#also his Star on his chest is more visually interesting on his model than his 2D art?

[tharkflark1]

I’m REALLY tired so have my Bonnie attempts

#fnaf #fnaf sb #fnaf sb ruin #fnaf ruin spoilers #Glamrock Bonnie #Glamrock Freddy #Gregory is here too being like UGH COOTIES #tharky's drawings #tw//staring #cuz Bonnie do be doin that #also his Star on his chest is more visually interesting on his model than his 2D art? #like u can kinda see it wraps around the Star and stuff on the model #also no claws! soft bun #I’d have him as my yoga instructor #or bowling teacher

[lostimpactprod]

Film/TV Influences in Sonic the Hedgehog

For a little bit of fun, I decided to put together a post featuring all the films and TV series I believe helped inspire the Sonic series, be it conceptually or aesthetically. These are just the ones that spring to my mind, so if you have any other influences of your own, do share it!

Let’s begin!

Dragon Ball

The Dragon Ball franchise very likely had a hand in inspiring the Chaos Emeralds and the Sonic series’ super-transformations, with an additional influence acknowledged in official Sega documentation.

In Dragon Ball, there are seven of the titular spheres which, when brought together, have the power to grant the user’s wishes. Similarly, the Chaos Emeralds in the Sonic series have the power to transform the user’s thoughts into power, with a miracle possible when all seven are brought together.

The Super Saiyan forms of characters in the Dragon Ball universe, with their signature gold hair and aura, undoubtedly inspired the super-transformations first introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Since then, several Sonic characters have been portrayed sharing similar glowing forms with the blue hedgehog (once all Chaos Emeralds are collected, obviously).

According to the leaked script for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Silver the Hedgehog’s character and backstory were directly inspired by the character of Trunks in Dragon Ball Z. Both characters travel back in time to save an apocalyptic future and even visually it’s easy to see where Silver’s trademark colour may have came from (even if in most media Trunks’ hair is more lavender-coloured than silvery grey).

Star Wars

The Death Egg, Dr Eggman’s formidable space station that has featured prominently in several Sonic titles, is an obvious parody/tribute to the Death Star featured in the original Star Wars trilogy. While it was never properly shown in its debut title Sonic 2, the Death Egg’s appearance in Sonic 3-onward clearly demonstrates this influence, right down to the main reactor!

Another Death Star comparison can be made for Sonic Adventure 2′s Space Colony Ark. While its design is only semi-inspired by the Galactic Empire’s super-weapon, the firepower and visual appearance of the colony’s Eclipse Cannon is strikingly similar to the Death Star’s planet-destroying superlaser (especially in Shadow the Hedgehog where the cannon’s laser from changed from blue to green).

You could also argue that the battle-mode wing formation of Tails’ many Tornado models, primarily Sonic Adventure′s Tornado II and Sonic Unleashed’s Tornado III (referred to by Tails as “his Tornado I” for whatever reason), were influenced by the Rebel Alliance’s X-Wing fighters.

The Terminator

In interviews promoting Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005, director Takashi Iizuka cited the Underworld, Constantine and Terminator films as direct influences for the game’s art direction and tone. While I can’t say much about the first two outside of their dark, brooding visuals, I can definitely see a hint of Terminator influence in the Dark Rider motorcycle that was featured prominently in the game’s marketing. So much so, I made this parody of T2′s poster a while back!

Independence Day

Another movie influence from Shadow’s 2005 game. In the Pure Dark route of the story, there’s a CG cutscene of the Black Arms using the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the United Federation’s capital, Central City. The epicenter of the attack is the White House which is destroyed in similar fashion as the famous scene in the 1996 film Independence Day.

Slayers

This one’s purely speculation on my part, but in Blaze the Cat’s profile in the Sonic 2006 script, it is mentioned that she is bothered by her “underendowed chest”.

While it has never been addressed in any of the games (and given how risqué it is likely never will), this aspect of Blaze’s character could have been inspired by a recurring gag centered around Lina Inverse, the main protagonist of the Slayers franchise.

Much like Blaze, Lina has a penchant for fire-based attacks (being a practitioner of black magic) and is known to go into a frenzy should anyone make the mistake of calling her flat-chested.

Interesting side-note, Lina in the English dub of the TV series is voiced by Lisa Ortiz. The young sorceress is arguably her most famous role aside from Amy Rose.

And that’s all for now!

Once again, if you have any other films or TV series you believe influenced Sonic, do post as a response and I’ll share it!

#sonic the hedgehog #film and tv #influences #inspirations #dragon ball #star wars #terminator #independence day #slayers #the slayers #long post #sorry!

[sweet-star-storybook]

OC Design Talk - Episode 1: Perseus [Starglass Zodiac]

Kicking off one of the things I made this blog for: Character design talks! 

I absolutely LOVE talking about character design and the thought process that goes into all of my original characters, so I hope to make a series out of it! I’ll be talking about visual design as well as backstory and personality for the characters, and the general intent behind their concepts. Over time I’ll have links to different characters and their talks in each post, so you can go exploring if you want. :D I might make an archive page or post somewhere too for navigation purposes. I’ve got a lot of characters I want to talk about, past and present, but we’re actually starting off with a brand new one today! 

As of writing this post I just finished this design today / yesterday, but it’s already gotten so much love and I’d really like to talk more in depth about it. Plus I love how it came out anyway. ;u;

If you’d like to share this art without the talk, go to this post from my art blog.  Alright, on to the discussion! :D

Presenting: Perseus! He is one of the zodiac companions from my webcomic series, Starglass Zodiac. 

In this story, zodiac companions are essentially the “children” of the zodiac. While not all of the companions are the age of a child necessarily, they generally have less experience than the main zodiac, and thus look up to them as mentors / role models. Any of the constellations can be chosen as a companion, and it is a mutual decision, leading some to try for the position directly (like Centaurus to Sagittarius). 

Constellations in this universe go through different incarnations, and thus have varying personalities and appearances depending on whose spirit inhabits them at any given time. Every star has a set amount of energy, and every incarnation has their “time” before they eventually die, leaving behind black holes. Some are lost in deliberate usage of energy, such as in combat, while others die out naturally. As new stars are born, previous constellations have a chance to be reincarnated, and new constellations can form from these as well. There is a chance, however, that they will not return at all.

For Perseus in particular, I liked the idea of previous incarnations of the constellation being more like the character upon which it is based. Mythologically speaking, Perseus was a famous hero known for slaying monsters, similar to Hercules. With this incarnation, however, I thought it would be interesting if he actively fought against what his name is famous for. Or more specifically, used his skills in combat to fight for better things. This Percy does not fight for glory or fame, and does not possess the ego of a typical hero. But despite his change in motive, he still has to carry the burden of his “monster killer” title, as if he himself has become the monster instead. He views this as punishment for the misdeeds of the others who bared his name, ashamed of a past that wasn’t really his own.

Perseus is a companion to Aries, and the two are almost polar opposites (outside of being skilled on the battlefield), with Aries being the most volatile and aggressive between them. That said, Aries did recognize Perseus’s desire to redeem his name. Aries, being the least agreeable of the signs, has similar goals when it comes to keeping his aggression in check and upholding his role as a sign and co-protector of the Astral Plane. In his words, “if I can do it, you can too, kid.” 

From a visual standpoint, I wanted Perseus’s design to be somewhat chimerical (as in, made up of seemingly unrelated parts), but with a unifying colour scheme to tie it all together. In this case it would be different parts of monsters that, presumably, his previous incarnations had slain. Arguably Perseus’s most famous kill, Medusa, is referenced here, particularly with the snake-like elements of his skin and hair. Demon-like horns, claws, a tail, and a cat-like animal hide are also present. He likely has sharp teeth too, even if they aren’t drawn here (I will do follow-up drawings later).

Like all of the other constellation designs, his symbol (designed by these lovely folks) is incorporated into several aspects of his design. How often a symbol appears in a design can vary greatly depending on how well it can be incorporated, and sometimes its inclusion is more subtle as a result. We have a good mix of that here with Perseus, with his belt, cape and shield being the most obvious uses of the symbol, but it’s also present on his chest plate underneath the animal hide. His shield specifically is a reference to the mirrored shield that was used to turn Medusa’s glare against her. His sword exists for similar reasons, and is his weapon of choice in combat. The rest of his attire is Greek and Roman inspired, like his mythological counterpart.

I came up with the blue-yellow-pink dynamic with the colour scheme starting with his eyes, and went on to develop it from there. I knew I wanted either blue or green as a main colour, as those are common for monsters, and the brightness of the pink and yellow made for a bold colour scheme. I did try a bright orange instead of pink a few times, as that is blue’s complimentary colour, but I found the contrast was not strong enough between it and the yellow. Having a bold colour scheme matched with a quieter personality creates the kind of contrast I want in his character as a whole, implying that he is easily misunderstood by others. I also wanted the eyes to be a focal point both in the line work and the colour, so the contrast had to be striking. Admittedly I use eyes as a focal point a lot in my designs (looking at you, Cassie), but I wanted that to add to the strength of his concept rather than just be a preference of mine.

Perseus is incredibly self-conscious of his eyes, believing that his monstrous appearance will scare others merely by looking at them. This is another nod to Medusa, though Perseus can’t turn anyone to stone (much to his relief). This makes him more reserved and reclusive as a result, averting his gaze where possible and quietly keeping to his own business. Even his fighting style is very understated, favouring precision over strength. When he meets others face to face, he closes his eyes immediately, claiming they should not be seen by the faint of heart.

Functionally, Perseus’s eyes move and dilate normally, but appear slightly further apart than a more focused gaze would be, creating a more eerie stare. He may be looking at you, but he’s also looking through you. I hoped this would make him look a bit more pensive as well, and prone to staring while lost in thought.

When he meets Cassie for the first time, Perseus mistakes her for Cassiopeia* and kneels before her like a knight would to a queen.

*Cassiopeia is the mother of Andromeda, who was strapped to a rock to appease the sea monster, Cetus. True to form, Perseus rescued Andromeda by killing the creature.*

After Cassie explains that she has an unusual eye herself, Perseus finally opens his, giving in to his curiosity. He is grateful, if a little confused, for her positive reaction to them. Eventually Cassie convinces him to meet Orion, another zodiac companion. Orion, being blind, will never see Perseus, thus negating his appearance-based fears. Orion also understands Percy’s desire for redemption, being on a similar quest himself as a once-famous hunter. The two quickly become friends, with Perseus offering to “be his eyes” when needed.

Overall I’m very satisfied with the design and concept as a whole. The zodiac companions are minor characters in this story, but I’ve always like stories that have a lot of interesting characters to fill out the extended world, and the Astral Plane is perfect for that. Characters like these are also great for supplementary comics and short stories, and I’ve got some ideas for those later on. :’D

—————

And there we go, Episode 1 of my OC Design Talk is complete! :D This was super fun to write, so I hope you found it interesting. More will follow in the future too, so thanks for reading folks! <3

#OC Design Talk #Episode 1 #Perseus #Starglass Zodiac #SGZ #comic stuff #character design #art stuff

[notameeksassenach]

Dirt in the Skirt

Moodboard 

Many many thanks to @theministerskat, who not only served as the best beta in the world but also took the time to make a gorgeous moodboard (link above) and the epic title graphic!

The inspiration for this beauty started while walking around the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I grew up 30 minutes from the Hall of Fame, and have spent so much time at this wonderful place. The Woman in Baseball exhibit is one of my favorite places to walk around and explore. 

Dirt in the Skirt

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of an Era

With our boys overseas and off to war, baseball pitches in for the war effort! Baseball’s biggest stars say “Look out Mr. Hitler. The Yanks are coming!” And the Indians and Red Sox, too! And they won’t come back until it’s over, over there!

Baseball may be shut down for the duration of the war. Detroit Tigers owner and automobile mogul, Colum MacKenzie held meetings with other team owners to discuss the fate of their beloved sport. With fears that the sport would be shut down for the duration of the war, Colum’s younger brother, Dougal Mackenzie, has been charged with finding a way to keep baseball going. With any luck, the promotional whiz can find a way to keep the bases loaded!

Preparing for another day of chores, Claire Beauchamp-Randall quickly tied up the laces of her trainers. The simple routine of it allowed her mind to wander and she thought back on how she came to be in this exact moment. Originally hailing from England, her parents had uprooted their family when the opportunity to own the farm had arisen. Claire’s world quickly became centered around helping her parents by working on the farm.

When she married Frank nearly six years prior, she packed up the few possessions that were precious to her,, put aside the naive girl who knew nothing outside of her family’s farm and quickly learned to navigate the city streets. Claire acclimated well and was much like the other twenty-somethings around her who grew up in the sleepy suburbs of Boston.

Frank, who was a history professor at Harvard, had swept Claire off her feet from the moment they had met. She was only nineteen at the time, and he was much older and had an air of mystery about him. Settling herself into her new role as wife, Claire spent most of her days doting on Frank, ensuring all his needs were met, and that she left a good impression on his colleagues. She quickly became the model wife, putting aside any dreams she may have for the sake of her husband.

Claire never thought she would find her way back to Beauchamp Family Farm, always hoping to find something more than the routine life it offered. But life has a way of throwing curveballs at you when you least expect them. Since the beginning of the war, she found herself back home. Frank, ever the patriot, saw it as his duty to put down his books in favor of joining the fight.

After checking the chickens and cows, it was time to make her way to the garden. With it being her sanctuary, Claire could easily lose herself in the tending of her plants. Making her way through rows and rows of vegetables and flowers, she was so engrossed in her duties that she didn’t notice that she was no longer alone among the flora.

“Claire!” Geillis shouted and quickly dissolved into giggles as she startled her friend.

Claire turned to face her, clutching her chest. She shot the other woman a look of disdain as she tried to calm her heart from being nearly frightened to death. Picking up a trowel full of dirt, she flung it in Geillis’ direction.

“There’s no need to scare me like that!”

Claire should have expected the other woman to come out of nowhere. Geillis was a regular occurrence on the farm. Having been best friends growing up, it was not unheard of to find one where you found the other. Whether it was in the garden where they shared their love of plants, or on the baseball diamond where they shared a passion for the game, the two were thick as thieves. It was another benefit to being back home, Claire had been able to rekindle the friendship she once had with Geillis. As well as getting the chance to lose herself in the sport she cherished.

“Ye better get your glove, Claire. Ye ken it’s almost time for the game!”

“You seem more giddy than usual, Gellie. You normally reserve that level of excitement for the games you pitch.”

Geillis was the star pitcher for the local women's baseball league the two played for, though she wouldn’t be pitching in today’s game. It was only fair to switch off and allow everyone the chance to play the position. Their team was made up of a mixture of Scottish and English baseball enthusiasts, and they aptly named themselves the Swinging Sassenachs. There were several of these small leagues in the area. All coordinated by the players, it gave the women a chance to play a sport that was dominated by men. They made up their own seasons and played as if they were making their way to the World Series. A good time was had all around, and Claire couldn’t wait to take her place behind home plate as the team’s catcher.

Bottom of the ninth, one out, one on base. The Swinging Sassenachs were down 2-0. Geillis knew there was a lot riding on her as she grabbed her bat and made her way towards home plate.

“Gellie, watch out for those high ones!” Claire shouted over the crowd. The redhead had a tendency to imitate a lumberjack rather than Babe Ruth, trying to hit all the high balls.

“Quit naggin’ Claire. I like the high ones!”

Positioning herself, she began to focus on the task at hand. As the ball approached home plate, she swung and missed.

“Strike one!” called the umpire.

Shaking it off, Geillis tried to get her head back into the game. She took a deep breath and readied herself for the next pitch. She could see the ball coming towards her as if it were in slow motion. With a swoosh and a crack, the ball was gone. Geillis took off and successfully made it to second base before the ball reentered the infield.

As the lineup continued, the Swinging Sassenachs were still down 2-0 but had picked up another out. Making her way to the plate, Claire knew the fate of the game was in her hands. If she were to strike out, the game would be over and they would be adding another loss to their season. What she really needed was a home run. That would ensure a win, putting them at a final score of 3-2.

Claire had always been good under pressure, which earned her the spot as the cleanup hitter. Digging her cleats into the dirt, she found her sweet spot. Visualizing the ball coming straight down the middle, connecting with the bat, sending it deep into right field.

The only thing Claire was aware of was the roar of the crowd, and her feet as they made contact with each plate as she made her way around the bases.

“And the Swinging Sassenachs come from behind to win the game 3-2! Well done ladies!”

But what Claire didn’t notice was the spectator that wasn’t participating in the celebrations. Instead, he was still in his seat, silently studying the scene before him.

Upon returning to the farm, the girls busied themselves with the completion of the day’s remaining chores. The two chattered back and forth, recalling every little detail of the game, as they tended the goats, sheep, and horses.

“Ye should have seen the crowd when you hit that home run, Claire.” Geillis cupped her hands around her mouth, imitating the sound of a roaring crowd.

Claire responded with a reddening of her cheeks, and a shower of hay aimed directly at Geillis’ head. Anticipating the reaction. Geillis ducked, causing the offending hay to hit the gentleman neither of them had noticed behind her square in the face.

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry. Can we help you with something?” Claire apologized as she suspiciously eyed the man before her.

Wiping his face and untangling the debris from his beard, the gruff looking man responded.

“Aye. The name is Murtagh Fraser, baseball scout. I saw ye playing ball today.” his voice matched his gruff demeanor.

“And what of it?” Geillis asked, clearly curious as to why this stranger had any interest in their abilities. Claire could tell that this stranger had definitely peaked Geillis’ interest.

“Ever hear of Colum Mackenzie? Mackenzie Motors? Ye ken, the automobiles?”

Both women stared blankly back at Murtagh. Unfazed by their lack of reaction, he continued.

“He’s starting a girl’s baseball league while the boys are overseas.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” Claire questioned. She was running out of patience for this man in front of her. She still had chores to finished before dinner.

“It’s a real league, professional ye ken. Dinna ye want to play professional baseball?”

There was still no reaction from the dark-haired lass. The redhead, on the other hand, acted as if she would burst at the seams with excitement. Realizing that he needed to get the point sooner rather than later, he continued on.

“Look, yer country needs you. And ye can not only play ball, but both of ye are kinda dollies.”

“Dollies? Now listen here you. I’m a married woman! My husband is currently overseas!” Claire was done. Pushing past Murtagh, she made her way to the door where she was waiting for him to get the hint that he was free to leave.

“I didna mean any offense mistress. ‘Tis just that they want girls that are easy on the eye.”

“I’ll go. I’m ready right now. Do I have to sign something?” Gellis had always been the one of the two who was up for any challenge, the one who tended to not look before she lept.

Taking one final shot to make a hard sell, Murtagh left the girls with an envelope containing all the information as well as their train tickets. “The train leaves for Detroit tomorrow. What do ye say? Are ye in?”

“Ye..” Geillis began before Claire cut her off in one swift motion.

Turning back to Murtagh, Claire responded. “We’ll have to think about it. Good day sir.”

With a curt nod, Murtagh excused himself from the barn, grumbling as he made his way through a throng of chickens who were eagerly eating outside the barn.

“What are we to do, Claire?” asked Geillis.

“I’m not sure Gellie. I’m not sure what I want to do.”

“Claire, I’m going to play with or without ye. I just hope it's with ye.” And without another word, the redhead left the farmhouse, closing the door shut behind her.

Still reeling from the baseball scout’s offer to play professional baseball, Claire weighed her options in her head. On one hand, she loved the game and would love the opportunity to play and show the country just what women could do. But at the same time, she had wanted to embrace the simpler life while she waited for Frank to return from war. But maybe Murtagh had been right. Maybe her country did need her.

Hearing a knock on the front door, Claire pulled herself from her thoughts.

Who could be knocking at this hour? Mama and Dad weren’t expecting guests. It can’t be Gellie, she’d just let herself in.

Releasing the locks, Claire slowly opened the door. She wasn’t prepared for what she found on the other side. The one sight that she had hoped and prayed she would never see.

A Western Union messenger.

Claire could feel her knees go weak as she struggled to find her voice.

“M...May I help you?”

“A telegram for Mrs. Beauchamp-Randall,” he said matter of factly. “It’s from the War Department.”

“I’m…” she had to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. “I’m Mrs. Beauchamp-Randall.”

He placed the letter in her hand before tipping his hat and turning to leave. Claire stood there staring at her hands, the letter still sealed. A myriad of thoughts went through her head, jumping from one to the next.

She wasn’t sure how she had gotten there, but Claire had made her way back inside and was seated at the kitchen table. Slowly she began to open the letter, praying that it wasn’t what she thought it was.

Maybe Frank just sent word that he was being discharged. Maybe he’s coming home.

With a rush of tears blurring her vision, she knew that the letter contained the confirmation that Frank was indeed coming home-- coming home so that he could be properly buried.

Dropping the telegram onto the table, Claire buried her head in the hands. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do now without Frank

Using the back of her hands to wipe the tears from her face, she glanced down at the telegram, nestled right next to the offer to play baseball.

#outlander #outlander fanfiction #outlander fanfic #outlander fan fic #a league of their own au #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #dirt in the skirts

[ramajmedia]

10 Things You Never Knew About Vegeta's Saiyan Suit In Dragon Ball

What a character wears ends up saying quite a lot about them, especially when it comes to Dragon Ball. Goku represents the turtle school throughout most of the series just by wearing his orange gi, linking him to his Earthling roots when the story reveals that he’s a Saiyan. Pretty much all of Gohan’s outfits end up saying something about him, as well. 

Then there’s Vegeta, a man who goes through the whole series with multiple variations of what’s basically the exact same outfit. Vegeta’s Saiyan suit is also particularly interesting in that it’s not uniquely his. As a result, it winds up a piece of clothing with quite a bit of lore behind it. 

RELATED: 10 Best Dragon Balls Moments (That Have Nothing To Do with Fighting)

10 Only The Stretchiest Spandex

The fact that Saiyans can turn into Oozarus is an important detail, but it’s also one that ends up ruining characters’ clothes. Naturally, the fight against Vegeta was never going to end before he transformed. To avoid Vegeta losing his clothes, though, Toriyama has Vegeta reveal that his suit stretches to fit his body’s shape.

This is a property that all Freeza Force armor seems to share. Spandex comes in two styles, but it’s one size fit all. The same goes for the chest piece, with shoulder pads designed to stretch out of the way during combat. No wonder Vegeta never takes it off. 

9 The Benefits Of The Crotch Guard

The Saiyan armor crotch guards are an interesting accessory. They visually persist up to Freeza’s return in the Cell arc and have made reappearances even in Super. It does make sense, though. The crotch guards help characters catch the eye more readily, but they’d end up tiresome to draw every week, which is likely why Vegeta ditched them. 

They were a massive benefit to his character design in the Saiyan arc, but would quickly hinder his mobility as a fighter. Plus, the shoulder guards are the real star of Vegeta’s original look. The crotch guards are just a nice visual bonus. 

8 In Direct Opposition To Goku’s Gi

More importantly, though, the crotch guards help Vegeta look more ornate in contrast to Goku’s rather simple martial artist’s gi. Vegeta’s uniform is meant to be the audience’s glimpse into what the Saiyan upper class looks like. Vegeta is visually so much more ornamental than Goku, but he’s not necessarily better. 

This is a trend Toriyama tends to keep with all of Vegeta’s redesigns. Vegeta’s outfit needs to contrast Goku visually since they’re constantly paired together. That’s likely a major reason why Vegeta’s suit was darkened in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, among also just making Super Saiyan Blue look better.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 5 Things GT Did Better Than Z (& Vice Versa)

7 Might Very Well Be His Boo Arc Spandex

Visually, Vegeta’s Boo arc spandex is just his Saiyan suit with no armor and the arms cut off. It does look like a tank top with sweatpants on occasion, but most fans seem to accept it as a pair of spandex. Either way, it’s clear from its design that Vegeta doesn’t want to stray too far from his Saiyan origins. 

It’s also just entirely likely that this is one of Vegeta’s old Saiyan suits. Why throw away good spandex, after all? Vegetto’s appearance seems to indicate that this is the case since his outfit doesn’t change in the Goku Black arc where Vegeta wears his full Cell arc armor.

6 Vegeta’s Visual Contributions To Vegetto

On that note, it’s worth mentioning that Vegeta’s Saiyan suit doesn’t contribute much to Vegetto’s overall aesthetic. While Vegetto does inherit Vegeta’s gloves and boots, the outfit is actually Goku’s. It’s a common belief that the blue outerwear is Vegeta’s Boo arc outfit, but it’s really just Goku’s gi turned blue. 

The Goku Black arc proves this outright when Goku and Vegeta fuse into Vegetto while fighting Zamasu. Both the anime and the manga feature Vegetto, as he appeared in the Boo arc. There’s no indication that Vegeta contributes much to Vegetto beyond his boots, gloves, and gi color.

5 Vegeta Knows His Fashion History 

For as rigid a man Vegeta ultimately is, he does seem to keep up with fashion trends, at least as far as they concern his armor. Before the fight with Freeza, Vegeta laments to Gohan and Kuririn that he’s stuck with an older model of the Saiyan suit. Up to that point, Vegeta had worn a variation of his Saiyan arc armor. 

It’s also worth pointing out that this means that Vegeta spent the Saiyan arc decked out in the best gear possible. By the Cell arc, though, none of this matters though since Bulma ends up making the rest of Vegeta’s suits for him.

4 Vegeta Ditches The Suit Entirely In GT

For as poorly as Dragon Ball GT drops the ball in continuing the series’ legacy, it does at least try to take the franchise in an aesthetically new direction. Characters rarely, if ever, wear their old clothing. The only time anyone really does is when Gohan wears his turtle school gi for the final battle against Omega Shenron. 

This makes Dragon Ball GT the only series Vegeta appears in where he doesn’t wear some variation of his Saiyan suit. Interestingly, though, the Saiyan suit does appear through Nappa. During the Super 17 arc, Vegeta effortlessly kills off an escaped Nappa without so much as sharing a hello.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 10 Times The Anime Broke Our Hearts

3 The Inner Workings Of The Resurrection F Suit

Vegeta’s Resurrection F suit is genuinely one of the better works of character design Toriyama has done for the series. The suit is designed specifically to pair with Super Saiyan Blue. In Vegeta’s base form, the grey body gives him a new look that’s complemented well by regular old Super Saiyan. 

When Blue, however, the suit takes on a deep blue color thanks to SSB’s aura. Not even Goku’s gi changes this way when turning Super Saiyan Blue. In many ways, Super Saiyan Blue is designed with Vegeta’s new suit in mind more so than Goku. It’s a shame Super dropped both outfits for the characters. 

2 Vegeta Mainly Wears The Suit Bulma Made Him

In the grand scheme of things, Vegeta has now spent more of Dragon Ball on Earth than as a villain. Even by the end of the original series, that felt like the case. This also means that, logically, Vegeta doesn’t wear his actual Saiyan suit long. By the time the Cell arc starts, he’s wearing gear specifically made by Bulma. 

Both Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super continue this trend of Bulma helping Vegeta out combat wise. She’s actually the one who makes Vegeta’s Resurrection F suit in the first place. Vegeta will never wear a traditional Saiyan suit again. 

1 Vegeta Wears His Original Suit In Every Z Arc

Interestingly, every single Z-era story arc in Dragon Ball features some depiction of Vegeta in his Saiyan arc armor—at least in the manga. The Saiyan arc speaks for itself, but Vegeta spends the first half of the Namek arc wearing a revised version of his Saiyan arc armor.In the Cell arc, Toriyama draws Vegeta in his armor during a title page depicting Cell’s DNA hosts and in the Boo arc where Toriyama draws Vegeta in his Saiyan arc armor as a title page leading up to Vegeta’s suicide attack against Majin Boo. Neither Super nor GT continue this trend, but it’s an interesting detail to make note of.

NEXT: Dragon Ball Z: The 5 Best & Worst Episodes Ever (According To IMDb)

source https://screenrant.com/vegeta-saiyan-suit-dragon-ball-facts/

#screenrant

[kairoskrp]

                                       — On the wicked wings of time, thy kingdom comes

Meet [ Choi Minsu ]

He is a [ twenty-four] year old  [ contract killer & artist ] currently residing in [ nanjin duplex, #405]. Visit and greet  him today!

Personality: 

Sol Minsu is a tricky man to figure out. On one hand, he is as energetic as a puppy and as clumsy as a giant on rollerskates. On another, he can become deceiving and as malevolent as the devil himself. He carries with him a shady aura, one that seems to radiate suspicion and makes people feel stuffy and inconstant. His honeyed words seem to draw those unwary to him, where he sets his trap and waits for it to be sprung. However, this is merely to those he does not trust or he himself is suspicious about, as he holds a completely different persona to those that are truly his friends. His sass and cleverness truly sets him apart from others, and the same goes for his friends. He is not a people-pleaser, and does not identify himself with a specific “crowd”, however, he he finds himself interested in you much more than usual you can expect a caring Minsu who will quite literally treat you like the royalty you are.

Spirit: Alecto (one of the three Furies)

Power: Fear Embodiment

VIsually Minsu’s eyes will become a dark, almost blood red with no sclera present, and his veins become extremely visible and turn a dark red around his neck, arms, and head.

Is able to sort of “sense” a target’s fears and take on that embodiment, using it to his advantage

Is a form of a mental power, although it’s hard for him to pinpoint a direct image of what the victim’s fears are

Is sort of like spidey-sense, where spiderman can “feel” something coming at him but won’t know it until he actually turns and sees it, but in Minsu’s case it’s when he actually turns into it

While in another form he can take on that image’s specific abilities and such, but on a slightly lesser scale

Also, he cannot verbally communicate with anyone when in a non-humanoid state and must rely on actions

If he isn’t focusing enough or if he becomes extremely emotional, his body might accidentally take on a fear without warning, causing possible harm to someone he didn’t mean for it to

As a sort of last resort, and only in the most dire circumstances, he is able to become a sort of cluster of energy which, at the same time, “reads” the fears of everyone in the surrounding area and manipulates itself into mentally exhibiting that fear to an extreme level

The reason why this is a last-resort, is because anyone in the vicinity of Minsu while he does this (anything in visual range) will most-likely die from the mental toll it takes on the victim. Also, Minsu will end up unconscious, or maybe even dead himself, as he is physically and mentally pushing his life force out of his body and using it for destructive means.

Biography:

TW: Extreme violence, heavy gore, heavy blood, themes of insanity, themes of parental abuse

i. Picasso

The room is filled with drawings, from the grey rug to the ceiling filled with glowing stars. Posters of movies, books, and famous art have become the wallpaper, with there being no sign of the former teal walls behind. There is no sign of toys or books in the room, no sign of the mess a 5 year-old Minsu should have made. Instead, there is only a pristine white bed, bedside chests filled with tools and brushes, and large easels covered in paint. Drawings that could be considered a level that of a young adult was compared to “child’s play” by Minsu’s mother, who always made sure that there was never an empty easel, never a blank page, never a painting not sold. It could be said that his “bedroom” was more of a full-time workspace. The rest of the house was no different, with his artwork being displayed in every corner and crevice available in the 5-story mansion. A few years ago, his mother had been living in a middle-class neighborhood and had two jobs, now, the family (consisting of Minsu and his mother) were living high above the upper class stature and the income was solely based off of the money made from Minsu’s artwork. His mother was comfortable and in some terms, lazy, living off of the “gravy train” her son was too young and naive to notice.

ii. Van Goh

It’s quiet the car ride home with the tension in the air growing more apparent by the minute. Minsu’s mother’s hands grip the steering wheel tightly as she jerks it left and right in an unconventional manner. Her eyes are hazy and her lips are pulled up into a mindless snarl, her gaze trained on the 12-year old sitting in the backseat. Minsu knows she’s too drunk to be driving, but the swelling bruise on his left cheek is enough to warn him about the dangers of getting in her way, so he sits with his hands placed lightly in his lap and his eyes empty and staring at the floor. Years of mental and physical torture have left him unresponsive to his mother’s harsh responses, causing him to block out all white noise associated with her.

“You’re an abomination, you know that?” She spits, looking more like the devil than a woman to him. The elegant burgundy dress and the pinstripe suit the two wear are more of a masquerade of the troubles faced at home, a veil to cover up the ugliness inside Minsu’s mother. “A shame to the family, that’s what you are. Might as well have been off with your father if this is how you repay me….” She mutters the last part but subconsciously Minsu perks up a bit. He’s never met his father, a man of low stature and wealth who disappeared soon after he was born, leaving his wife and son alone.

“Did you hear m-” And before she can finish there’s the sound of a horn echoing, the shattering of glass, the screams as his mother is sent through the front window of the car, her body flying through the air before slamming onto the asphalt road, sliding a bit until coming to a complete stop. Minsu’s eyes are shut as his entire world is quite literally rocked, head squeezed between his knees as he feels the seat belt being ripped from him and the cool night air as he too is flung from the car. He hits the ground with a sickening crack, but when he opens his eyes he realizes he is alive, and breathing, although everything is spinning.

He remembers the colors, vivid and bright as he slowly pushes himself up to gaze at the mangled body of his mother not too far from him. His face is emotionless as his eyes travel over the visible bones pushed through brazened skin, the spilled organs across the road, the small twitching of her hand as it lay limp and bent awkwardly in the air. Her face no longer looks like a face, instead to him it resembles the crushed pulp of an orange. He is emotionless when the paramedics arrive, he is emotionless when he is tugged into the arms of a police officer, he is emotionless as he is whisked away in an ambulance to the emergency room although his lips are glued shut in the event of what has happened.

And Minsu learns something that day that stays with him for the rest of his life:

Karma is one hell of a creative bitch

iii. Monet

Minsu is lucky- now 17 years old, he had made enough money when he was younger to still stay in his mansion, although with a caretaker and tutors to help guide him. Now, he has made an impressive name for himself, known for works of art displayed all over the country and beyond. His insightful past seems to hold no weight on him as he paints with brush strokes that of a master, and a keen eye capable of picking out the tiniest and most obscure detail that inconspicuously would change entire painting.

However, not all was happy, dandy, said and done.

As with many celebrities- or rather figures of high idolization -Minsu must keep a persona reserved for the public and one for more personal times. To the outside world, he is a figure of perfection, of simplicity, and seems to model the very well-known statues he makes. He is gentle as dove, but as merciless as a bloodthirsty tiger when it comes to his business, and if anyone were to question veiled incidents….

There is a side to him that many don’t see, where the mind of a madman reigns over his kingdom with fits of rage and destruction. Enticement comes in the form of nightmares and panic attacks, where Minsu locks himself away with dread and sadness, where sobs of terror and screams of a broken mind echo through his studio. Where those that might feel sorry for him disappear like ghosts, and Minsu is left to pick up the pieces of the glory he has built.

His physicality may be that of a man, but his mind is that of the devil.

iiii. Vinci

Minsu is 22 years old when he breaks, finally, and in one sudden and terrifying instance that spirals him further down into the rabbit hole.

Criticism, in Minsu’s mind, is the tool used by insufficient beings to further spread false influence over those who would be classified as better than them. Malicious gazes and harsh words confirm this belief when he meets with these “critics”, one by one being visited by the artist under the guise of simply wanting to show off his artwork in hopes of having a changed review. Whispers in Minsu’s ear the night before had pushed him to this deed. A woman, unseen yet heard clearly through the fog of dreams and nightmares. It’s this voice that plants the seed of his madness, acting only as a guide in his endeavors and beyond with him the vessel of her deeds.

Fear, is their creed. Fear, shines in their eyes as Minsu wields a weapon known not to any mortal but all too-well coveted by the gods. Fear, is the power flowing through his veins as he takes on the form of some unimaginable creatures only fathomable in the deepest recesses of the mind. Fear, fills their cries as Minsu cuts them down one by one, hidden by the darkness of their homes and businesses. He knows not what he is, only that he is a force of terror that can only be found in nightmares and under the bed of a child at night.

A few of them are killed, the rest are found without any physical wounds, but their mind is broken completely. Slurred words and violent outbursts confirm what psychologists think- something happened that traumatized them bad enough to put them into this animalistic state.

No one knows who did it, they say. They find dog hairs, blood with the dna of crocodiles, and the claw marks of an undisclosed creature but no human dna, they say. They tried searching for a culprit but it looks like the cases will be closed, they say.

And no one can see the complacent smirk on Minsu’s face as he sits, watching the tv with luxury filling the world around him. No one can see how the wheels in his mind are turning, twisting, creating a plan that can only be as malevolent as the last.

He sits, thinking about his life and what has led up to this moment. Thoughts sift in and out of his head, before one particular one causes his smile to grow and his attention to become more focused on the future ahead.

The art of killing in enamoring, so why not make it something more?

#kr; follow #jinyoung #krp #res; nanjin #tw: violence #tw: gore #tw: blood #tw: insanity #tw: parental abuse

[kpo-pedits]

BTOB’s Members Profile 2017: BTOB Facts; BTOB Ideal Type.

BTOB (비투비) consists of 7 members: Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub, Hyunsik, Peniel, Ilhoon and Sungjae. They debuted on March 21, 2012, under CUBE Entertainement.

BTOB Fandom Name: Melody BTOB Official Fan Color: Slow Blue

BTOB Official Accounts: Twitter: @officialbtob Facebook: BTOBofficial Youtube: officialbtob Fan cafe: cube-btob

BTOB Members Profile:

Eunkwang Stage Name: Eunkwang (은광) Birth Name: Seo Eun Kwang Position: Main Vocalist, Leader Birthday: November 22, 1990 Zodiac sign: Sagittarius Height: 173 cm (5’8″) Weight: 62 kg (136 lbs) Blood type: A Specialties: Vocals, piano Twitter: @btob_sekwang Instagram: @btob_silver_light

Eunkwang facts: – He has a younger brother, named Eunchong. – His favorite color is blue. – He did a song with Yoo SungEun called “Love Virus” – He is the “father” of the group. – He is a picky eater. – If Eunkwang could trade places with one BTOB member, he would be Sungjae because he wants to breathe the air at 180cm. – He likes to listen to emotional songs. – Eunkwang doesn’t sound when he farts. He would pretend like he doesn’t know anything. XD – His good friend in BTOB is Minhyuk. – Eunkwang admits that he’s really not quick-witted. He doesn’t know to handle woman. – He went to all-male middle and high school. – Eunkwang is close to Changsub’s sister. – Changsub’s sister favorite member in BTOB is Eunkwang. – Eunkwang is good at cooking egg stew. – Eunkwang joined a tv show, ‘Lipstick Prince’ which premiered on 1st December 2016. – If Eunkwang was a girl, he would like to date Hyunsik. – Eunkwang’s Ideal Type: Someone with a kind heart, goes to church, has double eyelids, medium sized beautiful big eyes, thick lips, small waist, no height limitation, only loves me, long straight hair, likes it when she puts one side of her hair behind her ears.

Minhyuk Stage Name: Minhyuk (민혁) Birth Name: Lee Min Hyuk Position: Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Visual Birthday: November 29, 1990 Zodiac sign: Sagittarius Height: 173 cm (5’8″) Weight: 61 kg (134 lbs) Blood type: A Specialties: Writing lyrics, composing music, rap making, exercising, acrobatics Instagram: @hutazone Twitter: @btob2mh

Minhyuk facts: – He has an older brother, named Jungmin. – Favorite color: black, white – Minhyuk is the “mother” of the group. – He was a cast member of the second season of The Romantic & Idol – Minhyuk likes to be in a romantic situation. – Minhyuk’s friends call him the ‘Holiday Star’ because they said he get attention during the holidays. – During college, Minhyuk participated in cross dressing competition twice. – If Minhyuk got a casting offer from R-Rated movie, he would be interested to star in one. – Minhyuk didn’t mind taking his shirt off. – He is the role model when it comes to cleaning. – Minhyuk actually wanted to become a soccer player. – Among the members, Minhyuk is the one who sweat a lot. – Minhyuk can watch horror movies well. – He has a puppy named Hamo. – Minhyuk is good at cooking fried rice and kimchi stew. – Minhyuk’s pants ripped once when performing “It’s Okay” and he was wearing red underwear at that time. – He barely played games. – Minhyuk starred in ‘A New Leaf’ as supporting role. – He starred in idol special of ‘Love & War 2’. – Minhyuk starred in ‘Sweet, Savage Family’. – Minhyuk also starred in a web-drama called ‘Nightmare Teacher’. – If Minhyuk was a girl, he would like to date Sungjae. – Minhyuk’s ideal type: Has cute smiley eyes, has a small face with a body proportion of 1:8, has complete self management, firm and elastic figure from exercising, occasionally revealing the expressions like a kitten or puppy, a well liked person who is kind, and knows how to aegyo, has clean and clear skin and neat teeth, someone who can watch ball games together, go to amusement parks together, go to famous tourist attractions for holiday, traveling on trains, to travel everywhere.

Changsub Stage Name: Changsub (창섭) Birth Name: Lee Chang Seob Position: Lead Vocalist Birthday: February 26, 1991 Zodiac sign: Pisces Height: 177 cm (5’10”) Weight: 64 kg (141 lbs) Blood type: O Specialties: Piano and Drums Instagram: @lee_cs_btob Twitter: @LeeCS_BTOB

Changsub facts: – He has a younger sister, named Jungeun. – His favorite color is black. – Changsub can’t resist sleep. – Changsub has a tattoo on his right shoulder, on his right forearm and on his right chest. – Changsub’s mother not allowed him to get more tattoo. – Changsub is good at cooking kimchi fried rice. – He was a skateboard athlete. – Changsub went to Howon University. – The member who listens to Eunkwang the most is Changsub. – Changsub really like to brush his teeth. – Changsub’s ideal type: Someone with a small egg shaped face, with long straight hair or wavy curls, wears sports shoes, height 165cm, s line, smiley eyes, someone who is more lively than me and thinks before acting, dont put on thick make up, milky white skin, someone who leads me on, someone who will go with me to busan’s haeundae to look at the sea and eat sashimi, to go to awesome place to have coffee together, eat pork soup with rice at night..

Hyunsik Stage Name: Hyunsik (현식) Birth Name: Im Hyun Sik Position: Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist Birthday: March 7, 1992 Zodiac sign: Pisces Height: 177 cm (5’10”) Weight: 66 kg (145 lbs) Blood Type: A Specialties: Vocal, Composition, Lyrics, Guitar, Piano Instagram: @imhyunsik Twitter: @BTOB_IMHYUNSIK

Hyunsik facts: – He has an older brother, named Yoonsik. – His favorite color is red. – Hobbies: singing, writing and composing music – Hyunsik has tattoos on his arm and behind his neck. – Hyunsik was popular among the girls ever since 4th grade elementary school. – He had a fancafe on some portal site around 3rd or 4th grade. – Hyunsik is good at cooking stir fried tuna with kimchi. – Hyunsik got a personal cooking lessons when he was younger. – Hyunsik is really active in composing songs most of the time. – Hyunsik’s father is a singer Im Jihoon. – Hyunsik has studied abroad in Shanghai for 2 years. – Hyunsik can hold liquor the best among the members. – If Hyunsik was a girl, he would like to date Sungjae. – Hyunsik’s ideal type: extraordinary, someone who is more special than i am, someone who is very adorable but will be very sexy when she is next to me, someone who is not too boring, someone who is willing to give but knows that she is lacking, a woman who complements me.

Peniel Stage Name: Peniel (프니엘) Birth Name: Shin Dong Geun Position: Rapper, Vocalist Birthday: March 10, 1993 Zodiac sign: Pisces Height: 175 cm (5’9″) Weight: 63 kg (139 lbs) Blood Type: AB Specialties: Acting, guitar Instagram: @btobpeniel Twitter: @PenielShin

Peniel facts: – He has an older sister, named Jennifer. – He is a former trainee under JYPE – He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, United States and speaks fluent English – Hobbies: listening to music – Peniel talks well with both male and female. – Peniel learned Korean curse words from Sungjae. – Peniel was the last member to join BTOB. – Peniel’s close friends during his trainee days are B.A.P’s Youngjae, EXID’s Junghwa and Bestie’s Haeryoung. – Peniel likes to take pictures of food before eating. – He doesn’t like acting cute. – Peniel sleeps naked. – He suffers from hair loses. That’s why he shaved his hair. – Peniel appeared in a tv show, ‘Hello Counselor’ once because he wanted to tell his fans the truth reason why he went bold. – If Peniel was a girl, he would date Sungjae. – Peniel’s ideal Type: A girl with a beautiful smile, must definitely not smoke. Hope she would be either pretty or adorable, someone who is positive, and able to fit in well.

Ilhoon Stage Name: Ilhoon (일훈) Birth Name: Jung Il Hoon Position: Main Rapper, Vocalist Birthday: October 4, 1994 Zodiac sign: Libra Height: 176 cm (5’9″) Weight: 64 kg (141 lbs) Blood Type: B Specialties: Rap, Writing lyrics, Composition Instagram: @ilhoonmj Twitter: @BTOB_ILL

Ilhoon facts: – He has an older sister, named JOO. – His hobby is shopping. – Ilhoon doen’t eat much, he don’t have an appetite. – Ilhoon is really good at sudden attack (games). – Ilhoon choose teleportation as a super power that he wants to have. – The member who troubled Eunkwang the most is Ilhoon. – Ilhoon don’t like cold weather. – He mentioned that he wants to touch Himchan’s butt. – Ilhoon hasn’t received any confessions from girls at his school. – Ilhoon was the one that came out with the name ‘Melody’ as the fandom’s name. – Ilhoon first love didn’t come true. – Ilhoon was warned of potentially being at risk of lung cancer on a tv show, ‘Vitamin’. – Ilhoon has tattoos on his chest saying “No one can be like God” and one on his arm. – Ilhoon’s armpit hair originally doesn’t grow. – He’s known for inventing and popularizing the gestures for “Gwiyomi Player”. – If Ilhoon was a girl, he would date himself. – Ilhoon’s ideal type: has long eyelashes, big eyes, s line figure, slender body, it doesnt matter if she is tall or short, has white skin, has brown colored pupils, it would be good if she has short bob hair

Sungjae Stage Name: Sungjae (성재) Birth Name: Yook Sung Jae Position: Lead Vocalist, Face of the Group, Maknae Birthday: May 2, 1995 Zodiac sign: Taurus Height: 180 cm (5’11”) Weight: 68 kg (149 lbs) Blood type: A Specialties: Vocals, snowboarding Instagram: @6_zalddow Twitter: @BTOB_6SJ

Sungjae facts: – He has an older sister, named Sungyoung. – His favorite colors are black and red. – His hobbies are snowboarding and shopping. – Kim Sohyun and Joy are someone who Sungjae wants to has as a younger sister. – Sungjae was dropped at the final round of a JYP open audition. – Sungjae hiccups when he eats spicy food. – There was a time where Sungjae was a yogurt addict. He had 16 cups a day. – Sungjae first met V from BTS at the toilet and they became close since then. – Sungjae doesn’t like showing his body. – Sungjae chooses Suzy as the female idol he wants to date. – Sungjae likes older women. – Sungjae filmed WGM with Joy from Red Velvet. – Sungjae starred in ‘Plus Nine Boys’ as Kang Min Gu. – Sungjae starred in ‘School 2015 : Who Are You’ as the second male lead, Gong Tae Kwang. – Sungjae starred in ‘The Village : Achiara’s Secret’ as the male lead, Park Woo Jae. – Sungjae starred in ‘Goblin’ as Yoo Deok Hwa. – If Sungjae was a girl, he would date Minhyuk. – Sungjae’s ideal type: Has droopy shaped big eyes , black and straight long hair, someone who is sexy but will show me her cute side, has a belly button which look good, slender figure and is glamorous, I want to put my arm around her waist and walk along the beach together, watch movie, eat…

#btob #profile #updated #kpop profiles #btob ideal types #2017 #updated facts #admin lovi

[leftwriteb]

Industry Trend: Open Worlds & Empty Spaces

With the recent release of both Horizon: Zero Dawn and the impending UK launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the WiiU/Switch in the next few minutes, the gaming community is going to be treated to two incredible sprawling universes with little but a handful of days between them. Even if that wasn't enough, a new endeavour into the galactic expanses of Mass Effect: Andromeda could easily be another title to add to the growing list of open world games that have reigned supreme on the "next gen" (or now much rather current) console generation. As someone who plans to get all three of these games, as well as the disc copy of Telltales TWD Season 3, March is going to be an expensive and time consuming month for many.

With the latest generation of consoles having been around for a few years now, we are starting so see games and developers use the tools at their disposal in new and exciting ways. Uncharted 4 showed us that games are prettier than ever. Forza Horizon 3 showed us games are smoother than ever. Games like Limbo and The Witness showed us that older concepts and genres could be reborn and reimagined. Games like Star Wars: Battlefront showed us that you can make stupid amounts of money selling half a game... again.. Oh, and let's not forget that The Witcher 3 showed us games were bigger than ever. That too.

But, that being said, I can’t say I ever completed the Witcher 3. Not even close. And a large part of that was because the game gave me something I had never experienced before: a world that was just too big. That’s not to say the game was bad of course, but I found myself less and less interested in the map and what was held within it because there was no real drive for me to explore and investigate every corner as I often do when playing games. While I absolutely adored the time I spent with the game, in a landmass as vast as it was, much of that space was empty and void of the kind of mystery or intrigue that would usually have its hooks in me. 

In all honesty, this is something far too common in this generations lifespan. When I look at the the games I’ve spent the most time with over the past few years, it’s sadly all too clear that they are also the games that haven’t stuck with me. Unlike games before them, they don’t have locations I vividly remember, or locales I could map out from memory. To this day, I could still build a shockingly acccurate model of Outset Island from Wind Waker if asked to. I can still tell you how where the best vantage point is in Armadillo, the first town you come across in Red Dead Redemption, and describe in detail the layout around it. I could even take you on a worryingly precise tour of most of Pandora given the time spent in the Borderlands games.

But when I look at more recent games, feats like that are far more difficult. I couldn’t tell you the name of one location from Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, despite the game being my first Platinum Trophy and one of my favourite titles on the Playstation 4 so far. I can’t recall anywhere particularly memorable from the many hours I spent within Far Cry 4. Even having spent hundreds of hours (and £) on Fallout 4, I remember far less of the map than that of it’s predecessor. It’s a problem sometimes referred to as “open world fatigue”. Far too often we see games having open worlds for open world sake, and in an attempt to create more for the player to do, the surroundings these tasks are situated in are dull, repetitive or both.

Having played a good number of hours of Horizon, and around 30 minutes of Breath of the Wild at the Switch event in London a few weeks ago, it does thankfully look like this trend in the industry is about to get a big fat slap in the face.

Let’s start with Zelda, given this is the game that releases around now in the UK (at the time of posting) and is the game I’ve spent less time with of the two. In just the short time I had with the game, it can’t be stated enough how refreshing the game felt, not just as a Zelda title, but within our beloved medium as a whole. Every corner I chose to explore had something waiting for me. While there were plenty of open grassland areas, looming forests and aged rock formations to create the vast stretches of this reimagined Hyrule, they were generously peppered with things of interest too.

The buried remains of an ancient Guardian sat in a cluster of moss and dirt, frozen in mid-animation. Lakes and rivers would cut through the terrain to add some visual variety and to add some complexity to navigating. Goblin camps would often be positioned along commonly used pathways and would be home to a whole host of enemies and loot, should you defeat them.

What’s more, these details within the greenery provided new ways to interact with the world around you. At one camp, I found some large boulders on a hilltop to the west. Pushing these boulders down the slopes meant I squashed two of the three enemies waiting for me, allowing for an easier victory and an even easier path to the wooden chest the blighters had been guarding. The world felt more alive than any iteration I had played before it, and this wasn’t just limited to the environment; characters and enemies feel more alive than ever too! While traversing a canyon during exploration, I found myself within a narrow bottleneck. Atop of solitary rock stood a goblin wielding a wooden torch. After knocking him to the ground with an arrow or two, his lit torch set the grass around us alight and we both scurried backwards away from the flames, waiting for them to die out, before we charged at each other once more ready to settle our little ember-filled spat. What made me fall in love with the game was how this clearly huge space before me felt like it had purpose. It felt lived in. It felt like it had a history. The things I saw felt like they were there for a reason, instead of just to fill a void.

It’s been a long time coming but I can tell you that I am incredibly excited to play what Zelda has waiting for me, and I honestly think you should be too.

On a more Sony oriented note, Horizon: Zero Dawn is also proving to be another highlight in the catalogue for Playstation 4. While the comparisons between Horizon and Zelda will undoubtedly surface, it’s important to keep in mind that while they do a few things similarly, they are two very different behemoths. While Breath of the Wild brings a much-needed freshness to an established series, Horizon aims to build a solid base for a completely new IP and, make no mistake, it succeeds.

Horizon is a game of two tales and it’s one that manages to provide a playground filled with things you’re already familiar with. Scaling a Tallneck reveals the expanse on your map as you’ve seen in many Ubisoft titles. You can traverse the map via your mount which you can summon to you, akin to the Witcher 3′s Roach, though perhaps not as comical as Geralt’s almighty steed. You’ve got heavy attacks, light attacks, special tools and a weapon wheel just as you’d expect. What the game does, it does incredibly well and with a great deal of polish. But on top of this all is a new universe to become complete infatuated with too.

The strange mashup of sci-fi robotics and engineering with more traditional tribal influences creates a kind of harmony in artistic direction you wouldn't expect to see with such juxtaposition. Locales are a cocktail of twisted metal and blossoming vegetation and everywhere you go has a reason to exist and a visual storytelling that ignites your imagination as you try to piece together your own logic for how or why this ruin is where it is.

While there is plenty of familiarity to keep you grounded in the world Horizon offers, there’s so much more depth in what it brings newly to the table. The open spaces are ones you’ll want to envelope yourself in and already, in the limited hours I have spent with the game so far, I have discovered locations and beauty in the environments that will stick with me forever in my gaming endeavours. This world isn’t just beautiful; it’s actually interesting and exciting too.

While there have been plenty of open worlds and empty spaces in videogames in recent memory, we are at a point in time where things are really changing and open worlds are coming into their own. They feel, as they should, more like established worlds than just open ones. With Horizon and Zelda, we are treated to some of the most brilliantly realised worlds we have ever seen in this medium and I think we can all agree that that’s a trend we hope continues.

#horizon #horizonzerodawn #zelda #breatheofthewild #legend of zelda #link #playstation #wiiu #switch #nintendo #gaming #videogames #games #openworld #triforce #ganon #aloy

[risprinabeachw-blog]

Dating dragon balls

Who is Dragon Ball Z dating? Dragon Ball Z partner, spouse His jump shot basically consists of Ball moving the basketball from his left hip, to the left of his forehead.  He made it clear that Lonzo would only work out for the L.  However, there are a few elements of Toriyama's statement that could raise concern with Dragon Ball fans, primarily the fact that the movie will focus on and the.  The announcement will come as fantastic news to fans of Dragon Ball Super who were concerned that the forthcoming hiatus would signal another quiet period for the franchise and the fact that Toriyama will be heavily involved can only be a good thing.  Datables Chichi - Favors Strength and Mind.

Design a Dragonball Dating Sim For her first outfit, she wears a red and yellow Saiyan Hero outfit that exposes her midriff and navel.  The thinking behind this decision is currently unclear and viewers don't yet know whether Super will return at some point in the future or be cancelled completely.  That is, until they reached high school.  Could you imagine if the 76ers passed on Markelle Fultz and selected Ball first overall? And not having access to flash, or having any art or music skills to speak of.  There is no doubting that Garcia is very attractive, but she also happens to have some other good looking friends as we can see in this photo.  Simmons made the very bold move to travel to the United States in his sophomore year of high school.

Lonzo Ball's Girlfriend Vs. Ben Simmons's GF: Who's More Attractive? Gonzalez looks great in her Pink Christmas onesie in this Instagram photo taken on Christmas Day, 2016.  Shortly later, she has a friendly Dragon Ball Heroes battle with Beat.  She is clearly in excellent shape and the hike up the mountain did not tire her out enough to be able to strike a pose.  They go against each other until their machine is accidentally unplugged by Froze, who is being pushed around by a pair of bullies making fun of his devotion to his cards.  She looks rather nice with her confident smile, and stylish outfit she is wearing.  Biography Victory Mission Note in Victory Mission In the manga, Note meets Beat after the latter is defeated by.

Who is Dragon Ball Z dating? Dragon Ball Z partner, spouse In the game, she is able to transform into a Super Saiyan, and uses the.  It was only at age 14 when Simmons decided that he was only going to concentrate on playing basketball.  His father transferred to Cal State Los Angeles, where his mother, Tina, was also playing.  She performs the in the trailer she was introduced.  She wears a long, blue jacket along with yellow pants, black boots and a green hat.  He, as many others had anticipated, was excited to be able to work with Ben Simmons — the clear consensus for the number one pick.  Garcia looks lovely in her fashionable outfit on her night out on the town.

Design a Dragonball Dating Sim In much the same way as the Kardashians series, the show follows the personal and family lives of all the members of the Ball family.  The premiere episode gained around 26 million views, and the first season recently ended after airing 10 episodes.  In another tournament, Note defeats her opponent Poko in the first round, and is then put against the Android Elite Nico for the second round.  His first taste of basketball came when he was seven years old.  Lonzo Ball is currently dating University of California soccer star Denise Garcia.

Design a Dragonball Dating Sim He then rotates his elbow in toward his chest, which is when he shoots the ball.  Lonzo would not sign unless the company licensed merchandise from Big Baller Brand.  While we all know about his controversial father LaVar, both his parents were former college basketball players.  With new and interesting characters such as Hit, Jiren and the Angels to explore, some might argue that the new Dragon Ball movie should look ahead for inspiration, rather than into the franchise's history.  After the final, Note and say it is too bad Beat lost but his opponent was a battle machine with no emotion whatsoever Beat reflects to himself that it is not true: she saw him smile.  They soon meet , who also won his match.

Who is Dragon Ball Z dating? Dragon Ball Z partner, spouse I am working on a Dragonball Z dating game,This will be a mix of a visual novel and a dating simulator game, where you can date the handsome Guys from Dragonball Z, such as Vegeta, Goku, piccolo and more.  Gonzalez looks stunning in this modelling pose, while she grasps a basketball and stares into the camera.  A second season has just recently been announced, so clearly there is a dedicated and loyal fanbase.  After the game, Ball confessed that he had strained his hamstring.  She is the leader of against and one of ' closest allies.  He focused much of his efforts on rugby and basketball, having played both in leagues since age 10.  By that we mean that he played many different sports.

Lonzo Ball's Girlfriend Vs. Ben Simmons's GF: Who's More Attractive? In the end, had merged with the multiverse itself, causing to it.  In August 2017, the Ball family started their own reality show that airs only on Facebook, called Ball In The Family. As you can see in the above photo, Dylan Gonzalez clearly has loves wearing red lingerie.  Videl - Favors Strength Launch - Randomly transfers during a date Favors Strength and Ki A.  Judging by the number of comments, she is attracting quite the audience! She is shown to be able to hold her own against opponents such as Frieza's soldiers.  As it turned out, LaVar got his wish and the Lakers drafted Ball second overall.  She has big black eyes and long black hair with bangs.

Dragon Ball Super Anime Movie Gets a Release Date We can only wonder what Simmons is thinking since many of these types of photos are popping up on her Instagram in recent months.  Interestingly, the movie appears to be retaining the Super moniker, at least for the time being.  At least it works well for him so far! It is impressive that everyone in the Ball family has played basketball, at least at the college level.  Although it clearly affected his performance, Ball refused to offer the injury as an excuse for being outplayed and outmatched by Kentucky.  His father, Dave, is American while his mother, Julie, was Australian.  Related: However, Toei via have now announced that a brand new Dragon Ball movie, the 20th thus far, will be released in Japan on December 14, 2018.  Ben Simmons, of the Philadelphia 76ers, is slightly less well-known than Ball, but has a couple things in common with Ball.

Future Mai He attended and played for Montverde Academy in Florida.  Lonzo Ball was a consensus five star recruit out of high school.  Beat wins thanks to his Super Saiyan 4 Goku card.  His stat line, across 33 games, was 19.  It has so far received about 3 million views on YouTube.

#Note

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

God of War Review -- The Best God of War Ever

The brand new chapter of the God of War saga is finally here, but if you expect it to have much in common with Kratos’ tribulations from the past, you’ll probably be disappointed, or at least extremely surprised. It’s time to clear our mind of all preconceptions and embark into a brand new adventure.

The most obvious difference is the setting: gone is Greece, replaced by the cold North. Kratos is still going to meet and fight gods, but this time around it’s Norse mythology to form the base for the story, and it does so for the better. The good folks at Sony Santa Monica didn’t just adopt Scandinavian myths and legends but forged them into one of the most vibrant and interesting fantasy settings I have seen in a long time.

The story begins with Kratos and his son Atreus as they burn the body of the boy’s mother. Her last wish dictates that the two scatter her ashes from the highest peak in the realms. Before they can depart, a strange tattooed man appears at the door of Kratos’ hut, seemingly aware of his divine nature.

Our short-tempered hero doesn’t like to be questioned, so a titanic battle ensues. After finally dispatching the rather resilient opponent, Kratos and Atreus depart for their adventure, which will definitely be a lot more complicated than expected.

The change in setting is just the tip of the iceberg, as Kratos himself is quite far from the consistently raging character that we left at the end of the previous game. While he still struggles to keep calm and collected, his newfound role as a father gives him new responsibilities, forcing him to hold his nature at bay or to find a new one within himself.

Of course, being the son of the God of War isn’t exactly easy, especially if said god isn’t willing to tell you squat about his own nature and yours. This is the conundrum that Atreus will have to face, as the two men, old and young, struggle to get closer to each other possibly without this resulting in too many bruises. The generational gap is the least of the problems that Kratos and Atreus will have to face, and the way they grow together as characters is probably one of the most charming aspects of this game.

This is probably the biggest innovation brought to the table by God of War. The previous games of the series were fun despite their characters. Exhilarating action gameplay and fantastic graphics (for the time) were the main attraction, while the story was pretty much an accessory. It’s a bit difficult to have compelling and nuanced storytelling when your main character has two states of mind, angry and angrier.

On the other hand, the new title comes with a cast that is rich in charm and depth. Kratos himself has grown into an extremely compelling character with plenty of emotional depth and his share of vulerabilities. His guff manners should not deceive, as there is definitely a lot to discover beneath the thick hide of this veteran father-warrior. As a matter of fact, in some aspects, he has turned into the geometric opposite of who he was. His abrupt speech patterns and unfriendly mannerism used to make him annoying. Now, thanks to the exceptional writing and the presence of Atreus as a perfect counterpart, they have become endearing traits, and definitely enjoyable.

Atreus himself is a great co-protagonist. Kratos’ son is depicted as flawed and immature. Yet, that’s done in a way that masterfully avoids turning him into a nuisance and indeed encourages the player to grow attached to this fledgling would-be warrior who struggles to live up to his super-stern father’s expectations, while dealing with his own mysterious and often uncomfortable nature.

The rest of the cast is equally well written and designed, and I can honestly say that for the first time I truly enjoyed the story of a God of War game. Until a couple of years ago, I would have never, ever, thought this possible.  The God of War series is all grown-up now, and I say this with the most positive sentiment possible.

For the first time in the story of the franchise, the strong narration and writing spark a wide range of feelings, going from deeply moving movements to absolutely hilarious skits, and the best part is that it all feels perfectly natural.

The story and characters are supported by absolutely superb voice acting, and the continuous dialogue between Kratos and Atreus is interesting and enjoyable all the way through the game.

Speaking of audio, every single aspect of the production is top-notch, from the sound design that perfectly sets the atmosphere of the imperious Norse landscape, to the score by Bear McCreary, which is hands-down one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game of this genre in a long time.

One of the few aspects sticking to the tradition of the series is the graphics. I tested the game on PS4 Pro, and I have to say that the game looks truly spectacular. I am always amazed by the visual results that Sony’s top first-party studios manage to achieve on a console, and this is no exception.

Those playing on PS4 Pro like I did will have the chance to choose between a “favor resolution” mode that renders the game at 2160p checkerboard or a “favor performance” mode that renders at 1080p, with better frame rate.  The game is a true joy for the eyes in both modes, but it’s certainly good to have options (you can check out the difference in our dedicated article).

It’s actually difficult to judge which element looks better between the rich environments and the beautifully detailed character models. The world is brought to life masterfully, even thanks to advanced lighting and effects.

Amazing texture work is probably the best aspect of the characters, and rarely I have seen gameplay models so close to cutscene quality. They’re super-detailed, expressive, and fantastically animated.

Speaking of animation, it feels extremely visceral thanks to the combination with proficient camera work and the awesome sound design I mentioned above. You will “feel” every impact of Kratos’ axe directly in your stomach, and even something as simple as opening a chest has an “oomph” that is rarely seen in games.

Of course, the true king of the God of War franchise has always been gameplay, and that still holds true with this new game. Yet, this is not to say that it’s similar. As a matter of fact, it really isn’t. The new God of War is closer to an extremely stylish action-RPG than to a pure hack-and-slash.

The development team adopted a rather deep system involving plenty of loot, equipment and upgrades, alongside multiple skill trees, and this works as a very solid base for the new battle mechanics.

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

The game presents the player with a good variety of enemies, each of which requires a different approach to be fought effectively, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that battle never gets old all the way throughout the adventure.

Things are made even more interesting by the fact that you don’t fight alone. Atreus acts as an adventuring companion and as the perfect distraction to allow you to unleash that devastating and extremely satisfying combo. Like his father, he can be customized (even if to a lesser extent) in order to further adapt him to your favorite playstyle or to the situation. His presence adds another layer of depth to the already engaging battle system.

The true star, at least for me, is Kratos’ new axe. It’s powerful and visceral, turning combat into a brutal and immersive activity. Upgrading and customizing it is satisfying and rewarding, and it comes with an extremely cool feature: not only it can be thrown with various effects depending on your skills and customization, but it can also be recalled by pressing triangle. When you do that, it won’t just reappear in Kratos’ hand, but it will actually fly back to it, hitting unsuspecting enemies in the back. It’s actually difficult to describe how cool this feels before you try it yourself.

Once mastered, God of War’s combat is one of the most rewarding I have tried in a long time. Kratos becomes a hurricane of death and destruction, blocking, shield bashing, slicing, dicing, spinning around and throwing his axe at an enemy further away, while pummeling closer monsters with punches and kicks, and then recalling the weapon to catch two more draugr in the back, before going in for one of the several spectacular finishers. It’s fast, complex, addictive, and exhilarating, but I never once felt like I wasn’t in control.

As a matter of fact, I have never felt so much in control in a God of War game, and the sensation this gives is fantastic.

The axe is also used extensively to solve quite a few puzzles scattered across the landscape. One particular kind requires you to strike some bells in order to unlock a chest. It may sound banal, but it often isn’t, and fluidly hitting your targets while calling your weapon back will feel definitely satisfying the first time you manage to pull the stunt.

Another extremely pleasing aspect of God of War is just how much content it packs. It’s not an open-world game, but there is a lot of real estate to visit, and plenty of room for exploration and for hunting secrets on top of the long and meaty story. Every realm that you visit looks and feels very different, and it’s really amazing that Sony Santa Monica managed to include this much gameplay while keeping the overall level of quality so consistently high. There is even an enormous amount of lore that can be collected to immerse yourself deeper into the setting.

Ultimately, God of War is the perfect example of how it’s possible to revolutionize a beloved series while improving it massively, in a way that does not feel unnatural. Mechanical improvements add up on top of a compelling story and impressively solid and likable characters.

Cory Barlog and his team managed to reinvent the wheel, and while they added more pieces, it rolls smoother than ever before, providing the best God of War experience of the history of the franchise.

[dinatcn12575-blog]

Best Flames Truck Wedding Invitations

Christmas is a time for celebrations, family gatherings, spectacularly delicious food, gifts and the usual merriment which surrounds the entire festivities. Of course, the Christmas holidays are a well earned break from the grime and hard work we put in all year long for the people most dear to them. Thus, it is but natural to want to have an enjoyable time with the people you are surrounded with, your family, your friends, your colleagues and acquaintances, even complete strangers. No one goes without wishing anyone. We can add even more cheer to our festivities by pairing them with filler crazy games for the whole gang. They will get the people talking, chatting and enjoying themselves at party, in other words, break the ice. If you are at home, you could call in guests with their kids and play numerous games meant for all age groups or for kids specifically, if you want to keep them occupied while you mingle with the other guests. Crazy Christmas games for kids could include pin the star on the tree, where the kids help put the shining Christmas star on top of the big Christmas tree, and whosoever puts theirs the highest, wins the game. Another one could be the lost and found game, where children, both who can read as well as those who can't, can play together. What needs to be done is to find the hidden treasure, helped by the clues provided by the picture cards. If the party's guest list hardly has any children, then there are many games for the people young at heart. You could play the ever classic dumb charades where teams' players enact the name of the movie, making their team members try and guess the movie correctly. You could also opt for Pictionary, forming teams and challenging each other to try and guess what depicted through a picture. If you're planning an out and out adult Christmas party, there still are numerous crazy games that one could play. Some might be naughty, some plain cute, but al of them are bound to get the guests talking and having a comfortable good time. On the other hand, if an office party is planned, fun is the key requirement but not at the cost of corporate ethics and rules. You could play date bingo, or even simpler, just sit, and gossip about stuff without taking potshots at anybody. Whatever be the case, official parties and games can be as crazy as possible as long as they successfully relieve the employees of work related stuff and create a friendly and happy atmosphere. Looking for Funny Games ?, you found us Funny Crazy Games.com offer a large collection of free Funny Game online, Enjoy; Also, look for for delayed vehicles, impaired vehicles and as a result accidents. Reframe what infants are starting to converse to their very own classmates, particularly if it's not cleanse to each other child. So, if the customer have an actual boy which is helping a passage to a brand new bed, yourself can't pretty much go entirely wrong if you may settle towards a blaze truck kid bed by its vivid red complexion. There are, indeed, certification of randomness, or unpredictability, and there are numerous degrees involved with importance you can events. Of instance, can carry a clothes pole, consideration stool this doubles as being a item chest or little desktop and seat designs to initiate the room or space just want a smallish fire location. Any time you keep younger children, be for sure to go to "Preschool Place", a hands-on area in addition to numerous good fun activities.

"Draw a great pretty good picture and win a battery-operated fire truck" the D.V. loudly blared. Logic determined that right there must have in effect been an important bad car there where had full-coverage down their highway altogether in the fact direction. Also, your main interest rank should always be any one higher than your state government. Make that you simply band designed for across any front amongst the pectoral and one for under the torso in generally abdomen surface area. But whether or not quality definitely is what they are after, then this kind model may perhaps well be place to gratify your prefers. People require in which to recognize targets like "What is an alternator, and additionally how is performing it rate my electric power supply?" to will have a more complete grasp amongst how a vehicle duties. But maintain on therefore, why don't a person will change straight away the colorations of his/her room? when lights would appear around the distance, she would have to call elsewhere "Snowplow" typically meant towards slow to help a crawl because we'd soon end in a definite white-out whenever they drove by, dazzling us because of the offspray of rain. LED scientific knowledge is preparing to be more well liked due of the wide-ranging features and moreover benefits. The particular has pleasant designs along with colors that will look good practically baby probably toddler. Aside far from the fact that a number of them toy brands use shoddy that are almost always harmful to work with your kids, they has the potential to also remain of extensive threat so that it will your newborns safety when riding you see, the toy. UniformDating is actually for "anyone who works in clothes or choices those which of you do!" as a result if then you get widely used under the collar when you observe a fire truck games or somebody work in about a medical this might just be their site to actually find each match. No matter alternatives return think your site is earning with your properties. The specific Santa Further ed Teaching Zoo park is hosting their total annual Party to obtain the Modern world event mostly weekend off 9-2 similarly days. Each kids 12 combined with under receives a gadget 'treat' as well a very small pumpkins (while supplies last). The house is some sort of good device for generating all variety of factors, from shops to earning a living models using automobiles in addition trains. What do you think about car racing? Does it makes you feel excited and send chills down your spine? Well, in that case you definitely need to try your hands at car racing games. Considering the road traffic rules in the world we live, car racing on road seems completely impractical in real life. And, not everyone can roll down their car on commercial racetracks. But, when you can play it right on your computer, why to burn down the fuel of your car! In the last two decades, car racing games have evolved as the most widely played form of video games, which is not only enjoyed by kids, but by adults too. But, what is the reason behind the huge popularity? These days, people always look around for different ways to shed their stress and fill some excitement in their mundane lives. And, car games look perfect for this purpose. You can play it online that is the flash version, which does not require any downloading or installation, such as Pro Parking, Snow Drift Racing, Mercedes Drift, and Heist Game. However, if you do not want to compromise with graphics and content, you should definitely go for the downloadable version. Still, that does not mean that flash games are worthless. These days, a number of gaming sites have appeared in the web world, and most of them offer high quality car games with superb graphics and crystal clear sound effects. Such aspects definitely add more fun to the game by making it more visually authentic and interactive. On the other hand, incorporation of various elements makes the games more appealing, such as customization of the car design, real-like tournaments, competition with other participants, different sorts of race tracks, etc. For some games, you might need game consoles like steering wheel, joysticks, etc. In car racing games, the most important trait you need to have is the ability to play fast paced games. For instance, to play the game of Bank Robber vs. Police you really have to think fast and maneuver the car according to the fast changing situations. On the other hand, games like Snow Drift Racing and Ultimate Drift requires extremely good control over the keys and mouse buttons. In such games, your task should be to drag and drift the car in the proper way and compete against the other cars at the same time. In simple words, you would need an agile mind with shrewdness as well. When it comes to the challenges or tasks involved in car games, game programmers or developers leave no stone unturned to make the games lively and realistic. They keep looking for unique ideas to make car games more interesting and better than before. Apart from entertainment, car games can prove to be extremely helpful to wannabe or experienced car drivers. Highly responsive games can certainly help them figure out how to drive carefully and accurately. So, what is holding you back? Time to fasten your seat belts and get ready for some fast paced action!

[tribelamag-blog]

ART TODAY 10.5.17: THE BOOK – SELF & OTHERS, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY ALINE SMITHSON, PRONOUNCED AL (RHYMES WITH PAL) LEAN SMITH SUN TribeLA Magazine • Los Angeles #Lenscratch #Alinesmithston #Arttoday

New Post has been published on http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-10-5-17-self-and-others-portrait-autobiography-aline-smithson/

ART TODAY 10.5.17: THE BOOK – SELF & OTHERS, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY ALINE SMITHSON, PRONOUNCED AL (RHYMES WITH PAL) LEAN SMITH SUN

Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography by Aline Smithson Hardcover, The Magenta Foundation, 2015 Available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com Excerpted Foreword below Acrostic Interview

Book description Created over an almost 20-year span and drawing from 18 bodies of work, this is the first published monograph of Aline Smithson’s work and features her defining series Arrangement in Green and Black: Portrait of the Photographer’s Mother. From black-and-white to hand-painted photographs, this collection of portraits combines humor and family to create a universal expression of motherhood, to capture the essence of childhood, and to examine created realities, the poignancy of childhood, and the pathos of aging and relationships. She brings a background in painting and fashion to her images, but at the heart of her work is her ability to recognize the inner self of her subjects. The photographer considers all her portraits as a reflection of herself and the stories she wants to tell and in this way she has created a visual language that is her own unique autobiography.

About the Author: Aline Smithson is a photographer and teacher who curates for the Los Angeles Center of Photography. She has received the Griffin Museum of Photography Rising Star Award for her contributions to the photographic community. Her work has been selected for Critical Mass Top 50, PDN Photo Annual, and Review Santa Fe. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

TribeLA Magazine Acrostic Interview.5

Room: Where in your home do you work? If not in your home, where do you feel most compelled to create? I make almost all of my photographs close to home, with the exception of a few series. I shoot against my garage and throughout my house. I have a pink office where I surround myself with inspiration. But most of my creativity comes from inside my head, not in a room, pulled from a deep well of influences.

Tools: What do you prefer to work with, physically and otherwise? 80% of all my photographs are made with a 1960’s twin lens Rolleiflex. For a few series, I use a Hasselblad or a toy camera. I find that my Rolleiflex has a soul and also harbors magic. I still only shoot with film.

Indulgence: What is your favorite indulgence? Do you cook? What is your specialty meal? What is your favorite restaurant in L.A. where you indulge yourself? If I could eat guacamole three times a day, I would. I make excellent guac and I’m best known for my salads. My favorite restaurant is Gjelina, in Venice. I always look forward to an incredible meal there.

Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography by Aline Smithson 

Foreword When I think about portraiture, I believe we all start taking mental portraits from infancy. I can picture my mother in a belted, pink cotton dress with white rickrack trim, her hair pulled back with curled bangs as she stood at the edge of my crib; I can vaguely make out our overweight German housekeeper named Donnie, wearing a loose stained shift that hung over her braless barrel chest, her hands stinking of chlorine; I can see my father, always in a good mood, packing the back of the family station wagon, layering the suitcases and sleeping bags into a perfect puzzle that allowed just enough room at the top for a travel day bed. I remember my best friend’s mother, Rosemary, running her hands across the Danish Modern dining table, feeling the texture of the wood as she served up her habitual tuna noodle casserole. Or sitting with my sister on a hard wooden church pew watching my grandfather preach to the masses, taking in his deep and resonating timbre as we waited patiently for the grape juice and crackers, a little bit afraid of who he was. These are the portraits that I never captured on film, unremarkable to the rest of the world, but part of the scrapbook of who I am. Little did I know it was the beginning of a lifetime desire to look at people with curiosity and great interest.

I studied art in college, focusing on large conceptual abstract oil paintings inspired by Rothko and Diebenkorn, but the one regret that I had as an artist was that I couldn’t paint a meaningful portrait.  My work was more about color, form, and visual connections and less about capturing the physical self. I made a few attempts at portraiture using photographs projected onto canvas, but I felt like I was cheating and gave up on the idea.

Growing up, my visual stew of influences were seasoned by a variety of ingredients. I spent hours as a young adult, lying on the living room rug, examining album covers in hopes of illuminating the meaning of the music I was listening to. In love with a number of musicians, I read the liner notes over and over as if to find some secret message meant only for me. I combed the artwork and photographs that were used to describe an offering of 12 songs. I remember one album cover in particular that changed the way I looked at a photograph: Boz Skagg’s Silk Degrees. Boz was dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, sitting sideways on a gray green bench. A brilliant aqua ocean spread out in front of him as a candy apple red manicured hand edged into the frame behind his back. I was more than intrigued. That one image was a powerful metaphor and set the tone for what was inside the sleeve. Without knowing it, the idea of a single image telling a story, whether it be an album cover, book jacket or accompanying a short story, began to seep into my consciousness. And it also began my love for the square image.

Like every other teenage girl, I devoured fashion magazines at record speed and became a Vogue Magazine devotee by the age of 12. I loved a photograph’s ability to transform, inspire, and create stories that made me want to wear those fall wool plaid ensembles as I sweltered in the Southern California summer heat. Those photographs made me desire to be part of a perfectly coiffed world: they inspired me to wear false eyelashes and white lipstick as a nerdy 13-year-old, telling myself it was all in the attitude. Those photographs made me feel chic.

Other influences certainly seep into my work. Growing up in California, the quality of light is so important to how I see.  I lived in a neighborhood that was filled with Mid Century masterpieces by Richard Neutra, R. M. Schindler, Gregory Ain, John Lautner and Frank Lloyd Wright. Many afternoon walks with my friends in middle and high school were spent picking out the various Eames-filled homes, placing value on quality design at an early age. Needless to say, I married an architect.

I attended the College of Creative Studies, a school within the University of California at Santa Barbara. As an art student, my visual palette was influenced by California painters such as Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, John Altoon, Billy Al Bengston and Ed Moses. Some favorites were and are, Richard Deibenkorn, Wayne Theibau, and David Hockney for transporting color and light in a way that feels almost edible. I was most influenced by Rothko for his color, Duchamp for his intelligence and humor and finally, James McNeil Whistler for his range of work that resonates so completely with my sensibilities. From his remarkable Arrangements to his exquisite Nocturnes, Whistler embodies an artist whose work moves seamlessly into new subject matter.

Moving Through

I moved to New York right out of college, in hopes of becoming a significant painter. But life had other plans for me. After a year of working as a gallerista, I was offered a job in the fashion industry and shifted gears. For the next decade, I worked as the fashion editor for Vogue Patterns and Vogue Knitting magazines and was responsible for producing 19 issues per year. It was an incredibly creative job and required me to concept story ideas, select designs and fabrics, work with dressmakers, guide the accessory editors, hire the models and hair and make up artists and show up at the shoot with ample ideas and a good attitude. It was a job that I was totally unprepared for, but one that I loved so much. I was completely enamored with fashion photography—my office was covered in pages torn out of magazines by photographers like Guy Bourdin, Helmet Newton and Paolo Roversi. On shoots, I absorbed the way photographers ran their studios, how they treated their assistants and which creative solutions they came up with for clothes that were sometimes less than exciting. Two photographers were my favorites to work with—the first being Mario Testino for his positive and joyous nature. For him, nothing was impossible and he was generous and wonderful to be around, but also was so incredibly talented.  Patrick Demarchelier surrounded himself with only the best assistants—an important part of being successful—and he had the ability to make anyone look spectacular. He was a man of few words, but he truly couldn’t take a bad picture. Had I known that I too would become a photographer, I would have paid closer attention to the lighting and the technical side of things, but I was too busy pinning safety pins to improve the fit of a dress or steaming a finicky silk blouse.

After a move to California and the birth of our daughter, Charlotte, I continued to photograph life in ordinary ways.  Stacks of drugstore-printed photographs captured birthday parties and vacations; I photographed holiday smiles and celebrated the birth of my son, Henry. Motherhood meant navigating new waters—where I found myself at a turning point, frustrated by my lack creative expression, coming to terms with a tethered life with small children afoot.

I was still painting in the mid 1990’s when I picked up a camera as a way of creating art. Over the years, I had documented my life photographically without considering myself a photographer: I wasn’t shooting with intention. I took a photography class to learn how to make better photographs and in the midst of it, discovered a suitcase of cameras belonging to my father and uncle in our garage. That discovery was the moment that everything changed. With Rolleiflex in hand, I began to see anew. I was fascinated by witnessing humanity through a medium format lens, capturing moments and gestures that could translate into a form of storytelling. I felt like I had finally found my artistic path that enabled me to fold in film stills and storytelling and color and noir and humor and family and the pathos of simply being human. Photography felt like a perfect fit and I wondered why I hadn’t realized it earlier—my father and uncle had been photographers, we had a darkroom in our basement, I spent years surrounded by photographers, and yet never considered it my path.

So now, those non-photographed portraits of my childhood were being captured on film, like split-second memories edited into an artistic narration of the world around me. But, at the end of the day, I still make portraits without my camera, in fact, my mind photographed one today, of my waitress at a mountaintop coffee shop. The lunch rush was over, so she strapped on what looked like a canister jetpack capable of launching her into outer space, and began vacuuming the soiled patterned rug that should have been replaced long ago.

Get caught up with Aline Smithson stories and art

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-10-01-17-getting-to-know-photographer-aline-smithson-whose-work-has-been-featured-in-ny-times-the-new-yorker-et-al-and-now-tla-mag/

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-10-2-17-photographer-aline-smithsons-new-childrens-book-releases-smithsonian-air-space-museum/

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-10-3-17-aline-smithson-creator-of-lenscratch-com-describes-l-a-as-where-korean-bbq-meets-a-shredded-beef-taco-meeting-persian-rice-and-a-chinese/

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-10-05-17-energetic-style-of-aline-smithson/

#lenscratch #alinesmithston #arttoday

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

God of War Review -- The Best God of War Ever

The brand new chapter of the God of War saga is finally here, but if you expect it to have much in common with Kratos’ tribulations from the past, you’ll probably be disappointed, or at least extremely surprised. It’s time to clear our mind of all preconceptions and embark into a brand new adventure.

The most obvious difference is the setting: gone is Greece, replaced by the cold North. Kratos is still going to meet and fight gods, but this time around it’s Norse mythology to form the base for the story, and it does so for the better. The good folks at Sony Santa Monica didn’t just adopt Scandinavian myths and legends but forged them into one of the most vibrant and interesting fantasy settings I have seen in a long time.

The story begins with Kratos and his son Atreus as they burn the body of the boy’s mother. Her last wish dictates that the two scatter her ashes from the highest peak in the realms. Before they can depart, a strange tattooed man appears at the door of Kratos’ hut, seemingly aware of his divine nature.

Our short-tempered hero doesn’t like to be questioned, so a titanic battle ensues. After finally dispatching the rather resilient opponent, Kratos and Atreus depart for their adventure, which will definitely be a lot more complicated than expected.

The change in setting is just the tip of the iceberg, as Kratos himself is quite far from the consistently raging character that we left at the end of the previous game. While he still struggles to keep calm and collected, his newfound role as a father gives him new responsibilities, forcing him to hold his nature at bay or to find a new one within himself.

Of course, being the son of the God of War isn’t exactly easy, especially if said god isn’t willing to tell you squat about his own nature and yours. This is the conundrum that Atreus will have to face, as the two men, old and young, struggle to get closer to each other possibly without this resulting in too many bruises. The generational gap is the least of the problems that Kratos and Atreus will have to face, and the way they grow together as characters is probably one of the most charming aspects of this game.

This is probably the biggest innovation brought to the table by God of War. The previous games of the series were fun despite their characters. Exhilarating action gameplay and fantastic graphics (for the time) were the main attraction, while the story was pretty much an accessory. It’s a bit difficult to have compelling and nuanced storytelling when your main character has two states of mind, angry and angrier.

On the other hand, the new title comes with a cast that is rich in charm and depth. Kratos himself has grown into an extremely compelling character with plenty of emotional depth and his share of vulerabilities. His guff manners should not deceive, as there is definitely a lot to discover beneath the thick hide of this veteran father-warrior. As a matter of fact, in some aspects, he has turned into the geometric opposite of who he was. His abrupt speech patterns and unfriendly mannerism used to make him annoying. Now, thanks to the exceptional writing and the presence of Atreus as a perfect counterpart, they have become endearing traits, and definitely enjoyable.

Atreus himself is a great co-protagonist. Kratos’ son is depicted as flawed and immature. Yet, that’s done in a way that masterfully avoids turning him into a nuisance and indeed encourages the player to grow attached to this fledgling would-be warrior who struggles to live up to his super-stern father’s expectations, while dealing with his own mysterious and often uncomfortable nature.

The rest of the cast is equally well written and designed, and I can honestly say that for the first time I truly enjoyed the story of a God of War game. Until a couple of years ago, I would have never, ever, thought this possible.  The God of War series is all grown-up now, and I say this with the most positive sentiment possible.

For the first time in the story of the franchise, the strong narration and writing spark a wide range of feelings, going from deeply moving movements to absolutely hilarious skits, and the best part is that it all feels perfectly natural.

The story and characters are supported by absolutely superb voice acting, and the continuous dialogue between Kratos and Atreus is interesting and enjoyable all the way through the game.

Speaking of audio, every single aspect of the production is top-notch, from the sound design that perfectly sets the atmosphere of the imperious Norse landscape, to the score by Bear McCreary, which is hands-down one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game of this genre in a long time.

One of the few aspects sticking to the tradition of the series is the graphics. I tested the game on PS4 Pro, and I have to say that the game looks truly spectacular. I am always amazed by the visual results that Sony’s top first-party studios manage to achieve on a console, and this is no exception.

Those playing on PS4 Pro like I did will have the chance to choose between a “favor resolution” mode that renders the game at 2160p checkerboard or a “favor performance” mode that renders at 1080p, with better frame rate.  The game is a true joy for the eyes in both modes, but it’s certainly good to have options (you can check out the difference in our dedicated article).

It’s actually difficult to judge which element looks better between the rich environments and the beautifully detailed character models. The world is brought to life masterfully, even thanks to advanced lighting and effects.

Amazing texture work is probably the best aspect of the characters, and rarely I have seen gameplay models so close to cutscene quality. They’re super-detailed, expressive, and fantastically animated.

Speaking of animation, it feels extremely visceral thanks to the combination with proficient camera work and the awesome sound design I mentioned above. You will “feel” every impact of Kratos’ axe directly in your stomach, and even something as simple as opening a chest has an “oomph” that is rarely seen in games.

Of course, the true king of the God of War franchise has always been gameplay, and that still holds true with this new game. Yet, this is not to say that it’s similar. As a matter of fact, it really isn’t. The new God of War is closer to an extremely stylish action-RPG than to a pure hack-and-slash.

The development team adopted a rather deep system involving plenty of loot, equipment and upgrades, alongside multiple skill trees, and this works as a very solid base for the new battle mechanics.

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

The game presents the player with a good variety of enemies, each of which requires a different approach to be fought effectively, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that battle never gets old all the way throughout the adventure.

Things are made even more interesting by the fact that you don’t fight alone. Atreus acts as an adventuring companion and as the perfect distraction to allow you to unleash that devastating and extremely satisfying combo. Like his father, he can be customized (even if to a lesser extent) in order to further adapt him to your favorite playstyle or to the situation. His presence adds another layer of depth to the already engaging battle system.

The true star, at least for me, is Kratos’ new axe. It’s powerful and visceral, turning combat into a brutal and immersive activity. Upgrading and customizing it is satisfying and rewarding, and it comes with an extremely cool feature: not only it can be thrown with various effects depending on your skills and customization, but it can also be recalled by pressing triangle. When you do that, it won’t just reappear in Kratos’ hand, but it will actually fly back to it, hitting unsuspecting enemies in the back. It’s actually difficult to describe how cool this feels before you try it yourself.

Once mastered, God of War’s combat is one of the most rewarding I have tried in a long time. Kratos becomes a hurricane of death and destruction, blocking, shield bashing, slicing, dicing, spinning around and throwing his axe at an enemy further away, while pummeling closer monsters with punches and kicks, and then recalling the weapon to catch two more draugr in the back, before going in for one of the several spectacular finishers. It’s fast, complex, addictive, and exhilarating, but I never once felt like I wasn’t in control.

As a matter of fact, I have never felt so much in control in a God of War game, and the sensation this gives is fantastic.

The axe is also used extensively to solve quite a few puzzles scattered across the landscape. One particular kind requires you to strike some bells in order to unlock a chest. It may sound banal, but it often isn’t, and fluidly hitting your targets while calling your weapon back will feel definitely satisfying the first time you manage to pull the stunt.

Another extremely pleasing aspect of God of War is just how much content it packs. It’s not an open-world game, but there is a lot of real estate to visit, and plenty of room for exploration and for hunting secrets on top of the long and meaty story. Every realm that you visit looks and feels very different, and it’s really amazing that Sony Santa Monica managed to include this much gameplay while keeping the overall level of quality so consistently high. There is even an enormous amount of lore that can be collected to immerse yourself deeper into the setting.

Ultimately, God of War is the perfect example of how it’s possible to revolutionize a beloved series while improving it massively, in a way that does not feel unnatural. Mechanical improvements add up on top of a compelling story and impressively solid and likable characters.

Cory Barlog and his team managed to reinvent the wheel, and while they added more pieces, it rolls smoother than ever before, providing the best God of War experience of the history of the franchise.

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

God of War Review -- The Best God of War Ever

The brand new chapter of the God of War saga is finally here, but if you expect it to have much in common with Kratos’ tribulations from the past, you’ll probably be disappointed, or at least extremely surprised. It’s time to clear our mind of all preconceptions and embark into a brand new adventure.

The most obvious difference is the setting: gone is Greece, replaced by the cold North. Kratos is still going to meet and fight gods, but this time around it’s Norse mythology to form the base for the story, and it does so for the better. The good folks at Sony Santa Monica didn’t just adopt Scandinavian myths and legends but forged them into one of the most vibrant and interesting fantasy settings I have seen in a long time.

The story begins with Kratos and his son Atreus as they burn the body of the boy’s mother. Her last wish dictates that the two scatter her ashes from the highest peak in the realms. Before they can depart, a strange tattooed man appears at the door of Kratos’ hut, seemingly aware of his divine nature.

Our short-tempered hero doesn’t like to be questioned, so a titanic battle ensues. After finally dispatching the rather resilient opponent, Kratos and Atreus depart for their adventure, which will definitely be a lot more complicated than expected.

The change in setting is just the tip of the iceberg, as Kratos himself is quite far from the consistently raging character that we left at the end of the previous game. While he still struggles to keep calm and collected, his newfound role as a father gives him new responsibilities, forcing him to hold his nature at bay or to find a new one within himself.

Of course, being the son of the God of War isn’t exactly easy, especially if said god isn’t willing to tell you squat about his own nature and yours. This is the conundrum that Atreus will have to face, as the two men, old and young, struggle to get closer to each other possibly without this resulting in too many bruises. The generational gap is the least of the problems that Kratos and Atreus will have to face, and the way they grow together as characters is probably one of the most charming aspects of this game.

This is probably the biggest innovation brought to the table by God of War. The previous games of the series were fun despite their characters. Exhilarating action gameplay and fantastic graphics (for the time) were the main attraction, while the story was pretty much an accessory. It’s a bit difficult to have compelling and nuanced storytelling when your main character has two states of mind, angry and angrier.

On the other hand, the new title comes with a cast that is rich in charm and depth. Kratos himself has grown into an extremely compelling character with plenty of emotional depth and his share of vulerabilities. His guff manners should not deceive, as there is definitely a lot to discover beneath the thick hide of this veteran father-warrior. As a matter of fact, in some aspects, he has turned into the geometric opposite of who he was. His abrupt speech patterns and unfriendly mannerism used to make him annoying. Now, thanks to the exceptional writing and the presence of Atreus as a perfect counterpart, they have become endearing traits, and definitely enjoyable.

Atreus himself is a great co-protagonist. Kratos’ son is depicted as flawed and immature. Yet, that’s done in a way that masterfully avoids turning him into a nuisance and indeed encourages the player to grow attached to this fledgling would-be warrior who struggles to live up to his super-stern father’s expectations, while dealing with his own mysterious and often uncomfortable nature.

The rest of the cast is equally well written and designed, and I can honestly say that for the first time I truly enjoyed the story of a God of War game. Until a couple of years ago, I would have never, ever, thought this possible.  The God of War series is all grown-up now, and I say this with the most positive sentiment possible.

For the first time in the story of the franchise, the strong narration and writing spark a wide range of feelings, going from deeply moving movements to absolutely hilarious skits, and the best part is that it all feels perfectly natural.

The story and characters are supported by absolutely superb voice acting, and the continuous dialogue between Kratos and Atreus is interesting and enjoyable all the way through the game.

Speaking of audio, every single aspect of the production is top-notch, from the sound design that perfectly sets the atmosphere of the imperious Norse landscape, to the score by Bear McCreary, which is hands-down one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game of this genre in a long time.

One of the few aspects sticking to the tradition of the series is the graphics. I tested the game on PS4 Pro, and I have to say that the game looks truly spectacular. I am always amazed by the visual results that Sony’s top first-party studios manage to achieve on a console, and this is no exception.

Those playing on PS4 Pro like I did will have the chance to choose between a “favor resolution” mode that renders the game at 2160p checkerboard or a “favor performance” mode that renders at 1080p, with better frame rate.  The game is a true joy for the eyes in both modes, but it’s certainly good to have options (you can check out the difference in our dedicated article).

It’s actually difficult to judge which element looks better between the rich environments and the beautifully detailed character models. The world is brought to life masterfully, even thanks to advanced lighting and effects.

Amazing texture work is probably the best aspect of the characters, and rarely I have seen gameplay models so close to cutscene quality. They’re super-detailed, expressive, and fantastically animated.

Speaking of animation, it feels extremely visceral thanks to the combination with proficient camera work and the awesome sound design I mentioned above. You will “feel” every impact of Kratos’ axe directly in your stomach, and even something as simple as opening a chest has an “oomph” that is rarely seen in games.

Of course, the true king of the God of War franchise has always been gameplay, and that still holds true with this new game. Yet, this is not to say that it’s similar. As a matter of fact, it really isn’t. The new God of War is closer to an extremely stylish action-RPG than to a pure hack-and-slash.

The development team adopted a rather deep system involving plenty of loot, equipment and upgrades, alongside multiple skill trees, and this works as a very solid base for the new battle mechanics.

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

The game presents the player with a good variety of enemies, each of which requires a different approach to be fought effectively, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that battle never gets old all the way throughout the adventure.

Things are made even more interesting by the fact that you don’t fight alone. Atreus acts as an adventuring companion and as the perfect distraction to allow you to unleash that devastating and extremely satisfying combo. Like his father, he can be customized (even if to a lesser extent) in order to further adapt him to your favorite playstyle or to the situation. His presence adds another layer of depth to the already engaging battle system.

The true star, at least for me, is Kratos’ new axe. It’s powerful and visceral, turning combat into a brutal and immersive activity. Upgrading and customizing it is satisfying and rewarding, and it comes with an extremely cool feature: not only it can be thrown with various effects depending on your skills and customization, but it can also be recalled by pressing triangle. When you do that, it won’t just reappear in Kratos’ hand, but it will actually fly back to it, hitting unsuspecting enemies in the back. It’s actually difficult to describe how cool this feels before you try it yourself.

Once mastered, God of War’s combat is one of the most rewarding I have tried in a long time. Kratos becomes a hurricane of death and destruction, blocking, shield bashing, slicing, dicing, spinning around and throwing his axe at an enemy further away, while pummeling closer monsters with punches and kicks, and then recalling the weapon to catch two more draugr in the back, before going in for one of the several spectacular finishers. It’s fast, complex, addictive, and exhilarating, but I never once felt like I wasn’t in control.

As a matter of fact, I have never felt so much in control in a God of War game, and the sensation this gives is fantastic.

The axe is also used extensively to solve quite a few puzzles scattered across the landscape. One particular kind requires you to strike some bells in order to unlock a chest. It may sound banal, but it often isn’t, and fluidly hitting your targets while calling your weapon back will feel definitely satisfying the first time you manage to pull the stunt.

Another extremely pleasing aspect of God of War is just how much content it packs. It’s not an open-world game, but there is a lot of real estate to visit, and plenty of room for exploration and for hunting secrets on top of the long and meaty story. Every realm that you visit looks and feels very different, and it’s really amazing that Sony Santa Monica managed to include this much gameplay while keeping the overall level of quality so consistently high. There is even an enormous amount of lore that can be collected to immerse yourself deeper into the setting.

Ultimately, God of War is the perfect example of how it’s possible to revolutionize a beloved series while improving it massively, in a way that does not feel unnatural. Mechanical improvements add up on top of a compelling story and impressively solid and likable characters.

Cory Barlog and his team managed to reinvent the wheel, and while they added more pieces, it rolls smoother than ever before, providing the best God of War experience of the history of the franchise.