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some-creep · 4 years

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Creep Ranks: The Dark Souls Trilogy

Because I finally beat all three of them.

Dark Souls 1: I got Prepare to Die like. When it first came out. I was terrible at it so I stopped playing. I beat the Taurus Demon and that was it. I didn’t start playing them again until quarantine when I decided to give it another shot as genuinely as I could. And I was terrible at them again. But instead of giving up I kept trying. Anyway, DS1 was a game I was always hesitant to play because I’m very bad at navigating large, sprawling, interconnected worlds. I am TERRIBLE at games like Castlevania and Metroid because of this so I don’t play them. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle the navigational stuff especially because you don’t get fast travel until midgame. But it wasn’t as hard as I thought. In fact, most of the game wasn’t as hard as I thought. Most of the difficulty of these games is in your head. Like sure, they’re difficult, but you get better and they’re not so scary. Anyway. I used NPC summons a lot because I wasn’t very good at handling bosses on my own (O&S anyone?). Sen’s Fortress and whatever the area before Seath is called with the invisible platforms were horrible and I hated them. I DID them, but I hated them. Those bits in Anor Londo too. You know the ones probably. The amount of thin platforms you have to navigate in this game was more than it needed to be. The HUD is also very ugly. I really liked the game though and decided I wanted to play the others. I initially skipped 2 and went straight to 3, beat 3, then went back to 2. As you do. Anyway DS1 is a great game and if you’re interested try it. I hear the remaster sucks but its the only one you can buy now. Weirdly the switch version of the remaster uses the old graphics, which are better because the lighting is better. Do with that what you will.

Dark Souls 2: I got Scholar of the First Sin, again, around the time it launched. Again. Horrible at it. Got no where. Gave up. At the time of writing this I have not yet done the DLC. I should mention I didn’t do the DLC in 1 either, but started NG+ before doing it so I’d probably have to restart… whatever. DS2 is… I don’t think I can say anything that hasn’t been said before. Mechanically this game just is not very good. I played this AFTER 3, so it felt shockingly easy by comparison. You are showered in souls, levels are insanely cheap, bosses are incredibly slow. Most of the bosses I beat w/o summons, (and none of them took me more than 3 tries...and I SUCK at these games) although I used them for Watcher and Defender because that boss was kinda lame. The final boss was… Yeah. Maybe the DLC has better bosses and I’ll see later. The lock on in this game is broken. Even if you lock on in a 1v1, once you kill them, chances are it’ll zip to an enemy above you that hasn’t seen you yet. This happened more than once. It also tends to favor enemies behind you over ones in front of you regardless of how close they are. If not for all of the weird mechanical hang ups, this game would be the easiest in the franchise. It still is if you can get over them. I installed a mod to make the weapons not degrade twice as fast but I don’t think it worked because they still seemed to degrade incredibly fast. Can’t say for sure. Also there are so many dudes in any given area which I think was done to encourage you to kill them over and over until they stop spawning but that’s also kinda dumb. I don’t know. If you didn’t play 1 or 3 you might not notice some of this. Or maybe you’ll find it even worse. ADP controlling your i-frames while dodging and how fast you drink estus was a bad choice. I probably didn’t hate this game, but I found it to be the weakest. This game got rid of leveling up at any bonfire which also sucks. Wish DS3 hadn’t kept that but oh well. Losing part of your max HP when you die was bad and feels like it only exists to punish new players. But going hollow doesn’t prevent invasions? This game felt like it had a LOT of NPC invasions too. Maybe 1 and 3 do too but I didn’t spend a lot of time human. Hm.

Dark Souls 3: Not long after beating 1, I got this game. It’s the Dark Souls of Dark Souls games. Okay maybe it’s not that bad, but the jump (for me) to 60fps made everything much, much faster. And smoother. Going from PtDE to DS3 is like. Wow. Anyway everyone in this game is incredibly fast and hates you and wants you to die. It also had to wean me off of using NPC summons. Because I didn’t do one of the quest lines, I missed out on summons. So I was forced to just git gud. Lorian and Lothric were very difficult. I found Soul of Cinder to be hard too but I think people disagree with that (I couldn’t summon for either of those bosses so it was just me improving til I won). At the time of writing this I beat the first DLC (streamed beating Sister Freide, that was fun :) ), and started going through the other. Beat Dancer on my first try which I am still very proud of, and the consumed king in two. Did not yet beat Nameless King but I probably will. I think I had the most fun with this one because I was used to the souls formula by now and understood what to expect from things. However, in terms of exploration, this game is the weakest. It’s incredibly linear compared to 1 and even 2. That didn’t bother me because my favorite part is the combat, but I know a lot of people think this game was too boss focused. I dunno. 3 might be my favorite of them all. It certainly has the best looking HUD of the trilogy.

TL;DR: DS1 - Most exploration, some difficult navigational things caused by the environment and not just enemies. Bosses hit hard but GENERALLY weren’t overly fast (but I havent played the remaster) 8/10 DS2: Less exploration, but fast travel from the start. Fewer instances of dangerous walking but a few miserable sections overloaded with dudes. And poison statues. Bosses are slow and it’s easy to upgrade your weapons and yourself. Could be a good place to start if not for all the mechanical jank. 6/10 DS3: The least amount of exploration probably. Fast travel from the start. I can’t remember any sections with pits and dangerous walking. Enemies are incredibly fast and dangerous. Most bosses are incredibly fast too. 9/10

#dark souls #they're all fun #probably just play 1 if you dont know where to start #i hear the remaster is fine if its all you've played #its just more that it doesn't have a reason to exist since it changes so little?#or just play code vein as that was the first souls-like i actually dedicated any time to #didnt beat it though #got very close

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a-dragon-and-an-eagle · 4 years

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Souls like ranking

I’m board so here is a list of souls like games from best to not so great. How do I define souls like? Check points that reset enemies and healing items, mostly difficult melee focused combat, an emphasis on bosses and an optional gloomy atmosphere.

Dark souls. The first is still the best. Love it highly recommend everyone play it once in their gaming career

Hollow Knight. Absolutely amazing and one of my all time favorite games

Dark souls 3. In some ways better then the first, in some ways worse

Bloodborne. Haven’t played it (damn you playstation exclusivity!) but I’ve watched enough to know that it’s balls to the walls action is awesome

Dead cells. I normally don’t like rogue likes because I’d rather have a well designed level, but dead cell’s manages to work well

Code Vein. Anime dark souls is very good except for it’s music. It was trying to much to be like dark souls when really all I want is an over the top anime song like Devil Trigger raging in the background well I fight a boss.

Star wars: Fallen Order. It’s a good game but really hampered by the fact it isn’t all that hard and the characters are pretty bland. Also it’s not that gloomy because it’s star wars and it kind of has to stick to that aesthetic.

Remnant: from ashes. A good shooter trying to be dark souls. Procedural generation can still bite my ass as can the final boss.

Salt and Sanctuary. The most literal translation of dark souls to 2d ever I think. I really liked it when I first played it but looking back on it I don’t really want to go back and replay it.

Momodora: Reverie Under the moonlight. A fucking mouthful of a title for a short game. A lot of fun, but I beat it in 7 hours and that wasn’t rushing trust me.

Dark souls 2. The worst of the trilogy in my opinion. The environments were rather boring, most of the bosses weren’t that great and the replay value was the worst of the series. The thing most people will defend about is the PvP which I’m not playing the souls games for.

Sekiro: Shadows die twice. This is by far the worst of the Fromsoft games. Bias as that is. I still don’t like the spam the parry button, the dragonrot was the biggest nothing mechanic and the whole dying twice thing was really weird and unnecessary. But mostly there was so much lacking from it, no RPG mechanics, no co-op, no items. If you don’t like swinging this exact sword in this exact way then you can eat shit sir.

Deaths Gambit. A game I was very excited about that was... So bland and forgettable. The only part I remember about this game was that there was a technological wonder bunker under the fantasy world that never got brought up again.

Dark souls 2: scholar of the first sin. Dark souls 2 but they decided that the enemies weren’t in asshole enough locations.

I know there are more souls-like games but I wanted to just keep it to games I’ve finished.

#ooc #my list #Souls-like

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suranet · 5 years

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Opinions on the mainline Battle Network games? I decided to go through the story mode on all of them recently. I really love seeing the improvements made from 1 through 3, with the gameplay and world getting more fleshed out with every game. But then 4 comes along and just pulls it all down. 5 is better, but not by a whole lot. 6 is definitely a worthy successor to 3 in terms of gameplay, though the story isn't as great, and from what I can tell, the post-game isn't as extensive as 3.

(◠﹏◠) if you’re asking about my objective review of the mainline MMBN games, that’s a very different story than this, but if you’re asking about my very brief subjective enjoyment of them as games... (◠︿◠)

i personally rank them with 3 > 2 > 6 > 1 >> 5 >>> 4, with MMBN3 as my favorite game and MMBN4 as my least favorite.

MMBN1: a strong starting point! establishes the setting and the main characters, along with several underlying plot points and gimmicks to carry forward. has spirit and a fun set of quirky enemy bosses. suffers from a mild case of throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, and the stuff that didn’t having to be retconned away later. gameplay could use major refinement and fixing (looking at you, POWER PLANT...) there’s no Forte, not really but eh, what can you do.

MMBN2: improves a great deal on the gameplay from MMBN1, gives us the first real battle gimmick for Rockman to use - Style Change. it has a fun plotline even with the plot holes. good entry. Shun is one of my favored MMBN antagonists and i liked the Gospel Virus as the big boss, as well as all the foreshadowing for Forte’s backstory. it also had a sweet final dungeon.

MMBN3: obviously since i rank all MMBN games by how much Forte they have in them, this is the best game because it’s got the most Forte AND he gets to majorly impact the main plot at last. it’s been outright stated MMBN was intended to be a trilogy and that MMBN3 was meant to be the final game when it was released. you can really tell from how it polishes up the gameplay, pulls a lot from the two before it and ties them together, and how some of the characters’ arcs are done by the end. and it brought in Mamoru and Serenade!

MMBN4: jesus christ. what a waste of all the good will created by MMBN3. a typo-ridden blatant case of people trying to fix what isn’t broken and screwing up supremely while doing it, resulting in things like the game being 90% a randomized tournament arc and most of the plot being crammed in the last 20 minutes of the game. many of the characters introduced here were made likable chiefly by the anime. however the Double Soul gimmick is a fun gameplay element that deserved to be carried onto the next two games, and it has a few other neat ideas... in concept.

MMBN5: it’s hard to be as bad as MMBN4, even if this game is bogged down by the baggage from MMBN4. makes use of letting you play with NetNavis besides Rockman and brings back interesting characters from past games to help Netto out. that’s nice. also Regal finally got dumped from his role as big bad in this game and let Wily come back to be a jerk. thanks for that, MMBN5.

MMBN6: an actual if belated return to form! i enjoyed this one and it felt in the spirit of MMBN1-3 again. wacky enemies! a change of scenery! Beast Out and the Cross System! Copybots! the return of older characters, weird new tech, a conclusion to Wily’s plot so he’ll stop trying to ruin everything for everybody! unfortunately like MMBN4-5, it still had no idea how to handle Forte but i’ll forgive that because it was a nice game.

#sura replies #long post #Anonymous

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cargochip · 5 years

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So I grew up as a huge Legend if Zelda fan. To this day if it’s not dark souls then it’s LOZ. Call me a nerd, a dork, a looser what ever but this is what I grew up with. Anyways I finally got a switch to play smash with my buddies n finally got to play Breath of the Wild. I really wanted to voice an opinion/Hope with what Iv been wanting them to do with BOW. I think it would be so cool if they made the game like a trilogy. First making a game that goes back 100 years prior. The issue I would have with this is that the geography would be the same but here’s what would make up for it.

-First off hyrule castle town would be a built and explorable n could be a good route fir side quests

-Other structures that u see burnt and ruined and referenced in BOW would be fully built

-The game could be more story based n add more character to our main hero and maybe make less desirable characters (cough I’m talking about you ass hole bird) have more depth

-In cut scenes Zelda is clearly holding the sheika slate so link isn’t over powered at first, maybe bombchus can make another appearance and maybe some classic items like hook shots could appear as “ancient tech”

-Link being appointed a knight could potentially have to prove his worth to get good gear, for example in BOW you read a slate after killing the mini boss to get the hyrulian shield that states that boss is a test, without such OP gear that boss could be hard

-Maybe a big plot point is uncovering and trying to control the divine beasts. Possibly working with the champions to use there abilities (I don’t recommend it but make this an RPG style game. Zelda ii even had a level up system. There’s an option?)

-Shrines also don’t work in cutscenes so maybe a new way for link to get blessings (heart and stamina) from the gods (dungeons that are destroyed in the future, boss fights, the dragons, meeting the shrine saints, there’s possibilities)

-also in cutscenes it shows link fights massive amounts of enemies (at death mountain) so maybe as the calamity nears then more n more harder enemies start showing up more frequent

In the end I think an open world like game more structured on building Links rank would be an interesting way to do this, yes BOW does this. But it always annoys me that really you just start off with bad gear. Explore a bit and you notice every divine beast is pretty much at the same feat power level n only difference is elemental attacks and environmental variety. I think a more progressing style would benefit a Zelda open world. And now that I think of it I wouldn’t really say a trilogy would be a best option since Ganon dose give up his incarnation in the end but it’s Nintendo. They come up with so many twists it’s uncanny (the time line was made in B.S to give fans what they want) so I bet they can find a way to bring him back. Or hey, they could bring the twin witches back?

#legend of zelda #breath of the wild #prequel

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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15 Hardest Dark Souls Bosses

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It’s easy to call Dark Souls the most influential game of the 2010s. Whether it was the deep combat, obtuse storytelling, or the unforgiving difficulty, dozens of other games have taken inspiration from Dark Souls in one way or another over the last 10 years. It’s even spawned an entire sub-genre of similar “Soulsborne” games.

There’s a lot to love about Dark Souls, but for most fans, the most memorable parts will always be the boss battles. We’ve spent hours trying to topple these bosses in the never-ending quest to “git gud.” There’s really no such thing as an “easy” Dark Souls boss. Their difficulty starts at “hard” and then increases to “borderline impossible.”

As we celebrate the series’ 10th anniversary, these are the 15 hardest bosses you will face in the Dark Souls trilogy:

15. Ancient Dragon – Dark Souls II

The second Dark Souls game gets some flak from fans since it didn’t involve Hidetaka Miyazaki in the director’s chair. Many gamers will tell you it’s the easiest game in the trilogy because of changes made to the gameplay without his guidance, but it’s still pretty damn difficult. For example, the Ancient Dragon hits very hard. A single stomp from his massive legs, or a blast of fire from his mouth will likely kill your character. At best, you’ll have just a sliver of health left.

But as with any Dark Souls boss, the Ancient Dragon can eventually be conquered with patience and practice. Just be prepared to die a lot before then. But at least he’s an optional boss if you’d rather avoid him altogether.

Things only get more difficult from here, and most of these fights aren’t as easily avoided…

14. Bed of Chaos – Dark Souls

Dark Souls is generally considered “tough but fair.” With enough practice, a dedicated gamer should be able to recognize enemy patterns and eventually beat almost anything the games throw their way. But Bed of Chaos comes pretty close to breaking that rule. Many would say this boss does.

This demon resides in a giant tree, and will wantonly swing massive branches at you as you desperately try to hit the two orbs on either side of the room to whittle away its life bar. Take out one orb, and a big chunk of the floor collapses. Manage to take out that orb, and now there’s even less floor to walk on as you have to make a blind jump into the tree’s branches to take out the heart of chaos. Even then, a big swing from the branches is likely to kill you if you’re not quick enough. Vanquishing the Bed of Chaos often depends more on luck than skill.

13. Pontiff Sulyvahn – Dark Souls III

Pontiff Sulyvahn is really fast, which means you’re bound to struggle with this Dark Souls boss. He also attacks with two swords — one hits with fire damage and the other with magic damage. That’s tough, but something Dark Souls veterans can handle. The real issue is midway through the fight when he starts spawning a phantom that’s just as dangerous as he is.

Dark Souls fans thought they could handle almost anything the series could throw at them, but for many, Pontiff Sulyvahn was the first real challenge they faced in Dark Souls III. But the final game in the trilogy managed to get even more difficult from there.

12. Capra Demon – Dark Souls

The Capra Demon has become one of the more iconic bosses in Dark Souls, a towering minotaur-like beast with two giant swords. Those who have bested him remember the first encounter well. Part of the difficulty with this demon is the two dogs at his side. Walk through the fog gate unprepared and they’ll make quick work of you before you can even get one hit on the demon.

The other issue is that the arena in which you face the Capra Demon is extremely cramped. The wall is as much your enemy as he is. Luckily, several different strategies have been discovered over the years to make short work of this fight. There’s even a way to take him out with firebombs without even entering the fog gate.

11. Centipede Demon – Dark Souls

The first challenge when it comes to the Centipede Demon boss fight is dodging its heavy hitting attacks while avoiding lava damage. The second part is taming the camera, which can regularly ruin a great run. Seriously, this might be the most glitchy boss fight in the game, although sometimes that can work to your advantage if the demon gets stuck in the scenery.

The Centipede Demon is also a good example of how sometimes you just need the right strategy to beat Dark Souls’ bosses, and how failure ultimately leads to success. Getting the Orange Charred Ring when you cut off its tail is a huge help here, and you don’t even have to beat the demon to get it. It’s worth sacrificing some souls on one run for the ring so that you can come back stronger the next time around.

10. Sanctuary Guardian – Dark Souls

After Dark Souls became something of a surprise hit, fans who conquered the first game were hungry for more. FromSoftware happily obliged the following year with the Artorias of the Abyss expansion. The first boss of the DLC quickly tested any gamer cocky enough to think they could breeze through the expansion.

The Sanctuary Guardian is a massive, white winged lion who moves fast and attacks with lightning, poison, and physical damage. Not only do you have to be a high level player and have the right equipment to defeat this beast, but you also need to have nearly flawless dodging skills. And as tough as the Sanctuary Guardian is, it was actually just a prelude to the overpowered DLC bosses to come.

9. Slave Knight Gael – Dark Souls III

Slave Knight Gael is a case of slowly escalating difficulty. His first phase is a tough, but fairly standard melee battle. But then comes the second phase when he adds more attacks, and gains the ability to turn invisible and teleport. That’s bad enough, but then comes phase three where he adds in even more attacks, and now lightning randomly strikes the ground.

What really doesn’t help matters is that Gael has more health than almost any other enemy in the game. Defeating him is a battle of attrition.

8. Knight Artorias – Dark Souls

If you thought the Sanctuary Guardian was difficult, then good news! The next boss in Dark Souls’ DLC is even harder. At least Knight Artorias isn’t as annoyingly fast, but he makes up for that with a series of relentless sword attacks. And if he does try to get away, it’s only to use buffs that make him even more of a pain to deal with. The best strategy is to beat him as quickly as possible.

If you look closely, Artorias is actually fighting with a broken left arm, so he’s not even at full power for the battle. I’d hate to see what that’s like.

7. Black Dragon Kalameet – Dark Souls

You’ll first encounter Kalameet soaring in the background as you explore the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. That’s intimidating, but it’s really just a prelude of what’s to come. After facing other dragons, you might think that you can take him out by just attacking him from underneath. Nope. Kalameet will either stomp you to death or just fly away if you try that.

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Attempt to attack him from afar, and his fire breath causes physical and magical damage, so it can’t be fully blocked. You’ve got a very short window to actually damage the black dragon during its assault, making for an extremely frustrating boss fight.

6. Four Kings – Dark Souls

Your view of the Four Kings is going to depend a lot on how hardcore of a Dark Souls fan you are. If you’ve just played through the game once, they’re actually not so difficult or memorable. The real challenge comes on New Game+ when their stats are increased.

Whereas before, you could brute force through one king pretty quickly, that’s almost impossible on a second playthrough (or later). You’ve only got about 40 seconds until the next king spawns, and it’s easy to get caught in a situation where you’re now cornered by all four of them simultaneously. Only the most skilled Dark Souls players are going to get out of that unscathed.

5. Throne Watcher and Throne Defender – Dark Souls II

The penultimate bosses of Dark Souls II are actually way more difficult than the final boss battle. By themselves, the Throne Watcher and Defender wouldn’t be too difficult. They’re fairly typical melee knight enemies. Just having the right build can get you close to taking out this duo — except for one little wrinkle.

As soon as you defeat either the Watcher or the Defender, the one left alive will rush to the side of his fallen brother to heal him. You have to carefully split your attacks between them because you have a very short window of time to take out the pair before they come back at you in full force.

4. Darkeater Midir – Dark Souls III

Continuing the series’ tradition of ridiculously difficult DLC boss fights, Darkeater Midir is a massive dragon with high health and heavy physical, magic, and fire attacks. He’s challenging on your first run, but can one hit kill even the most seasoned warriors on New Game+.

Unlike a lot of other bosses, there aren’t many tricks you can pull off in order to cheese a win against Midir. Your best bet is to face him head-on with a melee build. If that’s too much for you, at least he can be skipped.

3. Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough – Dark Souls

Ornstein and Smough effectively act as the gatekeepers in the first Dark Souls — and really for the entire series. If you did in fact “git gud” enough to beat them, you should be able to beat the rest of the game without too much trouble.

The challenge here is two-fold. They’re both very quick, and can synchronize their attacks. It’s very easy to end up cornered and taking massive damage. And unlike the Throne Watcher and Throne Defender, you can’t defeat them simultaneously. When one goes down, it just spawns a super powered version of the other. This fight requires quick reflexes, a strong build, and a solid understanding of the game’s mechanics.

In short, this boss fight is the perfect microcosm of the Dark Souls experience.

2. Manus, Father of the Abyss – Dark Souls

Massive, quick, and capable of dealing heavy damage in an instant, Manus is the final foe you face in Artorias of the Abyss, making him the “true” final boss of the first Dark Souls. Even though you can summon assistance in this fight, and a few items will help negate his attacks, Manus’ speed and varied attacks make him difficult to predict.

Then there’s his health bar. It’s tricky to come up with the just the right build to damage him consistently, and even when you do have a strong character, this fight is largely a matter of endurance.

1. The Nameless King – Dark Souls III

First, give the Nameless King props for showmanship. This guy knows how to make an entrance, swooping into a fog-filled arena atop a very cool looking wyvern. It’s like something straight out of a heavy metal album cover. The first phase of the battle involves taking out the wyvern, and it’s actually not too bad for Dark Souls veterans (which you should be if you’ve made it far enough to face the Nameless King). A few different strategies work here.

But when the Nameless King dismounts, the real fight begins. It’s difficult to time when he’ll strike with his sword. His attacks do a lot of damage, and the only way to avoid his lunge is to roll through it. One small mistake can quickly turn into game over, but if you do manage to defeat him, you’ve truly mastered the Dark Souls trilogy.

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Who do you think is the hardest boss in the Dark Souls series? Tell us in the comments!

The post 15 Hardest Dark Souls Bosses appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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supercoolgamesstuff-blog · 4 years

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The Geek's Guide To Movies In 2020

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The Geek's Guide To Movies In 2020

With 2020 looking to be a great year for video games, we wanted to look ahead at all of the movies plotted out for the new year. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a state of refresh following the cataclysmic events of Endgame and Star Wars is taking a breather on the heels of The Rise of Skywalker, there are plenty of films in nerd culture to look forward to this year.

Check out our list below and start planning which ones you’re going to leave the comfort of your house for, and which you’ll probably wait until they’re streaming to see.

Winter

Dolittle – January 17

We’ve previously seen the likes of Eddie Murphy and Rex Harrison take up the role of Dr. Dolittle from the Hugh Lofting children’s books, and now we get to see how Robert Downey Jr. handles the role of the doctor who gains the ability to communicate with animals. Downey is joined by Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen as live-action actors, while a star-studded cast with the likes of Rami Malek, John Cena, Emma Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Selena Gomez, and more handling the animal voices. Fans of Marvel movies will even be able to enjoy a psuedo-reunion between Iron Man and Spider-Man, as Tom Holland plays Jip, a dog who wears glasses.

Bad Boys for Life – January 17

Nearly 17 years later, the long-awaited conclusion to the Bad Boys film trilogy is finally here. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return for one last action-packed showdown, this time taking on a cartel mob boss before retiring from their jobs at the police department.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) – February 7

The prevailing notion of 2016’s Suicide Squad is that while it wasn’t a great film, Margot Robbie does an excellent job giving Harley Quinn her live-action silver-screen debut. While 2021 will bring a new take on the Suicide Squad with a mix of new and returning cast members, in the meantime, Robbie returns as Harley in Birds of Prey. The storyline follows the crazed clown princess after she breaks up with Joker. However, she hasn’t completely escaped trouble, as Black Mask (played by Ewan McGregor) starts stirring things up. This film promises appearances from other beloved female superheroes like Black Canary, Huntress, and more, but according to Robbie, we shouldn’t expect to see Jared Leto’s Joker appear at all.

Sonic the Hedgehog – February 14

After outrage ensued following the reveal of the original design of Sonic the Hedgehog for the upcoming live-action film, Paramount pushed the release back to February 14, 2020 to create the version of Sega’s iconic blue hedgehog you see above. In addition to Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic, the live-action cast features James Marsden as Sonic’s friend Tom and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. In typical Sonic fashion, the story revolves around collecting rings and stopping Robotnik from conquering the world. Here’s hoping it can defy the odds and continue the trends set by live-action, game-inspired properties like Detective Pikachu of delivering an enjoyable end-product.

Onward – March 6

As the magic-using power of society diminishes thanks to the convenience of science, two teenage brothers set out on an adventure to recapture the abilities their world once wielded in order to save their father. This Pixar adventure stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.

Bloodshot – March 13

While Marvel and DC may reign supreme in the comic-book movie world, Valiant Comics is trying its hand at producing a blockbuster based on its property. Vin Diesel already looks and sounds (and has a name) like a comic-book character, but to this point, he’s been relegated to voicing a single line of dialogue for a sentient tree in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bloodshot brings him out of the voice booth and into the spotlight as the eponymous technologically augmented killing machine on a quest for vengeance.

A Quiet Place: Part II – March 20

The tense first part, which stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, delivered a compelling and daunting tale of a family trying to survive in a world invaded by blind extra-terrestrial hunters who will tear anything they hear to shreds. Krasinski returns to the director’s chair once more, with Blunt joining the remaining cast in front of the camera.

Mulan – March 27

Disney’s live-action remakes with Aladdin, Dumbo, and The Lion King have consisted of varying degrees of quality, but everything of Mulan looks terrific. Those familiar with the source material will revel in seeing iconic scenes recreated in stunning live-action sequences, while the uninitiated will be able to enjoy the tale of Hua Mulan overcoming obstacles put in her way as a result of the Imperial Chinese Army’s perception of women as she strives to join the ranks of the military in place of her ailing father.

Spring

The New Mutants – April 3

Though Disney is poised to absorb the X-Men property into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a part of its acquisition of Fox, the final 20th Century Fox Marvel film is set to release this April. The New Mutants was originally supposed to be a jumping off point for a trilogy based on the comics of the same name, but with the acquisition and Disney likely already putting things in motion to bring mutants and the X-Men into the nearly all-encompassing MCU, we’re not so sure how this fits into the Marvel puzzle.

No Time to Die – April 10

Daniel Craig takes up the mantle of 007 for the fifth time in No Time to Die. This time, he’s opposite Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Until Dawn star Rami Malek. The story centers on a post-retirement James Bond who, predictably, gets sucked back into the secret agent lifestyle through the abduction of an important scientist.

Black Widow – May 1

After the events of last year’s climactic Avengers: Endgame (and the wrap up in Spider-Man: Far From Home), the Marvel Cinematic Universe has slowed down just a bit while it readies the stage for its next major narrative arc. Despite being set immediately after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow is said to serve as the jumping-off point for the next phase of the MCU. Whether that comes in the form of villain Taskmaster or some other way remains to be seen, but it will be great to finally see Natasha Romanoff take the spotlight for a long overdue solo film.

Scoob! – May 15

This origin story tells the tale (tail?) of how Scooby-Doo met the Mystery Inc. gang. With movie posters featuring puppy Scooby-Doo and the film possessing an endearing computer-generated art style, Scoob! looks like a cute and fun adventure for theater-goers of all ages. Throw in a voice cast featuring Will Forte, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Tracy Morgan, Ken Jeong, and Mark Wahlburg, and you can see the studio is hoping to create something more than simply another adventure with these beloved characters.

Fast & Furious 9 – May 22

For a series that started as a story about Paul Walker and Vin Diesel racing cars illegally at night with an occasional high-speed truck heist, the recent movies sure veer closer to the superhero genre than anything else. Who knows what we’ll see in the ninth mainline entry of the series: Tanks flying through the sky? Cars backflipping over bodies of water? Vin Diesel punching through a nuclear reactor? Sure. Why not? None of the plot matters, but that doesn’t mean these movies aren’t relentlessly entertaining thrill rides, and we can’t wait for the next entry. Oh, this one has John Cena and Cardi B.

Artemis Fowl – May 29

Based on the books from Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old genius who comes from a family of brilliant criminals. However, when his father mysteriously vanishes, Artemis must investigate the disappearance, which kicks off an adventure. Disney has brought in a supporting cast that features Judi Dench, Josh Gad, and more to help tell the story.

Summer

Wonder Woman 1984 – June 5

As the sequel to the best film in the DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman 1984 has lofty expectations placed on it by fans. Gal Gadot has shown to be the perfect casting for Diana Prince, and with Wonder Woman set to face off against both Maxwell Lord and Cheetah with a 1980s backdrop, it’s easy to see why this is one of the most anticipated DC live-action films in years.

Soul – June 19

Pixar makes this list for the second time with Soul, a film that features Tina Fey, Jamie Foxx, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, and Daveed Diggs in both writer and voice-actor roles. The story is set to tell the tale of an aspiring jazz musician whose soul gets separated from his body. The dynamic duo of Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor are set to provide the score in what is sure to be a crowd-pleasing animated film.

Top Gun: Maverick – June 26

Set 30 years after the events of Top Gun, Maverick looks to do for the Top Gun series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. Top Gun: Maverick places a keen focus on Maverick, reprised by Tom Cruise. With a story that involves the son of Maverick’s late best friend Goose, and Val Kilmer returning to the role of Iceman, this sequel has all the nostalgic trappings fans of the original are likely looking for.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife – July 10

Set 30 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, Afterlife looks to do for the Ghostbusters series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. As you might expect, much of the core original cast returns in unknown capacities, but we’re just excited to see Bill Murray as Peter Venkman once again – we just hope he has a bigger role in Afterlife than Luke Skywalker had in The Force Awakens.

Purge – July 10

With creator James DeMonaco saying the 2020 entry will be the final entry in the series, those who have been following the franchise are hoping the team can close it out in a satisfying manner. Unfortunately, not many details are available at the moment, but Everardo Gout is set to direct.

Tenet – July 17

Christopher Nolan films always garner a certain level of attention, but Tenet was off many fans’ radars until IMAX theatergoers were treated to an extended Prologue for the film before screenings of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. A secret agent with the ability to time travel must use his powers to prevent World War III in what is sure to be a mind-bending, action-packed film that hits way too close to home in 2020.

Bob’s Burgers: The Movie – July 17

After the success of The Simpson’s Movie, Fox hopes to effectively transition another one of its beloved animated series to the silver screen with Bob’s Burgers: The Movie. The voice cast from the popular show returns for what is being described as a “musical comedy.”

Jungle Cruise – July 24

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt headline the newest Disney film to be based on a Disney ride – hey, it worked for Pirates of the Caribbean. The group heads out into the jungle in search of the Tree of Life while avoiding dangerous wildlife and racing a rival expedition.

Morbius – July 31

Jared Leto may not be in the Birds of Prey film, but that doesn’t mean comic book fans will be completely deprived of his acting. The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and (former?) Joker actor steps into the role of Michael Morbius in the newest film in Sony’s Marvel Universe based on the characters surrounding Spider-Man.

Bill & Ted Face the Music – August 21

Set 30 years after the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Bill & Ted Face the Music looks to do for the Bill & Ted series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. This August, Keanu Reeves will take some time out of running around Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 with us to join Alex Winter on yet another nostalgic time-travel romp.

Fall

Monster Hunter – September 4

If Capcom has demonstrated one thing with its loose game-to-film adaptations, it’s that it loves Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich. The spousal combo that ran and starred in the Resident Evil films respectively returns to similar roles in Monster Hunter. Milla Jovovich stars as Natalie Artemis, a captain in the United Nations military team. Her team falls into a portal that leads to an alternate world full of giant monsters, and the adventure begins to save Earth from the invading beasts. Did I mention it’s only loosely based on the games?

The King’s Man – September 18

A prequel to the over-the-top action franchise Kingsman, The King’s Man tells the story of a man who must stop a group of history’s worst tyrants and criminals in order to save the world from a devastating war. If you’ve seen the first two movies, you probably have an idea of what to expect, but having it set in the early 1900s and starring a completely different cast gives us something new to look forward to.

Venom 2 – October 2

Two years after one of Spider-Man’s biggest rivals kicked off Sony’s Spider-Man-less SpiderVerse, Venom is back for a direct sequel. Tom Hardy returns to the role of Eddie Brock, while Woody Harrelson looks to deliver on the post-credit tease of his interpretation of the popular and brutal villain Carnage. Additionally, rumors have circulated that Tom Holland could have a small role in the film, which would connect Spidey (and potentially the MCU) to the Sony SpiderVerse.

Snake Eyes – October 16

The G.I. Joe film franchise has been dormant since Retaliation in 2013, so it would make sense to bring it back with a prequel film telling the origin story of one of the most popular characters in the series. Previously played by Darth Maul actor Ray Park, the titular character is now portrayed by Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding.

The Eternals – November 6

While Black Widow kicks off Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in May, The Eternals looks to continue it by telling an extraordinarily different kind of story. Taking place over the course of multiple millennia, theatergoers will learn about this immortal alien race created by the Celestials. The Eternals also signals the entry point to the MCU for several high-profile actors including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and Kit Harrington.

Holiday

Godzilla vs. Kong – November 20

Legendary’s MonsterVerse comes to a head with Godzilla vs. Kong, the fourth film in the franchise. Bringing the Godzilla that has starred in 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters face to face with the King Kong from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island should be an exciting cinematic affair for those who love kaiju films. The human actors are often meant to convey that everyone is afraid and things are out of control, and Legendary has tasked Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby Brown in those roles.

Dune – December 18

Based on the classic novel of the same name, Dune adapts the first half of the iconic science-fiction book with a star-studded cast. Those who watch the film will see the novel brought to life by actors like Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, and Stallan Skarsgård.

West Side Story – December 18

The beloved musical gets a modern interpretation. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, this story of forbidden love is said to follow the original script more closely than the 1961 film many know.

Coming 2 America – December 18

Set 30 years after the events of Coming to America, Coming 2 America looks to do for the Coming to America series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. Eddie Murphy returns to star, joined by a star-studded cast featuring Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, and more.

Tom and Jerry – December 23

The timeless and iconic dynamic of Tom and Jerry makes its way to the big screen just in time to close out the year. This time, the classic animated series joins the trend of animated characters joining the live-action world. It will be interesting to see how the eternal game of cat and mouse translates to this latest cinematic trend this holiday season.

For our list of the games coming out in 2020, check out our constantly updated list.

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ladygwyndolin · 1 year

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RACHEL RANKS: DARK SOULS TRILOGY BOSSES FROM WORST TO BEST

#20: Aldrich, Devourer of Gods (Dark Souls 3)

“He knew the path would be arduous, but he had no fear. He would devour the gods himself.”

This fucking guy. If I had started this list today instead of starting it two years ago, I would have put him lower on it out of pure spite. Yes, the fight is deeply horrifying with haunting music and brilliantly disgusting visuals, and the gameplay goes beyond what could have been simple whack-a-mole to become a thrilling round of constantly inverting cat and mouse, and the effects look great, and the lore is amazing, etc. etc. etc. The fight is fantastic. Aldrich is built up so well over the course of the game and gives a ton of insight into the nature of linking the flame not as a righteous act but as a demonstration of strength that can easily be manipulated by those with deeper agendas. The surprisingly varied moveset keeps you on your toes and, other than THAT ONE FUCKING ARROW ATTACK, feels the right amount of tough yet fair. It’s a winner all around. There’s just one problem:

HE ATE MY WIFE.

THIS DUDE ATE MY WIFE! I cannot put him any higher than this because he ate my wife. She’s definitely still alive though I promise. But I do still have to dock some points for that one. Get salted, slug boy!

#dark souls #dark souls 3 #aldrich #aldrich devourer of gods #rachel ranks #souls trilogy bosses ranked

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geek-patient-zero · 5 years

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Part 1, Chapter 9

Or: Just Spaghetti, Boss

Blood War: Masquerade of the Red Death Trilogy Volume 1

Sicily—March 12, 1994

Sicily is famous for four things: Beautiful beaches, the pride in which Italian-Americans of Sicilian descent take in the island despite having never been there, getting invaded by every country with access to the Mediterranean, and La Cosa Nostra. This chapter’s about the last one.

Don Caravelli, Capo de Capo of the Mafia, rose to his feet as his four guests were ushered into the huge banquet hall. It was a gesture of respect coming from the supreme crime lord in the world, and the quartet of visitors grinned at each other in pleasure. It had taken months to arrange this meeting, and this slight display indicated that their trip was not in vain.

“Gentlemen,” said their host, a huge man well over six feet tall, his broad shoulders stretching the limits of his impeccably tailored jacket, “welcome to my home.”

The four U.S. mobsters, members of an American Syndicate, set this meeting up in an attempt to get their organization closer to “Caravelli’s minions.” Caravelli gestures to some empty chairs and says that a “special meal" is being planned for them.

Caravelli grinned, flashing white teeth in contrast to a deep tan. “I, of course, will not join you.”

The four men said nothing. They all knew that Caravelli was a vampire.

There was a whole sourcebook about the World of Darkness’ version of the Mafia and how it interacted with the supernatural, so there’s basis for some fancy Italian crooks casually knowing that vampires exist without anyone worrying about potential Masquerade breaches. Mobsters must take the whole “no snitching” thing even more seriously here.

The mobsters don’t care that the absolute head of their organization is an undead parasite of infinite evil eternally cursed by God. They’re weirdly cool about it.

They only cared about his criminal empire. His taste in food was none of their concern. They considered themselves businessmen, dealing with the harsh realities of the world. If necessary, they would deal with the devil if it was good for business.

And maybe black people, but only if they really had to.

What? Mafia guys are racist.

As the Don’s explaining why he didn’t meet them at the airport, two Kindred bigger than their McCann-sized boss stand at either side of him, while two more guard the door. With the four mortal dons voluntarily entering the lair of a powerful vampire and his big-ass vampire bodyguards and being all casual about it, I’m starting to wonder how the American Mafia lasted this long.

As explained last time, Don Caravelli’s stuck in his mansion because Madeleine Giovanni’s trying to kill him for killing her father. He probably deserved it, being a Giovanni and all, but Caravelli’s not the nicest guy in Italy either.

“My advisers insist I stay within this fortress until she has been found. While I am no coward, I have barely survived three previous attempts on my life by the bitch. I prefer not to offer her an opportunity for a fourth try.”

Tony “The Tuna” Blanchard, head of the east coast branch, the least intimidated by the Don due to visiting him several times before, and going by the name, part-time Dick Tracy villain, correctly guesses that Caravelli’s talking about “that crazy Giovanni dame.” The Don nods, then sends one of the guards at the door away to get his guests a bottle of red wine, and says they’ll talk about their business proposal after dinner.

After two bottles of wine, they talk about Madeleine some more.

“I’m not sure I understand your problem, Don Caravelli,” said George Kross, the Midwest representative of the cartel. A big, red-faced man with beady little eyes, he spoke with a distinctive Indiana twang.

His dialogue still reads like he’s from 1930′s Chicago.

“Some crazy broad is out to get you? Why don’t you just ice the dame? Fuck, you’re boss of bosses. You could order the death of the President of the whole damned USA if you wanted by liftin’ a finger.”

With the state D.C.’s in, Bill’s likely to get taken out accidentally by a random Sabbat goon, so that ain’t saying much.

“Unfortunately, your commander-in-chief is much easier to reach than a high-ranking member of the Giovanni Clan,” said Don Caravelli smoothly.

Over the past sixty years, Madeleine had taken out six of the Don’s best assassins. Kross asks if she could be bought, “everyone has a price” and all that.

Don Caravelli nodded. “My sentiments as well. However, the Giovanni are a tightly-knit band of troublemakers. They lust for the power I control. And,” the Don shrugged in mock despair, “I made the unfortunate mistake of executing her father many years ago. Madeleine neither forgives nor forgets.”

“Yeah,” said Taylor. “Dames are like that.”

Harvey Taylor, west coast boss and obvious hit with the ladies, knows enough about Kindred to then ask if the Don can’t just ask her clan elders to make her back down. Caravelli says that would work with any other clan, but not the Giovanni.

Don Caravelli rose from his chair. “Let me relate to you gentlemen a bit of Kindred lore unknown to most humans. It will make the situation I face much clearer.”

I’ve seen the word “lore” used so many time in online discussions, both seriously and mockingly, that it’s weird reading it in an actual book.

Yep, this is another lore-dump chapter. This time we’re gonna learn about the cheerful practice of diablerie. But first, Don Caravelli has to set the mood.

The mafia lord walked over to the fireplace. He removed an iron poker from the fireplace tools. Holding the metal rod in one hand, he slapped it rhythmically into his other palm as he spoke.

“As you are well aware, we Kindred live on human blood. It provides us with all the nourishment we need. Vitae, as we call it, is the elixir of life. However, while mortal blood is as wine, Kindred blood is our finest brandy. We call it the darker drink.”

Caravelli smiled, emphasizing each word with a whack of the poker.

Took me a bit to realize that he was just emphasizing the three italicized words and not that whole intro. “As *whack* you *whack* are *whack* well *whack* aware *whack*, we *whack* Kindred *whack*”

“When the opportunity arises, my friends, we Kindred are cannibals. The Sixth Tradition of Caine forbids vampires from drinking the blood of their own kind, but it is largely ignored. The strong obey their own laws.”

Slowly, the mafia chief circled the table, stopping briefly behind each Syndicate chief. None of the four appeared very comfortable with Caravelli standing behind them.

Oh, that’s cute. They all remember the baseball bat scene from The Untouchables.

“Diablerie describes the act of one vampire draining the blood of another. The pleasure derived from such cannibalism is beyond description. More important, however, is the result when it involves a vampire of any generation who drinks the vitae of one of a lower generation. Remember, among my race, the lower the generation, the greater the power!”

...”The life fluid consumed is such a powerful drink that it gives the attacker all of the powers of his victim! It is as if a child suddenly becomes his father, with all of the adult’s vitality. In other words, a sixth-generation vampire who practices diablerie would himself become a fifth-generation Kindred. And gain all of the greater power and strength of that level.”

Don Caravelli leaves out an important detail. See, when a Kindred commits diablerie, they don’t just suck out their victim’s blood. They suck out and absorb the victim’s soul. It’s the soul that lowers their generation. It results in the complete destruction of the victim, and is one of the main reasons why it’s considered such a heinous act. Personally, I find the destruction of a soul in any setting with a confirmed afterlife to be horrifying, but that’s just me.

The Camarilla outright forbids Diablerie, their stated reason being that it’s an evil act. The cynical reason is that the Camarilla system is meant to keep the older and mostly lower generation Kindred in power while the younger ones stay in their place at the bottom. Allowing diablerie would be... detrimental to that system.

There’s an unspoken exception when it comes to the subject of a Blood Hunt, when a Prince of a city puts a hit out on an offending vampire. If you’re allowed to soul-suck the bounty, well that’s just a nice bonus. And if you do, no one will say anything.

The Sabbat on the other hand are cool with diablerie and don’t make any pretenses about it. It fits in with the social darwinism of the Lasombra, the edgelordiness of the Tzimisce, and the overall short-sighted stupidity of the entire sect.

Caravelli continues, saying that from there the newly fifth-gen vampire would have to diablerize a fourth-generation Methuselah for another power boost, and from there having to locate and kill one of the world-ending Antediluvians. He stops there. He doesn’t say anything, but we know that the second generation are all dead, and... I mean in theory it’s possible but, no, you can’t diablerize Caine. The man’s like a tiny god. It ain’t gonna happen.

“I get it, said Sol Cohen, the Syndicate boss of the South who had thus far kept silent. “It’s like moving up the corporate ladder. Or taking steps in our organization. To rise to a level of greater wealth and control, you gotta take out the guy ahead of you in line. That’s the only way to step into his job.”

That’s... not how the mafia’s meant to work, Sol. All that mob talk about oaths of loyalty might not be so unbreakable when the feds get a hold of you, but you’re at least expected to not kill your boss. And it’s probably not a good idea to let the Boss of All Bosses know you think organized crime runs on the Keep What You Kill rule of promotion.

But the don humors him, then sits down again while still holding the poker. He explains that since he’s a fifth-generation Brujah, and Madeleine’s sixth-generation, she’s got further incentive to kill him beyond revenge.

“Man, oh man,” said George Kross. “No wonder you Kindred are so paranoid. Not only are there two sects at war, thirteen distinct clans struggling for power, but every vampire on the block is looking to murder his boss, drink his blood, and then take his place.”

George’s mention of the thirteen clans, which he knows about for some reason, launches Don Caravelli on another lecture about diablerie, Antediluvians, and how that’s also related to his conflict with the Giovanni. He says that while the thirteen Antediluvians were the founders of the modern clans, some of them are not as old as the others, if you catch his meaning.

“Whatcha mean?” asked Sol Cohen. “You’re saying that some other Kindred went and did this diablerie thing on one of the top honchos?”

Caravelli laughed, a full-bodied deep sound that echoed in the chamber. “Honchos! You Americans use such wonderful terms. I must remember that word. It has a certain ring I like.”

The Don’s so amused by our American lingo he finally ditches his poker.

The four Syndicate bosses breathed a sigh of relief. They were all well aware of the fact that they were deep inside an impregnable fortress where Don Caravelli’s word was law. Though their host had been gracious to a fault, none of the quartet felt quite at ease.

The Don continues, talking about how several times over the millennia an original Antediluvian has been diablerized by a fourth-gen vampire, before stopping again.

“You must be hungry. I shall order dinner prepared.” He waved a hand at one of his lieutenants. “By the time my story is finished, it will be here.”

“No disrespect, Don Caravelli,” said George Kross, “but my stomach’s been feelin’ kinda jumpy last few minutes. Combination of that wine and this cannibalism talk. Mind if I take a trip to the john?”

“Of course not,” said the vampire. “Nicko, on your way to the kitchen, show Mr. Kross the facilities.”

Kross wobbled out of the room, his face a pasty green. “George never could handle wine,” remarked Sol Cohen with a laugh. “He’s a beer man from way, way back.”

“I am sure he will be fine.” said Don Caravelli.”

He continues, starting with his own clan, the Brujah. He claims they’re really descended from Troile, a fourth-generation Kindred who killed his sire, the original Brujah Antediluvian.

“In truth, our clan should be named Troile instead of Brujah.”

Not that a clan necessarily has to share their name with their progenitor Antediluvian. The Brujah Antediluvian’s also been called “Ilyes” and “Troile the Elder,” but “Brujah” is another alias for him and that’s the name this story uses.

Tony Blanchard asks the Don what happened to Brujah’s other 4th-generation childer after his death. Caravelli answers that they effectively became clanless, and are rumored to have disappeared into the far east, but no one knows or cares one way or the other. We’ll find out what happened to at least one of those childer later on in the story. As for Brujah’s other childer as a whole, in canon, that has a pretty interesting answer. That’s for even later, though.

“I bet the Giovanni weren’t among those original thirteen,” said Harvey Taylor. “I don’t think there was anybody with a name like that around before the Middle Ages.”

Great observation by Harvey here, but maybe not the best thing to draw attention to unless you want readers to notice that three actually ancient clans also have modern sounding names; the Spanish words for “witch”, “bullfighter”, and “the shadow”.

Don Caravelli tells them how the Giovanni and Tremere came to be. I already told you the Tremere Clan’s origins back in the prologue, but here’s how the Don explains it.

“The Giovanni and the Tremere Clans are comparatively young ones,” stated Don Caravelli. “Their leaders, both extremely ruthless men in life, became equally ruthless Kindred in undeath. Giovanni and Tremere lowered their generation by one act of Diablerie after another. Until finally, when they were fourth generation, they each hunted down an Antediluvian and drank their blood. Thus they gained the full strength of a third-generation vampire for their clan. And thus, by Kindred law, established themselves as a true bloodline.”

According to the wiki, Augustus Giovanni and Lord Tremere skipped lowering their generation to four and went straight for the big guys. Giovanni was already fourth-gen, having been sired by the very Antediluvian he would diablerize. Tremere, meanwhile, just broke into Saulot’s tomb and ate his soul while he was in torpor.

Don Caravelli further explains, when asked about it by Tony Blanchard, that the two new clans then hunted down the rest of the clans whose leaders they just killed. By the time the Camarilla noticed and ordered them to stop, there were only a handful each of the original clans, displaced, newly clanless, members of an extinct bloodline, and now unimportant in the new status quo.

These were all two separate events, by the way. It’s not like Augustus Giovanni and Lord Tremere formed some sort of Asshole Alliance and rose up at the same time.

“Which leads us to what?” asked Harvey Taylor. “I know there’s a point to this story, but I ain’t sure what it is.”

Smart, Harvey. Tell the superpowered undead Godfather to get to the point. I ask you again, how did the American Mafia last this long?

“The lesson is quite simple, Mr. Taylor,” said Don Caravelli. “Of thirteen clans, just these three are descended from vampires who are not eight or nine millennia old. Even immortality becomes boring after six thousand years. The Brujah, the Giovanni, and the Tremere bloodlines are younger, stronger, and more dynamic than the other ten. Though our elders are not as ancient, they possess powers equal to the leaders of any other clan. We are not as weary of undeath. Far fewer of our number have retreated into an eternal torpor. Or abandoned all hope and watched the sun rise.”

Troile’s diablerie happened back during the time of Enoch, the First City, when Caine was still ruling over vampirekind instead of collecting fares in L.A. When it comes to age, there’s very little difference between the Brujah and the very slightly older clans. But hey, here’s the Don acting like his people are the hip new kids in town along with the Tremere and Giovanni. The way I’m tempted to read this is that despite being Master of the Mafia he’s insecure about being a boring old Brujah, and not even the lovable rebel kind, so he’s hyping up the clan to make himself look cooler by association.

“The elders among these three clans know that one of our bloodlines is destined someday to rule the Kindred. Though we forge uneasy alliances, even pursue common goals, we understand that the other two clans are our true rivals among the Cainites. So while I wish Madeleine Giovanni would cease her endless pursuit, I know it will never happen. The Brujah, the Tremere, and the Giovanni are engaged in a secret battle to the death. It is a Blood War. And, in such a fight, there are no compromises.”

You’d think the fact that she’s not randomly killing off every other Brujah and Tremere around would tip Caravelli off that Madeleine’s just pissed about her dad.

“George’s been gone for a long time,” said Tony Blanchard. He chuckled. “Hope he didn’t fall in.”

“I am sure Mr. Kross will be joining us momentarily,” said Don Caravelli. He rose to his feet. “Ah, supper has arrived.”

Three huge Kindred entered the room wheeling a gigantic rolling serving table. On it were three huge silver platters covered in immense lids.”

That’s a lot of spaghetti.

Lifting them off the cart, the attendants placed a platter in front of each of the Syndicate bosses.

“Hey,” said Sol Cohen. “What about George? He should be here.”

You all know what’s coming, don’t you?

Don Caravelli smiled and nodded to his men. Each lifted the lid of a platter. The horrified screams of the three gangsters rebounded off the walls of the chamber for several moments. George Kross had returned, but in pieces. The shocked look on his face, staring with opened eyes from the tray in front of Tony Blanchard, indicated his death had not been a pleasant one.

Or: Just Corpses, Boss

Normally the psycho character pulling this would wait until the other guys ate a few bits of their friend before the reveal, but I understand the Don and his men were working on a time limit.

Don Caravelli reveals that while he was monologuing, one of his men was reading their minds and found out that George was planning for months to learn all the secrets of the Don’s mansion during this meeting, then sell it to the highest bidder.

“The fool. He thought to play me for a fool.”

The Mafia capo grinned savagely. His face no longer appeared the least bit human. His bright eyes glowed blood red.

“His trip to the bathroom was the result of an overwhelming suggestion placed in his mind by my agent. ”

Going by how the story’s portrayed similar powers so far, he did this by thinking “Tummy Ache. Tummy Ache.” at George really hard while having a Mighty Will.

“I thought it best to deal with Mr. Kross outside. It would have been inhospitable to butcher him during our talk.”

The Mafia chieftain gestured and the covers were replaced on the platters. “You gentlemen came to bargain in good faith. I appreciate that. Please be aware that I expect negotiations to run smoothly. I think you will find my terms for your organization most generous.” It was not necessary for the the Don to threaten them any further with the body of George Kross resting in front of them on the table.

Gotta admit, I’m a big fan of that whole “fake politeness” act some villains do.

“In any case, you now know much too much about the Kindred to leave here unchanged,” he declared as the table was cleared. “My second-in-command, Don Lazzari, will shortly feed you some of his blood. The transformation from human to ghoul is quite painless. It will guarantee your silence on what I have told you tonight. And ensure your loyalty to my every wish.”

“I was happy to let you all work on the Honor System, but nooooo, Georgey had to ruin it for everybody.”

So here’s the one time in this book that ghouls are portrayed as slaves to the will of their vampire master instead of just buffed up humans who work for vampires for the perks. There’s one more implied moment later, where one character wonders whether or not another character really is a ghoul, but this is the closest the story gets to explaining it, in that exposition-heavy style it uses to explain everything else about the setting.

Anyway, how will this work? These shmucks are going back to the states, so does that mean Don Lazzari now has to regularly make three vials of his own blood and mail them overseas to keep them loyal? Is this standard procedure for the Mafia? It’d be easier for everyone if the vampire mobsters upheld the Masquerade more and acted like the whole organization’s just mortal Sicilians from the top down.

Don Caravelli nodded at his still-trembling guests. “Perhaps now you understand why Madeleine Giovanni and I cannot make a bargain. Neither of us,” and he laughed and laughed, “is very good at forgiving.”

#vampire the masquerade #vampire: the masquerade #vtm #vtmb #world of darkness #blood war

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eframschweigersskincells · 3 years

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If you could rank all the characters in za4 (some main stage NPC's too if you want) what would your ranking be?

Ooooooooooooooooooo boy to rank all the characters in za4, boy of boy this is going to be a though one.

Okay so overall there are 13 characters I believe including main stage npcs.

Karl, boris, shola, jun, hector, Josiah, werner, Marie, bruno, Edie, Dutton, Schweiger and Hitler.

I'll rank them from hated to loved.

13. Edie- fuck edie, you get points for being a fellow brit and that's all you get. As excellent as her voice actor is it can't over shadow how badly I'd strangle edie is she was real. And then this bitch had the a u d a c I t y to slip in to schweiger's spot instantly after we were forced to kill him then gets herself trapped in a fucking nazi facility? I have to drag my arse out there to save you and I dont even get a thank you? And and and I've got some suspicious vibes from her during the entire of the terminal error mission if she turns on us I wouldn't be surprised but I'll still be pissed. Also she looks like the art teacher that burned my artwork out of spite so fuck them both.

12. Jun- now I will give her one thing, her different outfits are actually really cool the night ops looks amazing but that's it. Apart from finding a lot of her dialogue repetitive, dull and slightly grating her perks and cons dont fit with my play style and I just don't find her story that interesting although I'll admit her role in the book was good. Also the people I meet that play her (and thats like 70% of people) are 9 times out of 10 an absolute asshole and an all around maniac who'll die by their own stupidity, but that's besides the point.

11. Josiah- now this one was tricky because if I'm fair I've rarely ever seen him used, I've played this game since day one and over the course I've only ever seen him used atleast 10 times. His perks and cons dont work to my play style and I find his personality slightly jarring and aggravating although I'll admit I like how kind he can be at times. From the few times I've seen him used they have a tendency to just wander off, get their fair share of kills and probably die to a fan trap but they are decently nice in rough situations. As much as I wish I could say more I really can't sorry bud but you're at 11.

10. Hector-Points for being British, minus points for being posh. Hector is a hard character to get along with, I'll say that he can be funny and I'll admit that I did enjoy the effort put in to his voice by whoever voiced him but the voice lines themselves are just slightly frustrating, it might be from my childhood growing up in a rough town surrounded by rich snobby old men that sound exactly like hector and talk in the exact same style as him, or maybe its just my deep rooted hate of the posh brit stereotype but I dont like him too much. I do not mind his alternative outfits and the lucky charm he came with was a main stay on an old favourite weapon of mine, I also liked some of his perks although they didn't really work for me in the long run. I see him A LOT and 9 times out of 10 they are magnets for death, they must think the extra bleed time means they can get away with shit more often because they will just walk in to danger like its nothing and you can't help them either because hector cant heal via divine weapons or grenades and I'm not wasting my med pack on some dumbass who'll waste it seconds later.

9. Dutton- I like Dutton, he's not around much in the main campaign but I like him in the dlcs, hes witty, charming and his voice actor really put effort into him and also his voice lines dont make me want to eat glass. He really stepped up his game from being the captain of a dying ship so to speak to basically your main helping hand while bruno sits on his fat ass and fucking EDIE does nothing but go on and on about dissecting shit and blah blah blah. I cant say much more but yeah Dutton has grown on me I'm glad he got a bigger role, and his shit together.

8. Bruno- bruno you Italian bastard , you came from absolutely nowhere and some how managed to become the boss of the alpha squad! I like his style. Hes a bit dull granted but also a tad aggressive and slightly terrifying at times his voice actor really went all out voicing bruno and the other characters he plays. He funny at times and snappy and to the point not one to mess around for the most part which I enjoy hes got a nice balance in his character. He doesn't do much apart from bark orders down the phone at us but he does it with passion. Well done bruno I dont hate you.

7. Hitler- it's kind of fucked how high he is on the list but man hes funny as fuck. I hope that rebellion payed his voice actor well because the heart and soul put in to voicing that weasley twat is amazing! Hes the perfect blend of creepy, funny, extravagant, menacing and down right pathetic. Hes all bark and no bite and the way he begs when you beat him in hell machine is satisfying and a joy to watch. Also his design is cool despite it being the rotten corpse of hitler you can really tell hes been shaped by hell and ready for revenge. All in all despite it quite literally being Hitler, hes so funny hes decent on my list.

6. Boris- the scary Russian bear, god I love this guy, hes bad ass and funny as fuck. He has such a fun personality and despite being such a troubled character with a dark past his mostly chipper attitude is so well done you cant help but be amused by this guy. His outfits are amazing too! The ZAT and berseker outfits are fucking legendary and I get a lot of amusement watching people who use the berseker outfit run past me and the zombie head bounce around on his hip. All in all Boris is a great character ever since I first played the trilogy I like boris's design and backstory and to see him built on to and given a voice is great to see, props to the voice actor you did amazing. And people who play boris are usually pretty chill, because boris is slow they also usually take things slowly, I've never had a problem with a boris player and you have a place in my good books if you main Boris.

Okay this post is really long I think I'll do my top five as their own posts to cut things down.

Now give me a minute while I collect as many vogue worthy pics as I can.

#zombies #horror #rebellion #shooter #zombie army 4 #zombie army 4 dead war #list #rate #questions #i bet you can guess who the top 3 will be

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waynekelton · 4 years

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30 PPSSPP games for android free download

Almost all the gamers today are much more attached to their smartphones than a portable PlayStation or PSP, PPSSPP is basically a PSP emulator that can be installed on your smartphone and with this emulator you can enjoy a lot of the games that you would otherwise play on a PSP. And well, it’s free. So in this article, we are going to cover 30 great games that you can download for yourself and have fun!

S.NONAMESIZEDOWNLOAD LINK1 God Of War: Chains of Olympus 1170MB Download2 Beowulf – The Game 970MB Beowulf 3 Need For Speed – Shift 932MB Shift 4 Ghost Rider N/A Ghost Rider 5 Grand Theft Auto 556MB Grand Theft 6 Mortal Kombat – Unchained 1038MB Unchained 7 Tekken – Dark Resurrection 1108MBResurrection 8 Soul Calibur – Broken Destiny 375MB Soul Calibur 9 FIFA 14 – Legacy Edition 740MB FIFA 14 10 Prince Of Persia 499MB Persia 11 Naruto Shippuden 1156MB Shippuden 12 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII 1047MB Crisis Core 13 Final Fantasy Tactics214MB Fantasy Tactics 14 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker 1417MB Peace Walker 15 Spider-Man 3 224MB Spider-Man 16 Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 1595MB Pro Evolution 17 Moto GP 241MB Moto GP 18 Call Of Duty: Roads To Victory 465MB Call Of Duty 19 Ben 10: Protector Of Earth 745MB Ben 10 20 X-Men Legends II1055MB X-Men Legends 21 Peter Jackson’s King Kong 382MB Peter Jackson’s 22 Space Invaders Extreme 177MB Space Invaders 23 Sonic Rivals 114MB Sonic Rivals 24 Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows 224MB Web Of Shadows 25 Dissidia 0121261MB Dissidia 012 26 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops 816MB Portable Ops 27 Puzzle Quest78MB Puzzle Quest 28 Virtua Tennis: World Tour 154MB World Tour 29 Burnout Legends 247MB Burnout Legends 30 Little Big Planet 1285MB Big Planet

1. God Of War: Chains of Olympus

This is one of the most popular games on PPSSPP till date with more than 5 million downloads yearly, this is a story of Greek mythology, as a player you take the role of Kratos and start playing the game as the story takes you forward.

In the chains of Olympus franchise, you will need to defeat your enemies with a double edge chain sword, pass through the dark ancient buildings full of horror and the dark, swim in different rivers to cross to other lands of enemies; instructions are provided in the game as you progress for guidance.

2. Beowulf – The Game

In this game, you have to Emulate the life of Beowulf, who is a nightmare and a legendary warrior with a strength of more than 29 men combined with his brute force and behavior.

He is always in the quest to look for Gold and glory because of his greed and self-serving behavior. Beowulf has to embark on a journey to destroy a group of bloodthirsty beasts that have caused havoc and destroyed several things.

3. Need For Speed – Shift

This brings the real experience of car racing on your device by the virtue of driving with high speed and best-performing cars in the world, you can race with other competitors and become the best driver by winning each race.

4. Ghost Rider

Well, if you are a fan of the movie “Ghost Rider” with a similar storyline the game is all about someone who transforms into a flaming skeleton in the night when the moon is out and then possessed other fellow human beings, in turn, he has the ability to control them.

So get ready to play the hack and slash game on your PSP Emulator and device.

5. Grand Theft Auto – Liberty City Stories

A very popular game much like other GTA games is one of the early stories of GTA in which you stand as the main character in liberty city as Toni Cipriani. In the first year of its release, it was available only on PlayStation portable, the following year it was developed for the PlayStation 2 console.

6. Mortal Kombat – Unchained

The MKU series has been around for a very long time, with the character enduring hard combat till death. There is so much similarity between this game and Tekken but it has more features such as actors with dynamic fighting styles, each actor with different storylines, endurance mode, fatalities and much more.

7. Tekken – Dark Resurrection

It is one of the most explosive fighting games on the PSP platform. New characters Lili and Dragunov join the best group of fighters such as Jin, Heihachi, Paul and Law in the battle to be crowned King of the Iron Fist Tournament.

The new intro movie lets you dive into the midst of the world of Tekken, this time with ad-hoc multiplayer mode to fight against friends as well as more items to customize your favorite characters. Now you can fight anytime, anywhere.

8. Soul Calibur – Broken Destiny

This game preserves all the raging battles and gorgeous visuals, the series has been known to create the most comprehensive fighting experience ever on PSP gaming system which comes with highly responsive controls and comfortable gameplay.

With in-depth combat, the new single-player mode has been specifically crafted for the PSP system which not only challenges the player’s ability but also improves their fighting skills. By following the footsteps of Soulcalibur IV, Critical Finishing Moves returns, where opponents can be defeated with one spectacular attack.

9. FIFA 14 – Legacy Edition

Play and experience the score great goals in FIFA 14. Play as if you are in the real world of the football match, the gameplay inspires fans to play with full interest.

FIFA 14 has more football clubs officially licensed, with real players and kits, world tournaments, and gameplay that mirrors the real football game world. However, the Legacy Edition of FIFA 14 features updated kits and rosters but no updates to gameplay techniques or game modes with this edition.

10. Prince Of Persia – The Forgotten Sands

For the fourth time in 2010, Ubisoft released the forgotten sands game into the market apart from the earlier series called sands of time universe, which is set between the first two games in the trilogy and coinciding with the release of Sands of times movie.

11. Naruto Shippuden – Ultimate Ninja Heroes

And now you can establish your dream squad of powerful ninja from the rich universe of Naruto to battle against your friends and trade your player profile through ad-hoc connection.

Elevate your favorite characters to create your own custom ninja. Form your favorite ninja team as it appears in the cartoon or creates the ultimate dream team to take on your rivals!

There are more than 15 playable characters and 8 interactive stages to pass through. charge through the ninja ranks to become the ultimate Hokage!

12. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII is one of the popular games that everyone loves to play because the story is focusing on Zack Fair and his adventures as a member of the soldier in Shinra Corporation.

13. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions

This game is all about the story of a young hero, Ramza Beoulve, where he struggles to protect his beloved ones from the evil Lucavi and it takes place around the War of the Lions time, a conflict that started due to the death of King Ondorria, Lord of Ivalice.

14. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is the latest portable entry to the Metal Gear franchise, which is the second canonical Metal Gear title produced for the PSP. Set in Costa Rica, Being a Peace Walker, you are in control as a Big Boss as he prepares the rise of Outer Heaven.

15. Spider-Man 3

Roam anywhere around the city and explore the most massive, detailed New York City ever seen in a Spider-Man game Battle 10 of Spider-Man’s most infamous enemies from the movie and comics, including Sandman and Venom All-new combat system – Empower both Spider-Men with suit-specific powers and abilities. With new attacks and finishers for both Classic and Black-Suited Spider-Man Platform.

16. Pro Evolution Soccer 2014

Play in a whole new football game with KONAMI’s PES 2014. With the new stunning FOX Engine which has been combined with a revolutionary soccer system that puts the ball at the heart of the action for the first time. Every element of the game has been rebuilt and now features all-new physics systems, custom team and player AI and a huge leap forward in animations and atmosphere

17. Moto GP

Moto GP brings the moto bike racing experience of the classic series to your PSP. You’ll use all licensed motorcycles, racing tracks, and riders — every aspect of the racing game is recreated for you to enjoy. With its high performing engine bikes, bike physics, weather conditions, and a new system upgrade it’s got all the high-speed excitement you need.

18. Call Of Duty: Roads To Victory

This game features an Immersive Gameplay designed from the ground up, as an all-new Call of Duty experience.

Players will face the full onslaught of the German war machine throughout 14 intense battles.

Four precise control schemes, allowing players to select the one that ensures an optimal handheld experience.

Players will be able to effortlessly change stance from standing to prone, throw grenades and target enemies in order to survive this ultimate WWII combat experience.

Multiplayer options for up to 2-6 players to pick-up-and-go in modes such as Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill for quick hitting, over the top action.

19. Ben 10: Protector Of Earth

At first 10-year-old Ben looks like your average, everyday kid, but upon closer look, it’s plain to see he’s the world’s youngest action hero stopping evildoers both in Earth and space! With the help of the Omnitrix, Ben can transform into heroic alien forms with extraordinary powers. The evil Vilgax, with the help of Kevin 11 and the Forever Knights, has set in motion a plan to capture the Omnitrix and the world is in danger.

20. X-Men Legends II: Rise Of The Apocalypse

This game introduces the epic storyline of an uneasy alliance between the X-Men and the hated Brotherhood in a fight to reclaim Earth from Apocalypse’s grasp.

Impressive gameplay enhancements include more than double the superpowers and customization capabilities, the debut of several new playable characters, over 100 diverse types of enemies, and a breathtaking range of exotic and real-world environments from the Madri Temple to Egypt.

21. Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Eighth Wonder Of The World

Acclaimed game creator Michel Ancel and the Montpellier studio collaborate with triple Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson and visual-effects company Weta Ltd to develop Peter Jackson’s King Kong, a video game that will capture the imagination, vision, and emotion of the epic film.

Delve deeper into the film experience through alternative viewpoints designed to immerse the player into the action and truly “feel” the tension of the adventure.

22. Space Invaders Extreme

Combining the classic gameplay of the arcade shooter with brand-new music, sound, and visual effects, this is Space Invaders like you’ve never played it before

New power-ups are available to assist in your attempt to be the high sore master, and as the player progresses through the game, new modes are unlocked.

23. Sonic Rivals

You will be racing with other crazy characters in the sonic universe of insane action, moving from one level to another by avoiding obstacles on your way to get free power-ups.

24. Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows

The City That Never Sleeps – booming with a good life, the Big Apple is more alive than ever seen before, in the Spider-Man series. Citizens will either cheer Spider-Man or run away in fear when enemy attacks and spiderman will always be around to rescue them.

25. Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy

This game brings together the largest collection of Final Fantasy characters ever in a fighting-styled game where players must choose their allegiance between good and evil, as they utilize more than twenty playable characters available.

26. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

It was set in 1970, the game will be the missing link in the ongoing Metal Gear saga, as players will learn more about returning characters such as Para-Medic, Major Zero, and Sigint and also witness Naked Snake’s greatest tragedy, a loss that sets into motion the events of upcoming games to the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Full of voiceovers cinematics, performed by returning cast from MGS3 – Snake Eater.

27. Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The WarLord

It is addictive and easy-to-learn, is all about a puzzle game by integrating story and character progression elements found in RPGs. However, the game delivers a brand new type of game that pushes the puzzle genre to a previously unseen level.

28. Virtua Tennis: World Tour

One of the first versions of Sega popular virtual tennis editions to the PSP platform, you can create your virtual tennis players put them through to the top.

29. Burnout Legends

It takes the most explosive moments of the popular Burnout series of racing games, mashes them together and adds some new features, giving you the best racing experience to come out for the PSP. Use your car as a weapon and battle your way to the front of the pack, by taking out rivals and instigating spectacular crashes. Speed, depth and destruction are waiting for you, in the game of on the go automotive race.

30. Little Big Planet

LittleBigPlanet’s critically acclaimed “Play, Create, Share” experience, makes its way to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) system, with a completely new Sackboy adventure. Play through 35+ levels and collect prize bubbles, costumes, and create materials.

Create your own levels and challenges with the easy to use POP-IT tool. Once complete, share your creations in ad-hoc mode or post them to the community pool in infrastructure mode.

These were 30 amazing games that you can use on the emulator and enjoy!

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barbosaasouza · 6 years

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Nintendo Direct March 8 Recap: Super Smash Bros., Splatoon 2 3.0, and More

Nintendo sure knows how to set low expectations. On Wednesday, the company announced what sounded like a modest Nintendo Direct. Oh, they'll talk about some 3DS games, some Switch games, and Mario Tennis! Yes, Mario Tennis! And maybe a surprise or two.

A surprise or two.

Yeah, this Nintendo Direct was full of surprises, but perhaps you might have missed it. If so, let's recap the whole thing.

WarioWare has offered a rich library of micro games across its entire series. Now a chunk of those games are getting bundled into one giant collection. These games will include multiple control schemes that can pop up at any time, so expect to tilt the system or turn it sideways at any given moment. WarioWare Gold is set to hit Nintendo 3DS on August 3.

Heroic armadillo Dillon returns for another adventure on the Nintendo 3DS. This is a follow-up to 2012's Dillon's Rolling Western titled Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers. This adventure focuses more on action and tower defense. The game will feature a lot of enemies, so Dillon can recruit allies in the form of Mii characters. Look for Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers to hit the Nintendo 3DS eShop on May 24.

It seems that developer AlphaDream has needed a break after Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, because the studio has been focused more on remaking its past efforts. Following last year's Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, the team is now looking to remake the third chapter in the series. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was first released on the Nintendo DS in 2009 and it looks like a 3DS remake will be ready for its tenth anniversary.

Like last year's remake, this will have something a little extra in the form of an all-new side story. Bowser Jr.'s Journey will follow Bowser Jr., who was conspicuously absent in the original game. He'll follow his big bad father around and get into his own mischief along the way. Look for Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey to arrive in 2019.

Speaking of old-school classics, let's welcome back Luigi's Mansion. There's still no GameCube Virtual Console to speak of, so the masses haven't had a chance to experience this game since it first launched on the GameCube. Now they'll get to check it out on the Nintendo 3DS, which also played home to the 2013 sequel. This remake will include a few more 3DS-exclusive features, like a mansion map for the bottom screen and a new boss rush mode. Look for this updated Luigi's Mansion to arrive on Nintendo 3DS later in 2018.

Kirby Star Allies has a few new friends to add to its roster. By picking up the Dream Rod, Kirby will be able to call forth a few special allies, including King Dedede and Meta Knight. But that's not all. Kirby will receive additional allies through free DLC set to arrive after the game releases. These are all old allies that Kirby has met over the course of his adventures on the Game Boy and Super Nintendo. So while Kirby Star Allies arrives on March 16, the first of the free updates will arrive on March 28. There's also a free demo up right now for those looking to try it out.

Okami is back! After getting an HD upgrade on current-gen consoles and PC, the Nintendo Switch is next on the docket. And yes, the Switch version will feature touchscreen controls, allowing players to use the Celestial Brush the way it was meant to be used. Joy-Con motion controls will also be an option, for those looking to practice their painting motion. Okami HD is set to release on the Nintendo Switch this summer.

Get ready to chuck as much raw fish as you can, because Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is heading to Nintendo Switch. In a world where sushi has been outlawed (you read that right, just follow along with me), it's up to Musashi to stand up to the Empire and overthrow their vast sushi monopoly. Got that? Then get ready to engage in action-RPG battles that involve the flinging of fish, with up to four characters in your party. Look for Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido to hit both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS on June 8.

The floor was given to Square Enix's Masashi Takahashi for some news about Octopath Traveler. Players were treated to two new characters: Merchant Tressa and Apothecary Alfyn. Like the other characters in the game, they have distinct abilities and base jobs. However, those base jobs can be mixed with other jobs to open up entirely new attacks and abilities. Octopath Traveler now has a release date. It's set to arrive on July 13, alongside a special edition that features a number of physical goodies, including a pop-up book. There's a free demo available right now on the Nintendo eShop for those looking to try it out.

Travis Touchdown's adventures have been eccentric, but this one's just downright weird. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes puts Travis inside a full-blown game console world and has him fight his way across multiple genres of games. Each of these game genres will have its own distinct boss at the end. But while each game type is different, Travis will still have his katana in hand ready to slice and dice his way to the end. There's also local co-op, in case a friend wants to lend a hand. Travis Strikes Back: No More Heroes is a Switch exclusive and will launch in 2018.

By now, most people have tried their hand at Dark Souls. But those who haven't are in for a treat. Bandai Namco looks to be going all-out for Dark Souls Remastered and will launch a Network Test in the very near future. On top of that, there's a new Solaire of Astora Amiibo which performs the Praise the Sun gesture. Both Dark Souls Remastered and the Solaire of Astora Amiibo will release on May 25. The game will go for $39.99, while the Amiibo goes for $15.99 exclusively at GameStop.

Mario Tennis Aces may not have been the feature attraction by the end of this Nintendo Direct, but there was still plenty to talk about here. Players can expect to see 15 playable characters, along with some new features like the Special Energy gauge and Special Shots. A single-player story and online multiplayer will also be available, with the latter including online tournaments that reward special outfits and new characters. A pre-launch tournament will test player mettle before Mario Tennis Aces officially releases on June 22. No word on when the tournament will take place, but stay tuned.

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As is frequently proving to be the case with Wii U games, they were pretty great titles that released to an audience of few. So now's a chance to give another Wii U game a new lease on life, as Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is set to release on both the Switch and 3DS. The Switch version will include a co-op mode that has a second player flinging turnips at enemies and obstacles, along with an entirely new stage set in New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey. The 3DS version will feature 3DS visuals and touchscreen controls. Both versions are set to be released on July 13.

Do you like Earthbound? Well, Nintendo didn't announce one of those. What was announced was the next best thing. The fantastic Earthbound-like Undertale was announced for Nintendo Switch. When's it coming? That's not so clear. Undertale only confirmed its existence on the Switch, but the release window was only set to "eventually." So don't expect this anytime soon.

It's always wild to see Nintendo make nice with old rival mascots. Over a decade after Sonic the Hedgehog first graced a Nintendo platform, now it's time for Crash Bandicoot to do the same. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is now set to hit Nintendo Switch with all three Crash games intact. Look for this collection to arrive on July 10.

Acclaimed indie puzzle platformer Little Nightmares is making its way to Nintendo Switch. For those who missed the original, they'll get to catch up with the full game plus all of the post-release content. That means playing both the Six story and the Kid story. Switch owners will even get a special outfit with the Pac-Man Amiibo. (Now aren't you glad you saved that thing?) Little Nightmares: Complete Edition will arrive on May 18.

Two days after hearing about the new Casa Bonita DLC, it looks like South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be coming to Nintendo Switch. The game's first two DLC packs will also be available for purchase on day one, as will the Season Pass. South Park: The Fractured But Whole hits Nintendo Switch on April 24.

The Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition was first announced during the previous Nintendo Direct Mini, but now it has a release date. The game is set to release on May 18, with all of the content from both the Wii U and 3DS versions. Remember that new Breath of the Wild outfits will also be included.

Serious Arms fans will be excited to hear that there's a new tournament seeking out the best players in the world. Players can seek to qualify during a ten-day period starting today. Simply jump into Ranked Match and play at least 50 matches from now through March 18. The top eight players will proceed to the Online Finals on March 31, which will be streamed live.

As for those who haven't discovered Arms yet, I'd like to confirm that, yes, you are late to the party. By quite a bit. But still, there's another Arms Global Testpunch set to begin on March 31, which will run for three days.

The Splatoon 2 3.0 update is set to be a big one. It'll feature over 100 new outfits and a handful of new stages. Those stages are:

Piranha Pit

Camp Triggerfish

Wahoo World

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The best of the best will also be able to rank up all the way to Rank X. Not many details were offered about that one, but expect more information soon.

But the most exciting announcement was the one regarding Splatoon 2's first paid DLC. It centers around an entirely new single-player campaign called the Octo Expansion. Players will take the role of Agent 8, who looks like an Octoling but has lost her memory. She'll look to get to the bottom of a sinister cloning plot across eight different testing facilities. A full-blown story filled with lore is being promised, as is the ability to play as an Octoling in multiplayer upon completing this expansion. The Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion is set to release during the summer for $19.99.

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So it looked like that was going to be it. The Nintendo Direct looked like it was going to conclude with a Splatoon sizzle reel.

Then this happened.

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Yes, Super Smash Bros. is coming to Nintendo Switch. But in what form exactly? Is this an all-new game? Is this an updated Wii U version with new characters? Does "2018" mean it's coming in 2018 or does it mean we're getting new information in 2018? There are a lot of unknowns and variables, but right now, all we know is, there is a Super Smash Bros. game headed to the Nintendo Switch. And for now, that's more than enough to get excited about.

What excited you the most about today's Nintendo Direct? Be sure to join the conversation and let us know in the comments.

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miketendo-64 · 6 years

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Mike Scorpio: OMG!!!!!! My body was not ready for this Nintendo Direct! I just love a Nintendo Direct and this one was no exception. Splatoon 2 getting DLC with the Octo Expansion. Dark Souls: Remastered getting its own Amiibo. Captain Toad coming to the Nintendo Switch and 3DS, with some special New Donk City themed levels. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition Western release date marked as May 18. South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Crash Bandicoot: Nsane Trilogy, and most of all… SMASH!!!!!!

Solid Jack: It finally happened guys! We got our first “big” Nintendo Direct for 2018 and boy did Nintendo deliver.

Splatoon 2 is going to have playable Octolings, thanks to an Octo Expansion out this Summer, Little Nightmares, Okami HD, Undertale and the Crash Bandicoot N’Sane Trilogy are coming and there’s even a Luigi’s Mansion 1 for the Nintendo 3DS. And let’s not forget that Breath of the Wild Link was shown at the end when Smash 2018 was teased. Yep, it was quite a show, so in our usual Digest fashion, here’s a covering of everything revealed from the Direct, starting with a video, an official press release and photos thrown in, before ending with a series of tweets:

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The Super Smash Bros. Series Heads to Nintendo Switch in 2018:

Nintendo Direct Presentation Highlights Many Upcoming Games for Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS Family of Systems

REDMOND, Wash., March 8, 2018 – During its latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced that the Super Smash Bros. franchise is coming to Nintendo Switch this year. The video also showcased more than a dozen upcoming games for both the Nintendo Switch system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, with many of the featured games coming from third-party developers, including SQUARE ENIX, Capcom, Grasshopper Manufacture, From Software and Ubisoft.

“Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS are being propelled through 2018 with an energized line-up of games of all kinds,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “These games contain a solid mix of first-party franchises starring some of Nintendo’s most recognizable characters, acclaimed third-party titles and promising indies.”

Some of the highlights revealed in the video include:

Nintendo Switch:

Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros. (working title): The Super Smash Bros. series comes to Nintendo Switch in 2018. The teaser trailer featured recognizable faces like Mario, Link and the Inklings from the Splatoon series.

New Single-Player Expansion Coming to Splatoon 2: The first paid DLC is coming to Splatoon 2 this summer. Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion adds a hefty new single-player mode that lets players play as new character Agent 8, an Octoling (!) with lost memories. The new single-player campaign features 80 missions, as well as new stories that shed new light on beloved characters. Players that complete the Octo Expansion campaign will unlock the ability to play as Octolings in multiplayer battles. While Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion launches this summer, players can pre-purchase the DLC starting today in Nintendo eShop to immediately receive Octo-themed in-game gear to use in battle right away. (The full version of the game is required to use DLC.)

Major Splatoon 2 Update: In April, Splatoon 2 is getting a major free update (Version 3.0) that contains 100+ new pieces of gear, more stages rolling out throughout spring (Piranha Pit, Camp Triggerfish and Wahoo World) and a new rank (Rank X). Rank X is an extreme rank, even higher than S+.

Mario Tennis Aces: Unleash an arsenal of shots and strategies in all-out tennis battles with friends, family and fan-favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters. With up to four-player local (additional accessories may be required and are sold separately) and online* multiplayer, and a story mode that even includes creative boss battles, Mario Tennis Aces is one of the most robust Mario sports games yet. The intuitive and deep gameplay allows for exciting competitions in the living room or, really, anywhere using the power of Nintendo Switch. In Swing Mode, players can use their Joy-Con controllers like a tennis racket, swinging them to initiate the tennis swings in the game. Mario Tennis Aces launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on June 22.

Mario Tennis Aces Pre-launch Online Tournament: More details will be revealed in the future, but a free Mario Tennis Aces demo is coming soon. For a limited time, players can try out online* tournament matches in the game before it launches. To participate, players just have to download the Pre-launch Online Tournament in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch.

Kirby Star Allies: Kirby is coming to Nintendo Switch for the first time next week! As players make their way through the robust adventure, they will reach dream palaces where fan-favorite legacy characters can become Kirby’s Dream Friends. Eventually, more Dream Friends will be added to the game through free updates. The first such update hits March 28 and adds classic characters Marx, Gooey and character set “Rick & Kine & Coo” to the game. Kirby Star Allies launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on March 16. A free demo for the game is currently available in Nintendo eShop.

Octopath Traveler: Producer Masashi Takahashi from SQUARE ENIX revealed new details about the upcoming RPG, including the final game name, Octopath Traveler, two more main characters (Tressa the Merchant and Alfyn the Apothecary) and the ability to equip multiple jobs per character for use in battle. Octopath Traveler launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on July 13. Octopath Traveler: Wayfarer’s Edition, a special edition bundle that includes a stylized pop-up book, a helpful cloth map, the Octopath Traveler: Sound Selections CD and a replica coin based on the in-game currency, launches the same day.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which originally launched for Wii U, is coming to Nintendo Switch. The new version includes new miniature courses based on various Kingdoms in the Super Mario Odyssey game. Also, anyone can play with a friend or family member by sharing a pair of Joy-Con controllers. While one player controls Captain Toad, the other can assist with things like turnip cover fire. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker launches for Nintendo Switch on July 13. A Nintendo 3DS version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which includes stereoscopic 3D visuals and touch-screen controls, also launches on July 13.

Crash Bandicoot Crashes Nintendo Switch: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which includes remastered versions of the first three Crash Bandicoot games, launches for Nintendo Switch on July 10.

Okami HD: The gorgeous and ethereal remake of classic action-adventure game Okami is coming to Nintendo Switch. In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, players can use the touch screen in Handheld Mode or the Joy-Con motion controls in TV or Tabletop Mode to control the Celestial Brush to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. Okami HD launches in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch this summer.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole: The South Park gang is back in an outrageously offensive superhero RPG adventure. And with Nintendo Switch, players can now drop into South Park anytime, anywhere. In addition to the main game, all of the game’s add-on content will be available for purchase. South Park: The Fractured But Whole launches for Nintendo Switch on April 24.

Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido: Originally announced for Nintendo 3DS at last year’s E3, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is also coming to Nintendo Switch! The action puzzle game finds players devouring conveyor-belt sushi, matching plates and then throwing them to defeat enemies. The basics are simple, but the gameplay is deep … and tasty! In the game’s multiplayer mode, players can even compete locally or online* against other players in intense matches. Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido launches for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS on June 8.

DARK SOULS: REMASTERED: The remake of the genre-defining and beloved original DARK SOULS game launches for Nintendo Switch on May 25. On the same day, an amiibo figure based on Solaire of Astora will also be released. By tapping this amiibo, the popular “Praise the Sun” gesture can be used with reckless abandon from the start of the game. (The gesture can also be obtained through regular gameplay.) Players who want to take the game for a spin can participate in a “network test.” The free network test launches in Nintendo eShop, and will allow players to download and play a part of DARK SOULS: REMASTERED before it launches to try out the gameplay and unique online features. More details about the network test will be revealed soon.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes: When Travis Touchdown wanders into the game world, he goes on a rampage of epic proportions. The latest title in the cult classic No More Heroes series contains a total of seven game titles, including an action game, racing game and puzzle game. By using another Joy-Con controller, two players can team up for co-op multiplayer action. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch this year.

Little Nightmares: Complete Edition: From award-winning developer Tarsier Studios comes Little Nightmares, a charmingly horrific puzzle-platforming adventure. The Complete Edition contains the two haunting tales of Six and The Runaway Kid in one package. You can even tap the PAC-MAN amiibo figure (sold separately) to unlock the Pakku Mask when playing. Little Nightmares: Complete Edition launches on May 18.

UNDERTALE: The million-selling role-playing game in which nobody has to die is headed to Nintendo Switch. Launch details will arrive at a later date.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition: The definitive edition (it’s in the title!) of Hyrule Warriors brings together dozens of characters from the Legend of Zelda series in an over-the-top action game. The game launches for Nintendo Switch on May 18.

ARMS US & Canada Online Open Tournament**: Players who want to show off their ARMS skills will be able to enter the ARMS US & Canada Online Open Tournament, which takes place in the Nintendo Switch game’s Ranked Match mode now through March 18. The eight top players in these preliminary rounds will have an opportunity to move on to the online finals on March 31. The finals will be streamed live from Nintendo of America HQ at https://arms.nintendo.com/videos/.

ARMS Testpunch: A new global Testpunch for the ARMS game, which lets Nintendo Switch owners try out select modes for free, will be running for three days starting on March 31. To participate, players just have to download the Testpunch in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo 3DS:

WarioWare Gold: The frenetic WarioWare series is back, and for the first time it’s on Nintendo 3DS! With 300 fast-paced microgames that can be controlled by pressing buttons, tilting the system, tapping the touch screen or using the microphone, WarioWare Gold is the biggest entry in the series. And for the first time, the game includes fully voiced characters. WarioWare Gold launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on Aug. 3.

Luigi’s Mansion: The original Luigi’s Mansion, which was a launch game for the Nintendo GameCube system in 2001, is coming to Nintendo 3DS. This remake has an updated look and new features, like a map that displays on the bottom screen and a boss rush mode. Luigi’s Mansion launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems this year.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey: In this Nintendo 3DS remake of a classic Mario & Luigi action RPG adventure, fans can replay (or play for the first time) Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, one of the most critically acclaimed games in the Mario & Luigi series. It features new graphics and a new mode that tells the behind-the-scenes story of Bowser Jr. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in 2019.

Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers: Action meets tower defense in Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers. In this new game, players take on the role of armadillo ranger Dillon, who teams up with an animalized version of the player’s Mii character to help stop enemy invasions and save the post-apocalyptic frontier. Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in Nintendo eShop on May 24. A free demo for the game will be available to download on May 10.

Detective Pikachu: Starting today, this new detective adventure game starring self-proclaimed “great detective” Pikachu is available for pre-purchase on Nintendo eShop and Nintendo.com. The game, as well as an extra-large Detective Pikachu amiibo figure (sold separately), launches on March 23. (The game is playable in 2D only.)

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https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971868668542857216

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971869079131717632

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971869185641869317

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971870142463275008

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971870384067784704

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971870651727228928

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971871526155780096

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971871733241102336

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971873487341043713

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971873806301085696

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971873977500024832

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971874225823744000

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971874399358824448

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971874723754749952

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971874899110215680

https://twitter.com/NintendoVS/status/971875621188939781

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/971879567928381441

Lastly, we have another batch of images for you to go through, enjoy:

We hope you found our latest Nintendo Direct Digest helpful!

Source: Nintendo PR

#NintendoDirect Full Details #HyruleWarriors #MarioTennisAces #SuperSmashBros #TravisStrikesAgain #WarioWareGold #CaptainToad #SushiStrikers #Splatoon2 #DarkSoulsRemastered #LittleNightmares #NintendoSwitch #CrashBandicoot #3DS Mike Scorpio: OMG!!!!!! My body was not ready for this Nintendo Direct! I just love a Nintendo Direct and this one was no exception.

#3DS #Full Details #Gaming #Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition #March 8th 2018 #Mario Tennis Aces #Nintendo #nintendo direct #Nintendo Switch #videogames

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katybudgetbooks · 7 years

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YA Books We’re Excited About in September 2017

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (9/5): From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel—the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge. Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (9/5): Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale. At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Nothing by Annie Barrows (9/5): Nothing ever happens to Charlotte and Frankie. Their lives are nothing like the lives of the girls they read about in their YA novels. They don’t have flowing red hair and hot romantic encounters never happen—let alone meeting a true soul mate. They just go to high school and live at home with their parents, who are pretty normal, all things considered. But when Charlotte decides to write down everything that happens during their sophomore year to prove that nothing happens and there is no plot or character development in real life, she’s surprised to find that being fifteen isn’t as boring as she thought. It’s weird, heartbreaking, silly, and complicated. And maybe, just perfect.

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (9/5): In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire. Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken. His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica--the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them. But what they discover in Antica will change them both--and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows (9/12): From the New York Times bestselling co-author of My Lady Jane comes a smoldering new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Kristin Cashore about a girl condemned for defending dragons and the inner fire that may be her only chance of escape.Mira has always been a symbol of hope for the Fallen Isles, perfect and beautiful—or at least that’s how she’s forced to appear. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret, Mira is betrayed by those closest to her and sentenced to the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles.Except Mira is over being a pawn. Fighting to survive against outer threats and inner demons of mental illness, Mira must find her inner fire and the scorching truth about her own endangered magic—before her very world collapses.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (9/19): An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texan high school in the new novel from Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice. MOXIE GIRLS FIGHT BACK! Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with an administration at her high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment, and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules. Viv's mom was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution. Moxie is a book about high school life that will make you wanna riot!

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake (9/19): The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail? With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent. In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

Release by Patrick Ness (9/19): Inspired by Judy Blume’s Forever and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, this novel that Andrew Smith calls “beautiful, enchanting, [and] exquisitely written” is a new classic about teenage relationships, self-acceptance—and what happens when the walls we build start coming down. Adam Thorn doesn’t know it yet, but today will change his life. Between his religious family, a deeply unpleasant ultimatum from his boss, and his own unrequited love for his sort-of ex, Enzo, it seems as though Adam’s life is falling apart. At least he has two people to keep him sane: his new boyfriend (he does love Linus, doesn’t he?) and his best friend, Angela. But all day long, old memories and new heartaches come crashing together, throwing Adam’s life into chaos. The bindings of his world are coming untied one by one; yet in spite of everything he has to let go, he may also find freedom in the release. From the New York Times bestselling author of A Monster Calls comes a raw, darkly funny, and deeply affecting story about the courage it takes to live your truth.

Invictus by Ryan Graudin (9/26): Time flies when you're plundering history. Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past. But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems. In this heart-stopping adventure, Ryan Graudin has created a fast-paced world that defies time and space.

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo (9/26): Enter the Grishaverse... Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse. This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales and six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

#new releases #YA #E Lockhart #Melissa Bashardoust #Annie Barrows #Sarah J Maas #Jodi Meadows #Jennifer Mathieu #Kendare Blake #Patrick Ness #Ryan Graudin #Leigh Bardugo

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nadbooks · 7 years

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Most Disappointing Books of 2016

Hello again! Today I am here with my most disappointing books of 2016. I actually really enjoy posts about books that people dislike because I think they are more informative in letting me know whether a person has the same taste in books as me, as compared to their favorite books. These books were not necessarily awful (although some of them are), but it’s more that I really expected them to be great but they just turned out to be kinda meh. I gave these books either 2 or 3 stars on Goodreads. Oh, and of course, these are ranked from the least worst to the worst worst. Also, the disclaimer that these are just my opinions and if I don’t like your favorite book, it doesn’t mean you’re wrong for liking them. To each their own, ya know!

9. The Explanation for Everything by Lauren Grodstein

This book is about a biology professor and a hardcore evolutionist who is working on a paper with a student who is an evangelist and is trying to prove the existence of an intelligent creator. Sounds real technical, I know. At the time I was reading this, I was taking a class on Evolutionary Psychology which kinda blew my mind and I thought this book was going to be an interesting discussion/debate about evolution and faith and how we can believe in both. In the end, the book was just about a student-teacher affair, a professor going through his tenure review, and the promised discussion on evolution and faith was basically nonexistent. It wasn’t really that bad of a book I suppose, it had interesting insights into life as a professor and I did take away the message that it is okay to believe in something that you don’t completely understand, especially in times of grief and devastation, whether it is scientific or not. Sometimes we just need a little bit of faith. So it was not the worst book ever, but I did expect something more from it.

8. Sea by Heidi R. Kling

This one was again my fault because I expected too much from it even though I should have had no reason to. This is a YA book set in Indonesia which I just thought was super interesting because I never read a YA book set in my home country before! It’s about a girl who accompanies her dad on a trip to Indonesia to help tsunami orphans deal with their PTSD. She is also dealing with the death of her mother so her dad thinks that this would be a good experience for her. Ultimately, the book is not about dealing with PTSD so much as it is about two teenagers falling in love. I didn’t really appreciate the romance because the main character only seemed to find the love interest interesting because he was foreign and exotic. She made some really stupid decisions and got kind of annoying and whiny towards the end. Still, the backdrop of the tsunami relief efforts was interesting and enlightening and I’m glad the author touched at least a bit on some of those themes. But ultimately, it’s really just another average YA book.

7. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Okay here is where we start to get a little controversial. This is a best-selling adult literary fiction about a group of four friends and it kinda just follows them throughout their lives from their 20s to their 50s. One of them, Jude, has an incredibly dark past though and we see his and his friends’ struggles as he tries to move beyond his traumatic past. I was told that this book would make me cry. I can see how it would I suppose but mostly, I was just disgusted by all the awful things that happened to Jude when he was a child. It was very jarring, shocking and graphic, the descriptions of what happened to him, and maybe that’s a good thing, when a book can make you feel that way. However, after a while, I just found everything kind of gratuitous because it seemed that every bad thing that could happen, happened to Jude. It didn’t seem very realistic as we uncovered more and more of his dark past. I thought his present-day struggles with his trauma were a bit more realistic, if a tad depressing. The book also seemed to be incredibly long and I really didn’t think it was necessary. I think a good third of the book could have been cut out. If I had to summarize my experience reading this book, it would be boredom (during the third where nothing was really happening) and then disgust and soul-sucking emptiness (as we learn more and more about Jude’s past), which I don’t think the author was really going for. Needless to say, this book comes with trigger warnings for abuse, rape and self-harm.

6. This is Our Story by Ashley Elston

This is a mystery novel. A group of five friends goes into the forest to go hunting but only four come out alive. Our main character is a girl who is an intern at the district attorney’s office and she investigates this mystery with her aging boss who relies on her to see all the details that he might miss. Interesting premise but the plot itself is very cliche and formulaic of many mysteries. I think I’ve read too many mystery novels and watched too many crime procedural TV shows that the plots become too predictable after a while. This is a basic crime storyline and there was nothing impressive about it at all. The big reveal at the end was no plot twist and it was also unrealistic how our main character, a high school intern, can be taken seriously when she just barges into court during a trial. Don’t even get me started on the romance in this story which was totally unnecessary, annoying, interfered with the plot, and made our main character do stupid things. Four pet peeves I have about romances in books. Overall, a disappointing mystery and nothing to rave about really.

5. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Aha another mystery on the list. This one is crazy hyped up though and I think the hype is what makes this one more disappointing than This is Our Story. I have the same complaints about this one. It is a cliche mystery plot that is not unique and the big reveal in the end was kind of disappointing and not very plot twisty. Seemed like a regular plotline of a procedural TV show, and not even a good one. Our main character also makes all sorts of stupid decisions and I am just not here for that kind of protagonist. The movie starring Emily Blunt does look interesting though so perhaps it translates better to the screen. But the book itself is definitely not worth all the hype.

4. 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

This book is about three teenagers who are sent to the moon by NASA in an effort to rebuild interest in the space program. But when they get to the moon, things are not all they seem to be. This is a horror novel set in space and honestly, that description alone is enough to make me pee my pants. I cannot read horror novels because I’m a coward and I also have a fear of outer space. All that vast nothingness where no one can hear you scream and where you can’t even rely on the basic laws of physics? No thank you. Given all that, you would think this book would terrify me to pieces. Nope. It was pretty boring and the writing was so GOD AWFUL. The sentences were so jarring and they didn’t flow smoothly at all that it really hindered my enjoyment of the story. Oh but the story itself was not very enjoyable either. The scary things that were happening were just glossed over that we didn’t really get to comprehend just how scary it was, and the characters were little shits too. They were not likeable and they were incredibly one-dimensional. Not an enjoyable read and it didn’t scare me at all, even though “horror novel set in space” is the easiest way to frighten me. And I’m easily frightened.

3. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Continuing the trend of shitting on popular books. This one is a classic so getting super controversial here. This book is about a woman working temporarily in New York and we sort of follow her downward spiral into... depression? I’m really not sure. We then see the kind of treatment she is getting and it’s not so great to say the least, because psychologists back then had no code of ethics. Interesting premise for me because I like reading about mental health and also, psychologist in training over here. Unfortunately, this was so incredibly boring. Nothing was happening and I honestly didn’t get the point of this story at all. Maybe I’m too stupid to understand classics or something but man, I was bored out of my mind. I just couldn’t understand how this became a classic. Maybe it was the writing but I wasn’t too impressed with that either. Overall, I kinda felt like it was a waste of my time.

2. Unteachable by Leah Raeder

So we’ve kinda reached the end of my disappointing books. The books I talked about above I didn’t actively hate but I just expected more from. I gave them all 3 stars. Now we are getting down to my 2 star reads, which I actively hate. Unteachable is about a student-teacher relationship and I’ll admit, I only read this because I just wanted something trashy to read. Still, I have standards for my trash. The relationship was fun and steamy in the beginning but then it dragged on and on and on and got so dramatic and I was just sick and tired of both of them in the end. I wanted to drown them honestly. I just wanted something fun and light to read and this took a turn for the dark and dramatic and veered into 50 Shades of Grey territory which I did not appreciate. It was really just an unhealthy relationship. This book is trash, and not the good kind.

1. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Speaking of unhealthy relationships and trash. This book was definitely my worst read of 2016. I actually enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, which are the other novels in this companion trilogy. Isla is the last one and by far the worst one. Unlike the other two, the romance in this one was insta-lovey and underdeveloped and holy shit, the characters did some really stupid things. Isla refused to accept the consequences of their stupid decisions and just became a whiny brat. I really couldn’t stand Isla. I also cannot stand high school romances where they think that this is it, that if they get through the high school drama, they will live happily ever after (that goddamn title). How about college hmm? How about work? These characters think they know so much about the world and that “love will conquer all” even though they’re only in high school. Life is hard and high school is not even the worst part so I can’t stand it when books set in high school end with the idea that the couple is going to stay together forever. That is just not how it works. Wow, I think I’m really getting too old for YA.

So there we go, we have learnt that I’m a bitter old lady and that maybe I just can’t read pure YA romances anymore. I also can’t stand it when main characters make stupid decisions. I should also really not let the hype get to me and get my expectations up too high because that’s how I end up being disappointed. Oh well, it’s still fun to look back at disappointing reads and I don’t mind having them. It just means that the good ones stand out more!

Cheers and happy reading!

#most disappointing books of 2016

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