka #Renée Minkowski #Renee Minkowski #Personally I imagine that Koudelka's assistant didn't ever tell him about that call #because how can you tell someone something like that?#but if she did #there is some very interesting potential in terms of how he might react to that #which I'm sure other people have explored probably #In terms of thinking about Koudelka not taking time off #after hearing that his wife was dead #Minkowski is the kind of person who works super hard to avoid her feelings #so I think Koudelka would be similar #Thinking about when Gabriel Urbina said that before she left. Minkowski made Koudelka promise #that he would only worry about her for 10 minutes a day #and that he would be busy doing stuff the rest of the time #What can he do with that promise once he thinks she's dead?#I'm wildly inconsistent with how much I care about Minkowski and Koudelka's marriage #When I think about it in relation to the Hephaestus crew found family and their return to Earth #I'm like 'get in line Dominik. Renée's got new priorities now.#Deal with it or go away.'#But when I think about how Dominik Koudelka is someone who loved (and was loved by) Renée Minkowski #and didn't want her to go to space for two years but let her go #because it was her dream and anyway he couldn't stop her if he tried #and then he thought she'd died out there #and Minkowski tried to speak to him from 8 lightyears away but her words never reached him...#then I'm like 'oh actually I can care about this unvoiced character'#wolf 359 spoilers #w359 spoilers

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honorarycassowary · 6 years

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So I finished Wolf 359. Spoilers and long AF ramblings under the cut.

I loved the finale! I had been hoping for a long time that the show would have an open ending, and especially one that’s ambiguous/bittersweet (because those are my absolute favorite kind and I love them) and it delivered.

I took kind of a long break from the show after I listened to the season 3 finale, because I was ... pretty upset about Lovelace, Hilbert, and Maxwell’s deaths, since I really cared about all three of those characters. But on further reflection, I think that killing them off, and keeping Hilbert and Maxwell dead, was a good choice. Huge chunks of the fourth season dealt with the emotional fallout from their deaths - Lovelace had to come to terms with her true nature, Hera had to sort through her emotions about Maxwell, Jacobi had to grapple with the death of his best friend and the role he played in it, Minkowski had to deal with the calls she made. Taking these deaths and keeping them dead, and adding in the deaths in the season 4 finale meant the actions and struggles the crew faced during the course of the show had weight.

Speaking of deaths, Mr. Cutter’s death was satisfying. After all his gloating, and his utter moral bankruptcy, he got a harpoon to the head, courtesy of the people he’d hurt most. Honestly, fuck that guy. He had an even more convincingly awful person voice than Kepler.

I was surprisingly sad about Kepler’s death. I spent all of season 3 wanting to stab the man - he was a very effective and hateable villain, so absolute props to the writer and the voice actor - but season 4 made me actually start to like him. Wolf 359′s habit of introducing bigger villains and repeatedly forcing an Enemy Mine situation works wonders at making genuinely awful people sympathetic. Jacobi trying to get Minkowski to kill him in Dirty Work was just amazing. Anyways, Kepler finally doing the right thing for once in his life, in such a way that he dies with every other character (except Ms. Young) thinking he was ready to let everyone on Earth die, is GREAT. I think it’s possible that the remaining crew figured out what he did, but I would actually prefer they don’t realize it and go through their lives thinking he was prepared to go along with Cutter. It’s more painful like that, and I like that.

On the flip side, it was interesting to see Dr. Pryce live - but get her threats to Hera turned around on her, and effectively get a personality rewrite of her own. I’m interested to see what she does with her life, and how the Hephaestus crew treats her. I wonder what Hera said to her. Hera lived her whole life afraid of her personality matrix being overwritten, and then she erased Dr. Pryce’s memory. It was the only option she had with the tools on hand, but she has to feel some sort of way about it. They could potentially have a really interesting dynamic, and I’d love to see fic that explores it. I also find the transhumanist element of Dr. Pryce’s character to be intriguing. Personally, I think the problem with what she wanted to do is the idea of forcibly changing humanity, and making them compliant to her will, not the inherent concept of radically changing the self. I would be interested to see the new Pryce exploring how her former self’s ideas could benefit humanity, even though her methods, morals, and life philosophy were horribly flawed. It’s a similar thing to Hilbert, I think - they started from an understandable point, but veered off somewhere down the line. Now that her memories are erased, I want her to figure out who she is, and what she wants, and how that will shape the future of Goddard Futuristics. (I’m really curious how they - and the government - will handle so many people returning from the dead, getting amnesia, or dying for real. Mr. Koudelka is gonna break one hell of a story.)

Then, there’s what happened to Eiffel. He really gets put through the wringer over the course of the show - injected with a deadly virus! launched into space, where he nearly dies from cryostasis overuse! threw himself into a sun! mindcontrolled! and now, finally, has his memories erased. Eiffel has been the main character (though it’s definitely an ensemble show, especially once you get past season 1), and he’s grown over the course of the show. So I didn’t actually think that he’d be harmed, going into the finale. But I liked what happened to him. He tried his best to get out of the situation, and then sacrificed himself so that Pryce could be defeated. I also liked the ambiguity of whether he is the “real” Doug Eiffel. There’s been an overarching theme in Wolf 359 of “what makes a person a person? what makes you you?” and I want Eiffel to be able to explore that. He has all the logs - but that’s not a complete picture of Doug Eiffel. Eiffel had secrets, he had hidden depths, he had a life beyond his job (as he was wont to remind everyone). In the brief time we see the new Doug Eiffel, he’s similar but the not identical to the OG Doug, most notably indicated in how he says Minkovski and his confusion at the pop culture references in his logs. It’s fascinating that he’s approaching the question of “what makes you you?” from the opposite direction of Captain Lovelace - he has the same body, but none of the memories. They could get a lot of good conversations out of that. I’m not any more sure than he is about who he “really” is, but he has a life ahead of him to figure that out, which is the important part.

Hera erased both Eiffel and Pryce memories, and, like I said above, I wonder how that affected her. Don’t get me wrong - I’m proud of her! She spent her whole life fighting against people trying to beat her down into shape, and she never gave up, and she won. She was brave, but she did something very, very hard. I hope she’s able to make a good life for herself on Earth. I think she’ll fight for it. I think everyone else will help her.

I’m proud of Jacobi! He saved the day - he not only figured out Cutter had him bugged, he came up with two plausible plans and then saved everyone’s lives once things went a little pearshaped. I’m also so happy that he doesn’t think he’s a good person, and he’s not trying to be one (at least not now). I prefer to think of him as a bad person who does have moral lines he won’t cross, as opposed to a good guy fallen on bad times (even if he is sympathetic). He was so enthusiastic about being monsters with Maxwell. But I think his time on Wolf 359 has really shaken his faith and given him a lot to think about. Also, I love his arguments with Kepler all through this season. His “just admit you were wrong!” rant to Kepler really speaks to their long history and loyalty twisted into frustration and hatred. He’s got an amazing sense of palpable betrayal in regards to Kepler, and that’s why I mentioned above that I don’t want him to learn that Kepler saved them. I think it’s more narratively interesting to have him hit with the full brunt of that betrayal. Also he’s gay and I’m DELIGHTED.

Minkowski sending the ship off with Eiffel inside it was a real betrayal, and I’m glad Eiffel brought that up as a bad thing, even if he did forgive her. And, uh, immediately lose his memories. But I totally understand why she did it, and I love how strongly her protective sense towards her crew comes out. And she gets to kill Cutter, after everything he did to her and her crew. I also liked her flashback with Hera to when they first arrived - it’s a interesting contrast being awkward Minkowski who’s not sure of herself, but who immediately respects Hera’s wishes, to hardened Commander Minkowski who kills a man and saves a planet, but who maintains that love for her subordinates. I really hope things work out with her husband. Between the two of them, they might just be able to take down Goddard Futuristics.

Lovelace’s continual fight to be herself comes (mostly) to an end. I wasn’t expecting Cutter to find a new way to mind-control her, but I did now she would fight til the end. She and Minkowski make a great team, and they must have made record time on those engines. I also like that bonding moment between her and Eiffel at the start of the episode. There’s something very human about stealing your awful boss’s fancy food for stress relief, and I like the reference to the seaweed tea. She absolutely 100% deserves that vacation. I hope she’ll be able to relax long enough to make the most of it, but I feel like it’ll be a while before Goddard is dead enough for her to feel comfortable.

There’s so many ways everyone’s stories could go after the finale. I’m glad about that - I like to think of everyone’s lives as a continuing narrative, so I love it when canons leave the ending open, so we can see how the characters have changed and wonder what they’ll do in the future. It feels more real, and less neat. There’s so much aftermath that they’ve sorted through, and there’s more to come, but I’m sure that whatever they do, they’ll be good at it.

Also I felt a real emotion at “That was Wolf 359.” instead of “This has been Wolf 359.” I’m also a sucker for changed endings for finale episodes.

#cassowary conversation #wolf 359 #wolf 359 spoilers

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kareenvorbarra · 7 years

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rarepair 2017 letter

Hello Author! Thank you so much for writing for me. I hope this letter makes sense and gives you some inspiration.

ETA: NOW COMPLETE, and I’m terribly sorry for the delay.

General Preferences

With a few exceptions that I’ll specify later, I don’t want any smut or sex-focused fics. In a few cases (also specified below), I’d prefer there not be any sex in the relationship at all, even if it’s just implied. I don’t want any of my requested ships to be portrayed as abusive or unloving - even where there is angst or confusion, I imagine that all of these people genuinely love and care about one another and are trying their best. However, some of the characters on this list have experienced canonical rape and/or other types of abuse in other relationships, and I’m absolutely fine with those issues being addressed. No alternate-setting AUs, please.

Silmarillion - Huor/Rian, Idril/Tuor, Idril/Tuor/Voronwe, Barahir/Emeldir, Finduilas/Gwindor/Turin, Beren/Luthien, Eilinel/Gorlim, Hurin/Morwen

Huor/Rían

This is one of the ships that I actually wish someone would write smut for. Vanilla, for sure, but beyond that almost any situation would be great. Huor and Rian having cute, slightly awkward first time sex between their betrothal and the wedding. Huor and Rian having angsty comfort sex the night before he leaves for the Nirnaeth. Anything else that you can come up with, as long as it also includes plenty of emotions and characterization.

If you don’t want to write a sex scene (it’s cool, I don’t like writing them much either) literally almost anything else would be good. Cute! Angsty! Both! Ideally I would like it to be set when they are both actually adults and start getting romantic, whether that’s at the very beginning of their relationship, or during their brief marriage. Some ideas:

Them talking about the bad things that have happened to them, about the impact that war has had on their lives, and helping each other deal with those memories.

Rian still has nightmares, though not as frequently as she did as a child. Write about the first time she has one after getting married.

Something about the two of them interacting with music? Is Huor musical? Does he sing, or play an instrument like his brother? Or does he just really love listening to Rian sing? Or something about them dancing together - what are Hadorian social dances like?

Idril/Tuor

First of all, if you end up writing a fic about these two, I’d like to request that Maeglin not appear in it. Other characters can mention him if you want, but I’d really rather the story not focus on him in any significant way.

As another general rule, I’m not interested in interpretations of these characters that gloss over their pasts, particularly Tuor’s - you don’t have to directly address the loss and abuse he experienced as a child, but please don’t write him in a way that doesn’t make sense in light of those events. I would also really love a fic where Idril and Tuor talk about bad things in their pasts for the first time.

Also, Idril and Tuor talking about Huor and Hurin! Bonus if it includes Idril singing a Hadorian song or speaking a bit of Hadorian that she learned from them, and Tuor being excited but also sad.

Again, a nightmare fic (that’s...going to be a bit of a theme in my requests) would be wonderful. Either Idril or Tuor has a violent nightmare and the other one has to wake them and help them calm down.

Idril/Tuor/Voronwe

Not looking for sex with this one, but cuddlepiles/bed-sharing would be excellent.

Three-way co-parenting after Earendil comes along.

Tuor gets some kind of non-life-threatening but very nasty human illness that keeps him off his feet for a while, and Idril and Voronwe freak out and dote on him a lot. He tries to get them to calm down, but once he’s managed to convince them he isn’t dying he rather enjoys the attention - it’s been a long time since anyone has fussed over him while he’s been sick, and he’d mostly forgotten how it felt to be so thoroughly cared for.

The three of them keeping each other going after the Fall of Gondolin and leaning on each other for support and comfort during the long, dangerous journey to Sirion.

Barahir/Emeldir

I’d be down for reading a sex scene with these two if you feel like writing one! I imagine they are both active, physically affectionate people who are really comfortable with each other and know each other’s bodies very well. They also like to dance and spar together, and I’d love to read a fic about them engaging in any of these activities, before or after their marriage.

As with Huor/Rian and Morwen/Hurin, I would welcome angsty pre-battle comfort scenes, with or without sex. Or anything about them relying on each other during the Bragollach.

I’d love anything that plays up the battle couple aspect of their relationship, whether that’s them sparring, teaching young Beren how to fight, getting caught in an ambush while on patrol together, or something else.

Finduilas/Gwindor/Túrin

No sex please, but I’d be on board for some awkward, angsty, emotionally-charged cuddling.

What would a genuinely happy moment between the three of them look like?

What would happen in an AU where they all managed to talk about their feelings for each other and work out some of their emotional issues together? Again, I am always here for cuddling and other forms of non-sexual intimacy.

I don’t have a whole lot of ideas for these three, but basically I want it to be emotional and at least a little angsty but where they all care about each other deeply, though not all in the same way and not always sufficiently expressed.

Beren/Luthien

As with Tuor, I’m not interested in characterization that doesn’t take into account the unimaginable trauma and suffering that Beren experienced in the years before meeting Luthien. I’d love to see any of that explored in their relationship - how does he readjust to speech after living alone in a forest for so long? When does he begin to tell Luthien details about his past and family members? What do they do on those days when Beren is overwhelmed by guilt and grief, even though he now lives a peaceful life with his wife and son?

I do want their relationship to be strong and loving and based on mutual respect rather than deference - they would do anything for each other, but they also disagree sometimes and don’t always act in ways they other approves of. They respect each other’s abilities even though they fear for each other’s safety.

I do think they had some forest sex in the months before Daeron outed them, but I also think it took Beren a while to be emotionally ready for that kind of intimacy (and I don’t think he’d had much sexual experience, if any, before Luthien). I’d love to read about that as a gradual process, where Luthien is the more experienced person and is kind of initiating things, but also being careful and respectful of Beren’s boundaries.

Literally anything about these two!!! I love them!!!! A fic exploring any point in their story between their first meeting and Thingol’s death would be great.

Eilinel/Gorlim

I’d love anything for these two, really. I’d say no sex in the interest of focusing on characterization, since these two don’t get much of it, but I really just want to read something that they both appear in as living people.

Anything cute about their lives together! When did they meet, how did they meet, when/why did they fall in love? How long had they been married when the war began? Did they want children?

In addition to or instead of the above prompt, some good pre-battle angst of the sort that seems fairly ubiquitous in my favorite Edain ships. What happened the last time they saw each other alive?

Húrin/Morwen

In my headcanons about these two, they were betrothed in their early teens to help tie the Beorian refugees to the Hadorian community, and didn’t get married until years later. If this idea appeals to you, I’d love to read something about them getting to know each other. Their personalities are very different, so how do they get along at the beginning? How do they come to grow fonder of each other?

I also imagine both of them not having had sex with anyone before they get married, and I’d love to read some cute/awkward first time wedding night sex.

Something about the two of them being super happy at Huor and Rian’s wedding (with maybe also an undercurrent of worry about the plans for the upcoming war, especially on Morwen’s part).

Morwen helping Hurin deal with the death of his father, and with the fact that he now has to assume leadership of his people at the age of 21.

And again, angsty pre-Nirnaeth comfort sex would be welcome.

Vorkosigan Saga - Duv Galeni/Delia Koudelka, Drou/Kareen Vorbarra, Harra Csurik/Lem Csurik

I love Duv and Delia and I think they’re pretty underrated! One thing I’d like to see is Duv first opening up to Delia about his family and the things he did during the rebellions on Komarr. At what point in their relationship did they finally discuss these things? Bonus points if you work in his birth name and his feelings about it in some way. I’d also love anything about them and their kids, with any combination of fluff and angst as they adjust to being parents and reflect on the ways Barrayar and Komarr have changed since their own childhoods. Another idea: Delia traveling to Komarr for the first time and actually seeing all the places she’s heard about, or Duv going to meet some of Delia’s extended family for the first time (maybe Drou’s father and brothers, or Kou’s sister?). I’m interested in stories about them exploring their cultural differences and learning more about each other.

Drou/Kareen is kind of a complicated one - I don’t imagine them ever having sex or really talking about their relationship in terms of romance, but still becoming intensely devoted to each other and basically being the most important people in each other’s lives, something that, in different circumstances, might have turned into a romantic relationship. I’d like something set any time during Drou’s years as Kareen’s bodyguard. The main thing I’d like to see for this ship is maybe-romantic-maybe-platonic physical intimacy, like hugging, cuddling, or bed-sharing. Some scenarios I’d love to see: one of them comforting the other for any reason, one of them brushing the other’s hair, Drou helping Kareen get dressed for some fancy event, Kareen accidentally waking Drou when she has a nightmare and Drou ending up sleeping in Kareen’s bed for the rest of the night, or any combination of those. Anything with them sort of co-parenting Gregor would be lovely, as long as they have a little alone time at some point in the story. I’d rather Serg not appear in the fic, but feel free to have other characters discuss him or address how his past treatment of Kareen continues to affect her. A fic about how Drou and Kareen react to hearing about Serg’s death for the first time would be super interesting.

For Lem and Hara, I really just want to know more about these two, especially their early lives. How did they develop feelings for each other? What was their courtship like? What kinds of strain did the events of “The Mountains of Mourning” put on their relationship, and how did they eventually recover from it? How did they feel when their second child was born? What did they tell their other children about Raina, and when did they do it? Just some ideas. You can mention Miles or other major Vorkosigan Saga characters, but I’d rather none of them appear in the fic.

Tortall - Francis of Nond/Raoul of Goldenlake, Lalasa Isran/Tianine Plowman

Basically, all we know about Francis is that he’s quiet, kind, and close friends with Raoul (he’s referred to as “Raoul’s blond shadow”). When I reread Alanna: The First Adventure recently, I came to the conclusion that Raoul (who is bisexual in my head) and Francis were each other’s first sort-of romantic relationship, very close friends who realized as young teens that they were also attracted to each other. Of course, then they both get the Sweating Sickness and Francis dies while Raoul is still very sick. Basically, I want a cute story about shy Francis and outgoing-but-insecure Raoul dealing with their feelings for each other, and/or a sad story about Raoul dealing with the death of his close friend and first passionate crush. I understand if you don’t feel up to writing the death part, though - the cute slightly-angsty awkward stuff will be fine on its own. No sex in this one, please, though kissing would be great.

For Lalasa and Tian, maybe a story about them telling Kel about their relationship for the first time? Or scenes from early on in their relationship as the romance is developing, when Lalasa begins to confide in Tian about her experiences with men and harassment. Or maybe their private reunion after Lalasa is freed from her kidnappers - what is their relationship like at this point, and does their fear and relief inspire any confessions of as-yet-unvoiced emotions. I’d love a little angst or hurt/comfort, but ending with the two of them made happier by their relationship with each other.

Clone Wars - Padme Amidala/Satine Kryze, Steela Gerrera/Ahoska Tano

For these two ships I’m mostly interested in AUs where they both survive TCW/the prequels. My dream Satine/Padme story is where they go into hiding together and raise Padme’s kids and fall in love - anything along those lines would be lovely. If AUs aren’t your thing, maybe a fic about them meeting as teenagers and bonding over their experiences of becoming political figures and being in danger from a very young age, and also developing crushes on each other but not really knowing how to deal.

For Steela/Ahsoka, I’d love to see them working together in the rebellion and going on missions as a couple, falling in love, being practically inseparable, something like that. Bonus points if people sometimes assume that the mysterious agent Fulcrum is a man, and are surprised to find out that Fulcrum is actually two 20-something lesbians. Extra bonus points if all four of them somehow meet several years into the Empire’s rule and little Luke and Leia are there???? Just some ideas. For something actually in the timeline of the show, I’d love a fic about Ahsoka narrowly saving Steela from falling off the cliff and the two of them spending time alone together after the battle, finally realizing/opening up about their feelings for each other.

DS9 - Kira Meru/Tora Naprem

I would sell my soul for some Naprem fanfiction that doesn’t erase Meru or portray Naprem/Dukat as some kind of passionate, misunderstood cross-species romance. I’d also love to see the two of them interact, and so the idea for this ship was born. I’d like all the canonical information we have about these two to be preserved, and if you feel like incorporating details about Meru’s continued relationship with Dukat from the non-canonical Terok Nor trilogy feel free to do so, but if you haven’t read those books then don’t worry about it. Also, it’s been a while since I read that series and I can’t remember if Meru and Naprem ever meet in it, but I feel like they don’t, and obviously they have to meet for this fic to work.

Some hard “no”s for me - Dukat can be in this fic a little, but I’d rather he not be a major character. I also don’t want his relationship with either Meru or Naprem to be portrayed as, for lack of a better word, unproblematic; the story must deal with the power imbalances inherent in the situation, and be sensitive to the fact that coercion (i.e. the things Dukat does to Meru and, by plausible extrapolation, to Naprem) is a form of rape. I don’t really want sex in this one, just a big mess of complicated feelings about Dukat, other Bajorans, the friends and families they may have left behind, and each other (cuddling and/or kissing optional but appreciated).

So, ideas and things I’d love to see explored: how and when might Meru and Naprem first meet? What do they think of each other? Does Naprem develop real fondness for Dukat, and how does Meru react to this? How does Meru die? I also want to know your take on Naprem’s backstory. For a more specific scenario idea, I’d love something with Meru and Naprem staying together for a few nights while Dukat is away from the station, and talking about him and the war and their old lives and (if you want) Naprem’s pregnancy/baby Ziyal. Meru and Naprem sleeping in the same bed in this scenario would be very very good.

#author letter

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virginieboesus · 5 years

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My Top 7 RPG Series That Aren’t Final Fantasy

It’s no real secret that I love the Final Fantasy games! I mean, the first game that I finished on stream was Final Fantasy VIII. Final Fantasy Tactics is my third favourite game of all time as well. But, let’s all be honest; the series gets discussed so much that it really does overshadow other RPG series out there.

After all, there is a metric tonne of RPGs out in the wild for you to enjoy. So, for today’s post, I wanted to put the spotlight on my top 7 RPG series that aren’t Final Fantasy! So, let’s get to it, shall we?

7. Chrono

We are going to start off this list with another Square series; the Chrono games. Now, I was torn between whether to put Star Ocean, Valkyria Chronicles or the Chrono games here… However, I didn’t really enjoy the newer Star Ocean games, and whilst Valkyria Chronicles was amazing, the series quickly went downhill (and I haven’t played the newest one yet). So, when I actually thought about the fact that we are looking at the series as a whole, the Chrono games come out on top.

Chrono Trigger is well known for being one of the best RPGs ever made, whilst Chrono Cross generally doesn’t get anywhere near enough love. These two games are both masterpieces in their own right, with deep and confusing storylines, plus great combat. Personally, I prefer Chrono Cross myself, but I am more than willing to admit that I am weird.

6. The Forgotten Realms

Next up, we have the Forgotten Realms series of games. This series includes but is not limited to Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale. All of the games are great Dungeons and Dragons video games by themselves, but when you add them together and look at the campaign setting, they are even better! The alignment system is brilliantly implemented, and the combat feels amazing unique.

The stories, which are incredibly important for any RPG, are well presented as well. There are certainly a few negative points, and some of the games will test your patience with the sheer amount of character customisation as you progress, but I love them all the same!

5. Lunar

Another series that is very close to my heart is the Lunar series of games. The series started out on the MegaCD with Lunar: The Silver Star, before getting a sequel called Lunar 2: Eternal Blue. These games were then loving remastered and ported to the PlayStation, which is where I first experienced them. These versions were called Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete. Since then, the games have been remastered and ported multiple times, showing just how beloved the games really are.

The animated cutscenes and voice acting help to bring the characters to life, and whilst the older versions of the game were certainly challenging, you would find yourself so enthralled that you would just keep trying. There’s also a decent splash of humour in the games as well, to make sure that it isn’t always dark in tone.

4. Dot Hack

Anime is incredibly popular; that is a pretty redundant statement these days. However, when I was growing up that wasn’t really the case. Instead, anime was something that you were bullied for enjoying. This was also true during my teenage years as well, so when I found the anime .hack//SIGN and really enjoyed it, I didn’t really mention it to anyone. That’s a shame really, because I probably could have gotten more people to both watch the anime and then play the first set of PS2 games.

These games are pseudo-MMORPGs. You can “log in” to the game to play, or “log out” and read emails from other “players” or chat with them on a forum. The developers did an amazing job at creating the world around the MMO featured in the game, as well as making the pseudo-MMO portions of the game feel realistic too. The combat is simple to pick up but takes time to master, and the trade system with other “players” is genius. Admittedly, the game’s levels aren’t much to look at in terms of beauty and uniqueness, but everything else in the games makes up for that!

3. Wild Arms

When I was a kid, if you had told me that a J-RPG series that mixes demons, magic and Spaghetti Westerns together would end up being one of my favourites, I would have laughed so hard you’d think I was crazy. Yet, here we are, talking about Wild Arms. The first time I played Wild Arms was shortly after completing Final Fantasy VII for the first time. I was looking for my next big J-RPG to sink my teeth into and spotted it on a shelf in Blockbusters. It looked intriguing, and since it was a rental, I was more than happy to give the game a try.

Since that day, I’ve played the large majority of the Wild Arms games, were 2nd Ignition being my favourite in the series. Sadly, the Wild Arms games never really sold well in the States or Europe, meaning that the series effectively died (with the exception of the recent Mobile game). This means that the games can be pretty expensive these days. However, I would definitely say that they are worth it!

2. Megami Tensei

The penultimate entry in this of a great RPG series that aren’t Final Fantasy has to go Megami Tensei. I recently said on Twitter that I rate Megami Tensei and Final Fantasy at the same level in terms of my “RPG love”. Both series are absolutely massive, with Megami Tensei featuring all sorts of takes on the RPG gameplay. The most famous sub-series of Megami Tensei is the Persona games. Persona 3, 4 and 5 launched Megami Tensei into the limelight far more.

However, I still prefer the original PlayStation Persona games, as well as Lucifer’s Call on the PS2. But you know what? The greatest thing about Megami Tensei is the developers were always finding new ways to add customised designs and a wonderful look & feel. This style and design of Megami Tensei games have become synonymous with the series, showing how much the developers care about the franchise as a whole.

1. Shadow Hearts

And so we come to the final entry in tonight list; the Shadow Hearts games. These are some of the darkest RPG make in history, dealing with loss, suicide and much more. The games, despite their comical nature, can create some really dark and lasting memories. There are so many events in the games that will forever be stuck in my head, like the tale of Li Li or the way in which Shadow Hearts 2 ends.

Starting with my favourite game of all time, Koudelka, the series hits the ground running when it comes to dealing with dark tones. From there, with the first Shadow Hearts, your very first town that you reach turns out to be run by a bunch of cannibals who then switch into being demons. Oh, and the opening video is incredibly violent, with soldiers getting sliced apart and the hero getting his arm cut off but reattaching it. So yeah, Shadow Hearts is definitely one of the darkest yet strangely comical RPG series I have played.

But that’s not all. The characters are all really well developed and the story is surprisingly good. The translation of the first game isn’t great, as to be expected, and the graphics haven’t really held up well, but the series overall is most certainly worth your time.

And That’s All Folks

Those were my top 7 RPG series that aren’t Final Fantasy. The top 2 of them might have been obvious for those who have read this for a while, but that’s only because both of the series deserved a lot more attention that they received.

What are your favourite RPG series? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/blog/my-top-7-rpg-series-that-arent-final-fantasy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-top-7-rpg-series-that-arent-final-fantasy source https://smartstartblogging.tumblr.com/post/183955774790

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smartstartblogging · 5 years

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My Top 7 RPG Series That Aren’t Final Fantasy

7. Chrono

6. The Forgotten Realms

5. Lunar

4. Dot Hack

3. Wild Arms

2. Megami Tensei

1. Shadow Hearts

And That’s All Folks

What are your favourite RPG series? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/blog/my-top-7-rpg-series-that-arent-final-fantasy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-top-7-rpg-series-that-arent-final-fantasy

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pryceswhiskeyseeingeye · 6 years

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warming

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elsbethvanparidon-blog · 6 years

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Gao is a full-time fashion photographer based in Shanghai. Applying a sartorially straightforward yet experimental approach, this visual composer shoots both digital and analogue fashion and portrait photography. High time for Temper and Gao to Take Five!

Image by Tim Gao, 2018

Take 1! How does the new legion of post-80 and post-90 Chinese photographers and artists reflect a shift in China’s cultural Zeitgeist? Where do you fit in?

Gao: Aaah, I must admit that I have not actually “systematically” studied the influence and contribution of China’s current young photographer community to the contemporary culture and art scenes. Nevertheless, in general, our generation of photographers is brimming with opportunities and challenges. Seeing how more and more young local fashion designers are emerging across China and given the increasing number of designers who are trained and employed in fashion and fashion houses abroad, the need for edgier, custom-built photography is imminent.

As many such aforementioned designers are returning to China to establish their independent fashion brands, they tend to come with more personalized requirements and higher standards for the visual image and tonality of the brand. These fashionable architects hope to cooperate with cutting-edge photographers and visually artistic teams who can help get on point the desired brand image, style and aesthetics in order to complete their latest lookbook. And shoot their up-to-the-seasonal-minute campaigns.

For me personally goes that I also enjoy collaborating with novel front line fashion designers and brands to really gain the most from that artist alliance on both the creative and visual level.

Image by Tim Gao, 2018

Take 2! What is the Tim Gao photography philosophy — in three sentences. Go!

Gao: As a medium of expression, photography should follow the inclination and intuition of the heart and soul. The frank and to the point communication of ideas with and between team members. Press that shutter at the right time, basked in the light.

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Take 3! About visual enlightenment and evolution, then. How have you seen people’s individuality and style in China evolve over the past five years? Does art reflect what’s happening in socio-economic terms in China?

Gao: In fact, my enlightenment in photography came from fine art, documentary and portrait photographers such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Diane Arbus and Josef Koudelka. In fact, I started off my professional photography career with a documentary photography project and documenting the streets ‘n their styles remains a favorite of mine as well.

From a historical point of view, one of the functions of photography was the recording of social culture set against the backdrop of the times at hand. For me, photography is more of a diary documenting the “self.”

The future direction of Chinese photography may be a rather difficult one to predict. The aesthetics of fashion and artistic vision are constantly changing. The visual arts overall may continue to break through barriers in terms of form and content as time goes by. Then again, we might witness a trending return to retro… We’ll wait and click!

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Take 4! You’ve already mentioned timing and lighting. So what about… Gender and color in the visual arts. What roles do you assign to these two components?

Gao: For fashion photography, models of both male and female genders can wear the latest designer clothes. In my opinion, everything seems to be about the beauty of human nature: The beauty of the appearance and the true expression of inner emotion. In addition, within the work itself, creative people of different genders — and different nationalities, even — work together to generate the positive collision of ideas.

Though I think that color has no bearing on the formality and emotional expression of a photo, I do usually like to shoot in black and white directly or change the color of the image to black and white later on in the editing process. On the other hand, this reversed process inspires me and I might try to turn black and white pics into colored ones through artistic processing. Whatever suits the nature of the shoot and subject!

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Take Five! When flipping through your portfolio, I noticed a massive evolution (and a massively wonderful one, at that) in your work from 2017 to 2018. What drives you?

Gao: It may be the natural development and transformation that comes with each stage in a life and/or career. Maintaining my original intention and passion for photography was and always will be my purest motivation. One of the things that I will continue to focus on, is the examination and excavation of the true beauty of Chinese art and the application of those uncovered elements to fashion photography. Looking forward into the “imaginary” future, I hope that my creative and visual collaborations will continue to seek new, groundbreaking, eye- and shutter-opening opportunities!

Here’s to clicking! And to round things up in beauty, we end this Take Five with a word from photography’s Yoda Peter Lindberg himself:

“If photographers are responsible for creating or reflecting an image of women in society, then I must say, there is only one way for the future, and this is to define women as strong and independent. This should be the responsibility of photographers today: to free women, and finally everyone, from the terror of youth and perfection.”

This is, after all, the natural course of things.

For more info, contact Tim Gao via his:

E-mail: [email protected]

WECHAT: ziranx

Instagram: @timgao_

Website: www.timgao.com

All images come courtesy of Tim Gao

"One aspect I continue to focus on, is the examination and excavation of the purest beauty of Chinese art and the application of those uncovered elements to fashion photography." Photographer Tim Gao and Temper Take Five! Gao is a full-time fashion photographer based in Shanghai. Applying a sartorially straightforward yet experimental approach, this visual composer shoots both digital and analogue fashion and portrait photography.

#art #china #design #fashion #featured #magazine #photography #shanghai #visual art

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smartstartblogging · 6 years

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My Top 8 Female Video Game Lead Characters

In recent years (possibly even recent decades), the idea that a video game hero or lead character has to be a male has changed. Going back as far as the original Metroid with Samus, we’ve had some really strong female leads across a variety of different genres. That is a real sign of progress that I, for one, am really happy about. There are some great role models in video games for my daughter.

So, I wanted to show my admiration for this trend by listing off my top 7 female video game lead characters!

8. Claire Redfield

The first female lead character on this list has to be Claire Redfield, first introduced to the world in Resident Evil 2. However, rather than a lot of female characters in the genre (outside of the Last Girl trope in movies), Claire starts off strong and just grows from there. She never backs down from adversary, even when facing off against the likes of Birkin or Mr. X. From there, Claire goes off to Europe to take on Umbrella and search for her missing brother entirely alone.

If you ever need to understand just how incredible Claire is, you just need to watch the intro video of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Claire infiltrated a guarded Umbrella complex, takes out a bunch of guards and outruns a helicopter that is shooting at her!

7. Lara Croft

Naturally, Lara Croft was always going to be on this list, wasn’t she? I mean, how could she not be? Lara is the poster character for strong female leads in video games. She’s done it all, including going up against Egyptian gods, a T-Rex and a supernatural Japanese goddess as well. Lara has travelled across the world, taking on countless enemies and creatures along the way.

She has famously been a badass in both movies and games, so she definitely makes it onto this list of my top female lead characters. However, there are a few female lead characters that I think deserve a bit more attention than her.

6. Samus Aran

Whilst Lara is the most famous big-name female lead character in video games, Samus got the most memorable moment of an introduction, or rather “reveal”. Players went through the entirety of the original Metroid, a science fiction platforming shooter with massive exploration, assuming that they were playing a male character. I mean, at the time, that was just the way it was. However, once you finish the game you are treated to a scene where it is revealed that you were playing as a female character all along.

This one moment broke the trend of video games at the time, showing that a female character can be an absolutely amazing and super strong hero as well. Because of that, Samus gets a place on this list above Lara. Lara is famous, but Samus largely opened the door for strong female lead characters in video games.

5. Commander Shephard

Sticking with the science fiction genre for this entry, Commander Shephard is next. Yes, you can play Shep as a male, but you can also play as the nicknamed Fem-Shep without any of the action and adventure being toned down. Shep manages to save the galaxy on more than one occasion, and even death couldn’t stop her! She is able to negotiate any problem through both diplomacy and the barrel of a rifle.

On top of that, Shep ends up taking it on herself to stop the Reapers from destroying all sentient and intelligent life in the galaxy, becoming a true legend throughout the stars. She is incredibly powerful, both in terms of her smarts, wit and skill in battle.

4. Ellie

Easily the youngest character on this list, Ellie starts off The Last of Us as someone you have to escort. Initially, you feel like she is going to be a burden, like Ashley from Resident Evil 4. However, that idea is quickly destroyed and shattered into pieces by her demeanour and abilities. Ellie is a more than capable fighter, no matter whether she is up against humans, clickers or any other mutation caused by the cordyceps virus.

Plus, from what we have seen of The Last of Us Part 2, she has become even more independent, able to take on waves of fully armed people with her whits and combat ability. Ellie is an amazing and inspirational character who more than deserves to be on this list.

3. Aloy

No list of amazing female leads would be complete without Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. Starting out the game as an outcast, she trains herself up to earn a spot within a tribe, dealing with robot dinosaurs and madmen with Gatling guns to do so. She explores the ruined, post-apocalyptic world that has been infested with these robots entirely on her own, hunting and scavenging all the way.

She knows and trusts herself, which is a great mentality for a role model to have. Aloy is strong, fast and really clever, making her own way in a world that constantly wants to push her back down.

2. Koudelka Iasant

For those of you who have come to know me and my taste in games through this blog, it might come as a surprise that Koudelka isn’t in the number one spot. However, she is still one of my favourite examples of a strong female lead character. Koudelka takes charge throughout the game, constantly putting both James and Edward in their place. She is also the strongest human character in the game with her psychic abilities.

Koudelka has gone through some terrible events in her past, overcoming them all to turn into a strong and fiercely independent character who can more than handle herself in almost any situation. If that’s not a great example of a powerful female lead, I don’t know what is!

1. Aya Brea

So we come to the number 1 slot, and you were probably wondering who could beat Lara Croft. Well, there are just some characters that I feel are stronger than she has been overall. Obviously, Lara is incredible and that’s why she is on this list, but Aya Brea has been a badass since the very beginning. Starting off her adventures against the Mitochondria monsters of the Parasite Eve games as a rookie police officer in New York City, she has experienced some true horror!

The first game had her fight off the birth of what is effectively a God amongst men, dealing with the murder and mutation of hundreds of people and overcoming her own inner demons along the way. Then, the second game featured giant monsters with flamethrowers in their mouths, betrayal, super soldiers and even more! Aya pushed through all of this to always come out on top, and she did it almost entirely alone!

And That’s All Folks

That was the list of my 8 favourite strong female lead characters in video games. There are, of course, a whole host more that could have been mentioned in this but these 8 amazing characters get the top spots for me, personally.

Who are your favourite female characters in video games? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/my-top-8-female-video-game-lead-characters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-top-8-female-video-game-lead-characters

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virginieboesus · 6 years

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My Top 7 Tactical RPGs

I’ve been a fan of tactical RPGs for years… It started when I first played Final Fantasy Tactics (you can read my review of it here), only for my interest to grow when I found other games in the genre. There is just something fun and exciting (for me) about having to carefully plan out each move your characters make. In fact, the more unforgiving a tactical RPG is, the more I enjoy it!

These type of RPGs really aren’t for everyone, though. They are slow, require a lot of planning and strategy, often have a huge amount of customisation that takes a lot of time, and are extremely long. If you’re looking for an easy and relaxing, turn-based RPG then tactical RPGs probably aren’t what you are looking for. However, if you want some really deep gaming that will force you to use your head, then these are my top 7 tactical RPGs so far!

7. Ring of Red

Starting this list off, we have a rather underrated little PS2 tactical RPG by the name of Ring of Red. The game didn’t achieve any particular heights of popularity, mostly due to the slightly confusing translation. However, that shouldn’t take away from the fun and adrenaline that you get from playing the game. Ring of Red is a mech-based game that features a highly militarised gameplay style.

You move your party members (in their war machines) around the battlefield to engage enemies. Then, when you choose to attack, the game will switch to a 3D view of you and your enemy in combat with one another.

The storyline is also really good! However, the poor translation may leave you not really knowing what is going on at any one time. That’s why Ring of Red didn’t score higher up on this list.

6. Fire Emblem Awakening

Trying to choose which of the Fire Emblem games to put on this list was really hard. Every single one of these is a great tactical RPG and I could easily make a list post about the top Fire Emblem games by themselves (there’s an idea). However, after much deliberation, I decided to feature Fire Emblem Awakening for the Nintendo 3DS. But first, let’s take a look at the common gameplay mechanics of the series in general…

As mentioned early, I enjoy games that are challenging and punishing – that completely describes the Fire Emblem series. For example, the games feature a permanent death mechanic for each unit you have in your party. This means that, once they are defeated in combat, they are dead. You no longer have access to them for the rest of the game. This puts a huge amount of pressure on you to make sure your tactical strategy is as sound as possible.

In terms of Fire Emblem Awakening, the game continues the overarching storyline of the series but does so with such finesse that it deserves to be singled out from the rest of the series, in my opinion. One of the coolest parts of the gameplay for Awakening is that it also gives you the option to view individual fight scenes in fight person. This gives a much more personal perspective to the combat that really makes the game stand out.

5. Disgaea 2

Okay, so let me preface this with the fact that Disgaea 5 is probably the better game in the Disgaea series. It was more polished, due to the fact that the developers had a bunch of other games to improve their skills with beforehand (not that they needed it). However, as this is a list of my top 7 tactical RPGs, I’m also putting personal opinion into this as well. That’s why I chose to feature Disgaea 2 instead.

The reason for this is that, as it contains all of the tactical RPG gameplay that other Disgaea games have, it was also the game that introduced me to the series. Think of it like Final Fantasy; you always love the first game in the series that you played.

Disgaea 2 was one of my favourite RPGs on the PlayStation 2 and will forever have a place in my heart because of that. It may not be the most polished and modernised of the series, but it remains the most entertaining and enjoyable for me.

4. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

For the fourth entry on this list of my top 7 tactical RPGs, we are jumping back to the Super Nintendo! Tactics Ogre was actually released on a few different platforms over time, including the Sega Saturn and PSP. That, alone, should explain just how amazing this game really is. It also acted as the inspiration for Final Fantasy Tactics – a number of the Tactics Ogre developers actually worked on Final Fantasy Tactics as well.

It is hard to explain much about Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together without spoiling a part of the story. It is full of great twists and turns, as well as branching storylines depending on your actions. Considering all of this, as well as the fact that this first came out on the SNES, is crazy.

3. Front Mission 3

Square has been able to churn out high-quality RPGs for decades now, and the tactical RPG genre is no exception. Front Mission as a whole is a great series that features incredibly rich world building. In fact, the upcoming PS4 game Left Alive takes place within the Front Mission world, showing you just how special (and popular) this game series is. Front Mission 3, however, remains my personal favourite.

The game (as with all in the series) features a host of different mecha (giant, militarised robots) that your characters pilot. However, these aren’t you Super Robots like the Megazord or Mazinger. Instead, the mecha in Front Mission are most like those in Gundam or Battletech; they are referred to as Real Robots, as they are mass produced war machines that are just like tanks. In the game, you can customise your mechs to a huge amount, and the battles will play out differently depending on the tactics that you use.

On top of this, the storyline of Front Mission 3 is awesome, truly befitting an RPG made by the likes of Square. You need to check this game out if you haven’t already!

2. Valkyria Chronicles

Coming in at the number 2 spot is a PS3 game that didn’t get a huge amount of interest when it first released, but eventually become popular enough to get a bunch of sequels and an HD remaster; Valkyria Chronicles. If you like the idea of a game’s art style resembling a hand-drawn anime, then straight away, this is the game for you. Visually, it is an utter masterpiece. But the brilliance of Valkyria Chronicles isn’t skin deep!

The game mixes tactical RPG gameplay with that of a third-person military shooter in a way that feels both natural and exciting. You move your characters around freely, but can only move or act if you have action points left. This creates a wonderfully strategic take on the military shooter idea, creating some very interesting moments. On top of this, the game is hard! And but that I mean unforgiving. If you make one serious mistake with your strategy, you are almost certainly going to lose the battle. I love this, as it gives you a sense of tension and adrenaline. In fact, you should check out my Let’s Play of the HD Remake to get an idea of just how awesome Valkyria Chronicles really is!

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Whilst the sequels may not have been able to hold on to the magic of the first game, I would definitely recommend getting your hands on this one. You can find it on PS3, PS4 and Steam for PC, so you’ve got a lot of choice in how to play this epic game! Plus, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is coming out soon, and it looks set to be a return to form for the series.

1. Final Fantasy Tactics

And so here we are; my number one favourite tactical RPG of all time. Unsurprisingly, it is also one of my favourite games ever (beaten only be Koudelka) – Final Fantasy Tactics. As mentioned at the start of this post, it was Final Fantasy Tactics that first introduced me to the tactical RPG genre. As we all know, your first experience of something will leave a lasting effect, and that is exactly what happened here. But don’t let that take away from the magnificence that is Final Fantasy Tactics!

The game features an incredibly rich storyline that covers social inequality, blindly following religion and political intrigue. I mean, it pretty much has all of the main controversial topics covered in just one game. Yet, it pulls this off brilliantly against the backdrop of a middle ages world. All of the main characters feel unique and fleshed out, with their own backstories and motivations. The world is also very believable, despite being a fantasy land filled with monsters and demonic entities. I could talk about Final Fantasy Tactics all day, but it would probably be better to let you know that I published a review of it here.

Final Fantasy Tactics is an amazing game that will always have a very strong place in my heart. If you haven’t played the original PSX game or the PSP remake (War of the Lions), then I would highly recommend that you give it a try!

And That’s All Folks

Well, there you have it. That was my personal top 7 tactical RPGs so far. There are, of course, a tonne more of them out there and I haven’t played all of them yet… However, I do intend to eventually, so that may lead to a sequel list with updated games. But for now, I would highly recommend that you go and give each of these a try!

Do you have a favourite tactical RPG? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/my-top-7-tactical-rpgs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-top-7-tactical-rpgs source https://smartstartblogging.tumblr.com/post/174931967165

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smartstartblogging · 6 years

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My Top 7 Tactical RPGs

7. Ring of Red

The storyline is also really good! However, the poor translation may leave you not really knowing what is going on at any one time. That’s why Ring of Red didn’t score higher up on this list.

6. Fire Emblem Awakening

5. Disgaea 2

4. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

3. Front Mission 3

On top of this, the storyline of Front Mission 3 is awesome, truly befitting an RPG made by the likes of Square. You need to check this game out if you haven’t already!

2. Valkyria Chronicles

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1. Final Fantasy Tactics

And That’s All Folks

Do you have a favourite tactical RPG? Let me know in the comments below!

from More Design Curation https://www.16bitdad.com/my-top-7-tactical-rpgs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-top-7-tactical-rpgs

#More Design Curation

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